One more mortise

ByPaul Sellers

There is a thing about mortise cutting and chisel edges that matters. Robert Sorby mortise chisels (and most others) arrive with a micro-bevel on the cutting edge. In the pre 80s no chisel arrived with anything more than a ground edge. I think it’s a silly thing to send chisels out with honed edges, but that’s just me. It’s no big deal and it helps people get going straight away. But I do think it’s a silly thing to send out a mortise chisel with so small a cutting edge as that.

 

 

This would be a better size really. Good, strong and it takes less than 5 seconds to do.

 

 

 

 

I use a macro camber and so I changed the manufactured edge to suit me. It takes two minutes to create and it will now be maintained for the life of the chisel.

 

Oh, and I also make sure the back is flat and polished straight off the bat, or slightly hollow if it comes hollow a little bit. 2,000 grit is plenty. No need for more for mortising. Even 2,000 is an overkill.

This chisel is really a fine chisel and has a 3-degree slope to each side of the chisel so it doesn’t bind in the mortise as you deepen. One thing. UK manifacturers compromise accurate measurements on the widths of chisels and describe chisels as being 13mm or 3/8″ but these two measurements are incompatible. using imperial measurements with metric is never accurate so one or the other or both will be compromised because the cater to two different continents with two different  national standards. Britain abandoned imperial back in the late 60’s, but retained its US market to supple imperial measurements on tools.

I still haven’t found a better chisel than a bevel-edged for motoring into the mortise though. Have fun!

 

4 Comments

  2. I am fascinated watching you work, thanks. I made your shooting board design, using your “not so poor man’s router”. I watched several other videos making variations on your design and found that when folks varied from your technique, it was surprising how much more difficult it seemed. It still took me a lot longer because I didn’t realize that my dovetail saw had a slight curve in the blade which caused a 1 to 2 degree error, twice :-(. Next will be that wonderful bench of yours, and I have a question. What is the theory behind the 1/2 inch mortise, which looked a bit thin to me, also, where can I find those vices you use? I don’t think Record sells in the states anymore, and the inexpensive QR vices seem to be unreliable. Also, I am sure an in person class with you would be best, but it is a bit far from VA and not in my budget at this time, so which would be the better alternative, your DVD or Book set?

    1. Sometimes I find in a world filled with instant information at the end of a click that people are more confuses than when they started. This gave me a burden to try to correct some of the imbalanced presentations but of course that doesn’t prevent me from giving my imbalanced perspectives too. One thing I know is that finding the balance is important for me. I may fight for it, strive for it but it is unlikely that we will ever see apprenticeships return to the world of woodworking in the way they once did. The next best thing has been craftsmen and women sharing from their personal experiences of what has worked for them. That’s what I try to do now. It costs to do that, but it means others can discover from your advice and experience. All that I do today is provide alternative teaching for an alternative aspect I call ‘lifestyle woodworking’.
      Record vises are made in Asia not the UK so you must buy one secondhand if you want the old quality of Sheffield UK Record of old. I would go for the vises made in the Czech Republic and sold at Veritas.

  3. I don’t care for the 3 degree slope on the side of the chisel.
    I prefer the sides to be parallel and square to the front.
    JIM

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