Sawing a perfect tenon.

[Derek Cohen]

I designed this guide about 4 or 5 years ago and offered it to Lee Valley, who looked into producing it. In the end, however, LV decided that they could not find a way to manufacture it cheaply enough as a commercial proposition. So finally I now have the design back and I am passing to the public to build for private use. I just hate to see a great design not get used.



Link: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMadeToo...Guide.html

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Guest]

That's pretty neat, Derek. Thanks for sharing.

[GeorgeV]

Thanks Derek, my project for the coming week.

[MarvW]

Clever tool, Derek and very well described and demonstrated.

[Martin S.]

Derek,

That is perfect.

I'll be making one.

Thanks for posting!

[cputnam]

Other than a shooting board and bench hook, this may be the 1st shop built tool I attempt. Thank you.

[Mike Brady]

Looks very much like this one from Popular Woodworking magazine a few years ago. I built one but decided it was too much like machine woodworking, with all the fiddling and setup; so I used it on only one project.

[pampine]

Mike Brady said:

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Looks very much like this one from Popular Woodworking magazine a few years ago. I built one but decided it was too much like machine woodworking, with all the fiddling and setup; so I used it on only one project.

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As much as I like and appreciate Derek, looks to me as if it would be easier to learn how to saw a straight line than use a jig and clamp to make a tenon.

Pam

[Derek Cohen]

pampine said:

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[blockquote]Mike Brady said:

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Looks very much like this one from Popular Woodworking magazine a few years ago. I built one but decided it was too much like machine woodworking, with all the fiddling and setup; so I used it on only one project.

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As much as I like and appreciate Derek, looks to me as if it would be easier to learn how to saw a straight line than use a jig and clamp to make a tenon.

Pam

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[/blockquote]

Pam, you will not get any disagreement from me. Learning to saw straight is definitely preferred. Some cannot do so, for a number of reasons, one simply being limited coordination and/or hand strength. Another may be confidence - and I would hope that they would obtain the muscle memory and confidence from a guide such as this (in the same way that many have done so using the LV dovetail guide).

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Derek Cohen]

Mike Brady said:

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Looks very much like this one from Popular Woodworking magazine a few years ago. I built one but decided it was too much like machine woodworking, with all the fiddling and setup; so I used it on only one project.

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Hi Mike

They are very different. I recall when Jeff Miller brought out his jig - LV already had my design for a couple of years and I was curious if anyone would develop something similar in the meantime.

Jeff's jig looks like it is designed for production work only. It uses a template to measure and saw the tenon width. It appears to be a fixed width (unless he has other templates). The jig only saws the cheeks. A separate guide is used to saw the shoulders.

As you found, the nature of Jeff's jig will make you feel separate from the work piece. It is closer to a sawing machine. It is a very good jig for production work.

The guide I designed is closer to sawing the real thing. It can vary the spacings infinitely. Still, one can do production sawing on it: Set the guide to saw one cut, and replace the stretcher once a saw cut is made. Progress through the stretchers, in turn, one cut at a time.

Peter Evan (on Wood Central) suggested that it would be helpful in sawing out the mortices for saw handles.

Regards from Perth

Derek