Results 1 to 9 of 9

Thread: 68 mortises to cut for bench project...that's a lot of mortises!

  1. #1

    68 mortises to cut for bench project...that's a lot of mortises!

    I am about to build 2 outdoor benches of a very basic design that has 17 slats for the "seat" part of the bench. I've done a bunch of looking around d the internet and almost all designs I see use M&T joints for this. The wood whisperer actually has a video and his design is very similar to what I've been planning and his plans also call for 17 mortises per side and I'm doing 2 benches - so 68 mortises in total. The mortises will be 1" deep, 1/4" high, and 1.5" wide. I hope to get Cedar or cypress for the stock.

    ive been going bac and forth in my mind on how to knock out so many mortises. I've done mortises with a router before and used a chisel to square the edges. I THiNK the tennon shoulder will hide the rounded mortise edges so maybe this method will be the easiest and most accurate. Alternatively I did succumb to the temping $99 offer for the HF bench mortiser that has been sitting in its box for a few months. Cutting all those mortises with the router to depth means many passes per mortise and that feels a bit daunting.

    So is this a case of it just will take time and that's part of the fun? Or does anyone have an alternative suggestion for either joinery or different mortising approach?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    Cumberland, Maryland
    Posts
    358
    The bench mortiser seems the fastest, simplest solution for so many repetitive cuts. (And a great reason to buy another tool !! ) If were to do them with the router I would bore out the vast majority of the waste to allow a single slow clean up run to full depth. Get's to be a question of how much your time and effort is worth. I agree that you can hide the rounded end of the mortise under the tenon shoulder.
    Last edited by James Tibbetts; 03-15-2017 at 10:14 PM.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    Tasmania
    Posts
    2,162
    Yes it takes time and that is part of the process. 68 mortises with a router won't be too much work. Make a jig. This is where the thinking is required that makes the grunt work straightforward. Use either a guide bush or if you have a circular base on your router, a simple boundary jig can be used. You are using soft timber so that makes it not too hard as well. Cheers

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    DFW, TX
    Posts
    176
    Get the HF mortiser. For that amount to do, it's well worth the investment versus the time.
    It's never too late to have a happy childhood.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    New York City
    Posts
    176
    Festool Domino?

    expensive, it took me a few years to bite the bullet, but I pretty much use it in every project now.

  6. #6
    I agree. Use your mortiser. You already bought it and this is a good chance to unpack the tool and start using it.

    Personally, I didnt think the HF mortiser would last, so I spent more money for the mortiser I bought. But if the HF lasts long enough to cut your mortises for this project, then you got $100 worth. Be sure to polish the inside and outside of the chisels so they cut well and easily. That will take some of the strain off your mortiser.

    Please let us know about your experience after using the HF. It's good knowledge for all of us have as a reference.

    Thanks Dave.
    Fred
    "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

    “If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”

  7. #7
    I don't know about this specific design...

    I have seen several projects like this where they cut one long "mortise" that's really a table saw dado slot. Then - you make up little spacer blocks to go into the slots in between the slat tenons.

    Then - you assemble... Slat, spacer, slat, spacer, and so on... They generally glue in the little spacers with something like Titebond 3 for the outdoor resistance. I think I would still tack them in with a little thin nail so they don't come loose over time.

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by John C Cox View Post
    I don't know about this specific design...

    I have seen several projects like this where they cut one long "mortise" that's really a table saw dado slot. Then - you make up little spacer blocks to go into the slots in between the slat tenons.

    Then - you assemble... Slat, spacer, slat, spacer, and so on... They generally glue in the little spacers with something like Titebond 3 for the outdoor resistance. I think I would still tack them in with a little thin nail so they don't come loose over time.
    That's a clever idea. Thanks John.
    Fred
    "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

    “If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    Kansas City
    Posts
    2,652
    What John C said, but I used a router to cut the "mortise", as the rail was a slight curve.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •