How long to make tenons

Richard, your scenario, and even dimensions, sound almost identical to mine when I was building a daybed. Except my headboard and footboard are really sideboards. The posts are 4 inches, and so are the top rails. This gives a nice, wide and stable surface to slide the router on. Do not change the guide setup during the process, just reshuffle the posts and rout from both edges of the whole set of posts clamped together. That way the each mortise will start at the same precise distance form the edge of each piece.

I was off a little here and there but nothing that would keep me awake at night. I had to fix that with a chisel. Overall I was very happy with the result and the whole process took me about an hour for 4 posts and the total of 8 mortises. Attached Images JPG Thanks for all the input on this. It really does help. I also found a reference on the Woodcraft website that indicates the following:.

Sorry, but the table did not show up in the last post. Generally, the proportions of the joint are determined by the thickness of the material. The length of the tongue should be equal to the thickness of the material.

This is not a difficult joint to execute, but the parts should be fitted painstakingly to provide both strength and a good appearance. Edwin Hackleman said: From Fine Woodworking: "The breadboard end is cut in two separate operations and the joinery appears similar to a tongue-and-groove joint.

Because of potential grain movement, the breadboard won't be glued to the center boards. BigD Boxed the flag to win. How long to make a tenon? It depends on how fast you work! Sorry, just could not resist. There is a fine line between woodworking and insanity - sometimes I am not sure which side of the line I am on.

BigD said: How long to make a tenon? Funny guy! That sounds like a joke I'd make. Actually, I'll probably take all the time I need to make sure this is right.

The best table tops, cabinet tops, desk tops, and chest tops that I have made using edge glued hardwood planks have held together for years and never checked up. Proper finishing has much to do with that. I am, therefore, not sure why you elected to use breadboard construction for this table top.

I believe you could get by very well without it. Just MHO. Edwin Hackleman said: The best table tops, cabinet tops, desk tops, and chest tops that I have made using edge glued hardwood planks have held together for years and never checked up.

The lady I am building the table for asked for the breadboard ends. I agree that it would be easier to complete without the breadboard, but if I can pull this off well, it should look very nice. See wedged mortise-and-tenon joints below. The blind mortise-and-tenon joint gives the outward appearance of a butt joint, however has all the strength and advantages of a mortise-and-tenon joint.

The mortise does not extend completely through the stile, and therefore the tenon is not visible once the joint has been assembled. This is the most commonly-seen version of the mortise-and-tenon joint in use today. A haunch is a short tongue that protrudes from the rail's shoulder, between the rail's edge and the tongue's edge.

When a mortise and tenon joint is constructed with a stile that has a groove through which a tenon is cut, such as in frame-and-panel construction, the normal technique for forming a mortise and tenon would leave a void at the end of the slot, and this void would be visible on such assemblies as panel doors.

In order to compensate for the slot, a haunched tenon is constructed so the haunch fills the groove at the tenon's edge. Depending on the final use, the rail can have a haunch on only one side, or both sides, as required. There are a number of variations on the bridle joint including the corner bridle, the miter bridle, and the T-bridle which joins the end of one member to the middle of another.

Mortise-and-Tenon joints can be further strengthened by the addition of a wedge. A thin kerf slot is cut into the end of the tenon, then after the tenon is inserted into the mortise, a wedge is inserted into the slot to secure the joint. Wedged joints such as these may not even require any glue, especially if the mortise is tapered to be wider at the wedge end, so that the joint cannot be pulled apart by brute force.

A tusk tenon creates one of the strongest mortise and tenon joints and it has the benefit of being able to be disassembled. The tenon is cut to protrude beyond the end of the mortise. As vertical slot is cut into the end of the tenon through which correspondingly shaped wedged key is inserted. Tapping the key pulls the tenon shoulders tight against the mortise, locking the two together. An alternative to wedges, a pinned or pegged mortise-and-tenon joint is extremely strong.

After glue-up, drill one or more evenly spaced holes from face-to-face through the stile, close enough to the rail to pass through the tenon, about half-way down its length. Then glue and insert dowels or pegs. These pegs can be made of the same wood to hide the reinforcement, or they can be of a decorative contrasting wood. After the glue has set, the pegs can be trimmed flush with the face. Loose tenon joints are constructed by mortising both the side of the stile and the end of the rail, and then inserting an appropriately sized tenon during glue-up.

Even though the tenon is not integral to either piece, it still creates plenty of long grain to long grain glue surface to create a very strong joint. For rails that are more than ten times their thickness, multiple tenons should be used. The proportion between the tenon and the spaces between is the key, and not the actual number of tenons. It is recommended that the space be divided into thirds, two-thirds being tenon and one-third being space, equally distributed along the end of the rail.

If the rail is of a material that is prone to cupping or warping, you can leave a short haunch between the tenons and notch the mortise to match. So how do you choose what mortise and tenon joint to use?

For beginners this can be a very difficult decision. Until you get some experience in the proper joint for the proper application, here are a few rules that may help:. If you have any question or concern about any of our products, you can reach us at: support robcosman.