35. Mortising for a Blind Tenon

[@adriangilbert-rh7nq]

Mr Blackburn would have made an excellent teacher.

[@gjbmunc]

Thank you. I teach regularly at my own shop (see my website) and big schools around the country.

[@richardcolling8088]

@@gjbmunc please visit the UK :)

[@ikust007]

We are extremely lucky to have you sharing your knowledge.

[@gjbmunc]

It's my pleasure

[@roberthahn8555]

Hey the sound was much better in this video! Thank you for investing time into improving it! Great video, I learned lots about mortising technique!

[@gjbmunc]

Glad to hear it!

[@jimhyslop]

@@gjbmunc oh, if we're discussing ways to improve sound - I have noticed that you sometimes accidentally tap your mic with whatever you're holding. You might want to consider getting a foam cover for it, or moving it a few inches up or to the side.

[@kentonward97]

I made the mistake of using regular bench chisels to make mortises, although it can be done you really have to watch what your doing so the chisel doesn’t twist on you !! Glad that now I have mortise chisels. Life is easier with the right tool for the job!

[@ikust007]

Same here . Since I switch to Ashley Iles, I love it now.

[@gjbmunc]

Great point!

[@davidcampbell2845]

Every episode has a unique and historical gem in addition to the demonstration. Good stuff.

[@gjbmunc]

Thanks!

[@maulstar1]

These videos are phenomenal! Thank you, sir!

[@gjbmunc]

Glad you like them!

[@georgegeyer3431]

You learn something new every day. I have both and just thought they were the same.😊

[@gjbmunc]

Me too!

[@tuffymartinez]

Thank You Graham .... Always enjoyable, informative & I look forward to your next show... TM

[@gjbmunc]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@johnjackson9601]

Thank you for the expert information.

[@gjbmunc]

You're very welcome!

[@HWCism]

Thanks

[@gjbmunc]

You're very welcome

[@jesusefrenlopezgarcia8596]

Todo lo que buscaba lo encontre en este canal gracias buen hombre

[@gjbmunc]

Muchas gracias.

[@MCsCreations]

Thanks a bunch, Graham! 😃 I still need to buy a chisel like that! Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@riksheline5961]

Thanks for you teaching

[@gjbmunc]

It's my pleasure

[@etymon]

Fantastic video, thank you. I was wondering if there is any value in using a brace to drill out the bulk of the waste before truing the sides and ends with the chisel?

[@gjbmunc]

Absolutely, especially if you use a mortising boring jig with a sleeve matching the size mortise chisel and matching tenon.

[@ArchEdge]

Thank you Graham - Looks like i've got to add Mortise Chisels to my Wish List.

[@gjbmunc]

Good luck!

[@robbenton5211]

Just found this video and it's almost exactly the technique I use when I chop mortise by hand. I use a homemade guide to keep myself straight. I'm curious how to fix any issues you may have if your mortise winds up crooked.

[@gjbmunc]

Trim the proud side/end and fill the gap.

[@SLU94]

Good stuff. Thanks.

[@gjbmunc]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@jimrichards7014]

I think I got the mortising technique down, I just don’t quite get how to use the gauge correctly so the mortise is exactly in the centre.

[@gabrielmaynard]

if the board is 6 squared by a machine check from one face, then reference the other, the nails on the gauge will fall in the same hole. If you're doing a fully traditional style where you only have one reference face and one reference edge you need to measure the edge and find center, measure your chisel and find center on it also, then place the center of the chisel on the center of the edge of the piece and lightly tap it to establish a mortise width, then set the guage to the width of the line you made into the wood. You can also measure the width of the edge of the wood and divide that number by 3 to give you the ideal width of the mortise then set your mortise gauge by placing a ruler to the mortise gauge reference face and measuring to the first nail. You set the width of the mortise gauge first in most cases and then set the length of the gauge. To give a simple example I measure a board edge that is 6" wide. I divide that number by 3 which is 2. 2,4,6.- I place a line on the 2" spot and the 4" spot, this places the ideal mortise width on the piece, I match a mortise chisel close to this width then set my gauge accordingly. If my chisel is smaller than the width of the ideal mortise I simply try to find center by eye or if you are really particular you can measure the distance to find center. Once a gauge is set all references must be made by your established edge and face, If you're machining your wood then there's a lot more wiggle room but hand tools require the same reference face and reference edge to ensure accuracy. Also if you are slightly off one side or the other with the mortise hole the piece will be slightly off center when assembled- most cases the now assembled piece can be planed to a new thickness to accommodate both pieces. Hand tool work is a lot of correcting what's there, a machinist woodworker can't make many mistakes with his accuracy but a hand-tool woodworker has a lot more freedom to correct their errors and finish the piece. Remember the best furniture was made in a time people used wooden reference squares and sighted "flat" by eye. There was none of these machinist straight edges and fancy tools for your average carpenter 400 years ago and they still created brilliant pieces. Hope this helped, I do this stuff for a living so I like to share when I can.

[@gjbmunc]

Gabriel, thank you for your explanation, and of course your system works in many cases, but apart from the fact that the mortise (and tenon) are not always required exactly in the center of the workpiece, I find it generally easier to cut the tenon first and then use it to lay out and position the mortise by laying one on top of the other laterally and transversely. That way I don't have to actually bother with measurements.

[@athmostafa2462]

Thanks 👍.

[@gjbmunc]

Welcome 👍

[@thomashverring9484]

Thank you! Very interesting. A mortise chisel is called a "lokbejtel" in Danish. The word means something like a "hole biter/cleaver". I know there are different types, although I'm not entirely sure about the differences.

[@gjbmunc]

Thanks again!

[@timothymallon]

We also call it a "pig sticker" here in the US.

[@thomashverring9484]

@@timothymallon Yes, I wonder if we also have a more "colorful" name for it 😅

[@jimhyslop]

I'm not typically one to give my tools names, but I really like "hole biter" so I might just use that!😃

[@thomashverring9484]

@@jimhyslop Yes, it sounds like something out of Lord of the Rings 😄

[@ianbye4411]

Hi Graham,I wondered how tall your workbench is as it looks just perfect for your work stance.I am currently building a Roubo bench and would love to know, thanks,lovely video and beautiful workshop.

[@gjbmunc]

Stand straight , let your arm hang down and your palm held horizontally should rest on the bench top. This is generally considerd ther best height for planing.

[@ikust007]

Sir . Can we say that the Ashley Iles are register chisels (oval handle). I did try to make my mortises like Mr.Sellers with a normal chisels : never had great succès. But with the Iles … wow!

[@gjbmunc]

As I mentioned, it's mainly a question of size.

[@ricos1497]

Ashley Isles make all sorts of chisels. I have a set of their bevelled chisels, they're great. I got them as a gift, they're not really worth the extra outlay if I'm honest, but they look and feel nice! I don't have any mortice chisels, but I may get some now just to see the difference. I'm off to ebay!

[@mikejustice1196]

At :46 in the beginning of this video… what kind of folding ruler is that on your work bench? Name of it please. I’ve seen boatwrites use them too. Thanks

[@gjbmunc]

It's a four-fold, two foot rule by Stanley (from a long time ago)

[@DennisLampret]

thank you, wonderful timing! i'm working on an old house which is just getting some new traditional windows next month. the previous owner happened to have all the tools that were used to make the existing ones stored in the attic :) i am wondering how to sharpen the profile shaped irons.

[@gjbmunc]

A simple trick that often works is - providing the profile of the iron still matches the profile of the sole of the plane - simply to sharpen the BACK of the iron. The cutting edge after all is simply where the two sides of the iron intersect. (This is partly why a,s I mentioned in the episode, why the back of the mortise chisel I used was no longer completely vertical!)

[@1deerndingo]

Thank you. I like to watch different people do different ways so as to pick up tricks that suite the individual. I had'nt seen anyone start from the centre before. I makes sense though to protect the ends and may be quicker than starting at one end, gaining depth and then having to work all the way back.. Also, last week you were making a window using the sash plane. How do you remove the sash form in the area where the motise and tenon joint sits? That's what I thought you were going on to this week.

[@gjbmunc]

It turned out the mortising section was too long so I interposed it between Part One and Part Two of the window-making episode. Next week you'll see the simple jig that is used after mortising to remove the moulded section.

[@rollingstone3017]

I really appreciate the no-fuss, non-anal approach here. Makes hand work much more fun really.

[@gjbmunc]

Thanks!

[@ikust007]

Thank you !!

[@gjbmunc]

You're welcome!

[@davida369]

Been waiting for this, thx.

[@gjbmunc]

Thanks!

[@Jimbo878]

Mortise first then Tenon, I've struggled with this for too long, how do the "owl hands" approach this Graham?

[@1deerndingo]

Mortise first and make the tenon to fit the mortise.

[@gjbmunc]

Whatever works (in different situations), but I usually find it easier to make the tenon first and then use it to define the mortise.

[@pettere8429]

Would it not be easier to get the piece with the tenon in the right place if you start by cutting the tenon?

[@gjbmunc]

Most of the time I do indeed start by cutting the tenon in order to use the tenone to mark out where the mortise will go.

[@darrenwheatley4677]

I’ve always been told the big chisels are “pig stickers”? Is that a local UK name?

[@gjbmunc]

Never heard it myself.

[@georgegeyer3431]

When do you remove the waste?

[@gjbmunc]

As I go along.

[@raynierllewis2827]

Oh my word this is just what I was looking for.Now where on earth am I going to find a sash plane😢

[@gjbmunc]

Try eBay and do a Google search. There are also quite a few old tool dealers on line.

[@vosifle]

The excavation of the waste isn't shown. That's one of the trickiest parts so not to damage the edges. Why not really showing it?

[@gjbmunc]

You are correct: excavating the mortise can easily damage the ends ( not the edges, as you mentioned), which is why I stressed not chiseling up the ends until the correct depth has been reached, that way any damage as you pry out the waste does not impact the very ends.

[@ikust007]

Never saw such a tenon marker ?!

[@russellterry8671]

You can still purchase them new and can find them second hand as well. Not that uncommon. I have three old ones of different styles, mainly because they are beautiful looking and feeling.

[@gjbmunc]

Totally agree!

[@dpmeyer4867]

thanks

[@gjbmunc]

You're welcome!