Subject: Re: Question about tenons and flatters

From: [email-masked] (Katana ---/-----------)
Date: Tue, 6 Aug 1996 12:51:26 GMT

>Is the best way to make tenons to use a (very obtuse, flat backed 
>chisel) to cut the tenon and to shape it with a flatter?  What other 
>ways are there? 
> 
>Randall 
> 
Well, if you just want a tenon, and don't care if it's made the hard
way/pure blacksmithed way, you can use a chopsaw to cut around the four
sides of a square bar and then a bandsaw to make four cuts from the end in
as far as you want to go. Cleanup is with a file. Then there's the really
sleazy just drill a hole in the end of a big square bar, stick in a smaller
square piece that fits the hole, and weld them together, then grind the
corners of the welds square. If you're making tools, these will work. If
you're making a sign holder for the Queen of England, you will probably
want to use the traditional chisel method. She checks these things you
know.   ::+> 
-- 
               Bill Wyant 
   Swordsmith / Art Blacksmith 
Avalon Ironworks, Ft. Wayne, IN 
    [email-masked]

---

From: [email-masked] (Lee Pavlica)
Date: Tue, 6 Aug 1996 10:38:24 -0600 (MDT)

>
>Guess he didn't know about independent, irrascable blacksmiths who
>aren't afraid of talking the fingers off postmasters  ;-)
>
>On the subject of flatters ... are there any tricks to making a good
>one?  I am (obviously) a relative newcomer and am approaching the
>stage where I need to make some serious investment in making some
>tools (like flatters, drifts, punches and some various top-tools).  
>
>Never should have done what ever it was that I did that got me
>hooked.  Too late now, just hope that I can look back in ten years
>(oops eight now) and say, "Gee, I am a helluva lot better now!"
>
>Randall
>
>
>   Randall,
The best way to make a tenon is to buy Francis Whitaker's book-The
Blcksmiths cookbook and do the tooling.  Thats quicker than me explaining
how.  The book is available through Centaur Forge and Norm Larson books.
Both adresses are in the Anvil's Ring.  Making the tenon is only half the
battle.  making two tenons on a bar and the bar being to length is the whole
process.  To forge two tenons and a bar to length takes about 6-10 minutes-
two heats or so depending on your ability.  This would be a 3\8  tenon on a
1\2" square bar.  This of course would be a piquet for a rail.  As you can
see but may not believe, this is a very efficient way to make a mortised and
tennoned rail.  If you don't have his book, email me and I will be more
detailed.

                                   Lee Pavlica
                                   [email-masked]