How do you cut your mortices?

[MarkV]

then paint over it with paint from a tin opened with a Robert Sorby Chisel sharpened for the task with several hundred dollars worth of waterstones.(which were flattened with a duosharp diamond stone.(??????)

Ahh it all becomes clear now .Thats why I have so much trouble opening paint cans. Right tool for the job and all that eh

[Caliban]

Ahh it all becomes clear now .Thats why I have so much trouble opening paint cans. Right tool for the job and all that eh

Mark
you've caught me out.
I don't own a decent chisel, or a japanese waterstone. But this was alluding to a thread a few months ago about abusing chisels, . My whole post was about the dirty great screw instead of a finely crafted joint. The knock down approach works for me every time. Read my signature. :eek: But thanks for noticing.

[tong]

with great difficulty

[Rocker]

Dunno why this thread keeps coming up as a new post, when the last post was in September

Rocker

[journeyman Mick]

Rocker,
everytime someone votes in a poll it comes up as a new post.

Mick

[Grunt]

I don't do 'dem mortices. I use nails just like Al teached me.

[beejay1]

with silky smooth precision, indeed a work of art and a joy to behold as indeed we all do - Yes? Wait till you see my dove tails and box joints!!!

beejay1

[Rocker]

Hmm; 28% do it the hard way (chisel/chisel+drill); 18% do it the tricky & hazardous way (router table); 21% do it the easy, but expensive and relatively inaccurate way (chisel morticer); and only 22% do it the easy, accurate and cheap way (router and jig). Seems a lot of people are gluttons for punishment

Rocker

[LineLefty]

Ok Rocker thats it. I'll put down the beadlock jig for a minute and actually have a read about this jig of yours.

[outback]

By the time you read about it, think about it, work it all out, you'll have made one, cut a swag of M&T's and still have time for a beer, burp and ponder why the hell you didn't do it earlier.

Just do it.

Hey thats catchy, i wonder if I could sell it to some advertising type bloke?

[bitingmidge]

I think I voted drill and chisel back then.... (Rocker's jig is coming eventually!!)..but I got all inspired by one of Bob Smalzers tutorials on the weekend and chopped ten mortices in oregon.

First time I'd tried, and I don't think it took that much longer (just as Bob said it wouldn't!!).

I won't make a habit of it, but I need the practice for the big suckers I'll be needing for the new bench!

P

[vsquizz]

Rocker, I'm curious as to why you think a chisel morticer is "inaccurate":confused:


Cheers

[Rocker]

Squizzy,

I have to admit that I am only going on hearsay, and I cannot give chapter and verse, but I read somewhere that the cheaper bench morticers don't give very accurate results. My only experience of using one, which happened to have a very blunt bit and chisel, was so discouraging that I was put off permanently. However, I expect that a quality machine, properly maintained, probably does an excellent job. But why waste time maintaining the bits and chisels of a morticer, when you could be woodworking?

Bitingmidge,

I hate to risk being responsible for any possible defections to the Dark Side. You could always come and borrow my jig, extension collet, and 1/2" spiral bit, for cutting those big suckers.

Rocker

[bitingmidge]

Bitingmidge,

I hate to risk being responsible for any possible defections to the Dark Side. You could always come and borrow my jig, extension collet, and 1/2" spiral bit, for cutting those big suckers.

Rocker

That sounds like the deal of the year!! If I guess correctly it probably even involves a bit of tuition... I'll be in touch (after the next little Midges wedding in March!!)


P

[silentC]

There are three ways that I know of in which a chisel morticer can be inaccurate.

1. The chisel face is not parallel to the fence. This will produce mortices with jagged sides and ends that are out of square.

2. The work is not square to the fence. This will produce mortices that are not perpendicular to the edge of the stile (in the case of a panel frame), so the tenon will go in at an angle to the face of the frame.

3. The mortice is not centred on the stile. This will produce frames that have rails and stiles that are not flush with one another.

The router and jig method addresses all of these problems. However it is possible to address them by proper setup of the morticer and proper clamping of the work. It's a bit difficult with a drill press attachment (like I have got) but it can be done. The table must be perpedicular to the bit and on many drill presses it is not. Dedicated morticers should not suffer from this problem.

Rocker's jig allows you to accurately centre the mortice, so flush rails and stiles follow. To get around this problem with the morticer, I would make the frame stock slightly thicker than needed, make sure that the same side of the stile was referenced against the fence for all mortices, and then plane them down after assembly. In fact, I still do that with the jig out of habit. Planing is not usually required, so I don't make the stock much thicker than it needs to be.