Cut tenons using a hand router. Device for milling box tenons. How to make a tenon and groove joint with a router
Quite a lot has already been written about such tenon cutters, so I don’t pretend to be original. But the thing in the workshop is definitely useful. Therefore, having assembled a tenon cutter for a straight box tenon, I decided to talk about it on my blog.
These tenoners are usually made on the basis of a router table or a circular saw. But, of course, options are also possible - depending on the master’s imagination - on band saw, jigsaw machine, yes, even with a chainsaw!
I didn't get creative and made a jig for cutting a straight box tenon for my router table (more about it here:).
Sometimes they use bearings and various guides to facilitate sliding, but I decided to do without them. The only condition is that the opposite edges of the table must be parallel. To do this, you can go over them with a router, focusing on the other edge.
The first step is to cut out the base of the future tenon cutter from plywood. The dimensions of this base depend on the table itself - it should be wider than the table by the width of the side supports. I took the stops about 4 cm. The length of the stops should be the same or slightly less width table - then they won’t jam. I glued all the parts of the tenon cutter with wood glue and fixed it with self-tapping screws - perhaps it’s excessive, but that’s how I wanted it.
All screw heads are recessed.
To select the correct position of the second stop, we place the workpiece with the first stop installed on the table, resting it (the first stop) against the edge of the table, apply glue to the second stop...
And placing a sheet of paper between the second stop and the edge, we fix it (the second stop) in this position with clamps. The gap that remains thanks to the paper will be ideal for the tenon cutter to move freely along the edges of the table without dangling.
For purely aesthetic reasons, we cut off the edge so that the stops are flush with the main part.
The carriage for our tenon cutter is ready
Next, a stop will be installed on this carriage, which can be adjusted and which should always be perpendicular to the direction of movement of the carriage. In order not to check this perpendicularity every time, I made a ledge with the correct angles on the edge of the carriage.
On the same ledge, using an M8 bolt, I installed the handle from the adjusting mechanism of the office chair.
The handle is located exactly in the middle between the stops - this is another degree of protection against jamming of the carriage. The handle is quite grippy and reliable. It also sets a safe position for the right hand. It is convenient to use.
The stop is secured with two M10 bolts with recessed heads and wing nuts. The stop can move along the ledge with the handle in both directions.
It is important that the plane of the stop is perpendicular to the plane of the carriage.
The carriage is made of FSF plywood 18 mm. I'm sure many are choking now - why is it so thick, it's some kind of monster! Well, yes, it could have been made thinner, but I like things with extra strength where possible. This is my trick.
Therefore, I had to buy a special cutter. All characteristics and articles are visible in the photograph.
Insert a pin into the groove formed in the stop. I made it from 6 mm thick PCB.
The device is ready. The design is quite simple, it took longer to explain than to do))
The first launch showed that in general the device works, but requires configuration
The height of the cutter and the width of the tenon require careful adjustment. After some time it started to work out.
It is more convenient to process parts in packages - at least two. At the same time, the external parts have a hard time - a straight cutter mercilessly tears out not just individual fibers, but entire layers. Therefore, the parts must be processed, covering them on both sides with unnecessary bars.
Look what happened to the parts that were external to the package. I don’t know how they manage to process details one by one in magazines and videos. You can use spiral cutters - maybe this will solve the problem, but they are usually several times more expensive than straight ones.
Therefore, we simply cover the parts to be processed on both sides and get an excellent result. Here you also need to pay attention to which side and in what sequence to process the parts so that they are later formed into a product.
In general, the result is not bad. These were test bars, but since it turned out well, I decided to finish the job and make a box.
Cut out the bottom of the drawer on a circular saw
And here one more nuance came out - in order to grind protruding tenons, a device for cutting a straight box tenon must be equipped with a belt grinder or a disc sander or something like that. The eccentric sander fails to cope, causing the edges to fall. Otherwise, I'm happy with the purchase - it works as it should.
Agree, it is very problematic to quickly and efficiently cut a perfect round tenon on the ends of wooden blanks round section. Well, of course, unless you are the happy owner of a CNC tenoning machine. For those whose shop or workshop is not so richly “packed,” we offer an elegant way to solve this problem. Make a simple and reliable conductor from scrap materials in 15 minutes
1. Blank
You will need a small block of wood or MDF. The approximate dimensions are a cross-section of 4x4 cm, a length of about 10 cm. However, it all depends on the diameter of the intended tenon and the size of the workpiece.
2. Hole for workpiece
Drill a hole in the block whose diameter will be equal to the diameter of your round workpiece. If the hole comes out with a small allowance, it will be absolutely fine.
A small allowance won't hurt. This will make cutting the tenon easier in the future. But don't overdo it, otherwise you may end up with backlash.
3. Limiter
To prevent the workpiece from falling through during processing, you will need to install a limiter. To do this, cut out a plate from fiberboard or thin MDF with a size equal to the base of your block. Of course, you can glue the base to the block with wood glue, but it makes sense to do it easier - connect these two parts with double-sided adhesive tape.
4. Setting up the router
Now set up your router to cut the tenon. Use a straight bit. Set the height of your tenon, remembering to compensate for the thickness of the stopper.
5. Adjust the stop
Adjust the router stop so that the center of the cutter coincides with the center of the hole in the jig
6. Milling the groove
At this stage, mill a groove in the jig blank. It is better to do this in 2-3 passes. You can put a mark on the stop so that each pass ends in the same place, namely in the center of the hole.
The conductor is ready!
7. Secure the jig
You should securely attach the resulting jig to the stop milling machine. The easiest way to do this is with a clamp. Adjust the offset of the cutter to the diameter of your future round tenon.
How to make a tongue and groove connection?
Tenon and groove - what is it?
First of all, you need to define what a tenon and groove is. This is nothing more than a way of connecting parts.
It is used most often in carpentry, as well as in other types of production. There are many types of grooves and tenons, but we'll talk about that another time.
Properly executed tenons and grooves are sufficiently firmly connected to each other. This connection is considered one of the strongest.
Tongue and groove connection method
First you need to determine for what purpose this connection method is needed. If this is a table, then the jumpers in it are usually connected to the vertical legs.
Consequently, the wood fibers run vertically and horizontally. If this is a wall table or a bedside table with drawers, then the jumpers here will be located a little differently. They will be horizontal relative to the legs.
In any case, such a connection will be the most reliable. When making a large number of tongue-and-groove joints, special machines are used. If you need one or more tongue and groove joints, and there is no carpentry equipment at hand, then it would be advisable to do this manually. To do this you will need a set of carpentry tools, including:
- hacksaw;
- clamp - 2 pcs;
- measuring instrument;
- pencil for marking.
First we will make a spike for the future connection.
To do this, you need to take a bar and mark the dimensions of the future tenon on it.
First, mark the length of the spike. We do this on all surfaces of the workpiece.
After this, we place the workpiece on the table, place an even bar on it along the transverse line of the length of the tenon and secure it with a clamp. This is necessary in order to obtain a perfectly perpendicular cut.
We make cuts along the marked perimeter of the length of the tenon, rearranging the bar with the clamp.
We proceed to cutting out the cross section of the tenon.
Using a clamp, we secure the workpiece to the table in a vertical position.
To obtain a straight cut, we will use a pre-prepared T-shaped template. It is a plate of plywood with a strip attached to it, as in the photo. We attach the template to the workpiece with a clamp. Next, we make cuts on the wide sides of the tenon.
On the narrow sides of the section, if it is small, cuts can be made without using a T-shaped template. It is important to control the position hacksaw blade, it must be strictly parallel to the workpiece.
As a result, we obtain a high-quality spike according to the specified dimensions.
Let's move on to making the groove.
Again, we start with the markup. On the workpiece at the tenon-groove joint we mark the cross-sectional dimension of the tenon.
We fix the workpiece on the table with a clamp. If the workpiece is thin, then for ease of fastening we take several parts or a board of the appropriate size and fasten them with a clamp, as shown in the photo.
First, we cut a hole in width; to ensure perpendicularity, the chisel is placed at the corner.
We make a recess to a given size according to the tenon length mark, having previously applied it to the chisel tip.
After the specified depth is reached, we clean the groove and insert the part with a tenon.
The tongue-and-groove connection is ready.
How to make a tongue and groove connection correctly? A few more subtleties
Not being able to make a tongue-and-groove joint on a special machine, it can be done with high quality at home, using the method of Yu. A. Egorov.
To do this, you need to calculate the cutting width of the saw, which can be determined by the size of the teeth. You only need to make just a few cuts on any piece of wood.
Getting to work directly, we measure the thickness of the first part (the future tenon) and draw a line on the expected location of the groove on the second part.
Now we apply both parts to one another so that their ends coincide. Along the side edges, relative to each other, we shift them by the width of the cut.
We fix the parts in the workbench and make cuts evenly across the width. In the case of different thicknesses of parts, the thinner part contains deeper cuts and vice versa. We pay special attention to ensure that the cuts do not create cone-shaped tenons.
If the shift is less than the width of the cut, the parts will fit tightly. This will be important for any kind of furniture fastenings.
By making the shift greater than the width of the cut, the normal operation of detachable fasteners (on a pin) is ensured.
Observing the depth and length of the cuts, we make new ones in the middle of the tenons we don’t need. After this, we carefully remove the tenons that are unsuitable for us with a chisel, making grooves out of them, and clean them.
If the connection is supposed to be permanent, it is glued on and the entire product is sanded.
How to make a tenon and groove joint with a router
The tenon and groove connection, as we see, can be done manually. However, if there are a lot of tenon and groove joints, it is better to use a router. A router with a work table will be especially useful in such cases.
To facilitate the process of obtaining a hole in the workpiece for a tenon-groove connection using a router in large quantities, for example, making stools, you can make a conductor.
Then making the grooves will take you just a few minutes.
To do this, initially limiters in the form of slats are installed on a sheet of plywood and holes are cut to the size of the required groove for the drawer and leg. Two slats are attached along the width of the router, limiting the transverse shift, the other two are set taking into account the length of the device and the size of the groove.
We attach two bars to the table, the dimensions corresponding to the workpiece, so that it can move freely along its length.
We set and secure the stop.
Then we fasten the device with self-tapping screws to the bars on the table.
We take equipment equipped with a straight cutter and set the milling depth. We do this using a ready-made sample.
We set the milling depth taking into account the thickness of the jig.
A prerequisite for milling is to secure the workpiece with a clamp, otherwise it may move under the force of the cutter.
Then we directly process the groove.
The groove hole is ready.
Let's move on to making the spike. In small-scale production, it is convenient to do this on a circular saw.
We begin making the tenon by measuring the groove. The depth of the groove will be the length of the tenon.
We set the length of the groove on the machine taking into account the width of the tool. We set the circular saw at the level of half the difference between the width of the workpiece and the length of the groove from the table surface. Then we make two cuts along the length of the tenon. It is better to make test cuts when setting up a circular saw on unnecessary pieces of wood, otherwise you can ruin a good part.
The preparatory work has been completed. Let's start cutting out the tenon directly.
For this we set circular saw by the size of the length of the tenon, and the size from the cutting tool to the stop is half the difference between the width of the workpiece and the length of the groove. We make two cuts along the width of the workpiece on opposite sides.
The next operation will be to change the size from the tool to the stop. In this case, the distance will be equal to half the difference between the height of the workpiece and the width of the groove. We make the remaining two cuts.
Now take a carpenter's knife and round off the corners of the tenon.
The final processing is carried out using sandpaper, for convenience attached to a block.
We check how the tenon fits into the groove. It should fit snugly and not wobble.
Thus, we looked at some types of tenons and grooves that you can make either yourself or by ordering from the factory.
Although in Lately and metal guides and all kinds of new fasteners are coming into fashion, but the tongue-and-groove connection still deserves respect and is one of the most durable connections.
Using it not only in woodworking products, various enterprises began to produce higher quality goods.
You can also watch a video of making tenons on a tabletop circular saw
Selected for you:
However, even a novice carpenter can easily master a connection of any complexity if he uses a special milling device and ready-made templates.
To perform a dovetail joint traditionally by hand - with a tenon saw and chisel - and achieve good results, you need to have certain skills. However, today most woodworkers use special power tools to cut complex tenons and mortises into pieces. These tools can also be used by home craftsmen who would like to decorate their home-made furniture with decorative joints.
A special milling device cuts tenons perfectly accurately if you guide it in a “prescribed course” according to a rigid template attached to the parts. Even coarse-fiber wood can be processed with a milling cutter, and the curly contours of the joining seams on a product made from it look great.
The tenons are cut in the same way using a cutter installed in a drill using a special attachment. In this case, it can be formalized as a simple gusset on a straight open tenon, and a more complex one - a “dovetail”.
The use of these power tools allows you to process workpieces different types- both plywood and solid wood.
Making complex corner joints
Resembling a comb metal plate with clamping devices and a manually operated router - this is all the equipment needed to make corner joints on a straight open tenon or dovetail. It is extremely simple to guide the cutter along the template: it fits into the part with such precision that even beginners can make tenons flawlessly.
Both types of tenons are cut out on two parts to be joined in one step. The parts are secured with offset metal clamps on both sides.
The lateral edges of the parts are shifted by the width of one tenon to the left or right. If a corner connection is made on a straight open tenon, then both boards are installed vertically. To make a dovetail joint, one board is installed vertically, the other at right angles to the first board.
The cutter is guided along the metal template from left to right. It is necessary to ensure that the working (cutting) part of the cutter does not touch the template itself.
Using a milling machine and a template, you can process two boards up to 28 cm wide in one go. The optimal board thickness for making a corner joint on a straight open tenon is from 16 to 20 mm.
Semi-concealed dovetail connection
Today, semi-concealed dovetail joints are almost never made by hand. However, before furniture production was put on stream, this type of corner connection was considered traditional. Most often it can be seen on drawers. A simple device - a compact attachment for a drill - will allow home handyman perform a classic semi-concealed dovetail connection.
The attachment allows you to guide the cutter clearly within the boundaries indicated by the metal template, both in the horizontal and vertical planes. As a result, the tenons and grooves are very precise.
To begin with, we recommend that you practice making this connection on discarded pieces of wood to get your hands on it. The drill should operate at a speed of no more than 5000 rpm. This is relatively slow for a drill, but a cutter spinning faster can chip the edges of the part.
Cutting tenons using a milling cutter according to a template
The handle equipped with the drill attachment not only helps guide the cutter. The design of the handle is such that it allows you to change the position of the cutter head and accordingly adjust the depth of the groove, and the fastening contour ensures that the cutter moves along the template with millimeter accuracy.
To make the grooves, the metal template is fixed on the workbench along with the first board. The cutter is directed from top to bottom. If the workpiece is wider than the template, it is shifted. A small plastic pin helps you select the desired position. Then the rest of the board is processed.
Then the second board is placed on the workbench, and the first one is placed on it in order to install and secure the metal template in the desired position (the protrusion on the edge of the template should fit exactly into one of the middle grooves of the first board). As a result, without complex measurements, it is possible to ensure that the tenons and grooves on both parts completely coincide.
When processing the second board, the cutter is directed horizontally. An additional board placed underneath is needed to ensure that the cutter goes through the full thickness of the part.
Grooves
If you decide to cut parts for a drawer with a hidden dovetail joint with a milling cutter, then take into account that the blind grooves in such a drawer should be located on the front and back walls, and the tenons should be on the side walls, respectively.
Using the same drill attachment and the same template, you can also make a corner connection to a straight open tenon. To do this, just change the cutter.
Using tongue-and-groove joints at home will allow you to create your own beautiful furniture, which is also reliable. Even frames low-rise buildings are connected using this circuit, especially when it comes to heavy loads during operation. Therefore, it will be useful to understand how to make a tenon and groove using manual milling cutters.
Tools used
Sampling of material in in this case carried out on the surface of the beams and boards from the side. The main thing is that the proposed connection maintains its dimensions in terms of geometry.
To complete the process using a milling cutter, it is allowed to use tools equipped with shanks with a diameter of 8 or 12 millimeters. So-called slot cutter will become a universal option when performing any type of work. The device is equipped with a cutting part, the basic operating principle of which is described as follows:
- The side surface is involved in the formation of the sides of the tenon, the wall part of the grooves.
- The side with the end part is used when processing the bottom. After this, the required layer of material is removed from the base of the spike.
The result is the simultaneous formation of both tenons and grooves on the surface on the sides. The sizes can be individually adjusted, and the owner has quite a wide range of options in this regard.
Sometimes for grooves and tenons they choose not a rectangular shape, but the so-called “dovetail” type. This option is relevant if increased requirements are placed on connection reliability. Accordingly, the cutter used is also called a “dovetail” in this case. This kind of work can be done without any problems. hand tools, if the need arises.
Making a device for picking out a tenon
When parts are processed manually, the milling cutter itself does not have additional spatial fixation. But the overall result of the work and the accuracy of the connection itself in the future depend on this.
To collect the simplest design, capable of coping with the task, you will need to use:
- Several guides that remain stationary. They should be side and top or bottom.
- The length of the sample is adjusted through the use of an appropriate movable bar.
For manufacturing, the following sequence of actions is used:
- A plywood sheet is taken, from one edge of which the side elements are mounted in a vertical plane. It is necessary to create appropriate cutouts in the center of the material.
- The sides are equipped with guides. The base of the hand cutter moves along them later.
- The side strips are fixed on the upper guides. Then the movement of the working milling cutter associated with these parts becomes limited.
- The plywood sheet, which became the basis for the installation, also serves as a surface for installing the moving element. Then the amount of edge overhang for the future workpiece is easier to control under any circumstances. Fixation is ensured with ordinary screws and other types of fixing devices.
There are several points during manufacturing that require special consideration:
- The upper guides have a height corresponding to the sum of the thickness for the part under processing and a small gap at which the wedge involved in fixation is installed.
- The forming tenon has a certain length, which is taken into account when determining the vertical thickness of the cutouts in the side elements.
When such devices are used, the work is carried out with the participation of hand-held milling cutters of any modern model.
Fixtures are made in the following way if dovetail connections are required.
- A hole is created inside a sheet of plywood with several layers. The cutting part at the cutter itself protrudes from this part.
- A plywood sheet is prepared in advance, on the bottom of which the manual router itself is fixed. Clamps and screws are perfect for doing the job, as are other types of fastenings.
- The board, 2.5 centimeters thick, is attached to a plywood sheet, which subsequently participates in the movement of the prepared part. The function of the guides is taken over by the design. The boards belong to consumables with one-time use.
Creating tenons on bars and boards
Processing is performed using the following sequence of actions:
- The part to be processed is mounted on a plane from the bottom side.
- The edge of the part where the tenon is formed accommodates the cutouts at the guides at the top. The structure moves inward until it hits the end.
- A movable type element must be fixed while maintaining a certain position.
- We use a wedge tool to connect the guides and the plane located at the top to each other.
- Connection of a hand router with the upper guides.
- Using a milling tool at home milling table Wood is removed from one side.
- When the first side of the workpiece is processed, begin the second.
The operation will be successful only with high performance and accuracy parameters. Setup refers to the required steps before the instruments are turned on. To resolve the issue, actions are performed in the following sequence:
- The milling tool is lowered until it reaches the surface of the base.
- Measuring the thickness of a part.
- The thickness result is divided by 4. The result is the distance parameter that is maintained when lifting the cutter above the base.
Wood cutter "Dovetail"
For mortises and tenons under similar circumstances: only half the normal width. This is explained by the characteristics that compounds of this type have.
The main thing is to set up the device correctly and fix it in a suitable position.
The tongue-and-groove joint should end up with some clearance. It is necessary so that later you can conveniently use the adhesive composition.
How to choose a groove with a router?
The solution to the problem depends on where the grooves are located and what size they are. Here are some recommendations for home craftsmen:
- The use of open grooves involves securing it to the tabletop and guiding the workpiece along the cutter.
- Accuracy is determined by the height of the cutter and the location of the bar.
- It is recommended to use wood waste for trial operations. This allows you to avoid mistakes.
- Sampling is carried out in stages, with several passes being carried out.
The main thing is to get rid of wood waste in a timely manner after completing each stage. Then the instrument will definitely not suffer from overheating. When doing the work, it is easiest to use a template cut out of plywood. They pass through it with the cutter itself, with the bearing installed.
