How do you make M&T joints (survey of sorts)

Re: How do you make M&T joints (survey of sorts)

JL

>I typically do loose tenons for a lot of my work. I set up my jig and use my plunge router on the thick portions and then set up and do the thin portions. I cut my loose tenon blanks on the table saw,use a roundover bit on the router table and then cut them to length.

For my other mortise and tenons, I use my drill press with a mortising attachment and the table saw.

Re: How do you make M&T joints (survey of sorts)

Bart Goldberg

>Hi Bill,

To answer your question - it depends on the type of M&T joint I'm making.

For making spindles that will be be captured between two "rails" for the sides of a table, I used a table top mortiser to cut my square holes into my rail stock, and I use my table saw, set with a dado set and a miter gauge to cut my tenons on the end of my spindles.

If I'm making a blind M&T joint, for assembling legs to aprons, I use floating tenons and I break out my Domino to cut my mortises.

If I'm making exposed through M&T joints, I would use a router with a mortising jig. I have also used an attachment for my Leigh Dovetail jig for making through mortise and tenon joints.

Hope this helps

Bart

P.S. "Remove the 2 to reply be mail"

Re: How do you make M&T joints (survey of sorts)

Bill Earl

>I've tried mortises many ways: hand-chopped, bead-lock, hollow-chisel (drill-press and mortise machine) router jig and slot mortiser. I still use the hollow chisel for through mortises, but the slot mortiser is by far the fastest and most precise method.

Through tenons are done of the tablesaw with a jig and a shoulder plane for cleanup. Loose tenons are pretty easy to make on the tablesaw. I also keep a stock of 1/4" and 3/8" Lee Valley loose tenon stock on hand (cat# 50K42.05)

Re: How do you make M&T joints (survey of sorts)

George@Colonel's Workshop-Havertown PA

>Good Afternoon Bill,

I make them just like you do, except I don't have a shoulder plane. I use a couple wood rasps in lieu of that. The tenoning jig is worth its weight in gold as far as I am concerned. I also use a Shop Fox hollow chisel morticer for the majority of applications, and my router table for the balance. I think the morticing machine is a bit safer than the table. The table gives cleaner walls. Regardless of method, they all seem strong enough. I'd like to be good at JL's method. There are good things to be said about loose tenons.

George

Re: How do you make M&T joints (survey of sorts)

Frank Mutchler

>Bill, I use the RouterBoss. Prior to that, I used the WoodRat and prior to that I used a ShopFox bench mortiser and table saw tenon jig. I only use the RouterBoss now.

With the RouterBoss, it's possible to make one setup and cut both the mortise & tenon or cut each with its own setup. Quick and painless either way. The pic shows some of the m&t I cut for a Stickley Encyclopedia table.

I have a financial interest in the success of the RouterBoss so my comments may be seen as biased.

What's a Router Boss??

Dave Andeson (PacNW)

>

Re: How do you make M&T joints (survey of sorts) *LINK*

Bruce, a MN Galoot

>Bill,

I use a tenon jig on the table saw to cut the cheeks, a sliding table jig to cut the shoulders, and a router jig to cut the mortises. Shoulder plane, chisel and rasp to fit and refine.

However, I'm always on the prowl for something quicker. On my last project, a set of bedside tables for my daughter, there were 32 mortises and tenons just for the frames, and an additional 68 mortises and tenons for the spindles. Oh yeah, I wish I could find something to speed up the process.

The one thing that finally dawned on me after a bunch of fitting is that having the legs (or stiles) absolutely square is absolutely essential.

There are a couple of machines that pique my interest. One is Dan Barber's "mortise flex" (written up in the Articles section) and the other is David Marks' "Multi Router" (http://www.djmarks.com/multirouter.asp) Both are similar sliding table mortising machines and allow easy cutting of mortises in either sides or ends. One is expensive and the other requires extreme care in building.

The search goes on...

Bruce, in MN where spring seems light years away.

Bruce


Mortise flex

Re: How do you make M&T joints (survey of sorts)

John McGaw

>For mortises I use (mostly) the horizontal sliding-table slot mortiser on my Robland X-31. For the tenons I generally use the Robland's sliding-table saw for the shoulders and then cut the faces using the bandsaw. The latter is more convenient for longish pieces and I just got used to doing it that way.

Re: How do you make M&T joints (survey of sorts)

Barry Irby

>Haven't done that many, maybe a hundred or so. Did them with a hollow chisel attachment on my DP and a tenoning jig on my TS. I'm getting a little concerned, because I did not do any clean up. Did not use a shoulder plane (don't have one). Maybe I cut them a little sloppy ???? I did use epoxy on some of them if I were in doubt at all about the sloppiness.

Someone mentioned the multi-router that David Marks used. I saw one at Highland Hardware (without the router installed. Probably ten years ago it was $1800. Had three handles that moved the bed in the X, Y, and Z directions. Was playing with it and asked a fellow shopper if he knew what it was. His answer was, "No, but I want one, It has a high gizmology factor." Me too. I still smile when I think of the encounter.

Email sent.

Frank Mutchler

>Don't want to run afoul of forum etiquette.

Re: How do you make M&T joints (survey of sorts)

Fred Davis

>a PM 719a for mortises and the TS with dado for the tenon.

With a modicum of attention , the joints fit fine ,every time and that is the secret to a fast MT joint .

For those who havn't done a bunch of MT's cut the mortise first .

The bench I made and is in shop shots has 40 MT joints , some at a 9 degree angle.

FredD

Re: How do you make M&T joints (survey of sorts)

charlie belden

>Unless it absolutely HAS to be a through tenon or a BIG M&T - it's loose tenons and the Festool DOMINO every time. Even an absolute novice can cut accurate loose tenon M&Ts with two minutes worth of instructions - even on mitered corners - of 7' long - pressure treated 2x4s - four loose tenons per mitered corner. Did an 8' tall by 20" x 30" linen cabinet - with raised panel doors and raised panel side - with the DOMINO cutting all the mortises - literaly more than a hundred of them. Had three that had to be plugged and recut (which is a nice thing about loose tenons).

It I need BIG through M&Ts - the General Intl 75-750M (or is it 750-75M?) chisel and bit with XY table.

If I need just BIG - say for a door - the horizontal boring/mortiser on the Robland X31 combi and hand cut the tenons or loose tenons done by ripping then routing roundovers and mortises in both parts if the part to mortise in end grain isn't tool long.

The DOMINO is a revoutionary tool which, except for design/aesthetic reasons my replace all other furniture scale versions of the traditional M&T joint.

Made some just the other day

Lee Schierer - McKean, PA

>I make mine using a drill press morticing attachment and a Delta tenon cutting jig on my TS. I do the mortices first and clean them up, then I cut the tenons to fit with the tenon cutting jig. It goes pretty fast from my point of view, at least compared to how long it would take me to cut a hand cut dovetail. :)

Lee

Re: How do you make M&T joints (survey of sorts)

Phil in NJ

>Hi,

Just completed my first major project doing M&T using the sliding table shaper and dado blades for the tenons, and the horizontal mortiser.

Attached a picture of the tenon setup on my Felder saw/shaper with sliding table. The dado blades are stacked with the "outer" blades separated by the desired tenon width, with the chipper blades above and below. This operation is cutting a 7/8" thick , 3-1/2" long tenon on 1-1/2" stock in a single pass.

The approach works well, fitting the tenons to the mortises.

-Phil

another picture

Phil in NJ

>completing the tenon cut.

Re: How do you make M&T joints (survey of sorts)

Thomas S Stockton

>I use floating tenons as much as possible. What I use are a multi-router, domino, and a hollow chisel mortiser. The hollow chisel mortiser gets used mostly for making the various holes for ebony detailing on some of the Greene and Greene pieces I build.

Tom

Re: How do you make M&T joints (survey of sorts)

Tony - Memphis

>I broke down a couple of years ago and bought a Powermatic bench top mortiser. It is a nice tool. I also make some mortises with a router. For the tenons, I usually cut the shoulders on the TS using my miter gauge and a stop, then cut the cheeks on a Delta tenoning jig. I cut them real close, then finish them with a plane. It is inevitable, if I try and get them too close on the TS, I take too much, so I prefer to fit them by hand.

Just did a few last week for a patio table I'm building.

Tony

Re: Why do it the hard way?

Rick L

>Why not just use the horizontal slot mortiser in your combo machine and make mortises in rails and stiles and use loose tenons. Been doing that for over 25 years. Have done it the traditional hard ways using chisel, chain and the Maka mortiser and double and single end tenon machines. I've got better things to do with my time and the joints are just as strong.

Re: How do you make M&T joints (survey of sorts)

JerryBurns

>I use a router and jig for the table saw cut M first and then fit in tennon

Re: How do you make M&T joints (survey of sorts)

Jon Weisenbach

>I've always used the horizontal boring accessory on my Robland X31 combo machine. I really like using "loose tenons" and have used them exclusively on all the furniture I've made. I have also on occasion used my router for some very small tenons in smaller pieces

Re: How do you make M&T joints (survey of sorts)

Fred Davis

>Tony ,

if you have a quality dado head that is sharp , install it , draw the profile of the tenon on a test piece, raise the dado to the correct depth, set the saw fence for length of tenon and run the piece though with the mitre gauge and then setting over continue until you have cut one side , flip it and repeat.

This elimminates the step with a tenon jig, much faster and just as accurate.

FredD

Same, same & same asTom.

HC Sakman walking into LV APRIL 13th. that is....

>I think you like your Domino... dont ya? ;-)

Chico...

Loose tenons

Ellis Walentine, Host

>A horizontal mortiser is a must. You can do it with a router, but it is dicey and limited.

Ellis

Re: Why do it the hard way?

phil in NJ

>That might be OK except this is stickley furniture so all the tenons are exposed and rectangular...