M&Tenon question#2

larry merlau

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Location
Delton, Michigan
ok i have a top rail that is 59" long and to add insult to injury its odd shaped, but it needs to be a M&T joint connection.. how do i get there from here when its long and odd shaped..

here is the profile of the od shaped top rail:100_4086tn_.JPG
the blue represents approx. size of tenon

and here is a shopt of the length of it:100_4092tn_.JPG
 
I would mark it out of the mortise on the board and use a trim router to get most of it out. From there you will have to move to a chels to get it finished.
 
handsaw-n-chisels


[edit] or if you feel like wasting a bunch of time you could build a router jig.

well i dont need to waste any time only alittle left:) thanks tod and al .. i was afraid i had to do it by hand. theres another perfect chance to mess it up:eek: this thing has many hidden traps for me to fall in that i didnt see in the begining.. but i am awake now:rolleyes: maybe
 
well i dont need to waste any time only alittle left:) thanks tod and al .. i was afraid i had to do it by hand. theres another perfect chance to mess it up:eek: this thing has many hidden traps for me to fall in that i didnt see in the begining.. but i am awake now:rolleyes: maybe

Well, now that you have a plan of action, how about clarifying what you were trying to do; I am a little slower than the others.:D Were you trying to put a tenon or mortise in the end grain of the rail shown on the bench? I am going to guess tenon, but I don't know. If it is a tenon, then you were also going to cut back the slot to match the face of the tenon shoulder, right? Just wondering.
 
While you are busy replying , I have to give you a bad time. It that a paper weight on your bench and where did those curlies come from?:D
 
Well, now that you have a plan of action, how about clarifying what you were trying to do; I am a little slower than the others.:D Were you trying to put a tenon or mortise in the end grain of the rail shown on the bench?
TENON

If it is a tenon, then you were also going to cut back the slot to match the face of the tenon shoulder, right? Just wondering.
now your aqsking me something i dont understan bill the blue tape represnts the mortise postion. the tenon is going to have aproximatly a 1/4" to 3/8" shoulder bill.. but its running at an angle to the any flat surface this rail has.
 
Hi Larry.

If I understand well, what you want to achieve is to make a tenon on the same place on both ends right?

I guess that you have a template of the profile that you have used, right?

Using that one, cut another one drawing on it the desired position of the tenon, in the same way that you have simulated on the pic with blue tape.

Cut out from it the square hole that will be the tenon. Then place it on the end of the piece and mark the square.
Cut the tenon following the square lines end grain first to the desired length of the tenon.
Then cut cross grain eyeballing the depth until the pieces fall by themselves.

Then pare with a chisel for a perfect fit.

The most problematic is to have both end tenons on the same place and orientation otherwise the whole piece may become twisted when assembled.

I hope I explained it properly, I know how I would do it, but maybe I can't convey it well enough.

An easier way would be using thick dowels, but you still would need to make sure to aling both sides when marking so that they do not become twisted.

I hope it helps.
 
BTW.

Are you shaping it with that nº4 plane? Don't you fear about not making it straight?

I'd use a nº 7 or 6 at least, unless you've marked reference surfaces that will not be planed. You see I'm not that good a planing long pieces.
 
larry, if its a through tenon, drill a hole larger than 1/4", then (not knowing if you have one handy) take a saber saw, and cut to a hair inside of the line. that way you can adjust the mortise to the tenon.
 
and here is a shot of the length of it:
attachment.php

Who did you buy the wood shavings from Larry?
 
ok guys first to answer the back seat drivers,, bill Satko, tiant no paper weight, and believe or not i got a licences to drive it.along with the no.5 and the 140 that i used to get there,, and to frank those shaving came from lower MO to begin with,, there's an ole fart down there that got me hooked on them things and wouldnt let me go home with out one:D.. toni i got a
No.7 but tits still in the refurb section.. and as for the long piece being straight well just about everthing on this isnt straight, so i had no worries:) actually i just ran the full length and then turned around and ran back got my excercize fer today makeun laps:)
 
BTW.

using a dowel????

"Dowel idea"
hey what the great wize ones thoughts on doing this.. i could clamp in postion, drill threw both pieces there fore gettin a dead on location.. and then could still use a wedge in it to hold the top rail from coming out.. but would it be strong as the square wedged tenon? and would it hold up on the top rail where it was just glue joint holding it?
 
stronger than a dowel is a lag bolt.....4-6" into the end grain 3/8 or 1/2" in diameter. be sure to drill a pilot hole first.
unless you can cut a perfect m&t joint a lag is much stronger!
 
uh huh,, i know its takun fer ever,, had to get ovr a couple hurdles and i missed them a couple times,, finally got the coach out there and i made it over the top, why yas ask?
 
another hurdle:(

well just realized that i need support for the 59" long piece of 8/4 cherry to make a tenon:eek: and quess what i can run it with full support on the tsaw, so here is my next hurdle, how would you do a long piece with a tenon, i got a plan but before i go off half kocked,,i am gonna ask the wize men on here,,,how they would do it???? thanks folks another jump before i can finish the race:rolleyes:
 
BS and hand saw. Use the bandsaw to cut the tennon. Then you can trim it up with a hand saw and/or chisels. I like doing it this was It faster then setting up the ts.
 
for the longer boards that required a tenon, i built a jig and used my router for the sides. here is a pic of the tenons i routed this way from last year's big project. along with the finished tables.
 

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