off set tenons

[Bill Carey]

Building a billiard chair, which is my first chair of any kind.
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And the upper and lower back rails are curved - going to re-saw and glue them up on a pattern, no problem there - but the tenons are off set.
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How do you guys and gals cut these? By hand? Make a jig for the TS? I have a nice cast iron tenon jig so I suppose I could McGyver something and use that. Just curious if there is a tried and true method. Or at least your favorite method.
TIA

[stevo wis]

Bill, i would lay them out carefully, cut them by hand leaving them a little thick, then chisel or plane them to fit.
Stevo

[johnny means]

I'm not seeing how you cut that tenon out of that lamination. I would use a loose tenon to avoid the cross grain situation I'm seeing.

[Brian Holcombe]

Tenons should be in alignment with the grain, the mortise should be made an angle to accommodate those tenons.

[Joe Calhoon]

I have been making some chairs for myself with a similar back rail. The curve seemed pretty slight so I just cut it out of a piece of 8/4, cut the tenons and shaped the curve after. I can see if laminated the tenon should follow the grain.

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[Brian Holcombe]

Joe, I cut them the same way from solid stock when the stock thickness allows for enough cross-section since it does follow the grain even though there is a curve to the part. In Bill's case it sounds like he plans to laminate them, so he's be making short grain tenons if they were cut into that shape.

These are the bridle joint version of that same scenario:

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/img_2537.jpg

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/img_2536.jpg

[Wayne Lomman]

Cut them out of solid stock. As already said, cutting them out of a laminated curve creates short grain tenons.

Offset tenons are used all the time with chair making. You set them out and cut them while the stock is still square, then cut the curve. A good tenonning machine does this. Doing them other ways may require extra set ups. Cheers

[Carl Beckett]

When you laminate them, fixture it such that the ends bend back straight at the end (at least to some amount).

Then run through the bandsaw to cut the first cheek on the convex side (the tips will be guided off the bandsaw fence at each end). This gives a flat surface to register against as you then cut the next cheek on the inside/concave side.

Then yes often I end up cleaning them up with a shoulder plane.

At least that is how I have done it.

[andy bessette]

...


https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/img_2536.jpg

That's a great looking piece!

[Brian Holcombe]

That's a great looking piece!

Thank you!

[Bill Carey]

thanks for the comments folks. I think I'll get some 8/4 stock and cut the tenons and then cut the shape. Seems like the most straight forward process.

[Charles Taylor]

All of the other advice given here should be considered seriously, but I'll just say that I made tenons on a steam-bent rail just like Bill wants to make on his laminated rail, using jigs and my router table:
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Yes, there is some short grain. It may fail one day. So far the chair is still rock solid after four years.

[Dave Richards]

Bill, based on the dimensions given in your drawing, if you're going to saw it out of one piece, you'll need a piece of wood at least 2-3/8 in. thick. See this (https://flic.kr/p/2diTUjv). I don't think 8/4 will cut it.

[Rod Sheridan]

Building a billiard chair, which is my first chair of any kind.
403256
And the upper and lower back rails are curved - going to re-saw and glue them up on a pattern, no problem there - but the tenons are off set.
403257
How do you guys and gals cut these? By hand? Make a jig for the TS? I have a nice cast iron tenon jig so I suppose I could McGyver something and use that. Just curious if there is a tried and true method. Or at least your favorite method.
TIA

Those are easily made with a shaper, I just put a tenon cutter on the spindle and it cuts both cheeks simultaneously.

You could make a jig for your table saw to cut those as well, or you could cut them with a hand saw....Rod.

[Carl Beckett]

thanks for the comments folks. I think I'll get some 8/4 stock and cut the tenons and then cut the shape. Seems like the most straight forward process.

I have done a set of chairs this way and they were completely acceptable. Note that when you cut an arch you are cutting across the grain at an angle, so the grain pattern will look different than it does if a flat sawn board (or flat sawn then bent...)

The back of the attached chair is close to your dimensions. These were laminated and bent then tenons cut. Sure the grain is at a angle, but not by that much and there little chance it will break (imo).

I will look for a pic of the ones I did from thicker stock. With thick stock you have to cut a nice arc, then smooth it (I used a scraper followed by sanding). (and with bending you need a nice arc on the fixture but sometimes this is easier if built up from multiple layers)

Both worked equally well imo.

[Bill Carey]

I took the advice to cut the tenons first then cut the curve out of a single piece. Came out ok, needs some finishing.
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