Tenon Making Jig

I tried to use the Veritas tenon makers, but couldn't get them to work (tenon maker challenged, don't ya know). Talked to a friend and he suggested this jig for my tablesaw:

Works great, but if you aren't extremely vigilant while using it, you could either lose a finger/fingers, or wind up with a log in the gut from kickback, or both. Not the safest tool in the shop, but it really does work well for smaller tenons. May need to make some modifications to it to allow for larger tenons sometime down the road.

Here's a step by step of how to use it:

 The mortise is made using a forstner bit of the same size diameter as the tenon.

Again, this is NOT to be considered a "safe" tool jig. Proper protective gear is essential as is proper setup and operation. Making tenons using this jig can be very hard on the tablesaw, as well. Slow as you go is the only way to move the piece into the saw blade. Keeping your hands back on the piece is also essential. As you can see from one of the photos above, it would be very easy to forget how close your hands are to the saw blade. If you do, you might just be minus a few digits in very short order. Best thing to do is make your pieces long enough to begin with so your hands don't even come close to the blade, and then lop off the extra length when your tenon is done.

Tools - Simple Drill Press Table

Not the prettiest tool in the workshop, but one I could afford, and one that serves the purpose very well cuz I ain't afraid to ding it up like I would be with some of the drill press tables I've seen. Basically consists of one piece of chipboard shelving and scrap 2x4s underneath to sorta clamp it on the drill press table attached to the column.

This one works really well because this is a radial drill press that actually hangs over the outside edge of most projects when fully extended. Makes it very versatile.

Tools - Router Planer

This is one of the most versatile tools in my workshop. It's home made, designed and constructed by me, myself, and I.

Very simple in design and ease of use, this planer will handle pieces up to 40" tall and almost that same length.

I'll also be posting a variation of this planer in another post.