Maynard exercise

[lowell holmes]

I didn't want to get this lost in the Maynard Mortise Technique string.

I set up a block of wood on the bench and laid out two identical 1/4" wide mortises about 2" long. This was a Maynard exercise.

In this forum there has been some discussion about chopping mortises with bevel edged bench chisels. As you know Paul Sellers teaches that technique.

I chopped one mortise with a R Iles 1/4" pig sticker.

The other mortise was chopped with an old 1/4" Stanley Defiance.

The mortises were about 1 1/4" deep. Both were done with the Maynard technique.

On the bench chisel mortise I struck the chisel 3 times and levered, repeating until the mortise was chopped.

There was no appreciable difference in the effort required to make the mortises.

I would like for a two or three of you do the same exercise and then share your observations.

Oh by the way, I am keeping my pig stickers for sure.

[David Weaver]

I've felt that strike for strike, I can get a little further with bench chisels, but I can strike a mortise chisel harder and with less twist. I also don't like to leave bench chisels with the angle of bevel needed to hold up well with hard strikes.

I thought half of seller's point was that you could start chopping mortises before getting mortise chisels.

[Jim Koepke]

I would like for a two or three of you do the same exercise and then share your observations.

Though there are a lot of 1/4" chisels in my accumulation I do not own a mortising chisel of that size.

One of my 1/4" chisels is a very light paring chisel. There are quite a few in between it and the one that is closest to a mortising chisel.

Yes it is entirely possible for a light chisel to cut a mortise. Before owning any mortise chisels that is how mine were cut. It is also possible that it could snap or be damaged in the process.

It may be more telling to look at the difference between a 1/2" mortising and bench chisel. Maybe even a few different chisels.

When it comes to something like a 1" mortise, the mass of the chisel is a real help.

My observation on this is here:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?212099-Chisel-Rehab-For-Mortising

The bevel on the chisel is a lot of help in the mortising process. It creates a wedging action to break out wood as it is being driven. The shallow, short bevel on a bench chisel wouldn't be as much help here. With a 1/4" mortise there may not be as much effect. With a larger size it is likely to be more noticeable.

If a few extra minutes come my way with the camera in the shop I may give it a try with pictures.

jtk

[David Weaver]

I would've, btw, expected a maynard exercise to involve playing high notes on a trumpet.

[lowell holmes]

Maybe a pedal note on a trombone.

I've never understood how mortising breaks chisels. There was a guy on the rec. (recreational woodworking news group) that used to break blue handled Marples and complain. I never could figure out what he was doing.

When I started working with hand tools, I was at a school where Paul was the master woodworker. We had four bench chisels and that's what we learned to mortise with. The rocking chairs we made had 1" square tenons through the arms as the Craftsman chairs require.
When chopping a 1" square mortise in a 1 1/4" thick arm, you don't do a lot of prying with a bench chisel.

I have pig stickers and use them, but I don't hesitate to use bench chisels. I bet you guys don't either. I still have some blue handles and consider them to be pretty good chisels, not like LN . They are better than some of the old Stanley's I have. I'm not talking about the 750's. They are good chisels.