Thread: Working out the size of tenons

1. My rule of thumb is to make the tenon about 1/3 the thickness of the piece it's going into, but make sure that it's just a little thicker than the chisel you'll use to dig the mortice out.

2. The same applies, but you have room there to make 2 smaller tenons, say each 1/2", depending on if they're warranted by the job. Or, if there's going to be a heavy vertical load, you could make the mortice wider.

I make the mortise the size of the router bit that is nearest to 1/3 the width of the stile.

I make mine 1/2 the width of the stile.

Thanks to both of you for those replies.

But ...

Alex -- can you 'flesh out' what two tenons together would look like?

SilentC -- What the heck do you mean by 'stile'? My Collins dictionary has it as 'a set of steps in a wall or fence to allow people, but not animals, to pass over'.

Cheers,
GW

Originally Posted by Green Woodchips

Thanks to both of you for those replies.
But ...
Alex -- can you 'flesh out' what two tenons together would look like?
SilentC -- What the heck do you mean by 'stile'? My Collins dictionary has it as 'a set of steps in a wall or fence to allow people, but not animals, to pass over'.
Cheers, GW

Hi GW,
Not that I've been a part of this thread...but here is my current piece with double tenons (two tenons together). These are typically used on wider stock as it is stronger for both the rail (the horizontal piece) and the stile (the vertical piece). It also doubles the amount of glue area. It's a very strong M&T joint.



I think clicking on the picture should take you to the client picture album. I use this method for keeping the client informed as to their piece.

The album has a larger version of this picture on the second page.

MikeW

Mike --

Thanks. That explains the double tenon thingy.

I'm still curious about this whole 'stile' thing ...

GW

Originally Posted by MikeW

I think clicking on the picture should take you to the client picture album. I use this method for keeping the client informed as to their piece.

The album has a larger version of this picture on the second page.

MikeW

Mike,

Very nice work on the credenza - you must have a small workshop to use the kitchen for the glue up.

Cheers

As far as I know, stile means vertical pieces of a frame. Stick is the horizontal part. That could be for a door frame, face frame or picture frame.

Don't ask me why.

Originally Posted by Schtoo

As far as I know, stile means vertical pieces of a frame.

'Rail' and 'stile' are the horizontal and vertical parts of a raised panel (or other frame)

http://www.woodzone.com/encyclopedia.htm

Me neither.

Yep, MikeW's pic is exactly what I meant. They're often used when you have a wide thin rail, to increase the long grain to long grain gluing area.

To be technically correct, when I said 'width of the stile' I should have said 'thickness of the stile'. So if the stile is 19mm thick, I go for a 6mm bit to cut the mortice.

However, you probably don't want a tenon that is thicker than 1/2 the thickness of the rail, so in the case that the rail is thinner than the stile, I would size the mortice to be between 1/3 and 1/2 the thickness of the rail.

Thanks, guys, for the replies.

Hopefully it will result in some mortise-and-tenon joints that work!

Cheers,
GW

Originally Posted by numbat

Mike,
Very nice work on the credenza - you must have a small workshop to use the kitchen for the glue up. Cheers

Hey, Numbat. Thanks.

Yeah, tis a bit small. 11.5' x 11.5'. After 31 years, my wife is use to me.

It wouldn't be too bad, but I have a few jobs going on at once. That really makes the shop too small.

Take care, Mike