Hey everyone, I'm in the process of building a wedding arch or arbor and need some solid advice on how to connect my four 7ft tall posts to the legs using mortise and tenon joinery. Since the pieces are so long, I can't really use a tenon jig or miter gauge on my table saw safely. I'm considering laying the piece on my workbench and using a plunge router for the sides while hand sawing the shoulders. But I'm really open to any other ideas or suggestions you might have!
4 Answers
I used a router just like you're planning to on my wedding arch. What worked well for me was building a plywood box to guide the router. It let me cut all four sides of the tenon in each pass, super fast and accurate!
I just thought about trying my miter saw with a depth stop and a stop block. Has anyone else done that for tenons? Could be an interesting approach!
A radial arm saw with a dado head is a great option if you have one. For a more hands-on approach, you could also nibbly cut away with a regular blade, though it'll take longer. Just be patient with it!
Using a hand saw can definitely work, but if you're not super accurate with it, I get that! Some folks swear by guides with magnets to help keep cuts straight—might be worth checking out!
Yeah, I think those guides could really help me out. I need all the accuracy I can get!
That sounds awesome! Do you have any pics of that setup? I like the idea of a guide.