Tenons on Bandsaw

[Chuck in NC]

I sold my table saw and a few other machines a few months ago to help me finance my "garage-to-WW shop" conversion. 

Shop wired, everything up and running now.

Started on a small table build with M&T joints.  I always used the TS for machined tenons before now.

I googled "cut tenons on a bandsaw".  Youtube below.

https://www.google.com/search?q=cut+teno...P-KSA8A014

With minimal setup time I now find that I can produce tenons that fit snug more easily than ever before. Very fast and very precise.  
 
 
 

[stav]

Mark Duginski (sp?) used to have a great book on all the things you can do with a band saw.  He could get a band saw to do pretty much anything.

[shoottmx]

Yup. Been cutting tenons on the BS for years, started when I had a piece that was too long to stand up on my basement TS. Found the BS to be better in every way, faster too. Anone need a tenoning jig?


g

[bjmh4]

+1
I've seen lots of articles suggesting cutting the shoulders on the tablesaw, cheeks on the bandsaw. I've always cut the whole thing on the bandsaw.

[wing nut]

+1
I've seen lots of articles suggesting cutting the shoulders on the tablesaw, cheeks on the bandsaw. I've always cut the whole thing on the bandsaw.

I use either bs or ts depending on how big the piece is i'm making tenons on.

[Chuck in NC]

Thanks for the feedback.

I need to find a decent way to cut panels to S4S after dimensioning/glue-up.

The table on my MM16 is not large enough to feed wide panels against the fence and rip the edge.

After glue-up I marked the 21x21 panel for the side table top and hand-fed it through the BS, cutting just outside the line, then ran through joiner to clean up the edge.  This does not create a "perfect" rectangular top but the eye cannot detect the small error.

I miss the precision of the TS for ripping/crosscutting panels.

I have a Makita 5007F circular saw as an option but it will not follow a straight line.

Any thoughts on how to rip/crosscut panels without the TS?

[Philip1231]

Thanks for the feedback.

I need to find a decent way to cut panels to S4S after dimensioning/glue-up.

The table on my MM16 is not large enough to feed wide panels against the fence and rip the edge.

After glue-up I marked the 21x21 panel for the side table top and hand-fed it through the BS, cutting just outside the line, then ran through joiner to clean up the edge.  This does not create a "perfect" rectangular top but the eye cannot detect the small error.

I miss the precision of the TS for ripping/crosscutting panels.

I have a Makita 5007F circular saw as an option but it will not follow a straight line.

Any thoughts on how to rip/crosscut panels without the TS?

A track saw can do amazing things: might be just the ticket.

[mdhills]

A track saw can do amazing things: might be just the ticket.

A track saw gives an excellent cut.
get one of the squaring accessories (or mft table w/ track), and you can square very nicely.
I'd rate as good as, or better than table saw for these.

Table saw with sled is more convenient for square cutting end of a narrow board.
Table saw is also more convenient for ripping out a batch of matching components (drawer parts, etc.).

Matt

[Derek Cohen]

The video by Mark has a weakness. He cuts one side of the tenon cheek, then flips the stretcher to saw the other side. This is a big no-no.

One must have a reference side and only work from the reference side. No flipping!

Instead, use the bandsaw this way ...

1. Cut the one cheek ...



2. Now use a spacer, which is the width of the mortice plus the thickness of the saw set (both sides of the blade) ...





Perfectly sized tenon.

In addition ... I would rather saw the shoulders with a tablesaw or a backsaw. More accurate for this purpose than the bandsaw.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Chuck in NC]

The video by Mark has a weakness. He cuts one side of the tenon cheek, then flips the stretcher to saw the other side. This is a big no-no.

One must have a reference side and only work from the reference side. No flipping!

Instead, use the bandsaw this way ...

1. Cut the one cheek ...



2. Now use a spacer, which is the width of the mortice plus the thickness of the saw set (both sides of the blade) ...





Perfectly sized tenon.

In addition ... I would rather saw the shoulders with a tablesaw or a backsaw. More accurate for this purpose than the bandsaw.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 Derek - if the cross-section of the stock is rectangular (S4S), and the blade maintains its plane of operation, the resultant surfaces after both cuts will be rectangular and perfectly centered after following the linked video instructions.

The wooden insert adds a level of complexity and uncertainty without improving the precision of the finished cut.

I performed and tested/adjusted the setup with offcuts from the table apron boards before cutting the apron tenons.  Once it works for one it works for all.

After setup I cut these 8 tenons in ~ 10 minutes and when I fit them into the mortises the resultant table frame diagonals had the same measurement (ie, rectangular).

I also prefer the TS for shoulders but I sold my TS a few months ago.