Christopher, There is no need to round the end of the tenon unless it is a through tenon that will show. For most construction you can make a cut on the ends to leave a small shoulder. This way the mortise will be covered, nice clean looking joint. If you are concerned over the strength of the joint you can either round the tenon or square the joint with a small chisel. Some people like to pin the tenon by running a small dowel through the middle. This adds a nice decorative touch if you use a contrasting wood color. Another solution is to use free floating tenons. To do this you first make your tenon and round the edges with a bullnose or roundover bit. Then you cut mortises in both pieces. Glue and clamp and you are done. There is also a bit you can buy at Rockler and other sites called Beadlock. This cuts tenons that look like a stack of dowels. To make your mortises you simply drill holes. Click this link to view:
http://www.rockler.com/ecom7/produc...9961&objectgroup_id=397&catid=78&filter=tenon
Many solutions, let us know which you choose.
http://www.rockler.com/ecom7/produc...9961&objectgroup_id=397&catid=78&filter=tenon
Many solutions, let us know which you choose.