Tenon Tooling

Why some tenons have a groove at the base. October 3, 2009

Question
Does the typical tenon tooling include a V cut groove at the base of the tenon for excess glue? Or is there really no need for the V cut groove?

Forum Responses
(Solid Wood Machining Forum)
From contributor G:
Unless this is a very thick tenon or a very small "V" groove, I think it would make the tenon weaker. I have never done anything like this and I never have a problem with glue. If you are putting in too much glue, then you may not have enough room for the tenon to slide in. Just use less glue. Finding the right amount of glue is part of the game. Too much and you get a messy cleanup, too little and you starve the joint. If you have a nice snug fit, putting glue on both surfaces with a brush [or roller] will prevent excessive squeeze out and insure you that you won't have a dry joint.

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From contributor R:
If you are referring to the slight scoring cut at the base of the tenon which is typical of most hogging heads, it has nothing to do with excess glue. It is left by spurs on the heads which score the crossgrain to eliminate tearout and insure a crisp shoulder. It is necessarily deeper than the shearing blades. Same principle as a dado set.