Rockler 36407 User manual

Rockler Log Tenon Maker
36407, 39539, 31803,
30016, 36919, 33694
AND HARDWAREWOODWORKING
®
© Rockler Companies Inc. 2004 5-05
The Rockler Log Tenon Maker U-bracket
can be set up in 3 ways:
1) The Log Tenon Maker can be mounted directly to the
Rockler aluminum router plate and used in the Rockler
router table (see Fig. 1).
2) The entire assembly (Tenon Maker,aluminum plate
and router) can be removed from the router table,
inverted, and mounted on the edge of the router table or
bench (see Fig. 2). This approach works well if you are
using bent logs.
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
3) The router can be mounted directly to the Tenon
Maker,which is then screwed to a bench (see Fig. 3).
The Tenon Maker is pre-drilled with a Porter-Cable 690
hole pattern, but if you are using another router,simply
use the router base plate as a template and drill
countersunk holes and mount the router.
Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3
RTD10312488AA

If you are using a non-Rockler plate or the large Rockler
router plates, they do not have the two pre-drilled and
tapped holes to match up with the holes in the U-
bracket. In this case, you’ll need to drill two 1/4" holes
as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, using the U-bracket as a
guide. Align center hole on the U-bracket flange with the
center of the router collet (see Fig. 4), keeping the hole
in the top of the U-bracket directly over the collet (see
Fig. 5). Then mark the location of the center hole on
each flange and drill 1/4" holes through the aluminum
plate. Using 1/4"-20 bolts of appropriate length with nuts
and locking washers (not supplied) attach U-bracket (A)
to plate. (see Fig. 6)
Set Up and Adjustment
Once the router and Tenon Maker are mounted, you
can install and adjust the router bit and the wood guide,
and begin making tenons.
The router bit requires a 13⁄4"minimum opening for
proper operation when the router is plate or table
mounted. Rockler router plates can be used either
without an insert, or with an insert customized to a 13⁄4"
diameter or larger hole. Install the router bit, and lower it
to approximately 1" above the table.
Figure 4
Figure Exploded
A—U-bracket
B—Wood Guide for 1" and 11⁄2"diameter tenons
C—Wood Guide for 2" and 5/8" diameter tenons
D—Wood Guide for 23⁄4"diameter tenons
E—Carbide-tipped router bit
F—U-bracket Mounting Knobs
G—U-bracket Mounting Nuts
H—U-bracket Wing Screw
Figure 4
Figure 5
AB
H
H
C
D
E
F
F
G
1/4" holes
Router collet

Figure 6
Figure 8
2
5
/
8
"
1
5/16
"
1
5/16
"
Figure 7
Figure 6
Figure 7
Figure 8
Wood Guide set too
far from front edge
Spiral variation
in tenon
diameter
Wood Guide set too
close to front edge
Unable to
feed log
Figure 10
Bit set too high
tenon diameter
too small
Figure 9
Bit set too low
Unable to
feed log
Figure 9 Figure 10
Figure 11 Figure 12
Thread wing screws (H) through tapped holes on both
sides of the tenon maker U-bracket (A). Attach
mounting nuts (G) to each wing screw. Select the wood
guide for your tenon size preference, and slide the
guide into the front of the U-bracket. Make sure the
wood guide hole you have selected is toward the bit,
and verify that the inside portions of the wing screws
engage through the slots in the sides of the wood guide.
Align the wood guide so that the front face is set back
25⁄8"from the front edges of the U-bracket, and securely
tighten the two wing screws (see Fig. 7). Raise the
router bit to a height of 15⁄16"(see Fig. 8).
These initial settings provide a starting point for
adjusting the bit height and guide depth; variations in
how your router mounts to the U-bracket may affect
these settings, so some experimentation is in order.
The bit height defines the diameter of the tenon, which
ideally will be exactly the same as the guide size
chosen. If the bit is too “low” (too far away from the
center of the tenon guide hole), the tenon diameter will
be too large and it will not be possible to feed the
workpiece through the guide hole (see Fig. 9). If the bit
is too “high” (too close to the center of the tenon guide
hole), the tenon diameter will be smaller than desired,
and if too far out of line may present a safety hazard
(see Fig. 10). Never feed a log into the Tenon Maker that
has a smaller diameter than the targeted wood guide hole.
The wood guide depth controls the consistency of the
tenon diameter. If the wood guide is set too close to the
front edges of the U-bracket, not enough of the router
bit will be exposed, and the front of the workpiece will
not engage the cutting edge of the router bit, making it
impossible to feed the workpiece and create a tenon
(see Fig. 11). If the wood guide is set too far away from
the front edges of the U-bracket, too much of the router
bit will be exposed and the tenon will start to develop a
varying diameter in a spiral fashion (see Fig. 12).

GENERAL SAFETY RULES
READ ALL INSTRUCTIONS. FAILURE TOFOLLOW THE SAFETY RULES MAY RESULT IN PERSONAL INJURY. READ ALL
SAFETY AND USER INSTRUCTIONS THAT COME WITH YOUR ROUTER BEFORE YOU ATTACH IT TO THE ROCKLER
LOG TENON MAKER.
•DANGER! KEEP HANDS AWAY FROM CUTTING AREA.
•ALWA
YS UNPLUG THE ROUTER BEFORE MAKING ANY CHANGES
TO THE ROCKLER LOG TENON MAKER.
• KEEP CHILDREN AWAY AND UNPLUG ROUTER WHEN NOT IN USE.
• KEEP WORK AREAS CLEAN.
•DRESS PROPERLY — DO NOT WEAR LOOSE CLOTHING OR JEWELRY (THEY CAN GET CAUGHT IN MOVING PARTS).
• WEAR PROTECTIVE HAIR COVERING TO CONTAIN LONG HAIR.
•WEAR APPROVED SAFETY GLASSES AND A DUST MASK.
• KEEP PROPER FOOTING AND BALANCE AT ALL TIMES.
• DON'T FORCE WOOD INTO WOOD GUIDE. PUSH AND TURN AT A SAFE RATE.
• CHECK ROCKLER LOG TENON MAKER PRIOR TO EACH USE FOR ANY CRACKS, LOOSE SCREWS OR BOLTS.
•MAKE SURE THE ROCKLER LOG TENON MAKER IS SECURELYATTACHED TO A WORK BENCH THAT IS ABOUT
WAIST HIGH.
• INSPECT WOOD END FOR ROCKS, NAILS, OR OTHER FOREIGN MATERIAL BEFORE MAKING A TENON.
•NEVER PUT A LOG INTO THE WOOD GUIDE THAT IS SMALLER THAN THE HOLE IN THE WOOD GUIDE.
Making a Tenon
With the Tenon Maker securely mounted, set up, and
adjusted, verify the condition of the workpiece and begin
to cut a tenon. It is always a good idea to verify your
setup with one or more scrap pieces first.
The log workpiece should be at least two feet long to
ensure that there is sufficient room to handle the piece
without placing hands too close to the router bit. Never
place hands or fingers beyond the front edge of the U-bracket
with the router plugged in. Make sure that the workpiece
end has been cut off squarely and that all branches and
knobs have been removed from the area where the
tenon is to be created; check the workpiece end for
foreign matter — nails, rocks, etc. — and remove if
necessary. Never feed a log into the Tenon Maker that has a
badly cracked end. To make the start of the cut easier,
you may want to taper the end of the log slightly with a
bandsaw or grinder.
Connect and turn on the router; grasp the workpiece
tightly with both hands, with one hand at the back of the
workpiece positioned so that the log can be turned like a
doorknob, and the other positioned forward to help guide
the log. Hold the workpiece parallel to the work surface
and square to the face of the Tenon Maker. Slowly push
the end of the workpiece toward the center of the guide
hole while slowly turning the workpiece clockwise. If the
bit “grabs” or chatters too much when the workpiece
makes initial contact, the wood guide may be set too far
from the front edge. Keep turning the workpiece slowly
clockwise while feeding it to and through the guide hole.
When the tenon has reached the correct length, stop
feeding the workpiece and turn the log at least one more
rotation to even up the tenon shoulder,then slowly
withdraw the workpiece from the guide.