Our favorite mortising jigs
The Fine Woodworking staff shares some of their favorite mortising jigs covered in the magazine and website.
Learn how to build a versatile jig to cut mortises in three ways using a router. Michael Fortune first created this ingenious jig to make clean and accurate mortises in curved pieces. He soon discovered that the jig works just as well in straight pieces and is flexible enough to use for end-grain mortising, such as for slip tenons. Fortune shares detailed information on building and using the jig. The article includes a project plan as well.
Create mortises with a plunge router with this universal jig by Philip Morley. The jig’s top moves in and out on runners, which makes positioning the mortises easy, and knobs lock down the top at the desired setting. A pair of sliding stops built into the top make it simple to set the length of a mortise.
There are plenty of ways to cut mortises, but in Bob Van Dyke’s shop and in the classes he teaches, a plunge router with a router box is the go-to method. With this simple process, a plunge router with a fence cuts the mortise while riding on top of a three-sided box that holds the stock. Here he shows you how to make the box and how to use it.
The jig is easy to build and works beautifully. —It’s important to support and guide the plunge router as it cuts. A jig goes a long way toward providing the necessary support, ensuring a well-cut mortise. The jig Jeff Miller uses is very simple, with just three wooden parts: a body, a spacer strip, and a guide strip.
Whether it’s for bed hardware or floating tenons, mortising long boards isn’t easy. In this video, Ben Strano demonstrates how to make a simple one-time-use jig for mortising the ends of long boards.
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