Mortise and Tenon Joinery - Jeff Greef Woodworking

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Mortise and Tenon Joints For Boxes

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Resources for making Mortise and Tenon Joints

This is a companion article to the article on this site titled Oriental Box of Drawers. There are a great many ways to cut mortise and tenon joints, however here we will focus on methods for cutting the joints required to make the Oriental Box. The basic procedure I describe here requires that you have a drill press with a mortising attachment and a band saw, but also described are alternatives if you don't have these machines.

A mortising attachment for the drill press allows you to cut square holes with the machine. This seemingly impossible task is accomplished with a square chisel that surrounds a circular bit (photo 1). This chisel is attached to the quill of the drill press on a special fitting, and moves up and down with the bit, but doesn’t spin. The chisel cuts four square corners around the bit as the bit clears the waste from the hole. A separate fitting attaches to the fence on your drill press table, and holds your work down as the chisel is retracted from the hole. Most drill press manufacturers offer chisel mortising attachments for their machines. Be certain to get an attachment that fits your drill press model # when you order. The attachment must have the correct diameter fitting to fit your machine's quill. The quill is a round flange just above the chuck which moves up and down with the chuck, but doesn't spin. I once got a mortising attachment made for a quill larger than my press, then I had to pay a machinist to make a sleeve spacer. Avoid that by getting the right tool.

Fisch Bench Top Mortiser
Dedicated machine- no need to set up your drill press for mortising.

4 pc Mortising Chisel Set
1/4, 5/16, 3/8 and 1/2 inch chisels.

Delta 12" Drill Press
MORTISING ATTACHMENT
available separately with different chisel sizes.

Photo 1- A chisel mortising attachment for your drill press lets you cut square holes quickly and easily.

For drill presses and mortising attachments, click here.

Use a 3/8" mortising chisel to cut the mortises for this project. Set up the fence so that the holes will be centered within your top and bottom rails. Carefully mark out on those rails exactly where the mortises will be. Make the top rail mortises 1" wide, and the bottom rail mortises 3/4" wide. Note that on the bottom rails, the edge of the mortise is 1/8" away from the inside edge of the post.

Place the top and bottom rails onto the drill press as in photo 1 and line up the cuts to your pencil lines. Place a loose piece of hardwood beneath the top rail, and punch the hole through the rail into the hardwood. Move this piece after each cut, so that the chisel always punches through to fresh wood on each cut. This reduces tearout on the bottom of the hole.

TIP- USING A CHISEL MORTISER

Sometimes the chisel gets stuck during the cut, particularly when cutting hardwoods. Rub parafin onto the chisel between cuts to reduce this, but only if you will not be gluing the joint, such as with pinned tenons that don't require glue. Otherwise, take the cuts in stages, never cutting in one spot deeper than 1/4" before retracting and cutting the area adjacent the same amount. A sticking bit can also mean the chisel is dull. Follow manufacturer’s instructions for sharpening the chisel.

To cut the mortises in the posts, first cut all four posts to exactly the same length. Then mark out the mortises on only one of the four. Use that post to set up each cut on the top and bottom of each 3/4" long mortise. Clamp a stop block on the drill press table at the end of the first post, holding it in proper alignment for the cut (photo 2). Use that same setting to cut the other three. Use similar progressive setups to make all cuts for the mortises.

Photo 2- Use an end stop clamped to your setup as shown to make the mortises in the posts. The stop guarantees that the mortises will all be correctly aligned, and reduces to one the number of parts you have to mark out.

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