Spigots or Tenons or ?

[ncpaladin]

Hello from across the pond…just want to get your opinion of spigots vs. tenons.

Teknatool seems to classify a spigot as long grain. (No reference to a tenon at all).
When doing flat work here a tenon (door frames, chair rails, etc) are always long grain.

However, in bowl turning any constriction grip is sometimes called a tenon and sometimes called a spigot with no reference to side grain or end grain.
So the question is…. In mounting an item on a chuck and using a contracting grip…do you use a different terminology for long grain vs. side grain?

Thanks,
Mike

 

[CHJ]

No, I always refer to it as a spigot and just qualify it by using extreme caution if it's side grain in green wood as its very prone to shearing off because of its limited natural strength.

Spigot is the term in more common use over here for chuck work I would say.

Tenon occasionally on something like a sectional lamp stem, then of course it's long grain by nature being spindle turning..

 

[jumps]

without disagreeing with Chas, I think it's a little simpler.

a spigot is generally round in nature, and frequently but not always, related to a turned element.

a tenon goes in a mortise and is manufactured appropriately.

if a tenon isn't long grain it has no strength at all in lateral movement ie it would be basically a waste of time.

a spigot could be either and it's not unusual in turning to have it cross grain - almost any bowl spigot will be cross grain - it is obviously a temporary element but, as Chas points out, care is needed esp in green wood (I would suggest the same care is needed in a long grain green spigot too!)