Replies

1. 
   _mj_ | Nov 15, 2020 05:02pm | #1

   They are just hollow mortising chisels w/o the center bit. I use the ones from my HCM with a wooden mallet to clean up corners all the time. You can get 'em cheap on ebay.

2. 
   john_c2 | Nov 15, 2020 05:06pm | #2

   The specific one from that video is a square hole punch from Lee Valley. Drill a hole 3/64 smaller than the punch size, leave the bit in the hole as a guide for the punch, and whack the punch to start the square hole. I love the Lee Valley brad point bits for this. No one makes a better brad point bit.

   There are other ways, as MJ points out. But this is where that specific product comes from.

3. 
   fivebirdscustom | Nov 15, 2020 05:54pm | #3

   Rockler has them...

   They have a specific wooden handle that holds them so you can wail away, too.

4. 
   Beasley7 | Nov 15, 2020 06:43pm | #4

   Here is a link to the Lee Valley square punch. I have several, they are awesome.

   https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/hand-tools/punches/65380-square-hole-punches

   They also sell sharpening tools for the punch, which I also highly reccomend.

1. 
   brandtman | Nov 15, 2020 08:12pm | #5

   Thank you so much for the link. Very helpful. Regards from down under.👴🏻🇦🇺

5. 
   geedubbee | Nov 15, 2020 09:00pm | #6

   +1 on the Lee Valley / Darrell Peart punches. I have hollow chisel mortise chisels and a shop made handle . This served me well for many years but, these were never readily available in a wider range of sizes. The Lee Valley product solves this issue.

1. 
   brandtman | Nov 15, 2020 10:27pm | #7

   Thank you most appreciated.🇦🇺👴🏻

6. 
   lat_axe | Nov 16, 2020 04:13am | #8

   You'll notice, though, that those Lee Valley square punches are in Imperial sizes only. This is a nuisance to the civilised world, which has been metric for, oh, ages and ages. I believe the retention of the Imperial within North America (the continent) is a secret hankering to be once more ruled by King George, despite everything. (He couldn't be worse than you-know-who, after all). :-)

   In Oz, there may still be similar clots of Imperialists still hoisting a Union Jack and happy with them Lee Valley square punch sizes. The others will have to go looking for the metric ebay old mortise machine chisels, as suggested by another poster. These are less expensive and you get a drill bit thrown in.

   ******
   But how to make the square plugs to fit the square holes, whatever size one makes them? Once I employed a drum sander but it was overkill really. Now I have a wee plane on stilts that does the job. (You set the stilt height and plane over a stick until you can't anymore). It came out of a chopstick-making gubbins but you can buy it without the chopstick jig.

   https://www.leevalley.com/en-gb/shop/tools/hand-tools/planes/block/110041-bridge-city-hp-8-thicknessing-block-plane?item=17N1630

   Veritas and Lie-Nielsen have other methods and tools involving scrapers. For example ......

   https://www.leevalley.com/en-gb/shop/tools/hand-tools/scrapers/69877-veritas-string-inlay-scraper?item=05P3210

   Meant for making inlay but works on thicker stock too, this. It doesn't care if one has a King George fetish or a preference for the Napoleonic dimensions.

   Lataxe

1. 
   brandtman | Nov 17, 2020 02:48am | #10

   Thank you very much. We share similar humour as well. 😉🇦🇺👴🏻

7. 
   john_c2 | Nov 16, 2020 06:06am | #9

   Agreed that sticking with imperial measurements over metric is ludicrous. It just defies logic. But for pegging tenons or breadboard ends, the exact size just doesn't matter at all. 1/4, 6mm, whatever.

   If it makes you feel better, the only thing that is universally metric in the US is alcohol. Except beer. Wine, vodka, bourbon, et al are all sold in metric. My theory is that, if we can get the drunkards used to the metric system, they can ease the rest of us into it.

1. 
   brandtman | Nov 17, 2020 02:50am | #11

   Covid and Lockdown may make an ongoing contribution to this debate. Thanks. appreciated. 🇦🇺👴🏻

8. 
   [email protected] | Feb 16, 2021 02:29pm | #12

   I have used my morticing equipment to square hundreds of holes but if I were to stare again I would buy the lee valley tool.However they do not sell square plugs. Forty years or so ago I had an instruction session with Leonard Lee,founder of Lee Valley.He suggested ripping ebony to quarter inch squars using a Makita 8 inch thin saw blade to conserve material.Then take the end of the 1/4 inch stick and rub it on sandpaper to round the end.If you want it polished put it on the buffing wheel.Then using one of the small aluminum miter boxes,cut off a piece about 3/8 long.Break the corners,add some cryo glue and tap it home.
   I have made well over 200 pieces of furniture and believe me even the slowest helper gets good at this.Make multiple sticke and do each step sequentially and you finish in no time