Preferred Method for Cutting Mortises Wider than the Chisel

[george wilson]

Not a problem once you have used a chisel enough to easily do accurate work with it. I have done 4",and even 6" wide mortises many times with a 1" or 3/4" chisel. PRACTICE !!!!!

You can find yourself doing very wide mortises even on tavern size tables if you use the correct haunched mortise and tenon joints.

[lowell holmes]

Or you could drill a hole and use dowel pins glued into the holes.

[Tom Bender]

As George says, this is easy to do with a bit of experience. This project will get you there, however you should have more chisels. I'd drill first then then use 3/4" and 2"chisels. Might grab a 5/8" to rough it out.

[roger wiegand]

No one ever told me you were supposed to cut them all in one go, so I've just chopped them out alternating sides with a narrower chisel. A couple of time when I've tried doing a mortise the exact width of the chisel I've sometimes managed to wedge it pretty good. Having a little clearance actually seemed useful. Why does what I've been doing not work?

[steven c newman]

Works for me. Like when I have a 6mm mortise chisel...but need to chop a 5/16" wide mortise.."hopscotch" down and back....1" wide chisel to shave the walls smooth...

But, then again...I cut the tenons first...and size the mortise to the tenon...I can always bare a mortise a bit bigger, then trying to fatten up a tenon...

Suppose to allow for a layer of glue? Like the thickness of a dollar bill....

[Dan Kraakenes]

Wood Owl auger bits..Brace and drill out.

Chop out rests with chisel.


Chopping is waste of energy..
I dont even have a pure mortise chisel.