How to route tenons on a long work piece like a bed rail

[Patrick McKinley]

Has anyone used a Leigh FMT jig to work on long work pieces?
Things like bed rails don't stand up under the FMT at my work bench. I'm wondering about if a FMT could be used in other than a table top position?

Perhaps another method is preferred to cut tenons on ends of a long bed rail (about 84" long).

Thanks,
...Patrick

[Dave Houseal]

A dado blade on an RAS would make short work of it if you have one.

I cut most of my tenons with a dado blade on my TS using the miter gauge and a stop block. bed rails would be unwieldy though.

[Van Huskey]

I had to respond even though I have not used an FMT for anything long. When I read your post I saw myself with the FMT clamped to the edge of my second floor loft bench with a bed rail hanging down and my wife looking up trying to scream at me over the router and vacuum!

[Bobby O'Neal]

I'd try to make a jig to guide a router with a bearing bit or pull out a handsaw and cut them.

[Steve Jenkins]

I have cut the shoulders on the tablesaw and the cheeks on the bandsaw.

[Mike Heidrick]

I once saw a FMT and a ladder combo. Another pic had it on a 2nd story deck. Not safe looking to me at all.

Just make a right angle jig and use the router on the face for teh tenons. Use a hollow chisel mortiser or drill out and finish with chisels for the mortise.

[glenn bradley]

This is a throw-away jig for some half laps on longer pieces. Takes just a few minutes to build to your purpose. This one was for half laps but could do tenons easy enough. A template collar and a straight bit are used. One piece is a stop to set the length of the tenon. The sides are made just a bit shorter than your material is thick so you can clamp it down and rout away the waste. Once your done you can toss it.

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[Charles Lent]

I once clamped my FMT to my neighbor's 2nd floor deck railing (mounted backwards). so I could put tenons on some long stock. Of course, it was done with his permission. The only problem that I had was clamping the work in position without being able to see what I was doing. The actual routing went very well.

Charley

[Bill Rogers]

Patrick,

When I faced a similar problem, I solved it by making the simple jig following the directions in ShopNotes.
http://www.woodworkingseminars.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/WS97_SimpleTenonJig.pdf

Bill

[John Piwaron]

long ago when I made my first bed I used an idea I saw in FWW. I think it was in an article by Christian Becksvoort on his pencil post bed. It's a jig you clamp to the end of the long rails that provides a surface to guide a router with a rabbeting bit to make the tenon. After you're done with the tenon, then you make the mortise.

[Bobby O'Neal]

This is a throw-away jig for some half laps on longer pieces. Takes just a few minutes to build to your purpose. This one was for half laps but could do tenons easy enough. A template collar and a straight bit are used. One piece is a stop to set the length of the tenon. The sides are made just a bit shorter than your material is thick so you can clamp it down and rout away the waste. Once your done you can toss it.

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This is like what I was imagining. Cool application Glenn.

[Patrick McCarthy]

Glenn, I always enjoy your posts and learn alot just seeing how you do things. Thank you for your generosity sharing with the rest of us. Hope to actually meet you one of these days. Patrick

[Tim Ulmen]

Patrick,

When I faced a similar problem, I solved it by making the simple jig following the directions in ShopNotes.
http://www.woodworkingseminars.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/WS97_SimpleTenonJig.pdf

Bill

This is the best jig I've found for bed rails. Thanks Bill!

[Rod Sheridan]

Has anyone used a Leigh FMT jig to work on long work pieces?
Things like bed rails don't stand up under the FMT at my work bench. I'm wondering about if a FMT could be used in other than a table top position?

Perhaps another method is preferred to cut tenons on ends of a long bed rail (about 84" long).

Thanks,
...Patrick

Well, to state the obvious, a tenon saw or back saw is ideal.

If you really want to use power tools, a table saw for the shoulders and a band saw for the cheeks............Rod.

[pat warner]

The long rails always need a KD fastener, whether tusk tenons or steel x-dowels or whatever.
As such, would minimize the tenon hassles but maximize the KD issue.
Which can be as trivial as no tenon at all.
Made plenty of long rail tenons (http://patwarner.com/images/index_tenon.jpg)with the work on-end with a router, however.

[Frank Drew]

The long rails always need a KD fastener

Agree; I like to use bed bolts with a captured nut in the rail, so only need stub tenons on the long rails since the bolts draw the rails up very tight. I cut tenons with the rails laying flat on a table saw, using dado blades... quick and easy, no jigs to make or set up.