Cutting Tenons.

[g7g7g7g7]

I started doing tenons exactly the way that the first poster stated but not to fit from the saw we were taught to cut well clear of the tenon and pare down to size instead.

I personally haven't sawn down a tenon in a long time, much preferring to saw the shoulder line and split the sides with the biggest chisel I can find. It means I have to be more selective with timber, I can puts knots through mortices without any hassle but I keep them well away from tenons, sometimes it means a little extra waste but it's a good trade off for the speed boost of splitting.

My college tutor has noticed me doing it a couple of times and was very sceptical at first but after watching me gang cut shoulders and gang split tenons on 4 rails perfectly in the time that others in the class had barely finished their first tenon I think he has been won over. My bench buddy has attempted this but he failed to check his shoulder lines were cut square and true which led to him splitting his entire component in half.

 

[Andy Kev.]

Here's a vid of a bloke who seems to be almost sickeningly good at sawing his tenons (and sawing in general).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BVXCaT4ICk

Interestingly at around the 5 mins mark he uses one of those kerf making things.

 

[Paddy Roxburgh]

If I saw them I do it as CC described. However if the wood is straight grained I prefer to split them with a chisel. Cut the shoulders them chop at each end well away from the gauge line. If the split is straight or going away from the line then put the chisel in the gauge line and chop away. Pare across the grain with a chisel (or router plane) if necessary If it goes towards the line then pare across the grain. With large tenons then saw stop cuts parallel to the shoulder line and split to each stop.
Whilst this method is more risky there are a few advantages. When the grain is straight it is dead fast, it also allows you to cut tenons in long pieces. I first got into this method when cutting 6" long tenons in 8 foot long sticks and have now mostly adopted it for hand cut tenons. Indeed at work where I use machines I still find this the best way to cut large tenons in long sticks as they can be too unwieldy for the bandsaw, router table or table saw.

 

[custard]

Here's a vid of a bloke who seems to be almost sickeningly good at sawing his tenons (and sawing in general).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BVXCaT4ICk

Ten months in and only the basic carcass is done (episode 6), he's not yet started on the top, the back, or the ten drawers.

Never mind fancy tools, what you really need to succeed in woodworking is grit, resolution, and bags of sticking power!

 

[Andy Kev.]

Here's a vid of a bloke who seems to be almost sickeningly good at sawing his tenons (and sawing in general).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BVXCaT4ICk

Ten months in and only the basic carcass is done (episode 6), he's not yet started on the top, the back, or the ten drawers.

Never mind fancy tools, what you really need to succeed in woodworking is grit, resolution, and bags of sticking power!

I had to laugh at that because I was saving Episode 3 for today and had no idea how far he has got with the project as a whole. Maybe his day job is as an astronaut or something else that keeps him away from home for longish periods.

Incidentally, I got some of that Aquacoat stuff that you recommended to finish (note: finish) the project I was on and it gave very good results. Thanks for the tip.