Hand Cut Mortice & Tenons - Fall 2011

By hand....

Developing this class formalized our (or rather Jim's) thinking on cutting mortices by hand. The notion of tool slaving (using sets of hand tools of the same dimension together - 1/4 mortice chisel with a 1/4 plough plane) can quickly form strong and accurate joinery is compelling. 

Mortice chisels really do a good job of chopping a mortice quickly - may be just three end to end passes. Tenon saws do a great job of creating the tenon. The router plane and the shoulder planes make quick work of clean up. 

Need to make your own pins? A batoning chisel and a dowel plate work remarkably well.