Mortise is a rectangular hole cut into a piece of material, such as wood or stone, for the insertion of a corresponding tenon. Tenons are typically used to join two pieces of material together. This type of jointing is incredibly strong and used to join two large pieces of material together.
It is often used for making doors and windows, but it can also be used to make other types of joints, such as furniture legs or frames. Mortise and tenon joints are not only structural components, but they also provide an aesthetically pleasing look and can be used to give your projects a unique and classic look.
Additionally, mortise and tenon joints are often used to strengthen the connection between two pieces of material as an alternative to screws, nails and dowels.
How is a mortise chisel different?
A mortise chisel is a type of wood chisel specifically designed to cut mortises, which are slots that are cut into wood where two pieces join together. It differs from regular wood chisels in a few key ways.
Firstly, because of the depth at which a mortise must be cut, the blade of a mortise chisel is longer than a regular wood chisel and typically has a stepped shoulder to provide greater reach into the joint.
Secondly, the blade is thicker and wider than a typical wood chisel. This allows for a better cleanup of the sides of the mortise. Additionally, the point of a mortise chisel is more squared off and slightly angled to allow maximum purchase in the mortise.
Lastly, the blade itself has additional grinding to create a cutting edge that can handle the increased joint pressure that a mortise typically has.
What is the difference between a mortise chisel and a bench chisel?
A mortise chisel is a specialized woodworking tool used to create mortises, which are slots or recesses cut into the material. It has a thicker, heavier design than a bench chisel and typically has a blade width of 1/2 inch or greater.
The bevel angles of a mortise chisel are shallow and designed to withstand the pressure and force of the pounding force required to create the mortise. It is split into two parts, a blade and a handle, connected by a thin metal tang.
A bench chisel is a versatile and essential tool used for all types of woodworking projects. Its design includes a thin, rectangular blade with a steep bevel angle. These chisels are narrow in width with blades between 1/4 and 1/8 inch in size and are made for paring, chopping, and other delicate hand-tool tasks.
The blade and handle of a bench chisel can be either made from the same piece of steel or from two pieces connected by a thin metal tang.
How do you use a wood mortise chisel?
Using a wood mortise chisel requires several steps. To use the tool, ensure that it is sharp and securely held in place. Gently tap the beveled edge of the blade with a mallet onto the marked area. Apply even pressure and make sure there is no slipping for the best results.
As you progress, the material should loosen making it easier to chisel it. A mortise chisel should not be used to cut through a material, rather the wood should be chiseled out from a marked area. After the area is completely chiseled out, use a wood rasp or a file to remove excess material and smooth out the edges.
Can you use a mortise chisel in a drill press?
Yes, you can use a mortise chisel in a drill press, but it is not ideal nor recommended. Mortise chisels are hand-held tools, meaning that they’re made to be used with direct force and manual guidance.
While you can mount a mortise chisel in a drill press, it is not a good practice and can lead to safety issues as the spinning can cause the chisel to break or enter the spinning chuck of the drill press.
While this is possible with some modifications and special setups, it is better to just skip the drill press and use normal hand chiselling to create your mortise.
Do I need mortise chisels?
Whether you need mortise chisels or not depends largely on what projects you’re planning to take on. Mortise and tenon joinery is a classic style of creating strong joints and requires the use of a special type of chisel called a mortise chisel.
If you plan on doing a lot of joinery work, or creating furniture from scratch, you will likely need to invest in quality mortise chisels. If you’re only the occasional hobbyist, however, you won’t need a set of mortise chisels for occasional projects.
You can still get the job done easily with good-quality, standard chisels.
What are paring chisels for?
Paring chisels are special type of chisels that are designed for more precise and delicate work such as shaving off material to level surfaces, removing small amounts of material from inside corners or making decorative cuts.
They feature a sharp blade edge which makes them perfect for detailed work and larger bevels which give them more strength and durability than other types of chisels. The length and width of the blades vary depending on the size of the chisel, so you can choose the one that best suits your needs.
Paring chisels are often used in carpentry and other types of woodworking, but they can also be used on other materials such as metal or stone. They can help you create precise and intricate designs with control, allowing you to be creative with your project.
What are the 4 types of chisels?
The four main types of chisels are:
1. Firmer Chisels: These are the most common type of chisel, designed for heavy hammering, cutting mortises, and other tougher work. They typically have blades that are thick, heavy, and made from forged steel.
2. Paring Chisels: These are thinner and lighter than a firmer chisel and designed for more delicate work such for dovetailing, paring, and other fine jobs. They have thinner blades and can be used for intricate cuts and smoothly slicing away end grain.
3. Mortise Chisels: These are thick, long chisels designed for cutting mortises. Their blades are manufactured to stand up to tough jobs, but they give you better control over the wider blades of firmer chisels.
4. Skew Chisels: Skew chisels, also known as paring chisels, have an angled blade ground to an acute angle, allowing you to cut at angles and control delicate cuts. These chisels are great for detailing, fine paring, and working in tight spaces.
How many types of chisels are there?
Including: mortise chisels, corner chisels, firmer chisels, paring chisels, socket chisels, framing chisels, crown molding chisels, fishtail chisels, dovetail chisels, wood-turning chisels, butt chisels, keyhole chisels, carvers chisels, and mallet chisels.
Mortise chisels are commonly used for creating mortise and tenon joints, and feature a thick, rectangular steel blade designed for chopping straight into the surface of a material. Corner chisels have a distinctive angled head, specially designed for cutting and carving into curved, angled, or other hard-to-reach shapes.
Firmer chisels have a wide, rectangular blade that’s great for general-purpose chopping clean, straight cuts with a mallet. Paring chisels are smaller and thinner, with a pointed or sharp-edged blade, which are commonly used for cutting or trimming fine or intricate woodworking details.
Socket chisels have a similar head design, but feature a deeper, open socket to provide a more secure grip with the mallet. Framing chisels are much thicker than other chisels, and capable of working with heavier woods so you can make dovetailing and craft timber framing joints.
Crown molding chisels are smaller and feature a notched or curved blade design, specialized for cutting and shaping intricate trims and moldings. Fishtail chisels look a little like a curved dovetail chisel, but have a flattened back and curved tip that’s good for general-purpose and intricate carving.
Dovetail chisels feature a V-shaped blade for making dovetail joints. Wood-turning chisels have particularly long and slim blades, designed for easily cutting and shaping turnings on a lathe. Butt chisels are simple, smaller, and great for basic carving and cutting jobs.
Keyhole chisels have an S-shaped blade design, which is perfect for cutting out interior, channel-shaped details. Carvers chisels are much heaver with a curved blade tip, and ideal for large scale woodcarving tasks.
And finally, mallet chisels, which have broad, flat head and heavy-duty steel shaft perfect for driving into the surface with a mallet.
Which chisel is used for dovetail joints?
For creating dovetail joints, most woodworkers prefer to use a dovetail chisel. A dovetail chisel has a narrower blade than other chisels and is angled along the blade, ideal for creating clean, precise lines in the interlocking joint.
It is designed with a tapered blade that narrows towards the top and has a finely sharpened cutting edge. With this type of chisel, it is easier to create the angular slots necessary for a dovetail joint.
The blade is also held at a relatively flat angle, ensuring less tear-out of the wood fibers at the ends of the joint. It is also very important to use a sharp chisel, because a dull chisel can easily cause excessive tear-out and glance off of the wood, rather than make a clean cut.
When used properly, a dovetail chisel can help create dovetail joints that are both beautiful and strong.
Which tool is used to cut a mortise?
A mortise is most commonly cut using a mortising machine, which is a specialized woodworking machine that is designed specifically to create accurate and quick mortises. The machine consists of a cutting head mounted on a motor and column.
It is lowered onto the work surface and is then moved in a direction perpendicular to the grain. A bit is mounted in the cutting head and is driven by the motor to create the mortise. In modern mortising machines, the bit is often replaced with a specialized chisel-shaped cutting head to minimize tear out of the fiber surrounding the mortise.
Other tools that can be used to cut mortises include drill press, router, chisels, and even hand saws.
How do you mortise by hand?
Mortising by hand can be a time-consuming and labor-intensive task, but it is also highly rewarding and can result in a precise and clean joinery. A few basic tools are required, including a wide chisel, a hammer, a hand saw, and a marking gauge or marking knife.
First, you will need to measure the length, width, and depth of the mortise in order to mark the perimeter. Mark the perimeter of the mortise with a marking gauge or marking knife and carefully score the lines with a hand saw.
Next, use a wide chisel to make a shallow cut along each side of the mortise perimeter. Make sure that the chisel is held perpendicular to the work piece and strike with a hammer to make a deeper cut.
Keep making shallow cuts and then striking with the hammer until the mortise is at the desired depth. When the mortise is nearly complete and to the desired depth, use a chisel in the final cuts to give the mortise an even and clean appearance.
Once the mortise is complete, keep the chisel square with the work piece and strike with the hammer to give the mortise a slightly rounded edge. You can also use a fine file to further smooth and refine the edges of the mortise.
By doing this process by hand, you can get a precise fit for a joinery that will last for decades. This can take time and practice to master, but in the end, you will be rewarded with a beautiful piece that you have created from start to finish.
Should you cut the mortise or tenon first?
The answer to this question depends on the material and size of the joint you are creating, as well as the tools or methods that you are using. Generally, creating the tenon should come first because it is the easier task, and the tenon is the part which will be most subject to tear-out and fatigue.
By starting with the tenon, then creating the mortise to fit the size and shape of the tenon, you can ensure that the joint will fit properly, and that the fit is secure.
When using hand tools, it is easier to create the tenon first as the accuracy of hand tools requires very precise measurements. Using a router and template is also more reliable when starting with the tenon as the template needs to be created to the exact size of the tenon for an accurate fit.
When using power tools, such as a plunge router, it is often easier to begin with the mortise. By having the exact measurements for the mortise, greater accuracy can be achieved as the plunge router can be set to a certain depth.
Once complete, the tenon can be created to fit the exact size and shape of the mortise.
In conclusion, the choice of whether you should cut the mortise or tenon first largely depends on the specific joint being created, and the tools and methods you are using.
What is the rule of thumb for the thickness of a tenon?
The rule of thumb for the thickness of a tenon is that it should be 1/3 the width of the material it connects. For example, if a tenon is connecting two boards of 1-inch thick wood together, the tenon should be 1/3 inch thick.
When creating a tenon for larger boards, the thickness should be increased to 1/4 the width of the material to help ensure a strong, durable bond. Also, the length of the tenon should be at least two times that of its width.
For instance, with a tenon that is 1/3 inch thick, then the length should be at least 2/3 inch.
