Fine Woodworking 2007 Building Furniture

Tenons on the tablesaw. With the workpiece firmly clamped against

this tenoning jig, the tablesaw can cut tenons cleanly and accurately.

Handwork is fast and accurate enough. A dovetail saw makes quick work

of trimming the angled haunch and mitering the ends of the tenons.

Template simplifies

layout. Mark out the

angled haunch on the

tenon using a template.

F i t t i n g t h e t e n o n t o t h e m o r t i s e

passes of a shoulder plane or a chisel. I want the shoulders to fit

tightly over their entire surface and the tenon to slide into place

with a minimum of force for a good glue bond.

Part of the long-term strength of the joint is the snugness of the

fit, or what I call its mechanical strength. Glue adds strength, but

how long does a glue bond last? By its very nature, a mortise-and-

tenon joint has wood fibers running cross-grain to one another,

which weakens the bond. Flexible modern glues can accommo-

date some of this movement.

Before gluing, I always dry-fit and clamp the parts together to

discover any problems that may arise while there’s still time to

solve them. To ease assembly, I chamfer the ends of each tenon.

Glue-ups can be stressful, but it is worth taking care to place the

glue so as to avoid drips and oozing joints that would be a head-

ache to clean up later. With a thin stick about half the width of

an ice-cream stick, I apply a light amount of glue into the mortise

and on both tenon cheeks. The flat edge of the stick is perfect

to squeeze out the glue in a thin, even layer. Another trick that

works well is to cut a light chamfer around the mortise to contain

any squeeze-out. Ideally, the joint should slip together under light

clamping pressure.

For large tables and for peace of mind, I often pin the leg-to-

apron joints. I use a hard, straight-grained wood such as rose-

wood, ebony, or maple for the pins. A contrasting wood can add

a pleasing visual detail, and two small pins are stronger than one

large one. Most often, I drill holes for the pins after gluing and

drive them in either from the outside or inside of the leg, depend-

ing on whether or not I want them to show. =

A woodworking teacher and professional furniture maker, Garrett Hack is a

contributing editor to Fine Woodworking.

Pins are an insurance policy. Small hardwood pins will hold the joint

tightly, even if the glue fails. Hack leaves the outside end of the pin

square and holds it with a wrench as he hammers it home.

g l u i n g a n d

p i n n i n g

t h e j o i n t

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