Domino for mortising

[Thomas Crawford]

Not 100% sure this belongs in this forum but I'll start here.

I really dislike chopping mortises, and my dislike tends to make me rush and make mistakes. I do like making tenons, the sawing and cleaning up with chisel, etc. Hence I posted in this forum because its still at least 50% by hand, and probably more as I might need to chop the bottom of the mortise to get to depth.

I think I've read a couple comments in other threads that some of you are drilling out your mortises with the Domino. I am wondering what your workflow is. Do you make the mortise first and then set a marking gauge for the tenons? Do you square the corners or round the tenon (I don't think it actually matters for strength)? Asking mainly because If I want to match up to imperial units its going to take multiple passes to get the width and therefore prone to some error setting the height adjustment.

[Jim Koepke]

I really dislike chopping mortises, and my dislike tends to make me rush and make mistakes.

This just goes to show we all are different. I enjoy chopping mortices. Done efficiently it can be done fairly fast.

jtk

[David Carroll]

I don't mind chopping mortises as long as they're not too big or too many. But when they are, I use a hollow chisel attachment on a drill press. When I do this, I set my mortise gauge to the exact width of the hollow chiseled mortise, mark off the tenon and cut to the the line. Of course with the hollow chisel, it squares the ends, so that's not really an issue. But in your case, I'd be inclined to square off the mortise. A couple of chops with a chisel on each end should do it. Rounding over all of the tenons seems fiddly.

DC

[Edward Weber]

I think it also matters what type (size) work you do. Did you consider a traditional mortising machine?
Dominos are great tools but they do have some limitations. They can be ideal for many projects but I'm not sure about using them as a glorified drill, just use a drill to clear out the bulk waste. JMHO.

[Derek Cohen]

Not 100% sure this belongs in this forum but I'll start here.

I really dislike chopping mortises, and my dislike tends to make me rush and make mistakes. I do like making tenons, the sawing and cleaning up with chisel, etc. Hence I posted in this forum because its still at least 50% by hand, and probably more as I might need to chop the bottom of the mortise to get to depth.

I think I've read a couple comments in other threads that some of you are drilling out your mortises with the Domino. I am wondering what your workflow is. Do you make the mortise first and then set a marking gauge for the tenons? Do you square the corners or round the tenon (I don't think it actually matters for strength)? Asking mainly because If I want to match up to imperial units its going to take multiple passes to get the width and therefore prone to some error setting the height adjustment.

Thomas, there are a couple of ways to do this.

1. One way is the use the Domino to make a mortice for a loose tenon ...







Corner joint for a bed ...






2. The second method is to make a mortice, and square the ends for a tenon (in the example, the rail is sized to fit the mortice) ...



Square the ends with a hollow mortice chisel ...



Rails for a bedhead ...






Regards from Perth

Derek

[Prashun Patel]

I am in the same boat as you. I sometimes use my Domino to make mortises for integral tenons. I don't have a preferred method per se; I just like this arrow in my quiver.

Most times I do it this way:

1. Mark the mortise.
2. Drill mortise. If I need to alter depth, I will drill all the first passes first and then change depth and do the second passes.
3. Square mortise ends. I find this easier and more precise than rounding the tenon.

End-squaring goes easier if you have metric chisels to match the bits. But this is of course not necessary.

In some instances I have "chamfered" the integral tenon. I split off the corners with a chisel. Usually if speed is desired, a loose tenon is hard to beat. But there are instances where my tenon has a very small shoulder, which would leave a thin wall to house the loose tenon. So might do chamfered tenons here. Still fits.

[Reed Gray]

I do have a dedicated hollow chisel morticing machine, and used it a lot. If you spend enough time with cutting them, then it does become efficient. If you only do it once in a while, you will not be very efficient.

robo hippy

[Kevin Jenness]

I think I've read a couple comments in other threads that some of you are drilling out your mortises with the Domino. I am wondering what your workflow is. Do you make the mortise first and then set a marking gauge for the tenons? Do you square the corners or round the tenon (I don't think it actually matters for strength)? Asking mainly because If I want to match up to imperial units its going to take multiple passes to get the width and therefore prone to some error setting the height adjustment.

No matter the method, always mortise first as the mortise width is determined by the cutting tool. Tenons can be more easily made to fit mortises than vice versa. For sawing by hand, use a marking gauge.

I generally use rounded edge spline tenons for round end slot mortises - the Domino system excels at that. When using integral tenons it's easier to square up the mortises than to rasp the tenons round. You can save time by fitting square edge tenons in between the mortise ends or fitting them to the full length of the mortises and chamfering the edges. The more efficient way to machine mortises for integral tenons is with a hollow chisel or swing chisel mortiser, but if you have a Domino that will be a reasonable compromise combined with handwork.

[Thomas Crawford]

Thanks for all the replies, I've been super busy and just got back to the site. I think I'm going to spend a little time with some scrap wood playing around with this.

[Rafael Herrera]

This from memory. My father had a machine where a chuck was set up horizontally, it had an adjustable bed and fence. The mortise was cut with a regular drill bit. The tenons were cut on the table saw or band saw, rounded with a rasp and fitted. At other times mortises were cut on both pieces and the tenons were made separately. Hand cut M & Ts were not the norm in his shop.

I don't remember if he made the machine or bought, but I've seen many examples of both.

If you are looking at a production use, perhaps a dedicated machine is best for the job. For hobby projects, that is a question of preference, if the machine is expensive and you're looking at using it for a few minutes every year, perhaps the money may be best spent somewhere else.

[Mike Henderson]

I often use the Domino even when I'm making a traditional tenon. I usually round the tenon to fit the mortise. You arean't limited to the width of the standard Domino mortises. Just plunge repeatedly and you can make a mortise about any width.

Mike