Drill and Pare Mortises

[ken hatch]

The boy child and wife are expecting our second Grandpeanut next month and the new Momma wants a changing table. Not a clue why, most of the time a changing table gets 6-8 months use and then it is a dust catcher. But whatever, that's the current project. No need to dig out the good wood for the project so it will be Poplar with Milk Paint. Most of the mortises are narrow and deep so this time I decided to drill and pare instead of just using one of the pig stickers and chopping. I have to say with a good set of Jennings bits and a brace things have gone very well. It is much easier with better results than using the drill press and Forstner bits.

I've just a couple more mortises to go and then it is on to sawing and fitting the tenons and a couple of dovetails to finish the base.

A couple of the mortises:

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ken

[David Eisenhauer]

Good start Ken. I have never worked poplar with hand tools but imagine it will be OK to work with - as in not too hard to chop, pare and saw.

[Derek Cohen]

Ken, I've not worked poplar. I do not know how hard it is and how much downforce you need to get the lead screws to bite. I do have a little trick you can try, and you can do this with forstner bits as well on the brace: drill a pilot hole first. Use a 1/8" bit, or smaller. That will take a few seconds as it should offer little resistance. The hole is for the lead screw or the forstner centre point. (The pilot hole for the forstner bit was a tip from. afeloow Aussie. I adapted it to the brace and bit).

Regards from Perth

Derek

[ken hatch]

Good start Ken. I have never worked poplar with hand tools but imagine it will be OK to work with - as in not too hard to chop, pare and saw.

David,

I use a lot of Poplar, it is as cheap as Pine, sometimes cheaper, and is easier to work. It's only problem is it can be ugly with just a oil finish but it paints well.

ken

[ken hatch]

Ken, I've not worked poplar. I do not know how hard it is and how much downforce you need to get the lead screws to bite. I do have a little trick you can try, and you can do this with forstner bits as well on the brace: drill a pilot hole first. Use a 1/8" bit, or smaller. That will take a few seconds as it should offer little resistance. The hole is for the lead screw or the forstner centre point. (The pilot hole for the forstner bit was a tip from. afeloow Aussie. I adapted it to the brace and bit).

Regards from Perth

Derek

Derek,

Thanks for the hint. Poplar is very easy to work, while a "hardwood" it is light and soft. It makes a very good secondary wood or a good wood for a painted surface. My problem with Forstner bits and drill presses is just getting and keeping everything lined up. It is much easier with a brace and bit, just place the lead screw where you want it, check your alinement and turn the number of times needed to get your depth. Piece of cake or as my non native English speaking clients would say a sheet of cake.

ken

[David Eisenhauer]

I had a small cabinet/remodeling business years ago that required lots of cabinetry and case goods with face frames. Poplar and soft maple were my go-to for paint grade work, but that was all machine work. Poplar machines well, but does require paint to cover up the sometimes greenish tint and/or the brown streaks. I would much rather use it (or soft maple) than the pine I have run across. I doubt that I have ever encountered real, true decent pine and have only ever used the stuff that one finds at the lumber yard for framing/trim purposes.

[ken hatch]

I had a small cabinet/remodeling business years ago that required lots of cabinetry and case goods with face frames. Poplar and soft maple were my go-to for paint grade work, but that was all machine work. Poplar machines well, but does require paint to cover up the sometimes greenish tint and/or the brown streaks. I would much rather use it (or soft maple) than the pine I have run across. I doubt that I have ever encountered real, true decent pine and have only ever used the stuff that one finds at the lumber yard for framing/trim purposes.

David,

So true. Usually with so much twist if you need more than a couple of feet there is no wood left by the time you make it true.

ken

[Mike Allen1010]

Derek,

My problem with Forstner bits and drill presses is just getting and keeping everything lined up. It is much easier with a brace and bit, just place the lead screw where you want it, check your alinement and turn the number of times needed to get your depth. Piece of cake or as my non native English speaking clients would say a sheet of cake.

ken

Ken,


I built several projects out of poplar and it's not my favorite hand tool wood – my experience is harder than you would expect and kind of "stringy". Seems like good choice for this project, and I admire your hand tool fortitude.


Thanks for the advice about drilling mortises. Getting well fitting mortise and tenon joints always seems to take me longer than it should. My go to method for mortises has been Forstner bits in the drill press, however routinely end up with drill holes that don't align with the mortise layout. Next time I'm gonna try the hand/eye alignment method with an auger bit and brace.


FWIW, building furniture for grandkids sounds awesome, and something I look forward to when the time is right. Come on - even after little one no longer needs a changing table, it will make a great place to put toys etc. I think our changing table ended up as a plant stand on the patio, which was great.


I look forward to seeing the rest of your build. Thanks for posting!


Best, Mike

[John C Cox]

I know you are probably halfway thru the project by now and all...

Something to consider.. A "Changing table" is just a good, wide, long table top that's the right size - and most importantly - the right height for changing little ones....

But it turns out that casework made to this same size and height is also optimal for many other tasks - such as being the top of a very useful dresser.... So don't be afraid to include plenty of drawers or making it out of nice looking wood or putting a quality finish on it...

For now - the drawers can house diapers, wipes, blankets, and piles of burp cloths.. But later they can be used for clothes.

And then when the little one gets older and doesn't need changing - make a matching mirror which can be mounted to the wall a over it or some such...

[Stu Gillard]

@Ken and John

I went a little nuts when I made my change table.

All hand cut M&T joinery, a bit of carving and amazing timber polished with shellac.
Australian Red Cedar, Red Gum shelf and Bhutan Cypress drawer sides/bottom/back.

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[ken hatch]

Ken,


I built several projects out of poplar and it's not my favorite hand tool wood – my experience is harder than you would expect and kind of "stringy". Seems like good choice for this project, and I admire your hand tool fortitude.


Thanks for the advice about drilling mortises. Getting well fitting mortise and tenon joints always seems to take me longer than it should. My go to method for mortises has been Forstner bits in the drill press, however routinely end up with drill holes that don't align with the mortise layout. Next time I'm gonna try the hand/eye alignment method with an auger bit and brace.


FWIW, building furniture for grandkids sounds awesome, and something I look forward to when the time is right. Come on - even after little one no longer needs a changing table, it will make a great place to put toys etc. I think our changing table ended up as a plant stand on the patio, which was great.


I look forward to seeing the rest of your build. Thanks for posting!


Best, Mike

Thanks Mike, you are too kind.

Most of the time I find it easier and quicker to just go at it with a pig sticker but deep narrow housed mortises can present a problem with clearing chips and it is easy to bugger up the ends and sides clearing out waste. I've tried the drill press with Forstner bits without a lot of luck. I'm pretty happy with how a brace and bit works, I have much better control than with the drill press.

Take care,

ken

ken

[ken hatch]

I know you are probably halfway thru the project by now and all...

Something to consider.. A "Changing table" is just a good, wide, long table top that's the right size - and most importantly - the right height for changing little ones....

But it turns out that casework made to this same size and height is also optimal for many other tasks - such as being the top of a very useful dresser.... So don't be afraid to include plenty of drawers or making it out of nice looking wood or putting a quality finish on it...

For now - the drawers can house diapers, wipes, blankets, and piles of burp cloths.. But later they can be used for clothes.

And then when the little one gets older and doesn't need changing - make a matching mirror which can be mounted to the wall a over it or some such...

John,

Thanks for the heads up. Yeah, I'm it the fitting tenons stage. It's not long (if work allows} to glue up. I designed the table with a wide fairly deep drawer and a lower shelf to hold IKEA style wicker baskets. I plan on "blind pegging" the rail around the top so it can be removed with little trouble after a changing table is no longer needed.

ken

[ken hatch]

@Ken and John

I went a little nuts when I made my change table.

All hand cut M&T joinery, a bit of carving and amazing timber polished with shellac.
Australian Red Cedar, Red Gum shelf and Bhutan Cypress drawer sides/bottom/back.

387229
387230
387231

Stu,

Beautiful work. Mine is going to be painted Poplar, not in the same class :). Which BTW, one like yours would have taken until her H.S. graduation day for me to finish:o.

ken

[Bob Glenn]

I have used a forstner bit with a drill press to excavate mortises, but to guide the bit, I simply clamp a fence to the drill press table to get perfect alignment of the holes. I usually find it faster to just use a mortising chisel unless I have multiple mortises.

[Derek Cohen]

Derek,

Thanks for the hint. Poplar is very easy to work, while a "hardwood" it is light and soft. It makes a very good secondary wood or a good wood for a painted surface. My problem with Forstner bits and drill presses is just getting and keeping everything lined up. It is much easier with a brace and bit, just place the lead screw where you want it, check your alinement and turn the number of times needed to get your depth. Piece of cake or as my non native English speaking clients would say a sheet of cake.

ken

Ken, here's a strategy to try out. It's just an idea that occurred to me ...

Use your cutting/marking gauge to score a deepish line through the exact centre of the mortice outline. Now you should be able to set the point of the forstner bit in this line, and it should aid in keeping the holes lined up when using a brace. If using a drill press, always use a fence against the rear of the board, and a clamp to hold the board to the fence.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Charles Guest]

I drill and pare but use a Stanley 59 dowel jig as a guide. Takes about ten seconds to get everything set and then you can drill very overlapping holes that you could not do without the jig. This saves on paring time and the sidewalls look great. Besides that, you'll never end up with a mortise a few degrees off vertical. You can peek under the jig and move it down the mortise by just the right amount as you drill out. It's quiet too, you can mortise any time of night and not wake anybody up with mallet work.

Stanley Handyman auger bits fit the dowel jig's bushings perfectly. Other brand auger bits are slightly oversized from their nominal dimension and will not fit the bushings.

[Steven Mikes]

Ken, I used poplar to build my bed frame. I did the mortises with a hand-held cordless drill and forstner bit (I do not have a drill press) and cleaned them up with a regular chisel afterwards. Seemed to go pretty quickly.

[Zuye Zheng]

We just had our first daughter and a "changing table" was my first project for her, its pretty much a dresser with an open area for quick access to diapers. We were thinking crib at first but coincidentally the number of mortises on that scared me away. It was in hard maple, through mortises were hand-held drilled with a forstner bit and chiseled out. I usually use a smaller bit to leave a good chunk of sidewall to give the chisel something to bite onto on both sides to prevent twisting.

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[David Eisenhauer]

Nice, nice, nice ZZ. I like the subtle details that show off quality work to those that know what they are seeing. Functional, elegant, understated and eminently practical.

[ken hatch]

Ken, I used poplar to build my bed frame. I did the mortises with a hand-held cordless drill and forstner bit (I do not have a drill press) and cleaned them up with a regular chisel afterwards. Seemed to go pretty quickly.

Steven,

I find a brace and Jennings auger bits give the most control with the least amount of monkey motion. I like Poplar for work that would otherwise be Pine, around here good pine is impossible to find.

ken

[ken hatch]

We just had our first daughter and a "changing table" was my first project for her, its pretty much a dresser with an open area for quick access to diapers. We were thinking crib at first but coincidentally the number of mortises on that scared me away. It was in hard maple, through mortises were hand-held drilled with a forstner bit and chiseled out. I usually use a smaller bit to leave a good chunk of sidewall to give the chisel something to bite onto on both sides to prevent twisting.

387273

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387275

387277

387281

I agree with David, beautiful work and design.

ken

[ken hatch]

Ken, here's a strategy to try out. It's just an idea that occurred to me ...

Use your cutting/marking gauge to score a deepish line through the exact centre of the mortice outline. Now you should be able to set the point of the forstner bit in this line, and it should aid in keeping the holes lined up when using a brace. If using a drill press, always use a fence against the rear of the board, and a clamp to hold the board to the fence.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Derek,

Most of the time I find it easier and just as fast to grab a pig sticker and just have a go at it. Because these were deep and narrow I went with drill and pare and frankly I'm pleased with both the speed this time and the quality of the mortise. I do mark the center with a TiteMark but with a brace and bit it was a little overkill. I'm embarrassed to admit this is only the second or third time I've used a brace and bit, always before when I've drilled and pared I've use the drill press with Forstner bits. Why? Mostly because I didn't think of doing it with a brace and bit. The drill press is a machine, it has to be faster and better :D. Ain't so chip breath, this old dog has learned a new trick.

ken