General Tools debuts mortise and tenon jig

General Tools & Instruments unveiled its new E-Z Pro Mortise & Tenon Jig at IWF 2010 in Atlanta, an all-in-one solution to cutting a matching mortise and tenon in the shop or on the job site.

{loadposition position10}

"I went right to the heart of what had to be done, which is to cut a mortise and trim a tenon," says Burt Weinstein, who developed the jig. "I wanted to do it all in one jig with the very least amount of adjusting necessary. I designed the jig so that one end would do the mortise and one end would do the tenon."

The jig comes completely assembled to produce 1/4" mortise and tenon joints. An optional kit is available containing inserts, bits and collars to produce 3/8" and 1/2" joints. Using a plunge router with the jig, woodworkers can cut fully aligned mortises and tenons on stock ranging from 1/2" to 1-1/2" thick and multiple mortises in a single long piece.

The jig can be mounted directly on a workbench or onto a board that can be clamped in a vise or to a bench.

"I wanted to make a jig where you made the mortise and tenon in the same jig and you could take the two pieces out so they would fit together exactly and not have to do a lot of fussing and trimming," Weinstein says. "Of course we had to make it to fit different sizes of wood and mortises and we decided on a range of 1/2" to 1-1/2"."

The jig is constructed of aircraft-grade aluminum and features a thumb-screw arrangement for mounting the work, sliding templates to adjust the length of the joint and a 'swing-arm' feature for centering and aligning cuts. It's sold with a quick-change, 1/4" guide-sleeve that mounts on the router, wrench for the guide sleeve, a centering pin and 1/4" upcut spiral carbide bit.

The General Tools E-Z Pro Mortise & Tenon jig sells for approximately $98.

Contact: General Tools & Instruments, 80 White St., New York, NY 10013-3567. Tel: 800-697-8865. www.generaltools.com

This article originally appeared in the October 2010 issue.