Saw Sharpening Bench Part 4

Fitting tenons.

Sizing tenons with a shoulder plane.

The last time I worked on this bench was in March. Finally I am getting a chance to finish this project. The mortises were cut and the sides pared using chisels and the tenons cut on the table saw using a stacked dado cutter previously.

Now it is time to fit the tenons to their individual mortises. Joints should be fitted just before glue up. Avoid letting fitted joints sit around the shop for any length of time if at all possible. For this operation I used a Stanley #93 shoulder plane and a couple of chisels. I know many woodworkers machine these joints to size, but a better finish and fit can be achieved by leaving the tenons a little heavy and sizing them with a sharp plane. Also, the hollow chisel mortiser does a very good job, but a better finish can be had by paring the sides of the finished mortise with a wide chisel. A better finish and a better fit means a better glue joint. This is where sharp hand tools stand out.

One of the side frames in clamps.

Once the tenons have ben fitted to their respective mortises the side frames can be glued up. I use liquid hide glue for all my projects and furniture. With this glue a glue up is a pleasure, as it should be, instead of a fire drill. The modern glues just don’t give enough working time. Also, joints glued with modern glues are not reversible. If you have ever disassembled a piece of furniture for repair or restoration you know how important it can be to be able to take a joint apart with relative ease.

The long aprons and stretcher are located with stub tenons and held to the side frames with 3/8″ hex head lag bolts. You will see this in the next post.

As always, thanks for stopping by and feel free to leave a comment.