# How best to do this?



## mds2 (Jan 28, 2013)

Here is a joinery question for everyone. I need to make a tapered through mortise in a piece of 3/4 walnut. The tapered mortise is also at a skew; the tenon piece is at an angle to the walnut mortise piece. Also none of the sides of the mortise are straight, think of the cross section as a trapezoid with all sides arcing out. A puffy trapezoid.

Additional to this, the tenon is also curved. Also the face with mortise will be arched. The size of the tenon is roughly 2"x2"

I've thought about this a little bit for the last couple nights. Right now I'm thinking hog most of the material out with a drill and file to fit. File. Test fit. File. Test fit. File. Test fit…


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Sounds interesting . I would make the tenon first and follow your plan.


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## Planeman40 (Nov 3, 2010)

When you get this done, we would *ALL* like to see it! Me, I think I'd nail it together. 

Planeman


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## mds2 (Jan 28, 2013)

Ah yes, I should mention the the tenon is already made. Think of it as a giant fang, because that is what it looks like.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Files.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

Well I was ready to say drill it out in steps with diminishing size bits then I read "curved". I think you've made it too easy, it should also corkscrew <g>. Good luck and I want to see lots of pics.


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## mds2 (Jan 28, 2013)

Here is the second attempt. Pretty sloppy and the other side is much worse. This isnt the final shape of the maple piece but I thought I'd practice. I've done about all the shaping I can with that plane in the background. My spokeshave should come in the mail tomorrow and I am very excited to use it! Though I imagine I will have a lot of tearout in this maple. I ended up just chopping out a mortice and using a rasp to fit. I keep having problems in the corners where the rasp tends catch and cut too deep. I actually had a blowout on the other side of the top hence why I'm not showing it. I need to be more diligent.










There is another piece that will be above this one. It intersects the "tooth" in a similar manner, just at an upward angle. I've decided I'm going to bend them after I fit them. Maybe.


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