Comments on: Speed Tenons – Safely

By: rsites

rsites — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 23:44:13 +0000

Simple and safe, what a great article!

By: willcon

willcon — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 05:45:59 +0000

Once again the most important tool comes out in the workshop…COMMON SENSE! If it “feels” dangerous, it is! This is not only safer, but smarter. There were so many things that felt wrong about that other demonstration. Thanks for showing a much better way.

Safest way to tenon? Hand saw.

By: WilliamDavis

WilliamDavis — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 16:17:00 +0000

I believe the danger of using the rip fence as a crosscut stop arises when you cut a piece completely off the end of a board. That is a suicidal practice because the cut-off piece can and will jam between the fence and the blade and much excitement results. The tenon cut doesn’t create a loose piece so I feel it is safe.
I also like the fact that the piece can’t drift towards the blade and damage the shoulder cut.
I use one hand to keep the piece tight to the cross-slide and move the piece back and forth over the blade with my other hand at the end of the piece AWAY from the blade. That hand is not moving towards the blade. If I slip it will come in contact with my other hand long before reaching the blade.
If the piece is so short that my hands would be close to the blade, I’d revert to Bob’s stop block method.

By: Harlan Barnhart

Harlan Barnhart — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 00:09:18 +0000

European table saws typically have a fence that can be advanced or retracted parallel with the line of cut. To make a cut like you demonstrated, just slide the fence back past the blade. It’s also safer in long rips.

By: leejones

leejones — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 11:41:01 +0000

Thanks for the idea and picture of a bench hook. It’s so obvious now that I see it. I’ve been doing woodworking (part time) for 50 years — my father started me when I was very young — and I had never heard of a bench hook. I’ll build myself one tomorrow.

By: Nordichomey

Nordichomey — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 01:37:56 +0000

Great points Bob… especially the direction of hand movement AND I get to use my chisels!

By: BillT

BillT — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 14:27:39 +0000

I use a combination of the “unsafe” method espoused by that other magazine, and this one.

I first make a series of parallel cuts, exactly as Bob has shown here. I usually make them very close together, though, so that either there are not little bits left in between the kerfs, or any that are left are very, very thin. Then, to knock out any little bits left in between the saw kerfs and to flatten the side of the tenon, I do the “other” method and slide the tenon across the blade. That way, rather than using the “slide sideways across the blade” technique to hog off all of the waste, I am only trimming up the tiniest little bit and smoothing out the tenon cheek. It kind of skips across the blade with very little resistance, and leaves a quite flat and smooth tenon cheek.

I then fine-tune with a shoulder plane as needed.

By: BillT

BillT — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 14:24:18 +0000

Bob – I read Fred’s comment as agreeing with you. It seems to me he’s agreeing that your method is “a truly safer way than was shown in” that other video.

By: mscolvin@gmail.com

mscolvin@gmail.com — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 14:21:32 +0000

I was just noticing that last night! As a rookie, I’m thankful I was taught better in a beginner class, but I worry about newbies who were not taught that this is an unsafe practice.

By: Recruiter

Recruiter — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 22:05:30 +0000

The one that always gets me, almost every week, is when I watch “The Woodsmith Shop” on PBS. Almost every week they show using the miter gauge and fence together, whether it be with a regular blade or Dado blade. Every time they do that, I keep asking myself, why hasn’t someone told them, they should not be teaching this practice. IT’S DANGEROUS!!! Well, maybe someone from that magazine will be reading this blog.