M. Moore
Titanium
- Joined
- Jun 8, 2007
- Location
- Vancouver Island, B.C. Canada
Hello all,
As promised in another thread I am posting a few pics and some dimensions of my custom tenon jig that uses a plunge router and a template to cut very accurate tenons.
Not only is it accurate and easily adjusted but it is super fast as well which is a real bonus.
Another great feature is the ability to move the template in relation to the clamped workpiece in order to position the tenon exactly where you need. This is done very quickly with a small inexpensive x-y drill press vice that clamps the template and allows adjustment in two axis.
The construction is all very simple joinery and I used Baltic birch plywood for the main cabinet and some Jatoba solid wood for the face frames. I took some extra care when cutting to ensure a very square and parallel centre space as the workpiece clamp swings outward so you can do angled tenons as well as compound angled tenons if you add an extra angled fence. Any mis-alignment here would cause problems with the tenon accuracy.
The basic premise is that the pin on the right side of the router plate rides in a close fitting groove which constrains the movement of the router and acts as a pivot point so the template guide pin can move around the template easily.
Some may have noticed that this is quite similar to the Leigh MFT and it is, with a few key differences. The main difference is that the guide pin is tapered and the template has the matching 30° angle. The tapered pin allows a very fine adjustment of the tenon thickness and easily compensates for a sharpened cutter.
So I will post the pics and continue with the commentary in the next post.
As promised in another thread I am posting a few pics and some dimensions of my custom tenon jig that uses a plunge router and a template to cut very accurate tenons.
Not only is it accurate and easily adjusted but it is super fast as well which is a real bonus.
Another great feature is the ability to move the template in relation to the clamped workpiece in order to position the tenon exactly where you need. This is done very quickly with a small inexpensive x-y drill press vice that clamps the template and allows adjustment in two axis.
The construction is all very simple joinery and I used Baltic birch plywood for the main cabinet and some Jatoba solid wood for the face frames. I took some extra care when cutting to ensure a very square and parallel centre space as the workpiece clamp swings outward so you can do angled tenons as well as compound angled tenons if you add an extra angled fence. Any mis-alignment here would cause problems with the tenon accuracy.
The basic premise is that the pin on the right side of the router plate rides in a close fitting groove which constrains the movement of the router and acts as a pivot point so the template guide pin can move around the template easily.
Some may have noticed that this is quite similar to the Leigh MFT and it is, with a few key differences. The main difference is that the guide pin is tapered and the template has the matching 30° angle. The tapered pin allows a very fine adjustment of the tenon thickness and easily compensates for a sharpened cutter.
So I will post the pics and continue with the commentary in the next post.