Tenon Issues

THE TENON CUTTER IS NOT CUTTING

• The blades are slid too far back - not grabbing
• The blades are dull (you should be able to get around 500 cuts before this occurs)
• No applying enough body pressure to the drill

ROUGH TENON

• This is normal and typically caused by very dry wood. It is preferred, as it makes for a stronger glued joint

CROOKED TENON

• This is from holding the drill crooked to the log. Keep in mind that rustic furniture isn't "perfect"

TENON CUTTER TAKES TOO MUCH OF A "BITE"

• Remove one blade or add a shim up to no more than .20"
• Taper the end of the log. If the log is larger than what the tool will accept, you can taper the end of the log to get the tenon cutter started

TENON CUTTER SKIPS OFF TO ONE SIDE OR BOUNCES AROUND

• The log may be larger than the tool will accept
• Not enough pressure is being applied to the drill
• The drill is running prior to positioning the log. You must have the drill positioned against the log, apply body pressure, then start the drill

SPIRAL GROOVES ON THE TENON

• This is caused by wobbling the drill side to side while cutting OR
• Removing the cutter from the log while the drill is still spinning