Controlling the Damn Tenon Cutter

The Veritas Power Tenon Cutter in use by Nick, a chairmaking student.

The Veritas Power Tenon Cutter seems a simple tool. Chuck it into a drill and spin it to make perfect tenons.

But a lot of chairmakers – even experienced ones – struggle with the tool when using it freehand. Sometimes it makes perfect tenons. Sometimes the tenons are ragged. Or off-center. What the hell?

I’ve been using these tenon cutters for decades. I first bought a set of tenon cutters when I was making bent willow furniture for sale (please don’t Google that). Like everyone, I struggled with the tenon cutters at first. I assumed that I was the problem – I needed practice. During the following years, my tenons got better, so I assumed I was correct. Case closed.

When I started to teach chairmaking, however, I needed to figure out exactly what leads to a clean and centered teno…