Trestle Table Desks #2: Additional Mortising, air control, mortiser lube, A-Town apron

The second run of mortises is in the legs. The tenoned rails will surround the juniper panels.

Rather than squirt the air after each two holes, I looped a hose clamp around the air gun and trigger and used a nut driver to control it. (Nut driver is resting on the screw for the photo only.) It didn’t take much air to keep the work area clean. It was easier to get a bore – slide – bore – stack flow going when there was no interruption to work the air.

The mortiser seemed like it was requiring too much effort. Yesterday and today both I lubed it with Lynch Aerosol PLP and that improved it some. Then I realized the friction could be on the shaft that holds the pinion gear (and the up down lever). Aha! A little PLP on both ends of that and the pulling effort was reduced by half.

Here also are images of my A-Town Apron from Pete Wadey. Note the pile of chips on the floor, and be assured that none--none—made it into the pockets. Great design, Pete.

Next, clean out the mortises and finish cutting the tenons. Then there will be some artistic design-detail type decisions to be made. They’re not critical—all this stuff resides under the table top—but I want it to look, when it is seen, intentional and right.

Please hand me the broom first…

-- "...in his brain, which is as dry as the remainder biscuit after a voyage, he hath strange places cramm'd with observation, the which he vents in mangled forms." --Shakespeare, "As You Like It"