# tenons table saw vs band saw?



## damianpenney (Jun 22, 2007)

How do folk like to cut their tenons ? For my bench I'm thinking of doing the tenons on the bandsaw, while Chris Schwarz does his with a dado blade on the table saw. What are the pros and cons to these two methods?

I have a dado blade but because the threads on my arbor aren't flat the cutters lie at slightly different heights so I don't really like using it (think I've only used it once since I bought it) but if there is a compelling reason to use it over the bandsaw I will. I also own a big cast iron tenon jig that I've used all of once because it seemed such a pain to setup (if I recall correctly).


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## cowboy (Jan 12, 2008)

Well it depends on how accurate you are with the band saw.It can be very difficult to cut these perfectly,to say the least.However myself I slow down and have learned to be pretty dog gone accurate and save a bunch of time which I then can use on areas that really show.But before anyone gets silly these are very accurate

Cowboy


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## SPalm (Oct 9, 2007)

Last time I cut some; I scored the shoulders on the TS with a standard blade and then cut the cheeks on the BS. You have some pretty big pieces to score (crosscut) here, so it will be interesting to see how you end up doing it.


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## damianpenney (Jun 22, 2007)

Most likely badly


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## jeremy (Jan 20, 2008)

You can do them on your table saw without the dado blade if you want to. Just do it with the regular blade and start at the shoulder and nibble away the material to the end. I usually use a dado, but if I only have a couple to make i'll do it this way. I usually leave about 1/8 inch between each cut and then clean it up with a chisel.


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## brunob (Dec 26, 2006)

I use the table saw because of the increased accuracy. I (like Jeremy) use a regular blade unless I have several to make.


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## TampaTom (Feb 15, 2008)

Gosh - both ways can be very accurate - and I've done 'em both ways.

I guess find a way that works best for you and stick with it….


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

Table saw. I just haven't gotten the accuracy I want out of my band saw.


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## damianpenney (Jun 22, 2007)

The standard blade I have on my tablesaw is an ATB blade so it leaves a little v where it cuts so nibbling seems like a pain, and since I'm building the Holtzapffel bench with its 3" x 5" tenons nibbling an 1/8" at a time would take forever 

If there isn't a really compelling reason to use the TS think I'll stick with my instincts and do the shoulders on the TS and the cheeks on the bandsaw; I've never had a problem getting accurate cuts on it so hopefully it will go well. I'll keep you posted on my bench blog


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## jeremy (Jan 20, 2008)

sounds good,


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## damianpenney (Jun 22, 2007)

Love the TR3 Bruce, is that yours? My Dad owned a TR2 for a while, and my first car was a Spitfire followed by a TR6, super fun cars  The TR2 was designed so that you could touch the road with your hand from inside the car, no doubt to pick up anything that fell off


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## teenagewoodworker (Jan 31, 2008)

well you could use both. you could cut the shoulders on the table saw and then set up that band saw with a straight edge to remover the rest of the material. also remember to use a stop block on the fence so you can stop it perfectly every time. it will save a lot of wear and tear on your table saw blade from all that nibbling.

also remember that setting up a bandsaw fence is different then a regular fence. it has a slight angle. there is a good band saw set up video by the wood whisperer and about 12 minutes into that video he talks about setting up the fence. here's the link and good luck.

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1344664476/bclid1344621875/bctid1344587157


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## Dorje (Jun 17, 2007)

Go with your gut - you know what you're doing. And, you know why you're doing it.


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## USCJeff (Apr 6, 2007)

I use a TS shop-built jig. I cut the vertical cuts with it and use a miter fence to cut off the waste.

I've seen many who score with a table saw so that the BS will track the score.

No one's mentioned it yet, but there is a school of people that I've seen use a str8 bit or spiral bit on a router table as well. My opinion is that all of these will work with a similar result. Matter of preference, I believe.


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## 8iowa (Feb 7, 2008)

I have a tennonmaster jig, but I'm not going to use it anymore. Having a long rail sticking up in the air, supported only by a clamp at the bottom, and then running this through the table saw without a guard, gives me an uneasy feeling. Whenever I'm uncomfortable with a cut, I try to find another way. Fortunately, my bandsaw has a fence and a miter gauge slot so I can accurately cut tennons much more safely. Actually, If I only have a couple to do, I can cut them by hand on my bench. A good tennon saw is a handy tool to have in your shop. We don't always have to have a power tool solution.


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## alindobra (Oct 3, 2007)

Damian,

I have the Grizzly tenoning jig (56$ or so) and it does a very good job. I can tune it up so it shaves a tiny amount to finetune the tenon width. While you can cut the tenons on the bandsaw, you probably need a good shoulder plane to tune the tenon. Since the jig is so cheap, I think it is not justified to build a tenoning jig or to go with an improvisation.

If I use the tablesaw, I cut the support of the tenon with a crosscut fence on the tablesaw and then the sides of the tenon with the tenoning jig. The dado blade makes too much of a mess.

Alin


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## Tangle (Jul 21, 2007)

I guess I've probably cut tenons every way you can. On the pergola on the Flynn's project I hand cut them with a new tenon saw. I did the ones on my big work bench on the band saw and on small projects I use a tenon jig on the table saw. I've also used the router table. I almost always leave a tiny bit so I can fit with my #92 shoulder plane. That way I get a good fit(mostly).


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## grumpycarp (Feb 23, 2008)

I use a table saw with a sled and a dado stack. Set the fence to use as a stop for final tenon length less a hair and waste away. Then I offset my mortise a hair to the fat side so I can clean up any tear our on the tenoned piece and still net out where I need.


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

Damian,

I've used both tools successfully for tenons.

Using the band saw I cut the shoulders with the table saw first and then the cheeks with the band saw. It's harder to be perfect with the band saw and the cheek faces usually need some cleanup with a shoulder plane or chisel (though that's typical of any method).

Using the table saw I use a shop made jig (look *here* for a couple of pictures). This has the advantage of giving very smooth and accurate cheek cuts but, has the disadvantage of having to stand pieces on end which could be an issue for long parts.

The router with a spiral bit is also a great potential method though you would either need to build a jig or a horizontal router table to do them accurately.


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## gerrym526 (Dec 22, 2007)

You can cut them either way, but given the size of the tenons, I agree that using a dado blade will take forever. I've cut tenons the size you describe solely on the bandsaw, and politely disagree with those who say it can't be done accurately. You need your bandsaw to be "in tune" and it's not hard after that. I always cut "just to the layout line" and fine tune the fit of the tenon into the mortise with chisels (used for paring) and a shoulder plane (an absolute necessity if you expect to be doing lots of mortise and tenon work). Plus using the chisel to fine tune the fit gives you good practice for your hand tool skills.
What exactly is the Hotzpaffel bench? Do you have a URL to a picture of it? Would like to see its design.


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