Cutting Mortises for Bed-Rail Hardware

Q:
In FWW #175, Jeff Miller made it look easy to install bed-rail brackets. I want to know how he gets such clean mortises in the end of 80-in.-long rails. Does he use a router or cut them by hand with a chisel?
Vincent Iannelli, Portage, MI
A:
There are a couple of tricks that help you use a router to cut mortises in the end of a long workpiece. First, use a jig to support the router. I built the T-shaped jig shown here. The top of the T supports the router, and the base clamps to the workpiece. Second, hold the workpiece at an angle in the workbench vise. I’ve found that angling the long rail this way is safe and comfortable, although it takes a little work to support the router. Scribe the exact outline of the bed-rail bracket you want to use. Once you’ve finished hollowing most of…
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Comments
Why are the links broken on this page??? Some IT maintenance is needed. It also seems that this item is repeated again in 2018 by Ben Strano.
Yep. This is a dead-end link.
frustrating to not open the diagrams/photos.
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