How to Cut a Haunched Tenon Joint

A haunched tenon joint is a must when creating a door. The joint is strong, and because of the "haunches" on the tenon, allows for more surface area that can be glued, making the joint more secure.

Difficulty:

Challenging

Instructions

1. Set up your table saw with a dado blade so that you can cut a groove that's ¼ of an inch wide when you cut a haunched tenon joint.

2. Adjust your fence so that the piece of wood will be ¼ of an inch from the blade, and use a featherboard to pass the wood through to cut the groove.

3. Install a mortise bit, and make sure it will match the groove's width. Cut both sides of the wood, then clean up any excess with a chisel when you cut a haunched tenon joint.

4. Place the wood in which you have cut the groove, and raise the blade of the table saw so that it is the same height as the groove's bottom.

5. Set up the fence of your table saw so that it will be the stop when you cut a haunched tenon joint. The fence should be at the farthest point from the end of the wood (re the shoulder of the tenon). Use the miter gauge as a support when you cut a haunched tenon joint.

6. Make more than one pass with the blade, adjusting the fence so that you cut the entire of the tenon's length as you cut the haunched tenon joint. Turn the wood over and repeat the process until both sides of the tenon are cut.

7. Raise the blade up to the height of the haunch of the haunched tenon joint. Set the wood on its edges, and "nibble" away with the blade of the table saw to make the haunches. Raise the blade a little more to make the tenon cheeks of the haunched tenon joint. The end result will look like a tenon with small shoulders near its bottom.