Tenon jig for tablesaw

[derekcohen]

I knocked this up on the weekend out of scraps lying around the workshop. Basically, it is a homemade version of the tenon jig made by Delta and others, as used by Norm.

This one, however, is designed to run along the fence (rather than along a mitre slot), which simplifies matters no end since the fine adjustment is built into the saw table's fence itself. Emphasis must be given to a tight fit on the fence vertically, and that the jig and the jig fence are perpendicular.

I used sections of laminate on 25mm chipboard so that it would slide smoothly but I sure plain MDF would work as well. Slipping is reduced by the combination of sandpaper (I used left over dry wall sandpaper - nice and strong and flat) and a hold down. The hold down was made from a damaged C-clamp (I cut off the bottom and epoxied it into a mortice in the jig fence, then drilled and pinned it in place with a steel rod).

I have included 2 pictures to illustrate the jig. I am not sure what picture size to upload so I hope they are not either too large or too small. If necessary I will redo the pics (new camera!).

Below is pic 1.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[derekcohen]

And pic #2:

[rob_tassie]

Man o man but that takes a while to load.

Derek, I note the notched blade near the saw guard pivot. I assume that is to stop kickback. Does it damage the wood much if it grabs? How well does it work?

[Rocker]

The trouble with tenoning jigs that run on the table-saws's fence is that, unless you have a micro-adjustable saw fence, you cannot produce tenons of a precise thickness. My jig, which is constructed using similar features to my mortising jig, (See another thread in this forum), runs in the table-saw's mitre slot. It is micro-adjustable and, once adjusted, can reliably produce tenons accurate to plus or minus 0.02 mm. Since an article on the jig has been accepted for publication in Australian Woodworker next year, I will not post a picture of the jig at this stage. But I think anyone who has a close look at my mortising jig, will be able to see how to make a tenoning jig with similar features (i.e. brass guide bars, micro-adjustment by means of a threaded rod, and a gauge to make precise adjustments).

[mat]

Derek

Couldn't help noticing the dovetail jig on the wall. I have had my eye on one of these cheaper dovetail jigs. How well does it work?

[derekcohen]

Mat

I last used the dovetail jig about 5 years ago. It makes excellent dovetails. That is the short answer. The long answer is that the jig takes a long time to set up if you do not use it all the time. I would use it again if I had to do a lot of drawers in a hurry. But life is not like that for me. I now cut them by hand, and this is actually a lot quicker and, importantly, much more pleasant when you only have a few to do and time is not an issue.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[derekcohen]

All - sorry about the size of the pics. Hopefully they will be a helpful size next time. Thanks Neil for resizing the orignal ones.

Rob - the "notched blade" is an anti-kickback device. Grabs the timber and prevents it going back towards you. It does no damage as long as the timber is moving forwards.

Rocker - I found the jig to be pretty accurate. You do not need micro-adjustability. This is not a spaceship to Mars! (Anyway my eyesight would not cope with such tiny increments on a scale!) One should always do a test piece anyway to set it up. Still, I usually plan to do final trimming with a shoulder plane (e.g. Stanley #93) or a chisel. Always cut a 1/2 mm oversize and reduce this with a few swipes. The reason for designing it around the fence is that this jig is then quick and simple to construct. Nothing more is really necessary.

Note that this is not my design - I have adapted it from several similar ones found in various books and mags.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Rocker]

Derek,
I agree that micro-adjustability is not essential if you are happy enough to spend time fine-tuning the thickness of the tenon with a shoulder plane. However, I prefer to be able to produce tenons which require little or no fine-tuning of their thickness - only their ends need to be rounded to fit routed mortises. My jig uses an easily-readable gauge to provide this precision, and it is easily made in a day.

Rocker

[Rocker]

I should have added that anyone who wants a copy of the article to be published on my micro-adjustable tenoning jig can get one by emailing me at [email protected] .

[jemmy]

I should have added that anyone who wants a copy of the article to be published on my micro-adjustable tenoning jig can get one by emailing me at [email protected] .
yes please, Jemmy.:2tsup:

[Rocker]

Jemmy,

You can download the article from my blog. See below.

Rocker