Morticing - any tips or is it just practice?

[grainoftruth]

Hi,
I'm building a heavy duty workbench, the 4 legs are 135 x 76mm softwood (some spare nice wood I already had) and my plan is to mortice and tenon the lower rails through the legs for rigidity. I need mortices through the 135mm thickness (tenons are planned at 25 x 80mm).
So, I've been testing my drilling skills this afternoon on some spare wood and I have not managed to get a drill through that depth without at least 2mm drift in one direction or another. Since each mortice will require 4 holes that seems like a lot of error creeping in. I've tried both brace and bit and electric drills but as yet am not happy about attacking the actual legs. I don't have a mortiser and in any case the hobby ones don't seem built for width or depth.
So is it just practise or am I missing something?
Thanks
Steve

 

[joesoap]

Hi Grainotruth
That's a short question which deserves a long answer but briefly , yes . Practice being the operative word there is no task in a workshop that comes naturally to achieve a decent standard of finish without practice . Myself I would use a decent 1/2'' router for what you are about tackle with a 19 mm long reach bit as my wee recentlly acquired morticer would not look at that .
No doubt you will be set on the righ track before you make the move with ample advice and no lack of choice and methods from the forum buddies here . good luck with the bench . Cheers !

 

[JonnyD]

you could drill out from both sides which should be pretty accurate and clean up with a chisel

Jon

 

[Graeme]

Yes its a bit of practice, but mostly time.

Stating the obvious.

Try and keep your drill away from the edges. Make sure you have the sharpest chisel you can get. Then just keep taking off small bits and keep checking right angle through.

 

[RobertMP]

Not exactly my specialist subject but I think for something that deep and going right through I'd mark it out and then attack it from both sides... and not worry too much if the alignment inside the leg was less that perfect. It will be straight and look right.

 

[big soft moose]

Hi,
I'm building a heavy duty workbench, the 4 legs are 135 x 76mm softwood (some spare nice wood I already had) and my plan is to mortice and tenon the lower rails through the legs for rigidity. I need mortices through the 135mm thickness (tenons are planned at 25 x 80mm).
So, I've been testing my drilling skills this afternoon on some spare wood and I have not managed to get a drill through that depth without at least 2mm drift in one direction or another. Since each mortice will require 4 holes that seems like a lot of error creeping in. I've tried both brace and bit and electric drills but as yet am not happy about attacking the actual legs. I don't have a mortiser and in any case the hobby ones don't seem built for width or depth.
So is it just practise or am I missing something?
Thanks
Steve

I take it you dont have a pillar drill either - you could use one of those cheap drill stands you get from screwfix, machine mart etc that turns a power drill into a pillar drill - they arent great but ought to be okay for four mortices.

where in bucks are you ? - if you are anywhere close to oxford/didcot area i'd be happy to arrange for you to pop down to our work workshop and use our heavyweight mutico morticer - though that said i'm off work until monday 26th so it would mean waiting a weel or so.

 

[mickthetree]

Hey Steve

When I cut these:

I used something like a 8mm drill bit and made lots of holes and kept 5mm away from the edge.

Then I pared back to the line with a VERY sharp chisel.

Watch the grain direction in pine when paring as you can easily go with the grain and pull out a big lump where you dont mean to.

I've had good results with cheap old mortice chisels from ebay recently too.

No need to clean up then. Just cut the mortice to the size of the chisel.

I've not had much luck drilling out using a bit just slightly smaller than the hole. I only have a hand electric drill drill and its just not accurate enough.

Good luck with it however you do it.

 

[grainoftruth]

Many thanks for these replies. Drilling from both sides seems obvious as soon as you say it, I think I'll give that a try.

Thanks for the offer Big soft moose - I'm in Great Missenden and if I don't get on any better next weekend I just might take you up on that. I'd like to do it myself if I can though - I only really do this for the challenge so I ought to try and learn from my mistakes.

Steve

 

[matthewwh]

An easy way to improve the consistancy of hand drilling is to bore a hole through a piece of scrap and then clamp it to the face being drilled.

You then drill through the guide piece which helps to keep your drill at the desired angle.

At 25mm thick, you also have the option to make the tenons protrude and mortice the ends of them vertically to take a wedge. That way you can dismantle the bench if you ever need to move it.