Tenon Cutter for Log Furniture on the Cheap

[forgeblast]

I wish I could take credit for this but I cant. Bodger's Ask & Answer • View topic - My home made stick rounder was where I found it.
I was looking all over for something to make tenon, fast and cheap. I even tried making some tools that Roy from the woodsmith had posted on the pbs shop site but the angles were not
right.
I have these tools but they were just not cutting it.

I pruned some old apples and have enough wood to make a chair. So I took a draw knife to the branches and then cut them to size. Ill post a write up the chair once I get it built.

a 2x4 drilled to 1'' all the way through and then I drilled 1 1/2'' on the opening. I ratchet strapped it in place and screwed it to the right guide (there was a hole in the right spot).

You can see the saw blade just about poking through the hole.

This is what the tenons look like. you can see it works just as good on thick and thin.

What the saw dust looks like coming off, I am saving it for the smoke house since its apple.

Its fast, works on many different diam. branches, and was free. Enjoy!!

 

[MIKE R]

Those are some old cutter. When I got my tenon cutter I bought it from LeeValley, wasn't cheap but does a great job and much faster and neater than using a draw knife.

 

[forgeblast]

They are old tools, when I was making one or two benches a year they worked fine. I would just drawknife and use the two tenon tools to make the tenon. But I want to increase the amount of furniture I can make. I plan on doing some craft fairs this year to sell my wooden ware, and I want to be able to join a county wide artist studio tour in 2014. Before I join the tour though I have to increase the amount of stock I have on hand.
I looked at the lee valley, lumbermate, etc. They looked great just expensive! This takes me tops 60 seconds to do two tenons. I just push and spin, the bonus is its free.

 

[Egon]

To the original poster.

Considering drilling the hole at the angle you want your tenon ??

A router jig might also work.

I have some of those old tools you posted.:thumbsup:

 

[Gordo 56]

Great idea, thanks for sharing.

 

[forgeblast]

I didnt think of that Egon, thats a good idea.
The plans that I have for the chair do not have any angled tenons. They are all 90 degrees to the rail. (It was a rustic furniture book)
There are plans and a guy selling a kit on ebay for the router, but when I watched the video I was less then impressed with how much clean up would have had
to be done on the tenon.
I like the old tools, I used them a lot before the barn was wired up.

 

[Egon]

Hope it works as I have not made round tenons.

 

[RobertN]

Have you checked out Rocklers online?

 

[forgeblast]

Yep, If you look at picture 4 those are the tenons I cut. Trust me I looked at every system out there for cutting round tenons, from the pencil sharpener, to the router ones. This one is free and makes tenons as fast and as nice as anyother system I have researched. I ll try to post a few pics of it in action. But picture 4 shows the finished result.

 

[forgeblast]

This is the log I started with

Here is the table and 2x4 set up.

I make a little mark so I don’t make the tenon too long.

The tenon was pushed into the hole on the 2x4 and I gave it one spin around.

This is after the second spin.

Here is the final tenon after three turns