Quick tenons
Bill Tindall, E.Tn.
Occasionally I need just a few tenons. The following approach involves less set up than some tenon making and therefore is suitable when only a few are needed. I was shown this “quick and dirty” in the first class I ever took in a St. Paul adult ed class taught by a professional cabinet maker. In the case shown I need a piece for the desk I am making to hold front frame to back. A scrap the exact thickness of the piece to be tenoned is useful for setting up the blade height, but with extra care not essential.
Set a stop block to establish the tenon length. Set the blade height. Make multiple cuts to remove most of the waste, as shown.
It doesn’t matter if all the waste is removed nor what blade used, though 10” gives a quicker result than the 7 ½ I typically use on the saw.
The result is a rough tenon.(I have left wider waste for this illustration than recommended)
The tenon face is smoothed by pushing the tenon in and out perpendicular to the blade and stopped by the stop block. (the resulting scallops are broader for a 10” blade so less repetitions are necessary)
The result is smooth tenon face. Once set up might take a minute or less.
