Japanese Garden Bench Mortising Jigs
atoma
| Posted in Jigs, Fixtures, Tips & Tricks on
Greetings,
I REALLY liked the recent article in FWW showing off the Japanese Garden Benchbench and purchased the plans for it. However, I am somewhat perplexed about making the two mortising jigs listed on page 40. Jensen says to use the router’s edge guide to cut the slots in the templates, but short of using a 7/8” strait bit (which I don’t have and have never seen), I am not sure how to cut these slots so that they are accurate enough.
Alternatively, I used 7/8” Forster bit to drill the rounded ends of each slot and then used a chisel to connect the holes, but this did not work well and I am not happy with the results.
Please help!!!
Thanks, ATOMA
Replies
Do you really need to rout the slots in one pass? You could use a smaller bit and make 2 passes -- one from each side with the same fence adjustment if the slots are centered, otherwise adjust the fence. The forstner bit sounds like a good idea, or you could use a rasp or file to get rid of the small amount of wood left between the ends of the 2 passes.
Jim
Good reply.. You have been thinking like a woodworker! And then again, I would say the thickness of whatever tendon does not matter depending on the stresses evolved. Think of trying to bash your head through oak or whatever through a breadboard 1/2 inch one and still come out alive,,,,,,,
EDIT: I for one think that Exact size does not matter that much... 1/3 of the stick shoud do...
Edited 5/20/2008 6:50 am by WillGeorge
A pair of these will allow blind slotting without risk. Any reasonable width or length ok too.
I think the techniques mentioned in the other replies are probably the best, but here's one more that will work (if you have a drill press): Use the Forstner bit to cut a series of overlapping holes the full length of the slot. Remove as much material with the drill as you can, so that all you're left with is very tiny little bumps on either side of the slot, which you can easily smooth with a file. If you space the centers of your overlapping holes about 1/8" apart, the little bumps will be only 0.005" high.
-Steve
Thank you all for your comments - I learned from all of them. I had thought about using a smaller bit and going at the slot a couple of times, but this would create a rectangle with rounded corners rather than an oval - splitting hairs, maybe.But the author was kind enough to answer my e-mail and he recommended purchasing 7/8 strait bits for $15 from Lee Valley. I did that, hoping that it would make it easier to rout out the slots. Besides, I am sure I can use this bit on other projects.Thanks all and make some dust.ATOMA
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