Greetings,
Having found the recent Amazon discount price on the Delta 34-184 Tenoning Jig too attractive to pass up, I ordered one along with a OSHA safety harness and a Forrest WoodWorker II 40T blade.
I generally build my own jigs, but felt the heavy construction and heavy speed clamp would be an advantage over a homemade MDF tenon jig.
The unit is, of course, made in China - as is most everything made from cast iron these days. The castings are a bit rough, with the occasional surface void in the more difficult to pour positions. The unit is quite heavy, which is a plus in use.
Removing the cosmolene with mineral spirits took about 15 minutes, and assembly is fairly straightforward. However, upon mounting the jig to the tablesaw, I found that it rocked on it's baseplate severely. Subsequent checks with a straightedge and feeler gauges and depth micrometer showed that the base is poorly milled, and is out by .028" diagonally, and over .010" laterally. This contributes to a total lack of stability which makes the prospects of milling a tenon with truly vertical and parallel sides nearly impossible. Of course, this can be dealt with, by lapping the plate extensively on a granite slab or plate glass on MDF with sheet abrasives. This is being done presently. The base is not solid on the bottom, but is full of ribs and cavities that while making the lapping job easier, also makes it easier to trap crud underneath and catch on the table and insert edge.
As with so many contemporary Chinese Delta products, this is more like a Tenon Jig Kit, than a final, ready to use product. All the bits and pieces are there, but they need fettling to be truly useful.
The jig has a linear measuring scale for adjustment, but it is difficult to read - a chrome plated steel rod with engraved numbers and markers. I filled the engraved markings with paint to make them more legible. It is difficult to find a paint color that really stands out against the chrome surface, however, I doubt the scale is really all that useful either way. The scale pointer is adjustable, and the scale reads from 0 to 3 inches.
You may angle the rear stock support to cut angled tenons, but there is no scale. There IS a 90 degree adjustable stop, however. It tilts from 90 to 43 degrees as supplied. The milling of the slot that clamps the support is not flat, so that the ratchet-head clamp lever that locks it into place requires re-positioning to lock the backstop into various positions. I will be milling the slot to an even thickness to alleviate this aggravation.
The chrome plated speed crank used for clamping the stock to the jig is one of the finer points of this contraption. It has a large foot and is counterbalanced, so that even though the handle is large, it can be spun around to speed the clamping process. I would advise lubricating the inside of the cap to screw-shaft junction and the threads with graphite, moly, or even paraffin to ease wear on this item and make it easier to spin down.
The meat of the stock support is provided by a cast iron side support, which is milled sufficiently flat and is of a hearty thickness. It, too, will angle back from 90 to 74 degrees so that angled tenons may be cut. There is an adjustable 90 degree stop and an adjustable limiter to prohibit the jig from contacting the saw blade. The movement of this support to provide varying tenon widths is fairly smooth, and there is a micrometer adjustment based upon a 3/8-16 threaded rod. Each turn of the knob results in 1/16" of movement. There is a release button that instantly releases the rod for rapid adjustment of position. There is a large clamp knob which firmly locks the platform into position.
Both the side and back support are drilled for sacrificial MDF or wooden faces.
There is NO provision for adjusting the jig's stock support parallel to the saw blade and this particular jig is off about 3 degrees. This results in slightly trapezoidal tenons. This could be corrected by either adjusting the position of the miter track in relation to the jig base, or by moving the sliding platform in relation to the base. I haven't decided which to do as of yet, but either method involves milling out the attachment holes for alignment. The threaded fasteners in oblong holes would then be the sole restriction against future alignment slippage.
The miter track measures .74" and has two captive T-track washers at each end. These are removable if your saw does not have T-track miter slots. These help keep the jig from rising off the table to dangerous levels, but does not keeps it completely pinned down, so that downward hand pressure is needed to ensure completely consistent depths of cut on large or tough to cut stock. The miter track also has 3 threaded allen screws that may be adjusted to remove any slop in various table saw slots. They are steel and seem to be a bit hard on the miter slot edges, so I may opt for aftermarket replacement cool-block or phenolic type adjusters. (See Highland Hardware.)
There are two large hollow plastic handles used to push the jig through the saw, but these have lose top caps which move under hand pressure. Either gluing them into place or coating the entire handle with a non-slip plastic dip may be preferable.
Overall, the jig has fine potential, and the basic materials would be hard to replicate at home, but I feel the price is a little high for a "kit" product manufactured overseas. It is definitely heavier duty than the competing Taiwanese products sold by several competitors. Quality control seems to be a real sore spot in Pentair's attempt to manufacture Delta and Porter Cable products in China, although I have several Taiwanese made Pentair products whose fit and finish are impeccable. I guess this is the result of 80 cent a day workers and prison sweat shop laborers.
I would balk at the $115 average price for this item, but the sale price of $89.99 plus free shipping and $25 off your order makes it more palatable. A little additional work will result in a far nicer tool - albeit a Chinese tool.
Happy Woodworking!
Greg G.