Cutting The Tenon

The shoulders are usually cut first. With your tenon piece placed horizontally in the vice, create a step down on the waste side of the knifewall with a wide chisel. Then saw down your shoulder line only up to the gauge line; don’t go any deeper as this will affect the strength of the tenon. Repeat on the other shoulders on the opposite face.

Next, clamp your tenon piece vertically in the vise and start to saw the cheek of the tenon. Make sure you are cutting on the waste side of the line. First, saw square across for the first few strokes to establish a straight through cut. Then lower your hand so as to follow the gauge line along the length to cut corner to corner. This will help you to stay on the same plane. Turn around and repeat from the opposite side, before cutting horizontally again to finish the cut. As you’re approaching the end of the cut, push the waste piece against your saw plate to keep the saw in line.

Cut the remaining cheek in the same way.

Pare cut the shoulder and the cheek to remove any undulations on the tenon. If there’s a step from sawing, you can remove this with a chisel. Be careful not to pare beyond the shoulder lines you previously marked with the knife (knifewall). It is important to remove any protruding material as this will stop the joint seating properly.