How To Cut Large Through Mortises

Please watch: "Making a Nakashima Inspired Live Edge Trestle Dining Table"
In this excerpt from the Nakashima Inspired Dining Table Project I share my technique for cutting large through mortises.

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[blakeeves]

Great video, thank you for taking time to walk through step by step.

[GaisaSanktejo]

Thank you for sharing how you mortise thick timber, It was thanks to you and @amyaaronwilliams that I learned how to effectively and efficiently cut mortises in 4" thick timbers without breaking the bank!
I didn't quite go to teh same scale as you on making my jigs though, what I have for a workshop is very limited, but I managed to create a mortise guide/jig with my router, its guide and a pair of quality squares.
I'll DEFINITELY be adopting the same method as and when I need it in the future!

[GuysShop]

Very cool very precise way of making those huge ass mortises Matthew!

[chipmcnally]

Wonderful stuff. Tell us about your sled.

[rodrigoify]

Long and complicated way to cut a medium sized mortise. Nice watching some of the techniques though.

[KaliBlaz]

holly shit dude you got a lot of time on your hands, why don't you use a mortise drill? you could have done that in 5 minutes, routers to cut mortises are a pain in the rear.

[philliphaessig]

Since you are using a piece much bigger going into the mortise then you could have just screwed the jig to the working piece on the inside as the holes would be covered. Fill in with filler and no one would see it.

[HBSuccess]

Sorry MM -you lost me on this one. Listen to your viewers -the comments are right-on.

Jigs are efficient for repetition - but they're a waste of time and energy (and a source of frustration) for only a couple cuts. Jigs have to be tested on scrap - by the time you're done doing that I'd have 3-4 mortises cut by hand. For that kind of simple through-mortise the jig is for doing 20 - not 2.

Now if I had enough mortises to justify the jig and a router - then I'd use a guide collar and a long spiral bit in a plunge router. Use a downcut spiral bit and no scoring or pre-drilling required at all. I'd build the jig around an actual tenon- offset for the collar with some gauged spacing material - no measuring .

BTW - when I was young and foolish I built timberframe /post and beam structures and we had to hand cut furniture-accurate mortises in 6x6 and 8x8 timbers with limited time and limited tools. We used a port-align drill guide/ 1/2" drill, a utility knife to score the cut - and a sharp slick to dress the sides back to the line. Fast and accurate. Sometimes - no generator (this as years before reliable battery tools) - so we'd just score them and cut the whole thing with the slick if necessary.- it took a few minutes but nothing ridiculous.

[IvanOooooooze]

What a novel idea, thanks for posting!

[suburbanhobbyist]

I don't know man. Was it really worth it to build such a complicated jig? In this instance it doesn't make sense for me. A beginner I think would stand a better chance going with the drill press and then the chisel. Or just an up spiral bit from the get go and then chisel to clean up. If you have to use a guide then why not just a straight edge clamped for that specific edge and then clamp for next edge. Just seems like a lot of time and work. If I were beginning I might lose interest! Still, thanks for the video!

[calinvlad]

Still, why not use a router right away? Use a mortising bit, have the left and right limits for the router set and off you go. I did it this way whether was through or not and it worked. Just saying ...

[Tobydigital]

Good video. You need to turn your mic sensitivity down. It's kind of annoying when all I hear is your spit sloshing around in your mouth!

[jamesmcintyre]

Thanks for sharing your expertise. Are you sure your clamps are large enough to hold your jig together while you glued it up? To those wondering why you didn't use a chisel to make the mortises, did they ever try to make multiple large mortises with a chisel? It is possible, very rewarding, and takes a lot of practice. Your way is the most efficient.

[dondonaldson]

Just a slight clarification, router bit bearings are identified as if the bit is hanging in the router. "Top bearing" has the bearing close to the collet shoulder, and bottom bearing is at the end away from the router bit shaft. Nice build of the table Matt, your videos are well detailed. Thanks for sharing.

[oldarkie]

Why make a jig and still cut most out manually? Get a bearing bit with plunge router and be done with it.

[edwardlozano]

Excellent video. You are very thorough and concise. I used a moritser and was looking for a good way to show off through-tenons. This is it.

[makiveli]

Part of wood working is having the correct tool for the job.
Get a benchtop mortisser and save yourself the trouble.

[tomdavies]

Mallet, chisel, marking gauge... done.

[trep]

I have chopped a mortise or two but I don’t have router so I rely on some bits and good chisels.

[matttafakt]

You're wasting so much time .. Build an adjustable jig or buy one dude