Mortising Jig

[user_8311967]

I'm looking for a mortising jig that would be good for loose tenon joinery. Does anyone have reccomendations?

[Don]

Hey, user and welcome to the forum. The mortise pal looks like a well thought out jig and you would probably enjoy it. I'm sure there are a lot of similar jigs out there as well for mortising.

My question to myself on stuff like this is, how often am I going to be using it? If I'm in business and I make loose tenons all the time then this little part is not going to fill the bill of high production. It will be simply a matter of time before you or someone hits the edge with bit and it will be all over with.

If you are going to use it once in a while, or you only have a specific project in mind. I would save the money or at least spend it on the best plunge router, collars and bits I could afford.

It is very easy to make jigs for plunge routers, and very quickly. I've made hundreds and never even used a collar. Let's say you want to make a slot 1/2" x 2" long. You've got a great plunge router and bit. Get a piece of 1/2" plywood an 1-1/2" x 3" bigger than the diameter of your router base (assuming it's round) Then "border" the plywood with 3/4" x 1/2" strips of scrap, simply pin nail to one of the faces. The router should then be able to move back and forth within that recess an 1-1/2". Pin this to a spoil board, plunge and route out the bottom of the plywood.

There, now you have your cutout and you're not even using a collar. The beauty of this is that you can accidentally hit the cutout with the bit and not ruin the jig. Now it just a matter of positioning over your workpiece, fastening and routing. Multiple cuts on similar size parts and you'll want to tack scrap to the bottom of the jig to aid in repetitive positioning.

If you (or anyone else) want a better explanation, let me know and I'll post a sketch.

All the best, Don

[Don]

Hey, Guys. Here is a sketch of the jig that I described above, please post any questions.

http://www.internetcp.com/gallery/data/503/route.jpg

All the best, Don

[Dagster]

Wow, Don has a sketch for everything imaginable!!!

Do you sketch these out on demand or do you keep a folder of ideas?

[Don]

From the, "feeble mind" files.

dawjr

[Domer]

I have a Router Wizard that is made in Kansas City. I bought it at the Kansas City Woodcraft store.

It is really slick. It is a edge guide on steroids. It makes mortises for loose tenons very easy and quick. It is very repeatable and set up time is quick. It is all I use for mortise and tenon joints.

I make the loose tenons with my tenon jig. Since I almost always use 3/8" mortises, cut a lot of tenons at once and just cut them to size on my band saw.

It is also great for making dados. If you have long enough straight edge, you can cut both sides of a panel at once and they match perfectly. In addition, you can use any size bit that is smaller than the dado and the stops let you adjust the width so you don't have to have special bits.

It sounds like I own the company but I only wish I did. It is a great tool.