Tenon Extraction

[Birdhunter]

I had to extract two 12mm by 140mm tenons from a big block of wood. I had forgotten to sand the tenons to act as trial fit ups so they were in incredibly tight. They were 1/2 in the tight mortise.

Pulling on them didn’t budge them a bit.

I ended up using big pliers to grip the tenon and a 1” dowel section as a fulcrum. The pliers were the lever. It took about 5 goes to get the darn tenon out with each go yielding maybe 5mm.

This taught me a lesson.

 

[luvmytoolz]

This taught me a lesson.

Bigger pliers?

 

[Birdhunter]

My pliers were big channel locks, but not that big. The key was using the dowel as a fulcrum.

 

[AF46]

I've had the same issue and thought to myself a proper domino remover hand tool would be nice. Something that will clamp onto any size domino and then lever it out easily without damaging the wood.

 

[Mini Me]

If possible clamping the exposed tenon in a vise and levering from that usually works well.

 

[bobtskutter]

I use "pipe pliers" (which are what luvmytoolz shows in their post) to grip the domino then use a mallet to hit the work piece.  I've damaged several projects trying to get dominos out of joints using this method [sad].

I've also cut the domino flush with the jointed edge and then re-drilled the mortise with the DF500 to remove the domino - works ok.
I've also done the same "trim flush then drill method" using a lip and spur drill bit, and used a pair of needle nose pliers to pull out the remains of the domino - this method is least likely to damage the work piece or make the mortise oversize.

I now have a bag of loose fit (sanded) dominos for dry fit testing!

Regards
Bob

 

[luvmytoolz]

I use a large nail puller with the curved jaws, works perfect for me. Grips like mad and you can just pull them out without dislocating your shoulder!

 

[thudchkr]

I use a large, (12”), handscrew clamp to grip the domino and then lever it out with a flat pry bar. If it is really stuck in there, just switch to a clamp that can grip the domino more tightly.

 

[ChuckM]

A locking/vise grip plier with its jaws set to the right amount for the tenon thickness always works for me. If I'm using two different tenon sizes, I get two pliers ready so I don't have to adjust the jaws.

Boy, I can download a movie in 5 minutes or less with my fibre optic internet, but lately and sporadically it can take forever to load a page on this forum! [mad]

 

[Crazyraceguy]

The real lesson to be taken from this is to not over do it with the glue when you assemble it for good.
The hydraulic forces can not only make assembly much harder than it needs to be, but it can actually split your parts.....I learned this the hard way.

 

[Michael Kellough]

I would not try to remove glued in Domino, just cut it off flush.

It’s a lot easier to remove a dry fit Domino if it is in a wider mortise.
I only use the narrow setting for the pair of mortises closest to the edges that must be flush.

 

[ChuckM]

Once glued in for more than 5 minutes or so, it's pretty impossible to pull it out.

I always use narrow (all narrow) on one piece and all wide on the mating except the first one which is narrow for alignment purposes. I find using wide for both mating pieces sometimes leading to the domino shifting at an angle inside the mortises. Another exception that I'd use only all narrow setting for both pieces is when max. structural strength is desired.

 

[Mini Me]

The real lesson to be taken from this is to not over do it with the glue when you assemble it for good.
The hydraulic forces can not only make assembly much harder than it needs to be, but it can actually split your parts.....I learned this the hard way.

The OP said nothing about glue and if the domino is being used for only for alignment glue is not needed

 

[Sparktrician]

The real lesson to be taken from this is to not over do it with the glue when you assemble it for good.
The hydraulic forces can not only make assembly much harder than it needs to be, but it can actually split your parts.....I learned this the hard way.

The OP said nothing about glue and if the domino is being used for only for alignment glue is not needed

 

OK, call it natural adhesion...  [big grin]

 

[Packard]

I would trim it flush and then drill holes. At some point the tenon will collapse and can be removed with a needle nose pliers. 

If it is a domino, trim it flush and re-mill the hole.  If you are accurate enough, it will just remove the domino. 

I use dowels.  If I make an error, I use the drill press to drill a slightly smaller hole than original.  If it has been glued, I trim it flush and treat it as though it is fresh stock.