Morticing the easy way

[derekcohen]

As much as I enjoy hand tools, chopping mortices into Jarrah is not one of the fun times. I now prefer a router, but more recently I have come to recognise the value of a Domino ... although not the way that Festool intended the machine to be used

Anyway, recently I built two beds, which I have just got back to. Having completed them, I discovered that they were 40mm too long and too wide! Duh ... after many measurement checks!



Obviously this meant pulling them apart and shortening the lengths and widths. I started yesterday.

The head-and foot board leg joinery is loose mortice-and-tenon. 110mm long x 10mm wide. This was made fairly easy with a Domino machine. The loose tenons were sized on a jointer/thickness-planer, and then rounded over on a router table. All wood is Jarrah. The aim was for an exact fit.

I am really appreciating the extra bench top space afforded by the new MFT table (yes, the Veritas hold down, although it is sized for a 19mm dog hole works very well on a 20mm dog hole) ...



I made a small positioner to mark the centre of the domino, and plunged for the outer ends ...



Then complete the mortice by nibbling away the centre section ..



Tight fit in the rail ..



Tight fit in the post ..



This was taken during the build, and how the legs are once again ...



Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[gvega9889@gmail.com]

Love that Jarrah wood!  I still have a couple hundred bdft that I brought back to the States after working there for 3 years starting up the Worsley alumina plant back in the mid-80's.  We visited Perth often, eating the fine food around Hayes Market.