Furniture Tenoner

[Allylearm]

I purchased this machine over three years ago to solve an issue of making quality Tenons for Garden Bench manufacture. Benches have a lot of tenons and to do any meaningful production repeated quality and exactness is an issue (a gap is a gap no matter if it is 1/2mm or a baw hair), I have got bald over the years overcoming machining faults and the time some machines need setup. You can use Single end Tenoners, Double end tenoners, sliding tables to spindles, crosscuts but getting all shoulders square and flush to each other is the key for any chance of a good quality finish. In use all of these have differing issues but non of them sorted out the shoulder issue once and for all, believe me I have tried over the last 20 years, this machine did it.

Limits the length of the tenon a big pity for me, the vid does not show clearly the aris on the replacement tip cutter this is on the bottom of the tenon, good touch, this can be done away with and you can extend slighlty the length, but it is not through tenon length more stub tenon or kitchen cabinet length. It can angle cut and can do square/rounded or dowel Tenons. I do both in my manufacture as Benches need the leg tenons done out of square blank and then shaped, slighlty at odds with how you would do one off but in production this is faster in our case and the CNC router could do morticing/shaping if you had a 5 axis or one with an additional head. We have a CNC morticer so we use our four axis router to shape legs/arms and top rail. The Tenon finish is great and in hardwoods is superb due to closer grain, I have to watch in setup as you can get a vacumn in the tenon to mortice, they seperate with a pop or to tight they do not sit right in. In use other than servicing I have one software glitch sorted by supplier, the CNC is easy in operation and non of the operaters no matter how IT illiterate can operate. It has clear view guards, it constantly rotates from one fence to another as soon as you switch on the operator just needs to keep up. The fence has attached stops for first and second tenon cut. Price £25kish do not know up to date price, I was told this company was bought out by SCM, someone may know more.

The vid is a bit slow, JJ Smith is even slower.

http://youtu.be/UKh08vOawjc

 

[kirkpoore1]

Ally:

Good post. As with your molder post, I look forward to seeing this tonight. Unlike that thread, however, I actually have some experience in this area, albeit writ small (indeed, tiny) compared to yours.

Among the things I make is a type of chair with S-curved legs and tenons that fit into arms and feet at each end. I tried hand cutting (too slow & too much fitting time), bandsawing (too much fitting), table saw tenon jig (inconsistent tenon size, bad shoulder fit), and stacked shaper cutters (hard to hold leg for consistent angle, plus short tenons). Finally I went out and got a single ended tenoner, built some better jigs, and have since had excellent results.

I have had really crisp shoulder cuts with my tenoner. This is not a new machine (it's flat belt and built about 1880). I think the reason this particular machine gets good results is that it slightly undercuts the shoulders by angling the spindles. This has it's own issues (my tenons are slightly tapered, about 0.2 degrees), but I do get a really good match with the mortised piece.

Kirk

 

[Allylearm]

The only advantage the machine I bought over your method is speed of batch production. If I had smaller batch or smaller production need a SET(Single End Tenoner) would be a good alternative. One offs use a crosscut or do by hand. The taper will be the cutter typical issue you find the other is wear and tear on carraige.

I just thought this site needs to see alternatives and more industrial machinery, I am great sucker for programmes like "How is it made"

 

[kirkpoore1]

The only advantage the machine I bought over your method is speed of batch production. If I had smaller batch or smaller production need a SET(Single End Tenoner) would be a good alternative. One offs use a crosscut or do by hand. The taper will be the cutter typical issue you find the other is wear and tear on carraige.

I'm with you there. I make most of my stuff in batches of 4-8. It's way too much for hand work, and way too little for anything automated. It is enough to be a paying hobby, and I really enjoy using the machines.

I just thought this site needs to see alternatives and more industrial machinery, I am great sucker for programmes like "How is it made"

So am I.

What I find interesting is that CNC stuff itself may be a "middle production capacity" technology. I have a friend who's a production manager at a kitchen cabinet factory in Indiana. He says dedicated machinery is far more productive than CNC--if the unit counts are high enough. But there is some complicated stuff where either a skilled human or a versatile, programmed machine are what is needed. What he was referring to was a video of a German or Austrian machine that was cranking out fence posts and doing about 6 or 8 operations on each post, with automated tooling changes in between. It was sort of a router/tablesaw thing. He said that fence post could be done much more productively by a series of dedicated machines.

Most of us (including me) have no idea what really goes on in big factories.

Kirk

 

[Allylearm]

He is spot on as Kitchen read furniture being home or office, CNC Router are to damn good and if you are not careful you over load it as a one stop machine centre. You can nest cut out the panel say, size it, drill it, groove it, edge band it, trim edge, taper edge and then clean it. These all take tool changes or more operations([programming tool paths) before you know your production has dropped due ot time it takes. Machinery in production is to speed it up not drop production. When on CNC Router I try and do a complete unit so it can be built, but I utlise other machinery to achieve it.

Dedicated machines can do what they do and you link production through other dedicated machinery. So above process would be as an example, Beam/Panel saw, point to point drill-Router (this can be same machine), Edge Band and on to assembly. You have to see what makes sense best in production through time and labour. The issue I see most talking with other operators is CNC Router being seen as one stop, it is not, it is great at specifics and shaping and nesting (if you have no panel/beam saw). Beam saw now days are highly accurate but you need to trim the edge before edge banding and Edge Banders like Homag as I would state they are the best at it do this. One person can work them with boomerang tables fitted so operator does not need to move the work caomes back to him for another pass or stacking.

 

[kirkpoore1]

Ally:

I saw the video tonight. Cool machine. I see what you mean about short tenons.

I don't know though--there's something about rounded tenons I just don't like. Maybe, to paraphrase Mojo Nixon, I've just got no FeStool in me.

Kirk

 

[Allylearm]

I have no thoughts either way I see it as a means to an end, it would surporise you how many joints are done this way now in production facilities but you would not know. In the Rounded tenon defence you do have more surface to glue so could be stronger, if you defect your wood correctly and only use grained material to joint, the Joint would not be the weakest part added to new glues we use now. It does look neat when you can have 15 slats to a back to assemble for batches of 50 benches and they go together quickly in jig. The machine does the square ended tenons for leg and makes a breeze of angles. But its only drawback as stated is maximum length. When I need to do longer I am back to SET/DET/Router/Crosscut/Bandsaw or your stuck with 50mm stubs.

I did operate a Sedgewick 3 Head SET, it was a thoroughly well built machine and delight to use. Just it was manual, but if I was limited for space/funds or a small production run and needed a SET I would purchase it again, second hand in good condition it would be a good buy. I do not just operate bigger machines over the years I have operated smaller dedicated but moved on to fix loading issues or production demands.When I started my Apprenticeship we had still Whyte machinery in use and some even belt driven. But this could be another thread.

 

[Allylearm]

Kirk

You stated your friend spoke concerning over loading the CNC Router, I attach a solution to boring gables/drawers/rails and let the Router do more worthwhile loadings. These Vid shows it point point to point but it also has a saw to groove and a router for doing larger holes for hinges or cutting, shows clearer in vid 2. Not cheap but a solution to using machinery as dedicated or specific to task so speeding up process. No jigs required also, it machines in an upright position. I know a sister company has two and the other machine Vid 2 we use for panel furniture which does it on the flat.

Vid 1

http://youtu.be/5uFF-pqEKuQ

Vid 2

http://youtu.be/SAw8v8UFNgM

This works different to other one, both do a job if I was to select one again I would go for the one in Vid one as it is more versatile in use. Though my one was cheaper but not much you could haggle to get same price or extra free tooling. I do not have the extension table if you are doing larger gables it would be an advantaqe. For the same money I was offered a four axis CNC Router but I did not have the space, both these machines are small and fit in less space, that was what I was needing.

 

[Jelly]

Most of us (including me) have no idea what really goes on in big factories.

Kirk

If you're interested I could write down my experiences working first in one of the UK's bigger planing mills; I could also write about my current job at their sister company manufacturing windows and doors.

I've been working in the timber industry since I was 17, and operations on a grand scale are all I really know; my own interest as a hobbyist lies mainly in hand-work; possibly as a sharp relief from work