Why you shouldn't cut your table saw tenons backwards

every woodworker has their own process when building cabinets some build the face frames first and then they build the boxes to fit when cutting dovetail joints some cut the pins first then they cut the tails to fit others do those things the other way around but when it comes to a mortise and tenon joint the process is pretty universal you cut the mortise first then the tenon I'm sure there's some exceptions out there but I don't personally know anyone who cuts the tenon first and then memorials why because while there are some basic rules for sizing mortises and Tenon's such as how thick a tenon should be for the strongest joint this is just a general guide the most important factor is the tool you use to create the mortise it's been true since the beginning of woodworking if Pepe nubs had a half-inch mortising chisel guess how wide all of his mortises were and today if you have a half inch Forstner bit or a 3/8 inch router bit your mortises will be that wide a tenon on the other hand is not dependent on the size of the tool you're using a handsaw or a bandsaw or a tables or even a router can cut a tenon to any size that's why we cut the mortise first then we cut the tenon to fit inside because it's far easier to shave a little bit off a tenant than it is to widen the mortise we've made videos about cutting mortises before I'll link to one below if you want to check it out but that's the easy part today let's talk about the most crucial part of the joint cutting & fitting the tenant there are a lot of ways to do it today we'll use a table saw in a dado stack honestly this is a great way to cut tenants because once you get it set up it's fast easy and consistent if you don't have a dado sack you can do exactly the same thing just as I show it in this video with a router table with the fence in a straight bit so watch this whole process you're gonna pick up some important tips along the way we begin by installing a sacrificial fence made from a strip of plywood we're using special offense clamps which I really like because they stay out of the way I'll link to them below this video or you can use regular clamps the sacrificial fence makes it possible to partially cover the blade you'll see why that's important shortly the Tenon's of this particular project are about 3/4 of an inch long so the fence is set to expose almost quarters of an inch of the dataset not the full amount just yet only about five eighths or so if your tenant must be wider than your dataset I'll show you what to do about that at the end of the video a sacrificial fence is also added to the miter gauge this will support the fibers along the shoulder of the tenon and prevent tip out on the backside as the blade exits the cut note how the miter fence merely touches the RIP fence that extra space will give you some room for adjustment in a moment be sure your miter gauge is square to the fence which should of course be parallel to the blade if your miter fence is set at a slight angle your tenon shoulders won't be square and you'll end up with gaps now turn the saw on and begin slowly raising the blade embedding it into the bottom edge of the fence don't go too high you want to sneak up on the full height through test cuts the first test cut is to fine-tune the RIP fence position the end of the workpiece is placed against the fence and the miter gauge guides it safely through the cut on one side then the length of the tenon is measured and the fence is adjusted as needed to achieve the precise length you're looking for once that's dialed in make a cut on the other side of the workpiece and measure the Tenon's thickness you can do this either with a caliper or better yet by slipping it right into the mortise itself a well-fitting tenon should not require a mallet to fit inside a mortise if it's too tight it will never go in once you had glue and swell the fibers remember any adjustment you make to the blade height will be doubled as you cut two sides of the tenon so make tiny adjustments to dial in the fit once it's dialed in that little bit of fussing will pay off big as you can cut all the matching Tenon's in the project with the same setup if your tenants require side cheeks as well as face cheeks repeat the setup process on the edge of the workpiece to trim the tenon to width while it's nice to have it perfectly fitting tenon all the way around there is some room for error in the Tenon's width most of the joints strength comes from the larger glue surfaces on well-fitting face cheeks the side cheeks of the tenon provide a much smaller glue surface and while the Tenon's width does help counter racking forces loser fed along the width won't spoil the joint I say this not because I'm encouraging you to be sloppy when you sneak up on the blade height to trim the tenon to width but because it may be difficult to test the fit of a square tenant inside a mortise with rounded ends from the tool you used to cut it a caliper will help you compare the inside measurement of the mortise to the outer measurement of the tenon but when you eventually round off the corners of the tenon to match the round mortise you might accidentally take too much off the width anyway that's not a big deal as long as the wide 10 inches fit well the joint will still be plenty strong speaking of rounding off the corners a sharp chisel does a decent job of it but keep the workpiece secured in a vise and both hands behind the cutting edge of your chisel you can easily slip and sustain a devastating injury if you place your hand in harm's way I prefer to use a file or a rasp to round my corners I find it's faster and easier to round off the tenon than it is to square the corners of the mortise itself now there are two more important points we need to cover first as a matter of safety and the other is a common cause of frustration in regards to safety surely you've been told you should never crosscut a workpiece with a miter gauge while the end of that workpiece is touching the RIP fence is just asking for kickback and that is definitely true if you're cutting the end off a workpiece that little bit that's left over can catch between the fence and the blade and fly back at you but in this case we're not creating a loose off cut the data set is turning it all into sawdust so there's nothing to kickback that's why it's safe in this case to put the end of the workpiece against the RIP fence one source of frustration for many new furniture makers are gaps along the tenon shoulders where they don't fully seat there are three common causes for this one cause might be that the miter gauge was not squared to the blade so you end up cutting your shoulders at an angle another cause may be the fence moved sometime during the process that fence is your positive stop it ensures that every shoulder is the same once you dial in the fence position it should stay put and tell every tenant in the project is fully finished if you move it even a little bit your shoulders won't be even all the way around the joint and you'll have gaps make sure you have all your stock and a couple extra pieces ready to go at the start so you won't have to move the fence and rip new work pieces in the middle of the process a third cause for heir is paying too much attention to the length of the tenon and not enough to the length of the workpiece for example this table has four stretchers all must be exactly the same length I may be really careful to cut a precise 3/4 inch long tenon on each end of each stretcher but the tenon will be hidden in a hole if it's a little too short it's not a big deal more important than the length of the tenon is the distance between the Tenon's shoulders on each end of the workpiece if that distance is too short it's definitely going to show so be sure to cut all your stretcher stock - exactly and I mean exactly the same overall length then your fence position will ensure that the Tenon's themselves are consistent and your stretchers will all match and see evenly one last thing suppose you need a tenon that's longer than the full thickness of your dado stack it's not a problem while it's nice if the dado can be buried in the fence it's okay if the fence must be moved past the dado to set the Tenon's full length you merely have to cut the tenon in one or two more passes until the end of the workpiece finally seats against the fence on the final pass your tenants will still come out consistent because the fence still serves as your positive style Tenon's are a fundamental part of woodworking everyone should know how to properly cut and fit them I hope this video helps you in your next project if you get what you pay for then why our bandsaw blade so inexpensive a saw blade com seriously they're as good as any I've used they come in any size you need and they cost quite a bit less than anything comparable at the woodworking retailers try them for yourself at the link below this video you'll see wait don't go yet if you're new here please subscribe and remember to ring the bell I would really appreciate that give us a thumbs up or better yet leave us a comment I always read them and be sure to check out the latest issue of stumpy nubs of woodworking journal it's always packed with tips tricks and tutorials designed to make you a better woodworker

Channel: Stumpy Nubs

Views: 71,743

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Keywords: woodworking, stumpy nubs, tips, workbench, table saw, scroll saw, drill press, quick tip, band saw, bandsaw, lumber, hack, hand plane, sharpening, tormek, worksharp, diamond stone, water stone, wood turning, bowls, lathe

Id: XL8wDt-xHTI

Length: 8min 49sec (529 seconds)

Published: Thu Jul 09 2020