tenon question

[Michael Hammers]

I am having a tough time trying to final fit this tenon. I am not sure if it is me or the plane. It feels as if the angle is all wrong, but this is my first time using one so I am miffed. Any suggestions?

[James Mittlefehldt]

My first observation is that the blade is straight and not skewed, which would probably work much better.

Also is the blade set for too big a bite, you need to go softly softly to do fine tuning like that, should be fine. I assume it is sharp.

What is the wood by the way, I recently used a Stanley 78 to fine tune some pine which worked just fine but would have doubtless been not so good on hard wood.

[Michael Hammers]

James,
I cannot seem to situate the blade on this particular plane to close that gap. I was hoping to avoid a new purchase though. I have an even older and less functional skew version I gave up on.
It is walnut wood. I am so close but just out about a 1/16 when the posts are seated.

[David DeCristoforo]

If you are needing to square up the shoulders, I would not use a rabbeting plane. I would score a line around the face of the stock with a SHARP knife and then pare away whatever needed to be removed with a SHARP paring chisel.

[Frank Drew]

Michael,

What's off? Is it one of the shoulders, or is the tenon itself not parallel to the main body of the wood?

[Michael Hammers]

The tenon itself is not parallel. I have a 1/6"- on one side. Thats where I was running into trouble trying to lie the plane on it's side and trim it. I suppose I will have to mark anew all the way around and pare it.
Does anyone know if there are any hard and fast rules on creating the wedge for the wedged tenon as far as sizing? It's thru so I decided against pegging it.
All in all I am pretty pleased though.

[Derek Cohen]

Michael

The easist way to fix an out-of-square tenon (assuming that the mortice is square!) is to use a router plane ..

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Joints/Tenon-router2.jpg

Of course you could also use a chisel, wide shoulder plane, or a rabbet block plane, a rasp or a coarse file amongst others. There is no rule that says what you should use. But a router plane will square it up.

If, then, the tenon is too narrow, just glue on a filler piece and re-cut it. (or, if the gap is small, use resin)

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Frank Drew]

Derek,

What make is your router plane?

[Derek Cohen]

Hi Frank

That's the LV.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Michael Hammers]

I cannot tell from the picture with that router plane, but does it also cut the side as well as the bed? I have a 7/16" shoulder.

[Frank Drew]

Thanks, Derek; this relatively new level of higher quality in hand tools is very encouraging (after years in decline from such as Stanley, etc.).

Michael, if by side, you mean the tenon shoulder, no, a router plane wouldn't trim those; the blades cut parallel to the plane sole, at varying depths set by the user. There are, however, a number of planes ideally suited to trim the end grain of a tenon shoulder, and, of course, you could also easily take off however much you wanted with a table saw or radial arm saw.

Maybe you mean the edge (thin side) of the tenon, and then, yes, a router place could be used for those, too, but you'd have less of a bearing surface for the sole of the router so would need to be extra careful.