Replies

1. 
   Danford_C._Jennings | Feb 24, 2002 08:35pm | #1

   *
   Erik,

   Actually, most I know make their mortises (me included) about 1/16 to 1/8 deeper than the tenon length any ways. This will allow a space for the excess glue to go. In my view, it is much more critical that the cheeks and shoulders have a tight and accurate fit. I don't see where "packing" the mortise with saw dust would hurt...FWIW.

   Dano

1. 
   erik_andersen | Feb 24, 2002 11:15pm | #2

   *Hi, Dano - thanks, for your response, but I think you mis-understood my question. The tenons all are about 1/16" shorter than the mortise depth; this is not what Im asking about. It's the shoulder-to-shoulder dimension of the tenon that is smaller than the long dimension (length) of the mortise. You indicated in your post that it's critical to have a tight fit - what should I do? Will a mixture of sawdust and glue (perhaps epoxy) help?

1. 
   Link_Van_Cleave | Feb 24, 2002 11:58pm | #3

   *Erik, just make a piece of venner and glue to the tenon on the top and bottom of the cheeks. Then recut for a proper fit. Packing with saw dust will not help the strength if your joint is loose. The other thing you could do is use epoxy for the loose joints. This you could thicken with wood flour to fill gaps and it is very strong in this situation. Epoxy likes a thick glue line unlike amost all other glues. Having a tight fit in the way you describe, (if I am understanding you right ) is not that important except for alingment and if the glue line fails on the mortice cheeks you would have better mechanical strength with a good fit top and bottom. Many people use routers and slot mortisers to make rounded ended mortises. The round tenons don't always fit that perfectly and a lot of people don't even try. The reason is that it is end grain glueing anyway so not that much strength is lost due to a poor fit. Just make sure you have to tenons cheeks fitting nicely and add a piece to the top and bottom if you need it to be tighter in that way. Hope I have understood your question and helped to answer it.LVC

1. 
   erik_andersen | Feb 25, 2002 12:28am | #4

   *LVC: Thanks, this helps! Im glad to hear that the error isn't critical. Based on your input, I've concluded that I don't need to worry about it. The cheeks fit snugly against the mortise sides, and there's lots of cheek-surface area for glue. I used a drill press and chisel to do the mortises, and I took the time to square the ends off. The tenon cheeks were made on the tablesaw, and the shoulders were cut (sloppily) using a hand saw, until I realized I could also do the shoulders (and much more accurately) with the tablesaw (It was a temporary brain-freeze). Perhaps in the future I won't even take the time to square the ends of the mortise holes.Thanks! Now, back to my drawer-runner design . . . such fun!I just noticed the "gallery" - I'll have to post some of my work-in-progress photos after I get the film developed!