Replies

1. 
   Napie | Mar 19, 2007 08:05pm | #1

   Sounds like a good time and reason to develop the skill, it is not that difficult. In fact it would be easier than controlling a router using a bit that long.

1. 
   clive | Mar 20, 2007 06:14am | #9

   Fair enough but of course I want to do it NOW! I also need a set of mortise chisels which I will buy soon. Also my concern is cutting 3 mortises in a row and having them line up, which seems easier with a router. Thank you for your comments

   Clive 

1. 
   wilburpan | Mar 20, 2007 06:53pm | #13

   1. You probably don't need a "set" of mortise chisels -- just one chisel for the size of mortise you plan to cut. I'd be willing to bet that >90% of the mortises used are in the 1/4" range, as they will be cut in 3/4" stock. So just get a 1/4" (or 5/16") mortise chisel. If you need to cut a wider mortise, get a chisel at that point.2. Don't worry too much about lining up the mortises exactly, as you'll be able to adjust the tenons to make them fit.

2. 
   GW52 | Mar 19, 2007 08:18pm | #2

   Clive,

   I would get some pine, route the mortise as deep as you can with the router, this will give you a good starting point, then chop out the rest by hand. Do this as many times until you feel comfortable,  with it then go for the the gold. No time like the present to increase your skill level.

   Greg

1. 
   clive | Mar 20, 2007 06:18am | #10

   Thanks Greg, I can see this forum is a thinly disguised plot to turn me into a woodworker! I thank you for that and will try your approach once I have purchased a suitable mortice  chisel.

   Clive

3. 
   AlanWS | Mar 19, 2007 08:33pm | #3

   If it's a through mortise, you can go in from both sides 1 1/2". Boring a hole and then using a flush trim bit from the second face will align the two parts of th mortise.

   Pat Warner has a special bit that will mortise 2 1/2" deep. http://www.patwarner.com/mortiser.html

1. 
   clive | Mar 20, 2007 06:05am | #8

   Thaks Alan, it is not a thru mortise, it just needs to be deep to support a large breadboard end for a dining table. Your site for Pat Warner looks v. interesting. Appreciate the input

   Clive

4. 
   dfletcher | Mar 19, 2007 11:11pm | #4

   Hi,

   How about using a drill press and a forstner bit?  Use a slightly undersize bit for the hole you need to remove a bulk of the material.  Once that's done, use a small chisel to remove the remaining material the forstner bit didn't get.  I've used this technique baking large mortises for a timber frame shed I built a couple of years ago.  I can't see why it wouldn't work here..

   Good Luck!

    

1. 
   clive | Mar 20, 2007 06:00am | #7

   Thanks DF, that is an option. However my skills are so-so and I need to cut three in a row across the breadboard end and its vital that they line up.

   clive 

5. 
   GaryW | Mar 19, 2007 11:36pm | #5

   I've ordered 5 1/2 and 6 1/2-in-long, by 1/2-inch diameter straight, carbide bits for mortising from Nordic Tool (800-345-3535). I've used them to cut some pretty deep mortises, like the one in the attached photo of the hickory entry door. For size reference, the door is about 2 3/8-inches thick, 7-feet high, and 42-inches wide, with a 10 or 12-in-wide bottom rail. I think the haunched tenon mortises are 3 to 3 1/2-inches deep.

   Every now and then we get a chance to build one of these. If we had to do them by hand - and I've done quite a few, it'd price the door out of the customer's already fat budget.

    

   Gary W

   gwwoodworking.com

   
1. 
   clive | Mar 20, 2007 05:52am | #6

   Thank you Gary, those router bits are seriously long. I may follow up with the supplier. your door is v. impressive

   Clive

6. 
   Lindau | Mar 20, 2007 01:56pm | #11

   Clive, I would use a 1/2" end mill bit. You can order these 3" long from a company like Enco or Insrud. My plunge router will only travel 3" or so.  I cut what it will and then reposition the bit so that more is sticking out from the collet. Bill

1. 
   clive | Mar 20, 2007 06:28pm | #12

   Thanks Lindau, I am so appreciative of the help recieved on this forum, perhaps I will be able to reciprocate one day.

   Clive

7. 
   Troy | Mar 20, 2007 08:40pm | #14

   I just finished a front door out of Walnut and the mortises were just about 3" deep I used a CMT 4 and 3/8" long spiral bit in my Dewalt 625 router. I made multiple passes and vacuumed the chips out as I went. The bit cut well but chip buildup was a problem if you did not vacuum the chips out. Good luck

1. 
   clive | Mar 20, 2007 10:32pm | #15

   Thanks for the tip.

   Clive

1. 
   cmiller231 | Mar 20, 2007 11:41pm | #16

   As has been already  menitioned  End mills are available through  any tooling supply. If  this is a one time shot i would just order a High speed one .( under $20 for a 5") They are available up to six inches lond . If you have a Dewalt 625 you also have the advantage of a 2 1/2" deep hole in spindle( don't know if all routers have that deep hole ) This allows you to extend just enough bit to get the job done .Any way I done  a 3 1/2" deep  mortise  for a door and i used a 5 "  x 1/2 " end mill. IMHO I gets a little scary  going past 3 1/2" .. I slowed the speed down    . I used a guide bushing.                                                                                   Chris

2. 
   Troy | Mar 20, 2007 11:55pm | #18

   No problem, there was an article in woodwork magazine a while back about making an entry door and the guy used a 5" long straigt cutting bit to make a deeper mortise but he had a jig set up to help since the plunge depth of the router would not allow for a full length plunge. Anyway god luck.Troy

8. 
   Samson | Mar 20, 2007 11:47pm | #17

   You could use an oversized board for your breadboard ends and cut it's thickness in half along its length using a band saw for example.  Plane or joint out the saw marks.  Use your router to remove half the waste for the mortise from each side.  Now glue the two peices back together - grain pattern and the thin blade of the bandsaw having removed little material should mean little to no evidence of this process. 

   If you had one or no someone who does, you could use a benchtop mortising machine.

1. 
   brad805 | Mar 20, 2007 11:56pm | #19

   I have a mortise machine, but I would like to ask if anyone uses a shaper to make the tenons in a similar case?  When I built my bench I had tenons that were too long to cut with my table saw and tenon jig so I used my dado blade to cut.  I spent too much time with the chiesel and rasp.  For my door project (similar MT design as GaryW) I am making a jig for the shaper to clamp the stock down and it has a backer to prevent wood blowouts.  I was going to use a 1/2" straight bit and flip the stock over to get both sides.  Good plan or bad?  Waiting for supplies again.

   GaryW:

   Great looking door.  I hope mine turn out as good. 

2. 
   clive | Mar 21, 2007 01:47am | #20

   Thats a good thought except I have milled my boards already. However i can see using this method on the large trestle I have to build.

   Clive

3. 
   Elcoholic | Mar 21, 2007 02:20am | #21

   I second your approach for a non-production situation.  I'd just add that I'd make the BB end over-length as well and use 4 dowels for re- registration after the resaw step to allow for some trial fitting if I didn't have a shoulder plane.  The extra outboard length with the pins would be cut off after glue up. 

   This got me thinking a 1/2 HCM bit from Delta has a max depth of 3".  OK fine.  A Delta benchtop has a 5" max stroke.  A PM 719T floor standing mortiser has an 8" stroke.  What good is all that extra travel good for if the bit is only good for 3"?  Just clearance for a taller work piece?  Are there longer HCM bits out there?  Maybe the answer is that the tooling doesn't exist because nobody except timber framers rarely need more than a 3" mortise anyway.John O'Connell - JKO Handcrafted Woodworking

   The more things change ...

   We trained hard, but it seemed that every time we were beginning to form up into teams, we would be reorganized.  I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by reorganizing; and a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress while producing confusion, inefficiency, and demoralization.

   Petronious Arbiter, 210 BC