I'm going to Woodcraft Saturday. I think I'll see about picking up a mortising chisel. The 3/8" costs $47. I've always got a bunch of scrap 2x4s that'll be perfect for practicing. I might be 70, but I don't consider myself too old to learn something new. In fact, I've always lived by the old adage, "If the day goes by that you don't learn something new, it's a wasted day." Thanks, James.
Went in to Woodcraft. They had the Sorby chisels in that morning and a single person came in and took all of them. Aaaarrrrgggghhhhhh!!!!!! I placed my order and paid for it. It'll be there when next I get in.
I work on Hammond Organs. These were extremely expensive and considered high-end mass-produced furniture in their day. My earliest organ is a 1937 model, and I have been trying to figure out how they made their mortises: there are pencil marks on the stretchers, indicating they had not moved to a purpose-built machine yet. I have no doubt they used mortising chisels. I have also been trying to figure out how to replace a stretcher - two tenons, one mortise - for about 8 years. Now I know exactly how to tackle this problem. Thank you!
Live and learn, indeed. I started chopping mortises when I was ten years old. How I am 66, and watching this video I realised how it should be done properly. Thanks a lot for it👍
Extremely simple, very easy to follow. I used to think I just needed conventional wood chisels, but now I will definitely buy a couple of mortising chisels.
ok James, love your video's. Please consider adding closed caption to them so old, and I mean old woodworkers like myself can follow when we cannot hear the words. Thanks BobT
The only saving thing without Closed captions, is that you face the camera and enunciate very well. I do not usually subscribe to channels that do not turn them on..
We were talking about planes and chisels at work the other day. As always it comes down to the ability to sharpen the tool which seems to be a lost art for many!
I learned way more in this video than I thought I would. I've had this exact chisel in my shop but always used a bench chisel for mortises. No wonder I found it so time consuming. Thanks for posting.
Wonderfully clear. Just tried my first mortise earlier today, got lots of room for improvement but I was still really happy, Can’t wait to see how much better it would be with a mortising chisel.
ya i remember when i first got a mortising chisel and was in awe of how clean the sides came out because of the squared sides on the chisel. just have to keep it perpendicular to the piece and keep all your chops parallel. easy peasy
Paul Sellers has a good video on how to use a bevel chisel to cut mortices. He says a mortice chisel is best but if you only have a bevel chisel his method works really well. Obviously you don't get the extra guidance that a true mortice chisel gives so it takes a little longer to get a good result but if you only have a bevel chisel...
Have seen many videos about chopping morteses but nobody has said it so simple and "tasty". I understand now how important are the correct chisels. Thanks
Ok... I just ordered a mortiser a few days ago, and now I am planning to return it unopened. For my uses, it seemed like overkill, but I was not getting the results I wanted. Now I know that I was using chisels not meant for the task. All I need is a dedicated chisel or two?... You just saved me a good chunk of change. Next time, could you post the video *before* I order the expensive tool I don't need? All that requires is an ability to see a couple/few days into the future. Should be easy enough, right? Seriously though, many thanks for this and all the other tips. Love the channel!
Depends how many mortises you have to cut and if you do them on a regular basis. My mortiser stands fairly idle these days, as I am sort of retired. But it is there when I need it and takes out a out of the slog from the days when I cut all of them by hand
Quick and to the point! I feel like maybe you could have been a bit more detailed with cleaning up the bottom of the mortise, but I’m sure most people will be able to figure that out pretty easily.
Apparently, the flat sides on narex chisels are not at right angles to the flat face of the bottom of the chisel they are tapered allowing the chisel to twist, some manufactures say this is a feature that prevents the chisel from jamming in the mortise.
Would you consider making a video on hand cutting mortises larger than the chisel you have? Thanks for all of your education. My hand tool game exists because of you.
I am in my first year as a woodworker. I've been a carpenter by trade since my early 20s. It is so clear that you not only are a wealth of knowledge but a passionate woodworker! Thank you for the content you create! And the website is legit sir. What a wonderful resource you have created to share with all of us! Dying breeds? Nope. Keep it alive!
Thanks for this tutorial. M and T is one of those joints that has always scared me to try, so I have gravitated towards dowels. This looks like something I think I could do with a bit of practice.
Wow, that's pretty impressive how quick and easily that went. I definitely would have done that wrong, too, if I had tried. (Would have tried chopping out at an angle). Definitely agree that your explanations are great and easy to understand. I'll have to keep my eyes peeled once garage sales start again... I don't do enough woodworking (or really, any fine hardwood woodworking) to justify buying a new mortising chisel but I could definitely see having one around the shop would be useful by opening "mortising" as a reasonable way to connect pieces.
I have used a 1/2” mortising chisel to hand cut mortises up to 2” wide and 2 1/2” long on a table whose legs were thru tennons and wedged. Takes more time and some care but it did great.
I have the one quarter in. to 1 in. I love them my wife bought them for Christmas and they sharpen with great edge. do not have a mortising chisel and will soon add to my tools @ 70 years old . Tom from Canada.
I will concede that doing one or two mortises and tenons is faster for some, even most woodworkers than setting up a router jig. However, it is NOT faster than fixing the mortise or tenon because my hand-eye alignment was less than perfect when I cut it by hand. So for me, in the end it's unlikely to be faster. That's the main part of why I use power tools and spend inordinate amount of time setting up jigs and templates to guide those tools. And so far, it's allowed me to avoid buying a mortise chisel. I'm not a professional and there are competing demands on my limited money. It's me, Stumpy. It's not you at all.
Marking and cutting a mortise this way was my second ever woodworking lesson at school when I was 10, the first lesson being how to use a tenon saw. To hold the wood on the bench we put all four of our workpieces on it side by side then hopped up and sat on them. It never occurred to us, of course, that we had been supplied with nicely planed wood. I wonder how many schools these days would supply 10-year-olds with mahogany for a first project.
I saw a practice piece of wood being used on the channel "See Jane Drill." It's called a "Gottshall block" perhaps you could do a video about it. I believe it would help us new guys in using chisels of different types without wasting a bunch of scrap wood. Thanks for the upload.
I just got my first set of proper mortising chisels for Christmas. I'm really looking forward to chopping a mortise with them! Their Narex, too, like my bench chisels. Mortising with my bench chisels is *not* fun.
Great video. Im from Costa Rica. I have a question. What is better to begin as a woodworker guy? Track saw or ciecular saw?do you have any video that i can check? I always learn something new from your chanel. 💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼
Thank you sir! I just stumbled upon some antique Ulmia morticing chisels and grabbed them. Thank you so much for this tutorial, it helped me the most.💯/💯
I was always taught to drill out the waste with a brace and bit, then chisel out the waste keeping well away from the ends. The ends are the last thing to be cut out. Sorry that's showing my age a bit as some younger readers may not use a brace and bit. Excellent video once again. I always learn something from them
This is an awesome tutorial! Thank you for this video! I am terrible at mortises and I think this will really help me! The proper tool is as always key! Thank you!
Your tutorials are easy to comprehend because of your articulation and introduction of the tools that are required for the task at hand. You make learning fun and interesting! Thank you for all you do!
Saudações. Excelente vídeo, que me ensinou algumas diferenças importantes entre os formões. Este canal é excelente nos detalhes técnicos e aprecio ver os vídeos. --- Greetings. Excellent video, which taught me some important differences between chisels. This channel is excellent in the technical details and I enjoy watching the videos.
That seems a lot easier than the bench chisel, why dont other wood workers talk about them ? Now I am not so apprehensive about doing mortises. Let me go order my mortising chisel!
My man, I always use regular chisels for mortising, I'll save some money for a narex set on Amazon since I cannot find mortising chisels on my hardware stores near my small town
You explain things so well, James. I'm yet another of your viewers about to go into the shed and give this a try. I think I even have an inherited mortise chisel. Many thanks.
yea, what's with the Billy beer? I noticed it a few videos ago. It looks to be standing a little taller in the coozy in this video than the last one. I wonder if Stumpy thinks we didn't notice before so he's making it easier to see :) I remember my dad had a six pack in the garage when I was a kid, just last week I noticed one in my customer's curio cabinet.
Thanks James! I really enjoy your videos. Can you please tell us the brand of apron you are wearing with all of your tools while you were mortising? I see it starts with a "B" but can't quite make it out.
I usually do my mortise with a drill press or on the router table. I went did some hand mortises with a regular chisel. Did the job but wasn't really satisfied with my mortises by hand. So I got the 3/8" Narex mortising chisel for $18 through Lee Valley. Was a huge difference doing a mortise with a mortising chisel verses the regular chisel. Less money verses the $76 Veritas, $47 Sorby or the $55 Hirsh. I didn't see this video till after I got my Narex mortising chisel. They're a good mortising chisel. One question though, Have you compared the differences between the brands. Even though I only plan on doing 3/8" mortises, I plan on getting more sizes in the Narex brand. Narex is a good chisel for the price, no doubt.
It's actually very satisfying to do this. And old mortising chisels are quite easy to find second hand, as most people don't know what they are, and throw them out. And one more thing, they can be used for other things except cutting mortises. Maybe not for everyone, but i have used them a lot for wood turning. I don't have an official bedan. but the big mortising chisel works the same way. and it's heavy enough to be stable. heck, that's how i got started turning, and i still reach for the mortising chisels to quickly make things round. You probably should not try that at your place. but for me, it works.
Amazing tutorial! I've never taken on the "true" task of making a "hand-made" mortise. James, your video excites me to the point of spending more money (wife cringing in background). I'm off to purchase a true mortising chisel. I can't wait to give this a go - just for fun! Who knows, there may be a new project in my future where my "practicing" can be seen as if a true, well practiced, woodworker had passed through my shop! Thank you so much! Now, what about those hand-crafted tennons? Is there a shoulder plane in my future? LOL
Friggin brilliant James! Great explanation and example. When you see it, it's bloody logical, but without that insight it was damn frustrating. Gotta get me a mortising chisel. As always, thatnk you James - stay blessed and regards, Mark (South Africa)
That may be the clearest explanation I've ever heard of the mortising process. The way I was taught (in what seems a 100 years ago now) was to start in the middle of the mortise by chopping a V and working outwards. I am NOT saying this is THE method, in fact I think I like your method better. Just that (like everything else) there are many methods to accomplish the same outcome. The other thing is that perversely, it is easier chopping wider mortises with a mortise chisel than smaller ones. By easier, I mean more consistent. Thank you.
I just tried this with an ordinary 10 mm wood chisel. A bit of effort but it got easier by the second one and now I'm confident I can hand make a tenon (with my japanese pull saw) and a mortice with my plain ordinary wood chisel. And yes, it is satisfying!
Wow, I'll have to try that method next. I'm working on a timber frame chicken coop, and have come to realize that drilling out the mortise first isn't really helpful.
My eyes watched your lesson. My brain absorbed a lot (but I can rerun this video) Now if my eyes and brain will communicate with my sausage fingers, I might be able to make an octagonal mortise that doesn't come close to resembling your craftsmanship. Thank you for another valuable class! (And who says on-line classes don't work! )
Watched this for the fun of it and liked it, I just finished chopping mortises in a window sash I am making. Yes, I can mark and cut faster than any setup on a machine. No need to buy a set of chisels, you typically only use two sizes in most work. Practice makes perfect, so I practice more.
Thanks for this video. I am starting a job next week as a carpentry and joinery tutor and I am watching videos like yours to brush up on my skills as I have not worked as a carpenter/joiner for some time. I found your video very good. Thanks.
Thanks!!! thanks for the explanation. I made small coffee table last month and i looked at it as experiment to use and improve hand skills ( I'm new to it) i chose to make it with mortise and tenons, i used my chisels set ( Narex) very comfortable set, but the mortises didn't go as expected i finished the table so it hard to notice they didn't go as expected, but after watching Rob Cosman video and techniques if mortising i bought 2 mortise chisels, and after your explanation it is much more clearly technique!!!
I tried using a chisel for a mortise and made a mess. However, after watching your video it all made sense. It was easier and enjoyable. Thank you for sharing!
I appreciate the tips, but for me and my shop, we use the hollow chisel mortiser I picked up for $150. On a more serious note, thank you please keep up the great content.
If you're going to do a hand cut mortise and only have bench chisels, always start by drilling out most of the waste in the center. The next step is to remove the waste from the side walls then worry about the front to back of the mortise. Yes more steps are involved but to do it right and not totally ruin a piece, that's the only method I've found without having a mortise chisel that works.
Thank you very very much for this really great video! So far I didn't know how fast and exact it is to make a mortise by hand! Greetings from Germany, Robert.
I'm going to Woodcraft Saturday. I think I'll see about picking up a mortising chisel. The 3/8" costs $47. I've always got a bunch of scrap 2x4s that'll be perfect for practicing. I might be 70, but I don't consider myself too old to learn something new. In fact, I've always lived by the old adage, "If the day goes by that you don't learn something new, it's a wasted day."
Thanks, James.
That's the trouble with you young blokes, impetuous. (I've two years on you, if that makes you feel better.)
77 AND ORDERING MY NEW SET OF EIGHT!
Thanks guys. I'm 64 and thought it was too late for me. Taylor Tools, here I come.
Well said words of wisdom!
Went in to Woodcraft. They had the Sorby chisels in that morning and a single person came in and took all of them. Aaaarrrrgggghhhhhh!!!!!!
I placed my order and paid for it. It'll be there when next I get in.
I work on Hammond Organs. These were extremely expensive and considered high-end mass-produced furniture in their day. My earliest organ is a 1937 model, and I have been trying to figure out how they made their mortises: there are pencil marks on the stretchers, indicating they had not moved to a purpose-built machine yet. I have no doubt they used mortising chisels. I have also been trying to figure out how to replace a stretcher - two tenons, one mortise - for about 8 years. Now I know exactly how to tackle this problem. Thank you!
Live and learn, indeed.
I started chopping mortises when I was ten years old. How I am 66, and watching this video I realised how it should be done properly.
Thanks a lot for it👍
It's always a pleasure to watch a skilled craftsman at his trade!
Extremely simple, very easy to follow. I used to think I just needed conventional wood chisels, but now I will definitely buy a couple of mortising chisels.
ok James, love your video's. Please consider adding closed caption to them so old, and I mean old woodworkers like myself can follow when we cannot hear the words. Thanks BobT
The only saving thing without Closed captions, is that you face the camera and enunciate very well. I do not usually subscribe to channels that do not turn them on..
Auto generated captions have come a long way since this comment was written.
Damn. Kick ass tutorial! I now have to buy even more Narex chisels!
We were talking about planes and chisels at work the other day. As always it comes down to the ability to sharpen the tool which seems to be a lost art for many!
You gotter practise
I learned way more in this video than I thought I would. I've had this exact chisel in my shop but always used a bench chisel for mortises. No wonder I found it so time consuming. Thanks for posting.
Wonderfully clear. Just tried my first mortise earlier today, got lots of room for improvement but I was still really happy, Can’t wait to see how much better it would be with a mortising chisel.
ya i remember when i first got a mortising chisel and was in awe of how clean the sides came out because of the squared sides on the chisel. just have to keep it perpendicular to the piece and keep all your chops parallel. easy peasy
I think that's the best tutorial I've seen on this topic, thank you.
Very good explanation
Thank you for your very helpful video. I'm in Malaysia and yr tutorials are really beneficial. I did my first mortise and I'm really pleased.
Thanks, that was very helpful. Great to see how this approach was used on a real project.
All I can say is thank you!
Paul Sellers has a good video on how to use a bevel chisel to cut mortices. He says a mortice chisel is best but if you only have a bevel chisel his method works really well. Obviously you don't get the extra guidance that a true mortice chisel gives so it takes a little longer to get a good result but if you only have a bevel chisel...
This makes it look so clean and easy compared to my attempts haha. I will see if next one goes better with more proper technique
Have seen many videos about chopping morteses but nobody has said it so simple and "tasty". I understand now how important are the correct chisels. Thanks
Ok... I just ordered a mortiser a few days ago, and now I am planning to return it unopened. For my uses, it seemed like overkill, but I was not getting the results I wanted. Now I know that I was using chisels not meant for the task. All I need is a dedicated chisel or two?... You just saved me a good chunk of change. Next time, could you post the video *before* I order the expensive tool I don't need? All that requires is an ability to see a couple/few days into the future. Should be easy enough, right? Seriously though, many thanks for this and all the other tips. Love the channel!
Hey! Don’t encourage him to delay. I wanna see these as fast as he can crank them out
Depends how many mortises you have to cut and if you do them on a regular basis. My mortiser stands fairly idle these days, as I am sort of retired. But it is there when I need it and takes out a out of the slog from the days when I cut all of them by hand
Quick and to the point! I feel like maybe you could have been a bit more detailed with cleaning up the bottom of the mortise, but I’m sure most people will be able to figure that out pretty easily.
Apparently, the flat sides on narex chisels are not at right angles to the flat face of the bottom of the chisel they are tapered allowing the chisel to twist, some manufactures say this is a feature that prevents the chisel from jamming in the mortise.
Great content. Really useful for someone having problems cutting mortises with standard chisels.
Would you consider making a video on hand cutting mortises larger than the chisel you have? Thanks for all of your education. My hand tool game exists because of you.
Fantastic tutorial. You just took all of my angst out hand cutting mortises.
Paul Sellers has an amazing video on cutting mortises
Paul Sellers cut a mortise with a bevel edge chisel and got a smoother, more finished looking surface than that made by the mortise chisel.
I am in my first year as a woodworker. I've been a carpenter by trade since my early 20s. It is so clear that you not only are a wealth of knowledge but a passionate woodworker! Thank you for the content you create! And the website is legit sir. What a wonderful resource you have created to share with all of us! Dying breeds? Nope. Keep it alive!
Thanks for this tutorial. M and T is one of those joints that has always scared me to try, so I have gravitated towards dowels. This looks like something I think I could do with a bit of practice.
Great job and excellent information James, thanks for sharing with us. 👍👍👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Wow, that's pretty impressive how quick and easily that went. I definitely would have done that wrong, too, if I had tried. (Would have tried chopping out at an angle). Definitely agree that your explanations are great and easy to understand.
I'll have to keep my eyes peeled once garage sales start again... I don't do enough woodworking (or really, any fine hardwood woodworking) to justify buying a new mortising chisel but I could definitely see having one around the shop would be useful by opening "mortising" as a reasonable way to connect pieces.
I have used a 1/2” mortising chisel to hand cut mortises up to 2” wide and 2 1/2” long on a table whose legs were thru tennons and wedged. Takes more time and some care but it did great.
Great information - Thanks
WOW! You made that look easy, I will be adding to my list of skills to learn. Will be picking up a mortising chisel soon. Thank you.
The Narex mortise chisels are tapered. The tip is more narrow than the shaft. I assume the tip determines the width of the mortise.
Thank you very much
I had a pair of narex chisel maded in old chekoslovakia and they cut like a katana.
I can endorse what James says about Narex chisels, they are very good and really affordable. Regards Jim UK
I have the one quarter in. to 1 in. I love them my wife bought them for Christmas and they sharpen with great edge. do not have a mortising chisel and will soon add to my tools @ 70 years old . Tom from Canada.
Hi Jim, where do you get them in uk if you dont mind me asking?
Thank you
You're too good! Taylor is already sold out of the 1/2" (12mm) Narex mortising chisels.
That was shown and explained very well thanks!
Agree
I will concede that doing one or two mortises and tenons is faster for some, even most woodworkers than setting up a router jig. However, it is NOT faster than fixing the mortise or tenon because my hand-eye alignment was less than perfect when I cut it by hand. So for me, in the end it's unlikely to be faster. That's the main part of why I use power tools and spend inordinate amount of time setting up jigs and templates to guide those tools. And so far, it's allowed me to avoid buying a mortise chisel. I'm not a professional and there are competing demands on my limited money.
It's me, Stumpy. It's not you at all.
Nice job. Thanks.
I cut all of my mortises with a mortise chisel, it's faster. Even sold off my hollow mortise machine because I stopped using it.
Fantastic! Thank you.
Great tutorial. As a follow up I'd be interested in type's of mallets or hammers that are used for striking chiesel's. Thank you.
Marking and cutting a mortise this way was my second ever woodworking lesson at school when I was 10, the first lesson being how to use a tenon saw. To hold the wood on the bench we put all four of our workpieces on it side by side then hopped up and sat on them.
It never occurred to us, of course, that we had been supplied with nicely planed wood. I wonder how many schools these days would supply 10-year-olds with mahogany for a first project.
Thank you
One more point may be that by leaving that 1/8 inch margin at each end you are able to lever without damaging the ends of your mortise. Nicely done.
In a future video. Could you show and explain the difference types of wood chisels. I looked at the link and saw chisels that I’m not familiar with.
I sort of did that in this video, didn't I?
Brilliant tutorial containing great advice. Thank you Stumpy Nubs.
I love my pantorouter. ❤
I saw a practice piece of wood being used on the channel "See Jane Drill." It's called a "Gottshall block" perhaps you could do a video about it. I believe it would help us new guys in using chisels of different types without wasting a bunch of scrap wood. Thanks for the upload.
I just got my first set of proper mortising chisels for Christmas. I'm really looking forward to chopping a mortise with them! Their Narex, too, like my bench chisels.
Mortising with my bench chisels is *not* fun.
I've only just come across your videos. You are a natural educator and an excellent teacher. Thank you for making your videos!
Fantastic tips, man! Thanks a lot! 😃
Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊
Great video. Im from Costa Rica. I have a question. What is better to begin as a woodworker guy?
Track saw or ciecular saw?do you have any video that i can check? I always learn something new from your chanel.
💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼
Thank you sir! I just stumbled upon some antique Ulmia morticing chisels and grabbed them. Thank you so much for this tutorial, it helped me the most.💯/💯
I was always taught to drill out the waste with a brace and bit, then chisel out the waste keeping well away from the ends. The ends are the last thing to be cut out. Sorry that's showing my age a bit as some younger readers may not use a brace and bit. Excellent video once again. I always learn something from them
The chisel method has been around for hundreds of years as well.
This is an awesome tutorial! Thank you for this video! I am terrible at mortises and I think this will really help me! The proper tool is as always key! Thank you!
You make this look so easy. The only time I cut a mortise by hand, it took me at least 30 minutes, not the two minutes you took. Neat!
Your tutorials are easy to comprehend because of your articulation and introduction of the tools that are required for the task at hand. You make learning fun and interesting! Thank you for all you do!
Saudações. Excelente vídeo, que me ensinou algumas diferenças importantes entre os formões. Este canal é excelente nos detalhes técnicos e aprecio ver os vídeos.
---
Greetings. Excellent video, which taught me some important differences between chisels. This channel is excellent in the technical details and I enjoy watching the videos.
thank you very much, this was extremely informative!
That seems a lot easier than the bench chisel,
why dont other wood workers talk about them ? Now I am not so apprehensive about doing mortises. Let me go order my mortising chisel!
My man, I always use regular chisels for mortising, I'll save some money for a narex set on Amazon since I cannot find mortising chisels on my hardware stores near my small town
You explain things so well, James. I'm yet another of your viewers about to go into the shed and give this a try. I think I even have an inherited mortise chisel. Many thanks.
Showing off your Billy Beer at the end there...
I just noticed you have a can of Billy beer! Atter years of watching is this the first time I've noticed!
yea, what's with the Billy beer? I noticed it a few videos ago. It looks to be standing a little taller in the coozy in this video than the last one. I wonder if Stumpy thinks we didn't notice before so he's making it easier to see :) I remember my dad had a six pack in the garage when I was a kid, just last week I noticed one in my customer's curio cabinet.
Maybe I should make a couple koozies that look like a can of Billy beer
Great video, just ordered a decent mortise chisel for my table project where I need to do this in hardwood. Now to get it done!
Thanks James! I really enjoy your videos. Can you please tell us the brand of apron you are wearing with all of your tools while you were mortising? I see it starts with a "B" but can't quite make it out.
Thank you so much, really crear and useful! Stefano
Whose mortising gauge would you recommend?
Good morning. Have you made a video on how to make tenons by hand? Great video.
There are no links in the description to the other videos you talked about
Loved this tutorial!! Heading to the shop as soon as my mortising chisel arrives!
I usually do my mortise with a drill press or on the router table. I went did some hand mortises with a regular chisel. Did the job but wasn't really satisfied with my mortises by hand. So I got the 3/8" Narex mortising chisel for $18 through Lee Valley. Was a huge difference doing a mortise with a mortising chisel verses the regular chisel. Less money verses the $76 Veritas, $47 Sorby or the $55 Hirsh. I didn't see this video till after I got my Narex mortising chisel. They're a good mortising chisel. One question though, Have you compared the differences between the brands. Even though I only plan on doing 3/8" mortises, I plan on getting more sizes in the Narex brand. Narex is a good chisel for the price, no doubt.
CONSISTENTLY a fine and fun learning experience from a presenter who is CONSISTENTLY a fine and fun teacher.
Learned something new, once again. 🇬🇧
It's actually very satisfying to do this. And old mortising chisels are quite easy to find second hand, as most people don't know what they are, and throw them out. And one more thing, they can be used for other things except cutting mortises. Maybe not for everyone, but i have used them a lot for wood turning. I don't have an official bedan. but the big mortising chisel works the same way. and it's heavy enough to be stable. heck, that's how i got started turning, and i still reach for the mortising chisels to quickly make things round. You probably should not try that at your place. but for me, it works.
Thanks Stumpy, I have been woodworking for 30 years, I did not know about mortising chisels.
Amazing tutorial! I've never taken on the "true" task of making a "hand-made" mortise. James, your video excites me to the point of spending more money (wife cringing in background). I'm off to purchase a true mortising chisel. I can't wait to give this a go - just for fun! Who knows, there may be a new project in my future where my "practicing" can be seen as if a true, well practiced, woodworker had passed through my shop! Thank you so much! Now, what about those hand-crafted tennons? Is there a shoulder plane in my future? LOL
Look behind you .., you are not the man
Friggin brilliant James! Great explanation and example. When you see it, it's bloody logical, but without that insight it was damn frustrating. Gotta get me a mortising chisel. As always, thatnk you James - stay blessed and regards, Mark (South Africa)
That may be the clearest explanation I've ever heard of the mortising process.
The way I was taught (in what seems a 100 years ago now) was to start in the middle of the mortise by chopping a V and working outwards. I am NOT saying this is THE method, in fact I think I like your method better. Just that (like everything else) there are many methods to accomplish the same outcome.
The other thing is that perversely, it is easier chopping wider mortises with a mortise chisel than smaller ones. By easier, I mean more consistent.
Thank you.
I just tried this with an ordinary 10 mm wood chisel. A bit of effort but it got easier by the second one and now I'm confident I can hand make a tenon (with my japanese pull saw) and a mortice with my plain ordinary wood chisel. And yes, it is satisfying!
Wow, I'll have to try that method next. I'm working on a timber frame chicken coop, and have come to realize that drilling out the mortise first isn't really helpful.
My eyes watched your lesson.
My brain absorbed a lot (but I can rerun this video)
Now if my eyes and brain will communicate with my sausage fingers, I might be able to make an octagonal mortise that doesn't come close to resembling your craftsmanship. Thank you for another valuable class! (And who says on-line classes don't work! )
Watched this for the fun of it and liked it, I just finished chopping mortises in a window sash I am making. Yes, I can mark and cut faster than any setup on a machine. No need to buy a set of chisels, you typically only use two sizes in most work. Practice makes perfect, so I practice more.
What an incredibly well done tutorial. As a cabinet maker I am thoroughly impressed
Thanks for this video. I am starting a job next week as a carpentry and joinery tutor and I am watching videos like yours to brush up on my skills as I have not worked as a carpenter/joiner for some time. I found your video very good. Thanks.
Thanks!!! thanks for the explanation. I made small coffee table last month and i looked at it as experiment to use and improve hand skills ( I'm new to it) i chose to make it with mortise and tenons, i used my chisels set ( Narex) very comfortable set, but the mortises didn't go as expected i finished the table so it hard to notice they didn't go as expected, but after watching Rob Cosman video and techniques if mortising i bought 2 mortise chisels, and after your explanation it is much more clearly technique!!!
Is that a Billy Beer?
Can you make a video what is the best way to make dowels
Terrific video. Extremely clear and helpful. I'm going to give my router a break.
I tried using a chisel for a mortise and made a mess. However, after watching your video it all made sense. It was easier and enjoyable.
Thank you for sharing!
So for 3/4 stock need 1/4 in chisel
I appreciate the tips, but for me and my shop, we use the hollow chisel mortiser I picked up for $150. On a more serious note, thank you please keep up the great content.
If you're going to do a hand cut mortise and only have bench chisels, always start by drilling out most of the waste in the center. The next step is to remove the waste from the side walls then worry about the front to back of the mortise. Yes more steps are involved but to do it right and not totally ruin a piece, that's the only method I've found without having a mortise chisel that works.
Thank you very very much for this really great video! So far I didn't know how fast and exact it is to make a mortise by hand! Greetings from Germany, Robert.
Digging a hole in wood with a sharp bar will cause a man to drink any “cold one” he can get his hands on, even one from 1977! 😉
james what size should i use on 3/4