Log tenon cutters

[DaveO]

In my quest to spend a gift certificate, I have come up with another possibility. Power tenon cutters to make rustic log/limb furniture.

Anyone ever use these? What would be the best size to get to make small benches and little furniture pieces? And any recommendations on native hardwoods that keep their bark well as they dry?

Thanks for your thoughts :-D

Dave

 

[michaelgarner]

DaveO, I have never used theose. My brother and I made a huge log bed for him and his wife the last time I was in Idaho, but I just used a draw knife to make the tennons. We drilled out the holes with a bit and then used wedges to sink the tennon. Those would have been realy handy. There is a large following to rustic furniture in the west, I dont know so much on east though.

 

[JohnsonMBrandon]

I have never used them but they look like they would work great. I know of a couple guys that make cedar furniture out of the rough limbs/ logs and do very well. There seems to be an ok demand around parts of the state for it. Particularly in the mountains.

 

[Ray Martin]

Hey Michael...

Any pictures of that log bed?

Ray

 

[michaelgarner]

Ray,
I knew that was coming, I will email my bro and have him send me some pics, it turned out rather well i think. When I get some I will post them.

 

[Ray Martin]

Michael,

I guess I have a lot of nerve asking for photos... since I haven't posted any yet (with the exception of my ugly mug)... I asked my daughter to sent me a photo or two of a case I built for her quite some time ago. I'll go dust off my digital camera and try posting a few too.

Ray

 

[DaveO]

I think I just realized that I would need to get at least two sizes to make anything worthwhile. The one that cuts a 1" tenon can handle up to 2 1/8" limbs and that wouldn't be large enough for good support. When you get larger than that they recommend a more powerful drill that I don't yet have. Still looking for some experienced advice on this, my wife is sold on me making her stuff out of our woods (easier said than done :slap: )
Dave

 

[rbdoby]

DaveO,

I have a set of the smaller tenon cutters from Lee Valley, the 5/8", 3/4" and 1". I used them to build this rocking chair out of what my grandma called Privette Hedge, more or less a weed/schrub. I cut in the spring and peeled the bark off, sealed the ends and let it dry under my shed. It grows all over my place and you can't kill it. It has small leaves and clusters of small white flowers in the spring and little black berries in the fall. Doesn't get more than 3-4" in diameter and the wood is light in color. It was ideal for whittlin' wood and switches when I was a kid. The rockers and arms of the chair are sycamore and the seat and back are polyester 1" webbing. Finished with wipe on poly.



The tenon cutters work extremely well. I tried a 14.4v cordless drill, 3/8" corded drill and a hand brace. Each worked equally well. Use a slow speed with drills, torque is more important. I actually liked the hand brace best. Use a plug in inserted in the tenon cutter to control the length of the tenon. Also consider buying the sanding drum to sharpen the cutters.

 

[DaveO]

That "Privette Hedge" is Chinese Privet Ligustrum sinense. It is a truly weedy species and is often the make up of old fence rows. Those little black berries are mighty tasty to birds and they love to stop and "deposit" them when they take a break on fences. It is interesting that you peeled the bark, I was worried about keeping it on. That chair is beautiful, and if you hadn't told me I wouldn't have know that it was made out of a weed :-D The Veritas cutters can be sharpened on a drill press drum sander so I would be good for keeping them sharpened. Did you find the overall diameter of the limb stock that you could use with the 1" cutter to be limiting? The Veritas cutters say that they would be limited to 2 1/8" dia limbs.
Thanks for the information, and if I get the tenon cutter I hope I can make a chair as nice as yours.
Dave

 

[WoodWrangler]

In my quest to spend a gift certificate, I have come up with another possibility. Power tenon cutters to make rustic log/limb furniture.

Dave,

I'm thinking you have as much difficulty in making a decision as my wife :rolf:

I've got an idea ... print pictures of all the possibilities, place them in a circle around a bottle, spin it and take the one the long neck points to!

Good luck spending that money!
Jeremy

 

[DaveO]

Dave,

I'm thinking you have as much difficulty in making a decision as my wife :rolf:

I've got an idea ... print pictures of all the possibilities, place them in a circle around a bottle, spin it and take the one the long neck points to!

Good luck spending that money!
Jeremy

Or I could do as my wife suggested and just buy her something with the gift certificate :roll: :slap: Yea right:lol: :lol:
Dave

 

[rbdoby]

DaveO

The 2 1/8" limit on the 1" is good if your building smaller furniture like chairs and stools. I used the 5/8" and 3/4" for the chair I built. If you plan on building a bed opt for the larger cutters.

 

[DaveO]

Thanks Rick, that is the evidence I needed to make my decision. I was concerned that the limb size would be to small to do chairs, benches, etc. I will try it out and if it is something I enjoy working with and want to do bigger pieces, then I'll just have to get a bigger sized cutter and drill.
Dave

 

[michaelgarner]

Hey Michael...

Any pictures of that log bed?

Ray

Here are some pics,

i need a high speed admin to post the pics but here is the link

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/gallery/showimage.php?i=3969&c=206

 

[NCPete]

Great bed Michael!

 

[Ray Martin]

Michael,

Really nice bed. How did you support the mattress? Attach cross slats somehow to the rails? What kind of a finish did you put on the logs?

Ray

 

[michaelgarner]

Great bed Michael!

thanks bro, the bed had a steel frame that supported the mattres, this was just a surround bed. We finished it with 4 coats of super blond. They like it, its not really my bag, but he and his wife love it, so thats what really is important.

 

[Ray Martin]

I'm not sure what size or brand tenon cutters were anywhere in this thread, but an ad showed up in today's junk mail.

One of the advertised cutters is a 2", which makes a 3 1/4" long tenon on a 4 1/2" log.

This was an advert from Workshopsupply.com. Can't endorse or complain... I've never done business with them... it was just in today's mail.

Ray

 

[kbcrafter]

Hi Dave,
The main draw back with these cutters is that you have to clamp the pieces down very secure . if the wood should jam , it would be dangerous. We have the router tenon cutter from Rockler and we have run a couple thousand pickets thru it with out a problem.
The best wood that keeps it bark is hickory. The contrast between the white inner wood and the darker bark really looks sharp
Take care
Kevin