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Chips ‘n Tips 11: Mortises on the Line

3 comments
9 years ago
Chips N Tips

Win woodworking prizesSometimes chopping the mortise just doesn’t make sense, and adding a center line with a knife makes boring it out super easy and fast. This is just another arrow for your quiver as every mortise seems just a little bit different and having several ways to make them will always serve you well.

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Nathan

Silly question from a newbie. How do you ensure that when boring you stay straight? I realize that for a shallower and non-through mortise that this probably isn’t quite as critical, and/or you have less distance thus less chance of a small tilt on your bore angle to cause an issue.

Currently, I’m working on a project that requires four through mortises across 2″ wide stock, so I need to be sure I come out dead eye on the other side. Chopping with a chisel was largely effective on the first one I did, but did stress the wood a bit and caused a split on one side of the mortise. No huge problem since I can just have the tenon shoulder cover that side, but I would like to try a new technique that results in a cleaner mortise.

So, are there any special techniques you use to ensure you bore at a 90 deg. from the work piece?

Another issue here may be… I’m all hand tools except for brace. I don’t have a brace and don’t have a drill press, just my handheld drill. The drill has a good low speed setting that works great with a brad point bit for making a nice, clean hole. So I think I have the basics… but it is hard to get a truly straight hole through stock that’s anything beyond thing.

Maybe this is just simply a matter of practice?

    Shannon

    When I need to ensure a square hold I place my forehead directly on the pad of the brace which allows me to line up with the hole and maintain square. You could do the same thing with a power drill but in general, the higher rpm of a power drill can be tough to control and adjust during the cut.

      Nathan

      Thanks for the reply, Shannon! I might give a go on a used brace if the price is right. I do like the idea of a little more control that comes with the lower speed.