Building a second tool chest...

[steven c newman]

and needing a jig. One vise is awkward to use to chop mortises on. The other slips at every whack. Had an old three piece jig from way back294127 Have a leg trying to hog the camera. One piece holds the two uprights. The way my benchtop works, I just screwed this down to it, right over a leg on the bench. The two uprights are about 3/4" apart. Leg stock I am working with is a nice fit. Slide a blank into the jig, add a couple clamps294128and bang away. No bounce, no slippage in a vise. Here I am doing a test fit. Needed a bit more chopping. I suppose that IF I needed to, I could also run a handsaw for crosscuts. Some out there would build a Moxxon Vise, this will do for now. Have one side out of the clamps, and another all set to go in for a glue up. 294129Center panel was a Sellers style raised panel, that I added a rebate on the backside. Fits in the grooves better. This front/back panel is 31-7/16" long. Took up most of my bench space. Will glue up the second one of these, then call it a night, need the bench cleared off before the next items are worked on. The two end panels....

[steven c newman]

Yep, this will be a bit bigger than the first one294202New panel standing in front of the first Tool Chest. Single raised panel inside of an Oak frame. Pine for the raised panel. Have the second long side out of the clamps, as well. Next up, need the ends cobbled up, from a stack of parts294203Here is the parts for one end. Awaiting some mortises and tenon work, and a new panel294204there is enough in the clamps for both ends, awaiting the curing of the Elmers. Then cut away what don't fit into the frames. Mortises are a bit easier with that jig, now. Tenons.....still have to clamp them flat to the benchtop, and saw and chisel things. Originally, that jig was to do mortises...on a drill press. I'd chuck a drill bit in the drill press, and hog away the waste. The jig simplely was a stable way to hold a blank upright to drill the waste out. If needed I could even clamp the jig in place on the DP's table and slide a rail through, to drill a series of holes. Like for a Quilt rack.294205 evenly spaced holes, straight up and down.

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

Yeah, I've never cut mortises in a vise, the force is going the wrong way, and it will slip. Worse, I'm afraid if the work bottoms out on the screws, I'd eventually damage the vise. I do it on the bench top, usually holding it with a hold fast, but if the piece is tall enough that rocking is concern, I clamp the a hand screw on the end, to do the same job as your jig. I would think about making the jig wider - I like to gang up a couple pieces and cut the mortises at the same time.

I now often cut mortises on my saw bench, sitting on the work. I've thought about adding a seat so I'm not sitting on a singular piece, which can be uncomfortable - which is again why I gang them up.

Another option for holding pieces upright for mortise work that I've seen is a couple of stout pegs in the work surface, with wedges to hold pieces of varying thickness in place. I haven't tried it, but it looks handy.