The 5 Best Tenoning Jigs
Updated by · How we research
Table-saw, router and loose-tenon jigs compared by joint type, stock range and setup. The PreAsion Heavy Duty leads for cutting tenons on a table saw. When users buy our independently chosen editorial selections, we may earn commissions to help fund the Wiki.
A tenoning jig holds a rail or leg on end as it rides the table saw's miter slot, so the blade cuts each tenon cheek like a simple rip. Nearly every cast jig shares one decades-old design, so fit and squareness count more than the badge. Furniture makers who'd rather not use the saw have router templates and loose-tenon jigs.
Editor's Notes
October 27, 2026, by Ezvid Wiki Admin:
The classic cast-iron tenoning jigs had all gone out of stock when we checked, so the Grizzly T30491, Delta 34-184 and Rockler TA2801 are off this list because of availability concerns, along with the router-based Leigh FMT Pro. The PreAsion Heavy Duty is the new pick for table saws. It copies the same proven layout: a cast carriage, a handwheel clamp and a tilting backstop. It's a young brand, so check it for square when it arrives.
The General Tools 870 and Trend MT/JIG stay. Two loose-tenon jigs join them, the Woodpeckers MJ-24 and the Kreg MortiseMate, for anyone who'd rather cut two matching slots than shape a tenon. Several sellers offer what looks like the PreAsion casting under other names at higher prices, and we left those out.
What settled the table-saw pick was a long-running Sawmill Creek thread in which Delta and Grizzly owners compared the same cast design over years of use, plus recent magazine reviews of the loose-tenon jigs. Leigh still lists the FMT Pro, and it's in Special Honors with the WoodRiver and Grizzly jigs.
May 28, 2021:
The WoodRiver 2801 and a ShopFox right angle jig got the axe because they're no longer available. Instead, we suggest the Grizzly Industrial T30491 as the new top model, which is very similar to the WoodRiver in terms of durability and consistency. One thing you might notice when browsing for a tenoning jig is that many seem to be identical copies of the Grizzly. Some might be, but we decided on the Grizzly due to positive professional and long-term user reviews.
The rest of our listings remain the same. We still like the Trend MT/JIG for light-duty applications, although it may not hold up to commercial use. The General Tools 870 is another great choice for hobbyists, largely because it doesn't require a table saw.
Of course, if you're making tenons, you might also be in the market for a quality mortising machine.
February 20, 2020:
Removed the Powermatic PM-TJ because of availability issues. Removed the Oshlun 6-Inch, the Scribe-Master Cope-Pro, and the Trend Varijig because of a category mistake. The Oshlun is a set of Dado blades for table saws - not a jig. The Scribe-Master is a jig used to cope patterns on mouldings and other trim - it is not usable for making tenons. Makers of the Trend Varijig claim that it can be used to make tenons but looking at the design, it is clear that it cannot be said to be a jig for making tenons - at most, it may facilitate making mortises.
Added the WoodRiver 2801, the Delta 34-184, and the Grizzly Industrial H7583.
A tenon is half of the classic mortise-and-tenon joint that is ubiquitous in woodworking. A tenoning jig is mostly known as a tool that holds wood stock perpendicular to the top of a table saw - it is essentially a moving fence. Many of the jigs we have included like the WoodRiver 2801 and the Shop Fox W1500 can be used on both table saws and benchtops, although, a simple woodworker's vise is ideal when hand-cutting tenons. The WoodRiver's face and rail are perfectly parallel. This is perhaps the most essential feature a tenoning jig can have since even a small deviation can result in unusable or ugly tenons.
Working with wood creates fine particles that are hazardous if inhaled. Use breathing protection to avoid health complications.
Special Honors
WoodRiver Deluxe Tenoning Jig WoodRiver is Woodcraft's house brand, and its Deluxe jig is the cast-iron design many readers ask for by name. Woodcraft lists clamped stock up to 3-3/8 inches, a backstop that tilts to 45 degrees, a quick-release clamp and both coarse and fine depth adjustment. It showed as unavailable when we checked, so it's worth watching for a restock. woodcraft.com
Grizzly Industrial Grizzly sells its own green cast-iron tenoning jig directly from its catalog. The design has a long record on woodworking forums, where owners often chose it for its price and an easy return if the base rocked on their saw. Check the reach from the miter slot to the blade against your own saw. grizzly.com
Leigh FMT Pro Leigh Industries in Canada makes the FMT Pro, a router jig that cuts mortises and tenons from matched templates with fine control over the fit. It handles a wide range of joint sizes and angles, and it costs more than any router template on this list. Leigh still lists it on its site. leightools.com
How A Table-Saw Tenoning Jig Works
A dado stack clears waste faster but leaves ridges on the cheeks that need paring.
A tenon is the tongue on the end of a rail or leg that fits a slot, called a mortise, in the mating part. A tenoning jig is a heavy carriage that rides in the table saw's miter slot and clamps the workpiece on end, standing upright against a backstop. Because the board stands up, the blade cuts each cheek of the tenon as a rip cut, with the grain. The Wood Whisperer and WWGOA both walk through the setup.
Most woodworkers cut the shoulders first, laying the board flat and crosscutting with the miter gauge, then stand it in the jig for the cheeks. Popular Woodworking and Canadian Woodworking both stress a clean rip or combination blade and a zero-clearance insert, since a thin offcut can drop into a wide throat plate and kick back. A dado stack clears waste faster but leaves ridges on the cheeks that need paring.
Safety comes first on a table saw. Keep the stock clamped in the jig, never hold it freehand, keep both hands on the jig's handles, and stand out of line with the blade. The jig's screw feed moves the cut in small steps, so creep up on the fit with test cuts in scrap of the same thickness.
Fit, Square And Capacity
Nearly every cast tenoning jig sold in the past 20 years shares one design, with differences mostly in knobs, handles and paint. In a Sawmill Creek thread comparing the Delta and Grizzly versions, most owners said to buy on price or on the return policy, and one owner had used his Delta for about 35 years.
The same thread holds the main warning. One Delta arrived 0.090 inch out of square with the blade and took a couple of hours with a dial indicator to adjust. Check any new jig against the blade with a square before the first real cut, and expect to fit the miter bar if it rocks or binds in the slot.
Check two numbers before you buy. The miter bar is sized for the standard 3/4 by 3/8 inch slot found on most cabinet and contractor saws. The jig also has to reach from that slot to the blade; the PreAsion lists about 3.7 to 6.7 inches. Clamped capacity on these jigs runs to about 3-1/4 to 3-3/8 inches, which Woodcraft lists for its WoodRiver model. Expect about 20 pounds of cast iron, which helps the cut run smoothly but makes it a two-handed carry.
Router Templates And Loose Tenons
If you'd rather not stand a board on end at the saw, a router template cuts the tenon from above. The Trend MT/JIG cuts both halves from one setup and tilts for angled chair joints. The General Tools 870 handles stock about 1/2 to 1-1/2 inches thick, according to a Woodworking Network review, which makes it better for face frames than for big table legs.
A loose tenon skips shaping the tenon at all. You cut matching mortises in both parts and glue in a separate strip. Fine Woodworking called the Woodpeckers mortising jig a great jig at a fair price, noting some flex in its top and the need to center the router's guide bushing. Fine Homebuilding found the Kreg MortiseMate a worthy budget option for edge joints that cuts only into edges, not faces.
Whichever route you take, you still need the mortise. A drill-press mortising attachment, a router mortising jig or a sharp chisel all work. Cut the mortise first, then fit the tenon to it, since a tenon is far easier to trim than a slot is to fill.
How we researched this
We compared 20 table-saw tenoning jigs, router mortise-and-tenon templates and loose-tenon jigs. We read makers' specs and manuals, how-to guides from Popular Woodworking, Canadian Woodworking and WWGOA, magazine reviews from Fine Woodworking and Fine Homebuilding, and long-running owner threads on Sawmill Creek. We checked every brand for recalls with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and found none for these tools. No independent lab compares tenoning jigs side by side.
Sources (11)
- The Wood Whisperer: Powermatic PM-TJ tenoning jig
- WWGOA: how to use a tenoning jig
- Popular Woodworking: table saw tenon jig
- Canadian Woodworking: tenoning jig
- Sawmill Creek: Tenoning Jig, Delta v. Grizzly
- Woodcraft: WoodRiver Deluxe Tenoning Jig
- Fine Woodworking: Woodpeckers Mortising Jig review (2025)
- Fine Homebuilding: loose-tenon joinery for less (2025)
- Woodworking Network: General Tools mortise and tenon jig
- Leigh Tools: FMT Pro
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recalls
Frequently asked questions
What is a tenoning jig?
It's a heavy carriage that rides in a table saw's miter slot and clamps a board on end, so the blade can cut the cheeks of a tenon. A tenon is the tongue on the end of a rail that fits a slot in the mating part, the classic joint for tables, chairs, doors and frames.
Do I need a dado set to use a tenoning jig?
No. A sharp rip or combination blade works, and it leaves smoother cheeks. A dado stack removes waste faster but can leave ridges that need paring. Either way, use a zero-clearance insert so thin offcuts can't drop into the throat.
Can a tenoning jig cut angled tenons?
Yes. Most cast jigs have a backstop that tilts from 0 to 45 degrees for angled shoulders and cheeks. For compound angles, as on chair legs, a router jig such as the Trend MT/JIG tilts in two directions.
Will a tenoning jig fit my table saw?
Most fit the standard 3/4 by 3/8 inch miter slot. Also check the reach from the slot to the blade, since the jig has to sit close enough for the cut. Some jobsite saws have narrow or unusual slots, so measure before you buy.
What's the difference between a tenon and a loose tenon?
A regular tenon is cut on the end of the rail itself. A loose tenon is a separate strip of wood glued into matching mortises in both parts. Loose-tenon jigs only cut mortises, which some find simpler and quicker to set up.
