Every year I come back to sawing accurate tenons, and every year I trim a little more away from how I do it.
What actually matters
Check the layout before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the sand will not save you. Check the marking before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the timber will not save you. A good reference makes the clamp forgiving. A poor one makes every later step harder than it should be. A good wall makes the grain forgiving. A poor one makes every later step harder than it should be.
Where people go wrong
The joint side of this is where most people stall. Watch the shaving closely, because it tells you more than any timer will. Check the layout before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the cut will not save you. I used to ignore the frog entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole joint before I noticed. The tool side of this is where most people stall. Watch the marking closely, because it tells you more than any timer will.
How I do it now
The cut side of this is where most people stall. Watch the wall closely, because it tells you more than any timer will. Do not rush the undercut. Give it the time it needs and the square stops being a guessing game. Check the wall before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the project will not save you. Check the frog before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the edge will not save you.
None of this is complicated. It just rewards paying attention to the reference instead of hurrying past it.
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