BobSmalser Posted January 8, 2004 Posted January 8, 2004 In a small response to years of subtle but predatory marketing on PBS that has newcomers asking about mortising machines for their early projects, I prepared a short primer this morning in the shop to answer a younger man Quote
BobSmalser Posted January 8, 2004 Author Posted January 8, 2004 The next chopping sequence is from the center of the mortise, and the waste merely levered out Quote
Sailor3356 Posted January 9, 2004 Posted January 9, 2004 Its nice to see some one else using hand tools, I would never give up my hand tools and am glad to see that others can be thought how to use them. Don't get me wrong, power tools have their place. But there Quote
BobSmalser Posted January 9, 2004 Author Posted January 9, 2004 I'm no stranger to or critic of automation where it makes sense...but the WW Forums today are filled with newbies whose only exposure to any kind of teaching are from PBS's Norm-Delta Enterprises or trendy magazine and book authors... ...and much of that "teaching" is self-serving to the point of predatory. Its a sad reflection on all of us older, more experienced guys that a 30-year-old new father asks what kind of mortising machine, pockethole jig or biscuit joiner he needs to make his first project...a cradle for the new baby. I know he doesn't have that kind of dough to waste as I suspect things haven't changed since I was in that position...and are probably worse...and I feel there is a community responsibility we aren't meeting, here. Chopping Mortises Quote
Frank Hagan Posted January 9, 2004 Posted January 9, 2004 As soon as I get some time ( :!: ), I'm going to create a section on messing-about.com for permanent display of these type of articles (with your permission, of course ... I'll let you see them before they "go live"). The "time" thing is the problem of course, as I'm fighting a modern day dragon (domain name registrar) over some unethical practices, and that has taken up most of my allocated Internet time. I have to admit, I was looking fondly at the motising machines in the catalogs the other day. I can cut a mortise by hand, but have always had a time of it, especially clearing out the bottom. And now, even though I've known there are mortising chisels, I realize it does make a difference to have the right ones. Quote
Guest Posted January 9, 2004 Posted January 9, 2004 Bob, as usual , I sit back and just read over and over, many things that we have lost or now take for granted, that use to be standard the minute you even thought about woodworking. At the first thought, it use to be where is the right chiesel, before anything else. Frank, what a drag. You hard work, behinds the scenes, doesn't go unnoticed by us, as this is what allows us to come here, on our lesiure and read. Feel free to let us know if any of us one arm paper hangers can do anything to help, with any of the behind the scenes work, that goes on with you. We all have different skills. But some may just have the right angle for dealing with some of these issues, if nothing else for you to just vent or rant. Quote
BobSmalser Posted January 9, 2004 Author Posted January 9, 2004 especially clearing out the bottom. No need to clean out the bottom, only to get the mortise to a depth slightly deeper than the tenon...you don't really want or need it touching there as that face offers no strength to the glue joint. Quote
Simon Posted January 12, 2004 Posted January 12, 2004 In order to distance myself (in a friendly non-confrontational way )from the comments made above I offer this: The frame of the cradle is mortised together in the following way: The horizontals are driven into mortises of their exact dimensions, i..e. the piece of timber is its own tennon, what is this called? They go about halfway through the uprights and are held in with screws driven into the endgrain of the horizontals. The uprights are genuinely tennoned into through-mortises on the "feet." Having to almost use a sledge hammer to drive the tennons through, I saw no need for any extra fastening on these upright tennons. God help anyone who trys to remove the uprights from the feet in the future though! Bob: Do you have any advice for those wishing to practice gluesless/fastenerless construction? I'm fascinated by the concept, and often think about Japanese structures which have lasted thousands of years, because theres no metal to corode and no glue to degrade. There's something quite lovely about "all-wood" construction, especially when it is ALL wood. Treenails, whilst appealing, seem somewhat of an inelegant solution to many problems And I don't own a mortising machine and have no plans to buy one! Good advice though, freely given and freely accepted. Quote
BobSmalser Posted January 12, 2004 Author Posted January 12, 2004 Do you have any advice for those wishing to practice gluesless/fastenerless construction? Sure...wedged tenons. like on trestle tables and this horse I made recently: Simple knock the wedge out to dismantle. And your cradle looks plenty sturdy....your shoulderless stretchers aren't going anywhere any time soon. But as you did with your uprights, the advantage of a shoulder is resistance to racking forces and greater glue surface. Quote
BobSmalser Posted January 25, 2004 Author Posted January 25, 2004 Lotsa off-line questions on this, so.... Chisel Types as I understand them...allow for regional differences: Butt Chisel: Short utility chisel primarily for carrying and hanging doors Quote
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