Bench Top Mortiser/ end grain

[steve fleischmann]

I'm still working on the girls' bunkbeds. I'm at the point where I need to put mortises into the posts and the headboards. I tried(on scrap) using my drill press and the hand chiseling the rest. I do not feel comfortable doing this, I'm now looking at bench top mortisers. Delta 14-651 seems to get good reviews, how about the Craftsman model?

With the head turned 180 degrees how will I support the headboard as I mortise into the side? The mortise needs to go into the endgrain, and it's too late to put a tenon on the headboard, the plans called for a "floating tenon"
Any ideas, suggestions always welcome.

Thank You,
Steve

[Dan Barr]

Duh, i got it now. i didnt realize what you were talking about til now. im guessing you are talking about the holes that keep the bunk beds stacked on top of one another via a peg/dowel.

i would just use a 1" forstner bit and put a 1" or 1 1/2" deep hole in the tops and bottoms respectively. Then you could just cut some hardwood dowels to match. you ought to be able to do this accurately by hand with a drill. you could put a hole at a perfect 90 degree angle on a guide block and then clamp that to the top or bottom in order to start the hole. if this is not accurate enough for your tastes, then go with one of the methods mentioned below.

ciao,

dan

[Guy Germaine]

Why not use your drill press, drill a hole in both pieces, and use a large dowel? That way, you don't need to make a "square" hole.

[Mike Cutler]

I'm still working on the girls' bunkbeds. I'm at the point where I need to put mortises into the posts and the headboards. I tried(on scrap) using my drill press and the hand chiseling the rest. I do not feel comfortable doing this, I'm now looking at bench top mortisers. Delta 14-651 seems to get good reviews, how about the Craftsman model?

With the head turned 180 degrees how will I support the headboard as I mortise into the side? The mortise needs to go into the endgrain, and it's too late to put a tenon on the headboard, the plans called for a "floating tenon"
Any ideas, suggestions always welcome.

Thank You,
Steve

Steve,
The lengths, and sizes, of the material(s) in this instance will make it difficult to position the material(s) under the head.
It appears from your description of where you are at with the project. That a router, and clampable template guide, may be the best solution. This way you can position the headboard, footboard and rails to do the mortises and accomodate the floating tenons. Only the router has to change position.
Festool's Domino may be a solution also. I've never used one personally, but having the ability to re- position the tool, instead of the material(s) should be of benefit to you.

I have the 14-651, and the only way I would be able to do what you are describing is to reverse the head, mount the base on a stand, which would have to be built specifically for the task, so that the chisel overhangs the edge of the stand to allow you to position the headboard, and clamp it somehow in place. A lot of work.

[Thom Sturgill]

I haven't done this, but I usually see loose tenon mortises done with a router. The tenon is rounded so that you do not have to square the ends of the mortise.

There is also a device (beadlock?) that uses a jig and hand drill to drill a series of parallel, overlapping holes so that you can insert a special floating tenon. Router bits are available to make your own tenons.

[George Bregar]

If I understand correctly you are trying to make a mortise in the headboard 9that's the end grain issue you mentioned) to accept a loose tenon that will also be used in a corresponding mortise in the bed legs. You will need to clamp the headboard to the side of your bench and then clamp the mortiser, with the head turned 180, in the appropriate position on your bench. To do this you will need to mount the mortiser on stock or plywood to as wide as your bench as it needs to be clamped in back (it will want to rise when you are cutting the mortise...trust me! Creating a jig to lay on your benchtop keep the headboard end parallel to the benchtop, as you move it for the length of the mortise. Clamp a stop to determine the end of the cut. And use a mortise bit that accomodates the width...1/2" is the biggest these guys will do so hopefully that is enough (should be).

BT mortisers are really designed to put mortises on legs to accept rail tenons. My Jet mortiser only provides 4-3/4" under the bit, plus 2" with a riser block. To mortise for spindles on my morris chair, and other A&C stuff recently, I used a method like this for the wider rails...although I could just use he bench vice.

[Jesse Cloud]

I would go with the router and template as described above. Or, maybe someone with a Domino near by will step up. The Domino does this kind of thing in about 30 seconds with no template needed and you don't have to cut a tenon.

[Rod Sheridan]

The simplest method as previously stated is to use a dowel to join the two posts.

In the future if you want to separate the two beds, you can make a pyramidal cap with a dowel to hide the hole. (Very Arts and Crafts looking).

If you want a hollow chisel mortiser, the nicest one I've seen is the General International 75-050, or 75-050T with tilting head.

I've owned the 75-050 for 6 years and really like it, nice dovetail ways with adjustable brass wear strips, good fence and hold down, and a 6 inch stroke. The chisel to table gap is 6" with the 1/4" chisel fitted.

I've made hundreds of mortises with mine.


Regards, Rod.

[steve fleischmann]

Thanks for the responses so far. I've been thinking of using the method that George described. I'm not concerned (yet) about the holes for the dowel to connect the beds

Steve