Episode 10- Tenons Anyone? (Pt. 1)

15 Responses to “Episode 10- Tenons Anyone? (Pt. 1)”

1. Darryl on February 2nd, 2007 5:40 pm

   nice work, I like this episode. great work talking about alternatives without getting pulled off the main course of the discussion.

   …and I really need to practice more (or should I say some?)…

2. Jim Parent on February 3rd, 2007 8:35 am

   Just purchased a Steel City Mortiser and have very much enjoyed Part 1 for obvious reasons. Please get at Part 2………I need all the help I can get!!

   Thanks…………..Jim

3. thewoodwhisperer on February 3rd, 2007 9:26 am

   Hey Jim. What to you think of that Steel City unit? I have the Jet and am getting ready to upgrade to the Powermatic. But I am very interested in hearing what people think of Steel City tools. Let me know.

   Marc

4. Tim on February 3rd, 2007 11:00 am

   Another great episode! I think you should have touched on when to use each joint. For example if you use pocket screws where you will never see them than you won’t have to fill them in. In my opinion each type of joint has its use and knowing when to use one instead of the other can save lots of time and headaches later.

5. Scott on February 3rd, 2007 1:27 pm

   Hey, I feel slighted! Just watched the episode. What’s the deal with the repeat T-Shirt?

   OK, really. Another great episode. Had another epiphone today. That picture in your banner of you at the tablesaw is in DJM’s shop, isn’t it?

6. thewoodwhisperer on February 3rd, 2007 2:22 pm

   I wore that shirt before??? Crap. There goes my perfect record.

   And that is indeed in David’s shop.

7. Darryl on February 3rd, 2007 9:54 pm

   I thought I had seen that shirt before! I just havn’t gone back through past episodes to look yet.

   I’m so glad it’s not just me noticing these things!

8. Greg Watson on February 4th, 2007 4:25 pm

   Hey Marc great episode, I especially appreciate seeing you demonstrate YOUR technique. I wonder if you would/will comment on the pros and cons of floating MT vs more traditional. I’m mostly interested in relative strength of one over the other and if there are certain situations when you wouldn’t use the floating one.

9. thewoodwhisperer on February 4th, 2007 10:46 pm

   Hey Greg. As far as Im concerned, the only difference between the floating tenon and the integral tenon is how you make them. Strength-wise, a properly milled floating tenon joint should be just as strong as an integral tenon. I would do whatever method is easier for you. But since a floating tenon requires you to put a mortise on each piece, you might run into some issues on long pieces (such as a long table apron). So unless you have a multi-router or something like the Domino, you will need to find a way to balance your router at the end of a long apron piece. Tricky stuff. So in those cases, I would absolutely recommend an integral tenon.

   But otherwise, I consider the two joints equivalent.

10. Scott on February 5th, 2007 4:55 am

    I’ve had success with a shop-made slot mortiser. Mine is a variation on the one featured in FWW #174. I built my router table with a provision for mounting my plunge router horizontally. That horizontal attachment will bolt up to my slot mortising jig, which in-turn is fastened to the table.

    There’s a lengthy discussion thread on it at knots (Fine Woodworking’s forum): http://forums.taunton.com/fw-k.....redirCnt=1 More details about my setup can be found in post #20.

11. Scott on February 5th, 2007 4:57 am

    Cripes! The link doesn’t work. This one should take you straight to my post: http://forums.taunton.com/fw-k.....g=32436.20

12. Greg Watson on February 6th, 2007 11:43 pm

    Marc; Just read an article in FWW #148 about M&T strength. The author likes floating tenons and said “…all the joints we tested were stronger than the most severe load they would ever be subjected to…” but “…if faced with a need for a super-strong joint or one that must not deflect, I will now use a traditional mortice and tenon…” once again your advice is right on the marc ;-) Greg

13. Newbie on February 7th, 2007 11:02 am

    If a mortiser is nothing more than a drill press with a chisel, why have both a mortiser and a drill press? Do manufacturers not make a duel-purpose machine? And if not, why not?

14. thewoodwhisperer on February 7th, 2007 11:11 am

    They do make add-on kits for drill presses that will allow you to cut mortises. But it is my understanding that its a real pain in the butt to tear down and set up. And the results are usually not as good since the drill press table is not intended for the type of work required for drilling mortises(for example, the absence of a built-in fence). But if you are limited on funds and space, there is no reason why you couldnt use this type of system.
    Just like many other multi-purpose machines, it will be a jack of all trades but a master of none.

    marc

15. John Van Hoesen on February 11th, 2007 2:24 pm

    Just wanted to suggest another method for making the tenons using your router table. Marc and I had a brief discussion about the merits of either and I think we agree that it comes down to what you learned and what you use most often. I find that using a 1/4 or 3/4 straight bit (depending on the size of the tenon) on my router table (using the exact method that Marc uses on his table saw with a stop block) is faster than either using my table saw with the thin blade or tearing down and putting in a dado blade. Once the stop block is set, you can run through as many tenons as you need. Just another alternative to the many ways that Marc has shown.

    Thanks again for the great episode Marc!

    J~

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