cutting mortises

Always cut the mortise first and then size the tenon to the mortise. If you have a plunge router and the proper bit, preferably an up-cut spiral bit, it will work with the proper homemade fixture. I have tried the drill press and was not happy.

-- waroland, Mount Juliet, TN

You can accurately waste-out mortises with a drill press -
but you’ll need to use a brad-point bit. Regular bits are
meant for metal and they will drift when used on wood.

Use a firmly-clamped fence and register the work
against it. Once the holes are drilled you use a sharp
chisel to pare away the waste.

If you have a plunge router it’s faster to do it the way
Waroland suggests.

-- http://amherstcabinets.com - also a marketing consultant with expertise in direct response marketing for woodworking and online businesses - http://COPYMATCH.COM

If you don’t have a mortiser, you can use a router to cut the mortise and then round over the tenon to fit the mortise. I find it easier than squaring up the mortise.
Make sure you use a jig to safely cut the mortise. The main thing is to increase the surface that the router sits on. This way the router is stable. Take shallow passes. I usually limit each pass to 1/8” to 3/16”

I prefer using an up-cut spiral bit with a plunge router and an edge guide. You might need to put a piece of wood behind the workpiece to hold up the router base when doing it this way, but I’ve found this to be very successful.

I like squaring the mortises when I’m done, but I think that’s a matter of personal preference.

You can use a fluted straight bit, but I’d strongly reccomend investing in a good carbide spiral bit instead. (I only have a 3/8” and 1/2” for pretty much all my mortising needs, so its not THAT expensive)

-- Dylan Vanderhoof - New woodworker in training. =)

I agree with all the above sage advice and only offer a small suggestion. You state that “I obviously want to get them right the first time …”. You probably won;t get them right the first time,or third or fifth time; (okay maybe you won’t need that many tries:-) practice on scrap wood of the same dimensions as your final project otherwise you’ll be practicing on expensive wood first and get frustrated that your project is costing way more then you estimated. I like using a mortising chisel and my good old pull saw…maybe that’s why I need 5 or more tries :-)

Success on your table/wine rack.

-- ....next big purchase is wood for the next project, Mark