Chiseling mark out lines-how to deal with chisel push back?

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Tetsuaiga

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When using a marking gauge to make your layout marks, if you use a chisel directly on these lines I find the line gets pushed back slightly away from the beveled side.

How do people you overcome this? I was looking at the marking gauges that use a knife as then you should be able to increase your depth using it.

Maybe another option is to do your chiseling in two stages, one set of lines inside the line then a second after. That seems like quite a bit of extra work if it can be avoided I would rather.
 
Always chisel in front of the line and work your way back. Or lightly tap on your line, take a slither of wood off and tap along the line again. Wood squashes, its what it does :)
 
The very last cut you make with the chisel is in your marking out lines. Prior to that, you just sneak up on it. Here's a couple of photos from last week:

Ekbz3E6.jpg


WDbZZk1.jpg


From that point, I generally keep on halving the gap to the marking lines until there is less than 1mm left, then set the chisel in the line. That way, your last cut will have virtually no resistance on one side of the line, and the chisel will stay on the line without being pushed back into it by its bevel.
 
Are you chiselling out a joint or just cutting the groove for a saw cut?

Regardless of what you're doing a cutting gauge is well worth having. Buy cheaply (there's no point in getting an expensive one) or make your own. If you have a suitable scrap of steel for the blade in your bits 'n' pieces box and the simplest model is chosen making one can be the work of a single evening.
 
Thank you for the replies, i think the answer was fairly obvious now I see your responses.

I'm making a morticer that has itds length going across the grain, but think I'd like to use the technique in other ways also.

Is a cutting gauge us different to a marking gauge? I use one of the veritas ones which has a wheel but you can't cut very deeply in with that.
 
I'd just say again, it's not your gauge that is the issue, it is your chiseling technique. The gauge line doesn't have to be deep.
 
I often do the following - If you can mount the piece level with bench face; usuually in the vice or whatever - I use as wide a chisel I can, placed in the groove you've made with the marking gauge/cutting gauge. Then bring a square block of wood up to it; meaning you've brought it up to the line, then clamp that down, which forms a guide. This means you can't push it back and when you chop down, the mortice walls stay square.
I still do what everyone else does - creep up on .
Hope that helps/is clear!!
Cheers,
Jon
 
Agreed with above, a pencil line is adequate for accurate work, as in joints that need to be hammered to fit.
Don't need anything fancy, since the bevel will force the chisel beyond the line anyways
even if you had an inch tall perfectly 90 degree shoulder to register your chisel on.


Just throwing this out there if your having this problem, since it sounds unusual to want a second line for first registering the chisel in.

Cosman gave a wee tip on his last video about chopping to a line to counteract twisting.
He recommends taking a bite from each end of the mortice first as the chisel is fully engaged in the work, and then chopping the middle out with the chisel dead center so the force on is even.
In other words not taking a cut with the left or the right of the chisel only.

Tom
 
MikeG.":xtzd13n3 said:
I'd just say again, it's not your gauge that is the issue, it is your chiseling technique. The gauge line doesn't have to be deep.

Of course, it's not even the gauge line that you are having issues with, but the end lines. These are actually cut with a marking knife. Gauge lines for a mortice almost never have the chisel registered in them.
 
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