Floating tenon

Loose tenon , also commonly referred to as floating tenon or slip tenon , joinery is versatile. I’ve used loose tenon joints to construct tables, chairs, post-and-rail casework, a workbench, cabinet doors, even architectural doors. Loose Tenon Joinery Rout variations of these super-strong joints with a versatile shop made jig.

I’ve used a number of different methods to create mortise and tenon joints, but I keep coming back to loose tenons , because they’re easy, strong and versatile. Michael Dresdner: For the most part, yes, or rather, it is certainly strong enough. One could no doubt run lab tests and show minor differences, but generally speaking, a well-fit floating tenon is as good as a fixed one (and better than a poorly fit fixed tenon ). Lee Valley Floating Tenons Mortise and tenon joinery ensures strength and rigidity in furniture construction. An innovation that has vastly simplified this construction method is the floating tenon.

How to make floating tenons using an easy to build fixture. Loose tenons can be used any place you’d use a traditional mortise and tenon an with some of these tools, many other places, too. The tools in this story make joinery much easier than a doweling jig. A floating tenon is a separate piece inserted into matching mortises in two mating pieces.

Similar to biscuit joinery, you cut a mortise into each of the pieces to be joined—leg and apron, rail and stile. The mortise-and- tenon joint is the true workhorse of solid wood woodworking. Loose or floating tenons are a remarkably useful variation on the traditional mortise-and- tenon. However, if you are looking for loose tenon joinery on a budget, you should realize that there are alternatives.

In fact, I have been doing loose tenon joinery for years using a basic plunge router and a simple jig. I often use loose tenon joinery in the construction of furniture projects. Floating tenons , which are sometimes called loose tenons , differ from integral tenons (traditional) in that they incorporate a separate piece of wood for the tenon. The tenon stock is inserted into a mortise to form the ‘ tenon side’ of a mortise and tenon joint.

DIY Mortise and Tenon Jig. Table Saw Tenon Jig Plans. In one way, floating tenons are supposed to be easier and faster than contiguous tenons. Mortises in rails and stiles are identical Rail Floating tenon Length of mortise matches depth NOTE: Cut grooves for panel after making mortises Mortise depth equals bit height MASTER TECHNIQUES Open Floating Tenon Joinery Mortise and tenon joinery made easy.

All it takes is a single router table setup. Posts about floating tenon written by Chris Wong. The loose tenon or the extended tongue are two choices. In a loose tenon or spline joint, a careful attention to the fit of the mortise and tenon and a complete painting of both with appropriate glue will virtually eliminate failure in a lifetime.

The Beech Tenon serves as a true floating tenon in mortise and tenon applications such as furniture, cabinetmaking, casing and frame work. The flat, elongated design will not rotate, ensuring perfect alignment for both edge and face gluing. Bonus Feature: Floating Tenons and Doweling.

Traditional mortise and tenon joinery isn’t practical on miter joints, though often they need all the strength that tenons provide. The FMT makes it easy to mortise both sides of a miter then glue in a shop-made floating tenon for the strongest possible joint. An asymmetric tenon with a shoulder on one side only. A common use is in frame ledged and braced doors.

Generally, the size of the mortise and tenon is related to the thickness of the timbers. It is good practice to proportion the tenon as one third the thickness of the rail, or as close to this as is practical. Serves as a true floating tenon in mortise and tenon applications, such. You have to open this print in the customizer to fit it to your router and material. It is used to create floating tenon joints between two pieces of wood.

Floating tenon BOOKCASE ANATOMY Built from cherry and joined with floating tenons , this case is a modern take on an Arts and Crafts classic. Domino Tenon Stock is available in multiple sizes and offered in either Beech hardwood for indoor. The tenons provide rigidity so that the sides and back can float within the rails and stretchers.

The side panels are book-matched and the back is shiplapped. Shiplapped back panels, 1⁄in. Before getting a Domino, I was making mortises with a router, and creating floating tenons in the same way that I describe in this article. It is a proven method that works well on hardwood and softwood species alike. After adding glue to the joint faces all of the floating tenons can be added.

Hi All, I bought my first plunge router decades ago with a single purpose in min to cut mortises for loose tenon joinery accurately and efficiently and along the way I’ve built a number of router mortising jigs for that purpose. A through mortise-and- tenon joint is essentially the same as the stopped mortise and tenon except that the tenon goes entirely through the mortised board to be revealed on the other side (see Figure 3). The rounded ends of a “ floating” tenon fit nicely into a mortise made with a plunge router.

Straight bits cut flat mortise sides and bottoms as well as rounded ends. Stop blocks at both ends keep your cut inside the mortise layout marks. Help with floating tenon joint. I am making a picnic basket out of Ash and I have several joints to make and a loose tendon joint is the only was I can figure to do.

Strength-wise, a properly milled floating tenon joint should be just as strong as an integral tenon. I would do whatever method is easier for you. But since a floating tenon requires you to put a mortise on each piece, you might run into some issues on long pieces (such as a long table apron).

Floating vs Fixed Tenon Joinery I am making window frames for a garden shed. To me, the beadlock system seems like a good compromise between spee noise, setup effort, and cost. This centuries-old joint is the thoroughbred of all woodworking joints and is used in fine furniture and cabinetmaking everywhere.