Woodworking Workbench - Mortise Layout
As with all of my hobbies, I take my time to research, read and watch how master of the trade work, what tools work best for them and how they came to certain conclusions. Then through trial and error I like to make up my own mind about what methods best suite me. I rarely take one persons’ viewpoint as gospel.
There maybe hacks and cheaper alternatives to buying the correct tool, but when you’re marking and chopping 8 mortises through 3 1/2” lumber it’s just easier to make an investment.
Tools used:
Marking Knife (Exacto knife works fine for me)
Combination Square
Ruler
Mortise marking gauge
Here are the steps to mark out the mortises:
Set the mortise marking gauge to the width of the chisel - this is a very key point!
Set the mortise gauge to mark the centre of the work piece
Mark the top and bottom of the mortise (use a ruler and marking knife)
Using the marking gauge connect the those two lines to finish laying out the mortise
I experimented with various ways of chopping mortises and one key learning was the use of a mortise chisel to chop out deep mortises. Rob Cosman emphasizes the use of very specific tools and in this case he was spot on. However, I’d retry Paul Seller’s technique using a bench chisel for a future project that doesn’t require a deep mortise.
A second tool/technique was the use of a mortise marking gauge. I figured with some math and perseverance I could use a standard marking gauge, but it took far too long and wasn’t precise - especially when I had to make out 8 of them; actually 16 because I had to mark them on both sides of the workpiece.
There is a common saying in the wood working community: Knife lines are better than pencil lines. This is definitely a case where that rings true. These lines helped me register my chisel for accurate and crisp cuts.
Once I got into the grove, it took me less than an hour to mark out all 16 mortises with knife lines. With the guesswork eliminated, I confidently moved onto the next task of chopping.