Tenon question?

[Gregg Feldstone]

Another beginer question here. I was just trying out my new General tenoning jig and cut a simple mortise just fine. I decided to also cut cheeks and shoulders on the sides of the 2x4 I was practicing with (forget what that type of tenon is called) and realized my ( or any commercial) tenoning jig is not made to do this. My
question is; How do I safely cut the cheeks on the narrow edge of rectangular stock on the table saw?
I have seen designs for some shop made jigs which look like they work, but that's why I bought a commercial jig. I know I can easily do it on the bandsaw, but I'd like to not have to switch machines in the process.

[Mike Cutler]

Gregg.
I usually use the bandsaw, It's faster for me. Some folks use a dado blade. I have a Delta Tenon jig, similar to yours.

[Ernie Hobbs]

Gregg,

There are number of ways to cut your tenons and don't feel like you have to do it certain way. My recommendation is to mark everything with a marking gauge and cut them by hand. Cut close to your line with a dovetail saw and trim with a shoulder plane and/or chisel.

That being said, I usually opt for the table saw to remove most of the waste. I typically set the fence to the depth of my tenon length and, using a miter gauge at a right angle, cut my shoulder at the marked line. Then I make passes across the blade until the rest of the tenon is cut. You could use a dado for this stage but, I find that by the time I could get the blade switched out, I can be done faster by this process. And, as long as you don't cross your lines, you won't screw up. Just be careful to not stress the blade and cause an unsafe situation with the table saw. Once your sawing is done, trim to your lines with a shoulder plane and/or chisel.

[Allen Bookout]

I think that I know what you are talking about but not really sure.

I use a tablesaw tenoning jig (Grizzly- basically the same as Delta, Woodcraft, etc.) to make all four vertical cuts on all of the pieces. Then I use my crosscut sled to make the horizontal cuts. No blade change required. Very fast.

[Doug Shepard]

If I've got a bunch of them to do, I set up the dado blade and bury the edge in a sacraficial fence otherwise I do like Ernie and nibble away with a regular blade. Both methods are with the stock laying flat, the miter gauge, and stop block clamped to the fence to set the shoulder distance. I only use the tenoning jig for the cheek cuts. Now that I've got a much better BS though (MM16) I'll probably switch to using that for the shoulders.

[Kirk Poore]

I think that I know what you are talking about but not really sure.

I use a tablesaw tenoning jig (Grizzly- basically the same as Delta, Woodcraft, etc.) to make all four vertical cuts on all of the pieces. Then I use my crosscut sled to make the horizontal cuts. No blade change required. Very fast.

I'm with Allen here--I'm pretty sure I know what you're talking about but there seems to be a little ambiguity. I have a Woodcraft tenoning jig, and use it for all the vertical (parallel to the grain) cuts. If the piece is too wide, it won't fit into the jig. In this case, I'll make that cut on the bandsaw.

I cut all my shoulders on my radial arm saw. With a stop block clamped to the fence, the cuts are easy and repeatable. Only on a very wide piece, where I would have to raise the saw blade very high, will I cut the edge shoulders with a handsaw or bandsaw.

Kirk Poore
O'Fallon IL

[Gregg Feldstone]

Thanks for all the replies. Has anyone seen a jig which IS made to accomodate for cutting cheeks on the narrow sides of wide rectangular stock? Seems like all that would be needed is another fence perpendicular to the main face of the jig and another clamp to hold a board against it.

[Jim Becker]

Gregg, it should be reasonably easy to construct a jig that slides on your fence to make the cheek cuts you describe. Think it through. The only "commercial" product you should need is a couple toggle clamps to hold the material in the jig. Everything else can be scrap.

[Gregg Feldstone]

Any Links To Plans For Such A Jig Or Maybe One You Have Made Yourself?

[Allen Bookout]

Gregg,

Sounds like what you need is a rip fence sled. Check your library and see if they have "Table Saw Magic" by Jim Tolpin. It shows him using his to cut several joints including tenons. The only problem is that I do not see where he shows you how to build it but you will get the idea. Sorry that I do not have any plans. After you get the idea and if you decide that is what you need you could design your own or search around and see what that you can find. May be the plan is in the book and I am just to tired to find it.

Here are some plans for what I am talking about: http://www.plansnow.com/tablesawacc.html

Hope that this helps.

Allen