Tried out a Underhill style of thing..

[steven c newman]

I needed a neanderthal way of making tenons. LOW budget way. My little Gent saw is mighty dull. The Disston mitersaw is worse. My panel saw is very sharp, but too big for tenon work. Hmmm, how about another "Disston" I have hanging around. I didn't use it to cut the aprons to shape, I'M not in that good of shape for that kind of workout. It is just about right for smaller tenon work? A Disston/HK Porter#10. Yeah, a Coping saw. Decided to try a trick I saw on The Woodwright's Shop one time.

I marked the lines for the tenons, and sawed down into the face until the blade just below the surface, where I can't feel it with a finger. I make sure that the cut is level across the face. So far so good. Now for the Underhill trick.

I take a nice wide chisel, for my it is a 1" wide one. Set the edge at about the bottom of the cut, but this time, I am out on the end grain. Single whack, nice flake pops off. Work my my along until that part of the tenon is done. I come back and pare any "bad spots", and refine the cut line as needed. Flip the board over, do the other face the same way. Since I also stop the tenon short of the bottom of the apron, I do the same for that.

Tools? Coping Saw, Square, and something to mark with, Sharp chisel, nice wide one. A mallet to strike the chisel. I think that about covers what I used today. Don't have a shoulder plane, so I have to be quite good with the chisel work. Like I said, LOW budget. As in ZERO Dollars.

I still have three more aprons to tenon, and cut some mortises for them. I'll take the camera along to the shop, and take a few pictures of this Underhill Trick.

[Sam Stephens]

splitting tenons has become my preferred way as well. very fast and effective!

[Jim Matthews]

Paul Sellers has an in-depth video describing the same method.

I find that the score line is the most important aspect to control.
If it's well marked, I also get good results with the chisel.

It's really forgiving of slightly overcut shoulders.
I never get the same degree of precision, sawing.

Cool, innit?

[Bob Glenn]

It works well with straight grained wood.

[Jack Curtis]

Not to put too fine a point on it, but if you'd had a Japanese rip saw handy, you'd never have considered such a solution. Takes no time at all. Why do you describe it as "Underhill?"

[Jim Koepke]

This came to me accidentally when cutting tenons. My shoulder cuts had already been made and my plan was to make a notch for the face cuts. One pop on the chisel and the waste was half way across the room. The surface didn't appeal to me and it can go terribly wrong if the grain isn't going the right way. So, it is back to the saw for me to get a bit better on this.

In the case of what Roy & Chris were doing on a recent program, they were cutting for a bread board end with three tenons to be cut from the full width. This allowed a bit more room for error.

jtk

[David Weaver]

Or even a good western one. I wish I could get wood consistent enough to split the tenon close to the marking line.

[Chris Griggs]

My panel saw is very sharp, but too big for tenon work.

Actually, you should give it a try. I've cut tenons with 26" rip saws when I was "in-between" (sold one before I had another one) tenon saws. Works just fine.

[Jim Stewart]

I just used that method this morning. I was not making tenons but stubbing sliding dovetails. I split to near the line and then pare. fun!

[Jim Matthews]

For those of us that can't rip straight, this is a Godsend.

It's very fast, getting close to the desired tenon surface.
Paring gets the rest done. It uses the scribe line to
guide the chisel back.

My average sawn tenon still required paring.
This method is really fast.

[steven c newman]

Hybrid Panel sawSDC14218.jpgSDC14229.jpgSteel plate by Disston. Handle was trashed, too blocky, and "modern". New handle came from a POS STEIGO saw from china. Sheet metal for a saw blade? Like the fit of the handle, though, and adopted it to the Disston. Kept both medallions, too. A Steigo-Disstonian Hybrid saw. Seems to cut fairly straight, or at least I do.SDC14230.jpgBut, it might cut a little too rough for tenon work. Disston had quite a set on this plate.

[Chris Griggs]

Just run an oil stone across each side a few times until you have reduced the set to an amount you like and it still cuts straight. Too much set ruins a good saw cut. Knock some out of it, test cut, knock some more out, test cut again.... etc.... until you are happy with how it cuts.

[Jack Curtis]

...In the case of what Roy & Chris were doing on a recent program, they were cutting for a bread board end with three tenons to be cut from the full width. This allowed a bit more room for error.

Ah, yes, I saw that show, guess I'd call it a Chris thing.

[steven c newman]

Ok, some of the toys, er tools, I used today. SDC14237.jpgSDC14244.jpgBacksaw has almost no set. Binds about 1/8" down in the cut. I used it to Mark the cut. Coping saw is a Disston/HK Porter #10. Nice little saw. Like the whacker? Ok, now the scray pictures of what I was trying to doSDC14238.jpglay out lines. So i can see them. SDC14239.jpgbury saw blade to just below the surfaceSDC14240.jpgpop the waste off, and pare to the linesSDC14241.jpgrotate stock, repeat. SDC14242.jpgcut down, and pop the waste off. Clean the end cuts. Set it asideSDC14243.jpg and start on the next piece. Got them all done today. Even cleaned evrything up. Chopped a fw mortises (4) and have the front apron glued into the front two legs. Will start on the other two legs tomorrow, and MIGHT have the base done.