Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 17

Thread: Preferred Method for Cutting Mortises Wider than the Chisel

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    SoCal
    Posts
    866

    Preferred Method for Cutting Mortises Wider than the Chisel

    The title says it all. What is your preferred method for cutting a mortise that is wider than the chisel (no longer but wider.) Example: Cut a 3/4" wide X 3" long mortise with a 1/2" chisel

    Thanks, Curt

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Lubbock, Tx
    Posts
    1,490
    Quote Originally Posted by Curt Putnam View Post
    The title says it all. What is your preferred method for cutting a mortise that is wider than the chisel (no longer but wider.) Example: Cut a 3/4" wide X 3" long mortise with a 1/2" chisel

    Thanks, Curt
    From what I’ve read in multiple sources, it’s best to avoid that situation and go with either smaller mortise or a double mortise. Best would be to have a 3/4” chisel. But I haven’t come against this. If I did, I’d probably start on one side with your preferred mortise technique and then use the same chisel to take off the remainder.

  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by Curt Putnam View Post
    The title says it all. What is your preferred method for cutting a mortise that is wider than the chisel (no longer but wider.) Example: Cut a 3/4" wide X 3" long mortise with a 1/2" chisel

    Thanks, Curt

    Curt,

    A couple of options, both work and I expect there are others. One is to drill and then pare, it is not my favorite but it can work well. Another is to use a chisel that is smaller than half the size of the mortise. Make twin mortises then chop the middle. Which one I use depends on how large I can make the twin mortises.

    BTW, sometimes it is best to just make twin mortises if there is room.

    ken

  4. #4
    1/4" down both sides and then whack out the middle. Been there, done that.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Missouri
    Posts
    2,151
    What Ken and Chris said. Two 1/4” mortises and an easy clean up in the middle. Driving a 3/4” chisel thru some woods will give you a beating as much as you are giving it.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Longview WA
    Posts
    27,347
    Blog Entries
    1
    Quote Originally Posted by Curt Putnam View Post
    The title says it all. What is your preferred method for cutting a mortise that is wider than the chisel (no longer but wider.) Example: Cut a 3/4" wide X 3" long mortise with a 1/2" chisel

    Thanks, Curt
    My preferred method is to use a bigger chisel.

    Gonna Need a Bigger Chisel.jpg

    This 3/4" chisel was marked USN on the top and Winstead Edge Tool Co on the underside. It cost $3 plus tax at a second hand store.
    The 1/2" lock mortise chisel on the bench cost close to $70, with shipping from Great Briton, on ebay. Lock mortise or swan neck chisels are rarely seen in the wild.

    jtk
    Last edited by Jim Koepke; 08-10-2020 at 9:29 AM.
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Charlotte, MI
    Posts
    1,523
    I would bore them out then pare to my layout lines. It's quick and accurate.
    Your endgrain is like your bellybutton. Yes, I know you have it. No, I don't want to see it.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    SoCal
    Posts
    866
    Thank you gentlemen! Sonce I have 16 more of these suckers to do, I have chosen to drill and pare.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    South Coastal Massachusetts
    Posts
    6,824
    Good call.
    It will work, and you'll finish.

    FYI - you can chop mortices with regular bevel chisels.

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Matthews View Post
    Good call.
    It will work, and you'll finish.

    FYI - you can chop mortices with regular bevel chisels.
    Or firmer chisels, Narex makes some firmer chisels that work well for larger mortises

    ken

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    twomiles from the "peak of Ohio
    Posts
    12,120
    5/16" mortise..vs. 1/4" chisel..= "hopscotch"
    first cut to the left(or right) side, move a little bit, next chop to the other side....repeat until the other end has been reached. Clean out the chips, and repeat again, until the depth is reached. I then pare the sides with a wide chisel...1" or wider.

    Then, onto the next mortise....without having to leave the bench.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Williamsburg,Va.
    Posts
    12,402
    Not a problem once you have used a chisel enough to easily do accurate work with it. I have done 4",and even 6" wide mortises many times with a 1" or 3/4" chisel. PRACTICE !!!!!

    You can find yourself doing very wide mortises even on tavern size tables if you use the correct haunched mortise and tenon joints.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Dickinson, Texas
    Posts
    7,655
    Blog Entries
    1
    Or you could drill a hole and use dowel pins glued into the holes.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Apr 2017
    Location
    Michigan
    Posts
    2,758
    As George says, this is easy to do with a bit of experience. This project will get you there, however you should have more chisels. I'd drill first then then use 3/4" and 2"chisels. Might grab a 5/8" to rough it out.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Location
    Wayland, MA
    Posts
    3,655
    No one ever told me you were supposed to cut them all in one go, so I've just chopped them out alternating sides with a narrower chisel. A couple of time when I've tried doing a mortise the exact width of the chisel I've sometimes managed to wedge it pretty good. Having a little clearance actually seemed useful. Why does what I've been doing not work?

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •