Square the mortices or round the tenons?

[Wongo]

It is landslide victory. Today is a great day for all of us tenon rounders. It has proven again that we are far more superior.

Sucked in mortice squarers.

[Grunt]

So we have the 'Dark Side' and the 'Light Side' and now the 'Rounds' and the 'Squares'

What about the people who use biscuits?

[keith53]

It is landslide victory. Today is a great day for all of us tenon rounders. It has proven again that we are far more superior.

Sucked in mortice squarers.

Scott,

What about those of us who do both? I knew I should have voted each way. :confused: If I do the mortice with the router I round the tenon. If I use the morticing attachment on the drill press, I square the tenon. I tend to agree with Rocker though. Besides, with the glues available nowadays it would be rare to subject a joint to its maximum pressure.

Cheers,
Keith

[echnidna]

Lig

I was reading up about joinery on the FineWoodworkingNetwork for my workbench. I'll see If i can find the article again. In this particular test I'm pretty sure that the Biscuits proved the weakest type of joinery. IF interested I'll dig it up again and get some test specs

.....................Is always interesting for future reference.

From Fine Woodworking #148

TRADITIONAL TENON

Strength: Superior
RAte of Failure: Gradual
Strength after failure: Superior
Rigidity: Very stiff

Round Edged Floating Tenon

Strength: Excellent
RAte of Failure: Gradual
Strength after failure: Excellent
Rigidity: Stiff

Straight Edged Floating Tenon

Strength: Excellent
RAte of Failure: Abrupt
Strength after failure: Excellent
Rigidity: stiff

Twin #20 Biscuits

Strength: Good
RAte of Failure: Gradual
Strength after failure: Good
Rigidity: Moderate

This is a great little summary of the outcomes

REgards Lou

SEEN THAT ---- BUT THE TESTS WERE FLAWED
It did not show test results of the same joints without glue.
Then repeat the tests with various glues

As glue deteriorates such tests would show the likliehood or not of furniture becoming an heirloom or antiquity

It would also be interesting to compare properly designed dowel joints in the same tests.

[silentC]

Keith,

The question posed by the poll assumes that the mortice was created with a router. Otherwise, there is obviously no alternative but to produce a square tenon. Biscuits don't come into it either.

What the poll is saying is: of those of us who make mortices with a router, when we do so, four people square off the ends of the mortice to take a square tenon and twelve round the tenon ends to suit the mortice.

[keith53]

Keith,

The question posed by the poll assumes that the mortice was created with a router. Otherwise, there is obviously no alternative but to produce a square tenon. Biscuits don't come into it either.

What the poll is saying is: of those of us who make mortices with a router, when we do so, four people square off the ends of the mortice to take a square tenon and twelve round the tenon ends to suit the mortice.

Yep, point taken...

[Driver]

What the poll is saying is: of those of us who make mortices with a router, when we do so, four people square off the ends of the mortice to take a square tenon and twelve round the tenon ends to suit the mortice.

silentC the psephologist! (with a silent p, of course).

[silentC]

I beg your pardon, what did you just call me?!!

I was an assistant poll clerk at the North Sydney council elections one year. Does that count?

[Driver]

I beg your pardon, what did you just call me?!!

I was an assistant poll clerk at the North Sydney council elections one year. Does that count?

I don't know whether or not that counts but what may be more important (for democracy in North Sydney) did you count?

[silentC]

Not allowed. That was the Poll Clerk's job. All the assistant Poll Clerk was allowed to do was tick off names.

[Driver]

Not allowed. That was the Poll Clerk's job. All the assistant Poll Clerk was allowed to do was tick off names.

So - if you didn't count, did that make you a no-account?

[silentC]

By all accounts, yes

[mic-d]

When I've had round mortices I've done both methods. I quickly discovered that with a tenon 20mmx42mmx42mm in spotty gum, that rounding the tenon was much much faster than squaring the mortice. I haven't been called back so I assume the gates I made are still swinging.
I wonder what result we'd get to a poll on how people cut their round-end mortices. Currently I use a drill press and forstner bit. I'm sure I will use a router when I finally get around to making a morticing jig.

Cheers
Michael

[outback]

I think the beans you've been counting have a little fungus or something growing on them, it has affacted you, in a very sad way.

[craigb]

I think the beans you've been counting have a little fungus or something growing on them, it has affacted you, in a very sad way.

To whom is this observation addressed outback? :confused: