Building a Trestle Table, Pt 2: Marking & Mortises

In this second video, I spend a lot of time going over the measuring, marking, and layout most YouTubers gloss over, even though it's easily one of the most important stages of any project. Then I show you how I've cut my mortises up until now, which is to say, with a drill press and chisels.

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*I can't seem to find the 150mm one that I have on Amazon, but it's the one that I have.

[patfinnerty]

I could not agree more with your reluctance to share your design I thank you for not only showing your work but the process. Great videos.

[TerryLambert-wn]

The thing is, I learn from you. Covering what you're doing, why you're doing it, and under what circumstances your approach is altered gives me a base of knowledge that would take many years to develop on my own. I agree with you about not sharing your designs. For one thing you did an excellent series on design. Lazy toads trying to take the easy way rather than learning how to design!

[anthonyelder]

Hand tools!!! SO satisfying! I absolutely love your videos. Thank you!

[JamesWilliams-enos]

I really enjoyed this one, RC. I lay out and cut my mortise and tenon joints in much the same way as you do, with minor differences only. I picked up a couple tips that I am looking good forward to trying on my next build… I gotta get one of those Incra layout squares! As for not sharing your proprietary software, etc, good for you. It’s yours! I like to get inspiration from other folks’ builds, not just duplicate someone else’s designs. I’m looking forward to the next idea in this series.

[eddiebratley]

First video I've seen of yours and subscribed. Really enjoyed this and especially talking about making your measurements and how you do them, thats information that i struggle to get from books and it being visually explained here is what i was after. Thank you

[brigetteanderson-atkins]

Thank you for explaining how the bevel does not need to actually be on the side of the mortise you are marking. When I first started woodworking I was so anal about where my bevel was when making any marks. It drove me crazy and was so difficult to do. It frustrated me so much that I almost gave up on the craft.

[dirdick]

Great explanation of layout technique and reasoning behind why you work white oak the way you do. This will be a great help on my next build.

[davidsmethurst]

Thanks for the emphasis on marking. Apart from jount marking I have screwed up a few times by not marking my parts and their relationship to each other. Like cutting a joint on the wrong face or shortening a sized part thinking it was the cut-off. Nowadays my parts end up covered in pencil. Having an organised workspace with enough surface to stack parts logically helps a lot.

[anthonyseiver]

Just finished a two day mortise and tenon course that was a mix of hand and machine tools. Still picked up a lot of tips from this video.

[mattelias]

R.C., this is a great tutorial for this segment of the table. Up front, I'm a subscriber and 'bell-ringer' person, so my next statement isn't intended to troll or... whatever, and I do agree with your belief about selling plans. What I'd like to suggest is that saying, "This is mine, and copying is bad because you're taking my potential money" (paraphrase?) sounds kinda d**kish. On the other hand, you did say something to the effect of, "Take what you see here and make it your own." That sounds like a woodworking guru on a mountain giving sage advice. You just need a flowing gray beard now.
If you want to further monetize this channel, I've noticed that you are an exceptional teacher who explains - in detail - everything you're doing, AND you also provide the "why" of it. Total gold there, R.C., and you're giving it away. If you put this kind of thing into a paid video course, there's some more money. The free YT content could then just be cut-down versions for people who like to watch the process more than sitting taking literal notes.
Again, long winded but totally supportive and hoping this massive comment finds appreciation!

[deerndingo]

1. You have a very professional channel. The videos are well structure, well edited and topical. You are a good presenter. Q? Correct me if I'm wrong, but you seem to working in a double garage. What do you do with you cars. I'd love to take over the garage, but I have no solution for the two cars.

[lysywoodwork]

Love your work, maybe one day i will make somethink similar

[FearsomeWarrior]

I have the Woodisgood 12oz and am curious if you’ve tried the 18 or 20o? I don’t need it but curious if you had a preference for weight and how much you have to swing to impact the amount you want.

Hope your subscriber count continues to grow and you have incentive to continue for a long time. I would miss you.

[jason.b]

Only speaking for myself here, but I wasn't looking for detailed plans or measurements of any sort. I just wanted a rough sketch/drawing of what you're shooting for in the end. I've learned over time I'm a Global Learner, as such I find it very difficult to follow along if I don't have a decent Idea of what the object is going to look like in the end. No mind, I'lll just wait for the series to end, scroll to the end to see the finished product, then start with watching this episode.

[maplegeek]

Hey I'm a big fan of your videos. Keep up the good work. Just curious, what's wrong with your WEN sander?

[anthonyelder]

Also, what on earth was that sound at the 1:45 mark???

[ronhochhalter]

You deserve a round of applause for putting your foot down, and not giving into the angry mob. I might be overstating this situation, but it's become a trend for many woodworkers to feel that it's acceptable to copy other people's work. Potentially because free information is so easy to obtain on this platform. I've watched this mindset grow over the past 10 years where it's fashionable to be part of a socialistic makers movement. You you talk positively about my work and I will do the same for you, you give my post a thumbs up and I'll give your post a thumbs up, and we can all make merch like little stickers and trade them over the Internet so we can be the cool people, with the cool tools. Heaven forbid anybody say anything negative or give constructive criticism about our work, not conforming or agreeing with the group majority is considered trolling. We can all live in this happy little socialistic paradise where we trade all of our ideas and nothing has any value because in order for your creativity to be noticed, it must be accepted amongst the content creators who get the most views and the most likes. Whom their faithful followers have deemed them the insignificant title of an influencer. Well I guess I have become an old man clutching his fist at the clouds.

[MikeAG]

Hiding the edge of a mortice isn't the principle purpose of a shoulder, or set of shoulders. They are actually the strength of the joint. A bare-faced tenon (ie without shoulders), is far more prone to wracking. Obviously, as you showed, the location of the shoulders in hand-tool work is the critical the length of the piece, as it would be in machine work. Instead of your Incra tool-marker-thingy, a pair of dividers would have done the job of marking the distance-from-centre perfectly. Without seeming to be too critical, transferring marks, rather than transferring measurements, is the principle with setting out for hand-tool work. All that measuring you did in setting up the mortices is something joiners are taught to avoid.
Anyway, I love your channel. Your natural manner in front of the camera is very appealing. I'm not a fan of your designs at all, but that's irrelevant.