Good plans for a mortising jig?

[Dan Karachio]

Hello,

I'd like to build a mortising jig to use with my router. Probably with floating tenons. Ideally I'd like to be able to do repetitive cuts and have things line up nicely. I have seen some pretty fancy jigs online, but I need to start a little slower.

I saw this one in FWW: http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/SkillsAndTechniques/SkillsAndTechniquesPDF.aspx?id=30243

Seems like a good project. I am a little unclear on how they use the plastic in the dados (it isn't clear to me what screws where), but I think I could handle it. So, to all you seasoned people out there, is this a good project? Do you have your own or other jigs you might recommend?

Thanks in advance

[Bill Huber]

Dan, I was thinking of making a jig just about like that one, I am not sure where I got my plans but it was almost like it.

Anyway I put it off and put it off until I really needed it and just did not have the time to make it so I bought a Mortise Pal.

The size and the flexibility is really get and I just like using it. It is much smaller then the one I was going to build and smaller then the one you showed.

It is a great tool and I have not looked back at all.

115813

[Greg Hines, MD]

If you go to this page:

http://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=79953

You can see the mortise jig that I built, in about an hour, and it works great.

Doc

[glenn bradley]

I was going to make the FFW one. I made a fixed version and even that wouldn't meet your criteria; "do repetitive cuts and have things line up nicely". I built a couple of items with the shop made (and I am a shop made jig nut to some extent) but material is expensive and a failed alignment means new parts or a fix-it job. I did the math and got a Mortise Pal (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=114693&d=1238641849).

[Peter Pedisich]

Dan,

I went through the same process and I think that is a good one to make, if you want to make your own.
It has one small drawback like alot of them - the plate the router sits on eats up about 1/2" of cutter length.
I made my own - here: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=91686
I designed it to allow the router to be fully supported and guided in one axis, and still allow the workpeice to go right up to the router baseplate.
After making a pine storm door with it i realized bringing the tool to the workpeice would have been much easier. I had to wrestle with 6' long 5/4 thk stiles and clamp them to the jig. In a small space. The result was a bit more profanity than I'm comfortable with.
The jig Bill H. shows (Mortise Pal) would have made my life easier, but my talent for making my life complicated is more developed than my common sense. Luckily making the jig was fun, so what the heck.

Also go to Pat Warner's site and check out his mortiser.
The Gary Rogowski methods at FWW are excellent, also.

Think about what type of projects you will be doing, and let that inform your decision.

Good Luck!

Pete

[Alex Berkovsky]

Dan,
I made the same jig as Matt did in this post:
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=30705

This particular jig also allows you to make mitered and offset mortises.

Another picture --> linky (http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i232/jarhead8286/Woodworking/MortisingJig.jpg)

[mreza Salav]

Some nice ones suggested above.
Here is the one I built:

115829115828115827

It's very simple and easy to use and very accurate (more than I expected).
I have built numerous projects with it and don't see wanting to change to anything anytime soon.
The important point is: if the stock are the same thickness you don't have to change the fences. If not, you can get one side flush by keeping one of the fences fixed. I hope it's clear what I mean.

[Jamie Buxton]

I do lots of M&T joinery. For most mortises, I don't use a jig at all. I use a plunge router with an edge guide. That's it.

There is one trick which helps is when I'm mortising on a face which is narrow -- say 3/4" wide. The router can be tippy in this case. The trick is to clamp on another piece of wood which is exactly the same height as the workpiece, so doubling the width of the face that the router is balancing on. Fortunately, in most furniture, parts are symmetrical, and there are other parts of the furniture sitting on your bench which are exactly the same height.

I do generally run the mortise with the edge guide on one face of the workpiece, and then flip the workpiece around to run the guide on the other face. This gives me a mortise which is centered.

[Don Dorn]

Dan, I was thinking of making a jig just about like that one, I am not sure where I got my plans but it was almost like it.

Anyway I put it off and put it off until I really needed it and just did not have the time to make it so I bought a Mortise Pal.

The size and the flexibility is really get and I just like using it. It is much smaller then the one I was going to build and smaller then the one you showed.

It is a great tool and I have not looked back at all.

115813

I too have a Mortise Pal and it works flawlessly but I probably should have saved the money and made one. However, it is nice to pull it out and have it dead on in as little time as it takes.

Lastly - the box is beautiful. Makes me feel bad that mine just sits in a drawer. Guess you've guilted me into it.

[Prashun Patel]

+1 on the Mortisepal. If you're not hung up on LT joinery, then Dowelmax is about as easy as joinery gets. It's also twice the price of MP, though...