One too many woodworking gurus ruins the mortise

[Tony Wilkins]

(Feel I should preface this observation with the fact that my health has meant I’ve watched much more woodworking than I’ve accomplished personally.)

Though I know there are a few on here who’ve gone through apprenticeships and more that have tradition training on one sort or another, I think a lot of us hobbyists have learned through watching videos or maybe going to these famous woodworkers schools. Phil Lowe popped up on my YouTube and I watched a video on him making/instructing a mortise and tenon. While I know he’s better at this than I’ll ever be, while I watched him pare down the side of the tenon because the chisel wasn’t quite wide enough I was yelling in my mind, ‘NO! That’s not how you do it!” The first videos I watched said you make the mortise from the chisel size and everything follows and is sized from that. His technique obviously works and I’m sure well but it conflicted from my world (wood) view.

I notice a lot of that on forums. Folks dying on hills of doing things the way they were taught and not open to/learning from other ways of doing things.

Now to watch Mr Lowes’ video on dovetails. Sure hope he doesn’t do pins first!

[Tony Zaffuto]

(Feel I should preface this observation with the fact that my health has meant I’ve watched much more woodworking than I’ve accomplished personally.)

Though I know there are a few on here who’ve gone through apprenticeships and more that have tradition training on one sort or another, I think a lot of us hobbyists have learned through watching videos or maybe going to these famous woodworkers schools. Phil Lowe popped up on my YouTube and I watched a video on him making/instructing a mortise and tenon. While I know he’s better at this than I’ll ever be, while I watched him pare down the side of the tenon because the chisel wasn’t quite wide enough I was yelling in my mind, ‘NO! That’s not how you do it!” The first videos I watched said you make the mortise from the chisel size and everything follows and is sized from that. His technique obviously works and I’m sure well but it conflicted from my world (wood) view.

I notice a lot of that on forums. Folks dying on hills of doing things the way they were taught and not open to/learning from other ways of doing things.

Now to watch Mr Lowes’ video on dovetails. Sure hope he doesn’t do pins first!

Ah, but Tony, this is the internet, where everyone is an expert!

There are a few things I know about, but do not post about them anymore, because of the Mama basement jockeys, that have watched a few videos and are now self-proclaimed experts, that have told me I was wrong.

[mike stenson]

Are you taking about the "The Art of Woodworking - Episode 3: Mortise and Tenon" video?

[Tony Wilkins]

Are you taking about the "The Art of Woodworking - Episode 3: Mortise and Tenon" video?

Yes. And it was late so I was a bit sleepy when he talked about the how and why of why he set his gauge the way he did.

[Jim Koepke]

There is more than one way to cut a mortise.

Find what works for you and ignore the detractors.

jtk

[mike stenson]

Yes. And it was late so I was a bit sleepy when he talked about the how and why of why he set his gauge the way he did.

Cool, there's a work issue that I was asked to look at that made NO sense. So I figured that this would be a better use of my time for the next little bit :)

"If I'm chopping mortises by hand, I like to make the mortises a bit wider than what my mortise chisel is going to be. So that I can come back and straighten the wall of the mortise"

See, if I did that.. I'd just cause errors.

[Charles Guest]

Ah, but Tony, this is the internet, where everyone is an expert!

There are a few things I know about, but do not post about them anymore, because of the Mama basement jockeys, that have watched a few videos and are now self-proclaimed experts, that have told me I was wrong.

Drill and pare.

If you lay your mortise length out to be a multiple of the auger bit you're going to use (say 1/4"), and you can almost always do this from a design perspective, then you can mark the mortise across at quarter inch intervals with a pencil, make a dot by eye in between each line, drill on the dot and you'll end up with perfectly spaced holes and resulting "scallops" every time that are easily removed in a couple of strokes with a wide chisel -- perfect occasion for a chisel ground and honed at a lower angle -- high teens low twenties. I think they're easier to control for these cuts and they have a tendency to back up and dive less in the cut. You don't want the chisel to lead-in since you'll end up with an unintentionally bell-bottomed mortise. Otherwise you may find yourself fighting a 35* chisel rather than taking smooth, easy paring passes.

Most people who start out drilling and paring end up boring themselves into a corner where the last few holes fall into ones already bored and they give up in frustration. It's quick and easy to mark them as I am suggesting and then your bored holes are perfectly spaced every time and leave very small scallops to be pared away. It's faster, quieter, and easier on the old elbow and forearm. If you're 18 years old and indestructible feel free to ignore.

[Warren Mickley]

I have watched Phil Lowe work before. He is a good craftsman and a good teacher. However I think he has made mortises by machine for most of his life.

Lowe has been a craftsman for over forty years, but it looks like he learned to make hand mortises by watching youtube. For traditional work we would usually make a mortise as deep as possible, in this case maybe close to 1 1/2 inches deep in a leg that is 1 3/4 or 1 7/8 square. And making a mortise to the size of the chisel is more precise and faster.

I used to bore and pare when i was young, but in 1978 Daniel O'Hagan taught me to mortise just using a chisel and riding the bevel. I never made a mortise my old way again. I do bore and pare for large mortises, like those an inch wide or more, like timber framing or Oak window frames.

[Mike Allen1010]

Ah, but Tony, this is the internet, where everyone is an expert!

There are a few things I know about, but do not post about them anymore, because of the Mama basement jockeys, that have watched a few videos and are now self-proclaimed experts, that have told me I was wrong.

Tony don't let the basement Jockeys get you down and deprive the rest of us from your insight!! Most Neanders can easily tell the difference between someone like you who speak from personal experience of actually doing something and Basement jockey who just saw it on Utube. ON behalf of the BJ's - All is forgiven come back - the water is great!

Cheers, Mike

[Gary Focht]

I watched Phil’s video and then went out to my shop to make a test mortise and tenon. Chopped mortise, marked and cut tenon, pared shoulders, and trimmed tenon cheeks with chisel. Put tenon into mortise and it fit perfectly. Pieces were perfectly 90 degrees to each other in all directions. Could not find the seam between the shoulder and mortised piece with my fingernail. Perfect fit. Perfect alignment.

I have never repeated that in the one year since. ☹️ But I’ll keep trying.

[Tony Zaffuto]

Tony don't let the basement Jockeys get you down and deprive the rest of us from your insight!! Most Neanders can easily tell the difference between someone like you who speak from personal experience of actually doing something and Basement jockey who just saw it on Utube. ON behalf of the BJ's - All is forgiven come back - the water is great!

Cheers, Mike

My knowledge is more in metals than wood!

T