Trouble with a mortise
- This topic has 23 replies, 2 voices, and was last updated 10 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
@dbockel2, that through mortise still looks better than mine, and I already have several multi-mortise projects under my belt.
Tuscloosa, Alabama
Lung T'an Hu Huesh Kung-fu WoodshopAgreed! That’s why along time ago I switched to diamond stones. Always flat and ready to go.
The softer the wood, the sharper you need your chisel to be.
Arbovale, WV
Proverbs 18:13
13 He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.
Much of what has been said is accurate so I will be brief.
1) Pine is harder to chop because it crushes unless chisels are razor sharp. If you can’t shave hair on your arm, you are not getting sharp.
2) Get a couple of board feet of HARDwood and make some practice joints until you get reasonably consistent results. It’s not a chore, it’s fun because there’s no pressure like a project. Cherry, walnut, oak, maple, etc., or whatever hard hardwoods are local to you are good choices. Local = less expensive. Poplar is a hardwood, but too soft for what I’m suggesting.
3) Don’t think of wood as precious. You can always get more.
4) Find an experienced/good woodworker online, join a woodworking club/guild, go to a show, a living history museum, or take a class. Any of these will allow you to experience a chisel and plane that is truly sharp. You will realize your not even close and I think it will redefine sharp for you. You can hit the bullseye unless you know what it looks like.
5) Keep working on sharpening. Your oil stones could be glazed over and are not cutting. You may need to flatten them to refresh them. Invest in diamond stones if you can afford them. Worst case, get a piece of granite and flatten/refresh your stones with 60/80 grit sandpaper on the granite. I got a slab of granite from a local cabinetry store’s dumpster/bin for free. Be nice and they may be happy to let you take one home for free. If they seem hesitant offer them $10-$20USD.
6) Above all keep trying, practice, be patient, have fun, and remember we all started where you are. One day soon it will just click if you stick with it and then you will have a moment of elation and a lifetime of fulfillment.
Respectfully,
DJ King
Hudson Valley, NY
Hi there,
I’ve been working on my first ever mortise and tennon. I’ve watched lots of Paul’s videos and it looks as if the chisel glides into the wood like butter. I am working with some sort of pine that’s quite old. I’ve sharpened my chisels on oil stones and stropped – to a point where I feel it’s pretty sharp.
When I start my mortise, I use Pauls technique he teaches in his videos, but I am unable to advance anywhere near as quick through the wood. I can’t understand why it’s feeling so difficult given it’s pine of some type. Could this be down to my chisel actually not being sharp enough or just bad technique?
I have had similar trouble, I would suspect your chisels and your technique, lol
I made a mistake sharpening my chisels using arkansas stones, I put windshield washer fluid on the stone, ( ran out of glass cleaner) and it erroded the soft stone, to wear you cant use that side.
Purchase eze lap diamond stones 2 x 6 ” 250, 600, 1200 I cannot believe the difference, using just water now, so much faster and easier. I also messed up the original bevel, some of the chisels I accidentally put a micro bevel on them, Fixed them up nice with the diamond stones, easy as pie now. Well At least they cut into the fibers instead of pushing through them.
https://www.knifecenter.com/item/EZL61C/EZE-LAP-Coarse-Stone-2-inch-x-6-inch-Diamond-Stone
https://www.knifecenter.com/item/EZL61F/EZE-LAP-Fine-Stone-2-inch-x-6-inch-Diamond-Stone
https://www.knifecenter.com/item/EZL66SF/EZE-LAP-Super-Fine-Stone-with-Pouch-2-inch-x-6-inch-Diamond-StoneYou can put the arkansas stone to the diamond plate and get rid of the pitting.
Arbovale, WV
Proverbs 18:13
13 He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.I realize this thread is over 4 years old, but it was perfectly applicable for my troubles with my first mortise and tenon. The comments made in this thread were very helpful.
Below were my keys to success on my fourth attempt:
1.I re-sharpened my chisel.
2.I cleaned out the mortise with a drill bit at the drill press from both sides.
3.I clamped a guide on the long side of the mortise so I had something to register my chisel against.
4.I did one side at a time working slowly back and forth down the side with the edge guide until I was halfway through.
5. I exercised some patience which is hard for me personally especially on the short sides of the mortise where it seemed to be pulling chunks out before.The words of encouragement to my fellow new woodworker were very helpful for me as well. I was frustrated to say the least. I felt reviving this conversation might help someone else struggling in the near future.
I’m still struggling with the length of mortise being to large for my rails causing a gap when at the top and bottom. Not sure what I’m doing wrong yet, but I have confidence I can figure out what’s causing it and find a solution that works for me.
Having the right mallet can make a big difference. The key variables are the weight and bounciness of the head.
To avoid the layer-cake effect that David B and jakegevorgian are referenced, try to cut your mortises into the most quarter sawn face of the wood when possible.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
