# Tapered tenon cutter & mortise reamer



## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

*Cutter body from a piece of firewood *

*Cutter and Reamer*
Cutter body from a piece of firewood

Hi ho there, I will warn you this is going to be a blog as I go project, mistakes will be made, thoughts will be shared and questions will be asked.
Hopefully I will end up with a cutter to fit my reamer, perhaps I might even improve my reamer…
Hmmmm better just start.

















These are from the sketch book.









This time with a piece of firewood from my friend Michaels old fire wood pile, where I took a few pieces years back.
First part is to square it up, so I can work on it. 
(Please notice I gave the planner a new fence, might blog that, took pictures).









After a few light passes, this is where we are.
I don't set the cut too deep, so the planner will not dig into the wood.









A few more and we are close.









Once flat you can flip the flat side against the fence and use this as reference.
Like this you will get two reference sides.









Here you see how it slowly gets closer to square.









Once you have the two sides you can square it all up on the table saw to your desired width.









Height.









Length.









We got the wood ready.
(Thought it was fine to show this step for once).









Then on to the lathe.
Just in the center of each end.
Mark up for body and handles.









Shape a little and pare to make the sides app the same.









Shape.









Yeeeeehaaaaaaaaaa.









I kind of like this.









Some detail, but not too much.
(I like tools that look like tools).









We got a body for a tapered tenon cutter.









Think I will use this block plane blade since I have some extra of these.
The reamer (Jennie Alexanders inspired, thanks) is one I made back when I was making my shaving horse, but I will modify it here and show how to make one.

From the shaving horse blog: http://lumberjocks.com/mafe/blog/28109

In next part I will be making some prototypes and sharing all my doubts… 
But I can tell by now I will love to get ideas about cutting angles and bevel up or down suggestions, even I will try out a few.

Hope it can inspire others to make their own tools.

*The best of my thoughts,*
Mads


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

mafe said:


> *Cutter body from a piece of firewood *
> 
> *Cutter and Reamer*
> Cutter body from a piece of firewood
> ...


Ohhh yeas and there are no pipes today, having had a terrible influenza, so there are no smoking and only out of the bed for a few hours a day, needed a wee smell of wood, but gotten much better now. ;-) 
Woodelidoo.


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

mafe said:


> *Cutter body from a piece of firewood *
> 
> *Cutter and Reamer*
> Cutter body from a piece of firewood
> ...


That flu stuff is really bad, Mads, take it easy and dob't over do it!

Tool looks great so far!!


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## icemanhank (Jun 30, 2012)

mafe said:


> *Cutter body from a piece of firewood *
> 
> *Cutter and Reamer*
> Cutter body from a piece of firewood
> ...


Looks cool so far. Smell that wood!


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## Druid (Sep 30, 2010)

mafe said:


> *Cutter body from a piece of firewood *
> 
> *Cutter and Reamer*
> Cutter body from a piece of firewood
> ...


Looking forward to following this one. Thanks.


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## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

mafe said:


> *Cutter body from a piece of firewood *
> 
> *Cutter and Reamer*
> Cutter body from a piece of firewood
> ...


How cool!


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## siavosh (Apr 11, 2013)

mafe said:


> *Cutter body from a piece of firewood *
> 
> *Cutter and Reamer*
> Cutter body from a piece of firewood
> ...


Can't wait to see the final result. Are you planning on building a chair with spindles?


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

mafe said:


> *Cutter body from a piece of firewood *
> 
> *Cutter and Reamer*
> Cutter body from a piece of firewood
> ...


Ohhhh and while we wait for me look at what Siavosh got going now: http://lumberjocks.com/siavosh/blog/48465
Thank you Siavosh, it was you that got me back on track again, when I saw your version, I decided I had to get mine done also (hope you will share your thoughts on the next part I do).


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## Schwieb (Dec 3, 2008)

mafe said:


> *Cutter body from a piece of firewood *
> 
> *Cutter and Reamer*
> Cutter body from a piece of firewood
> ...


I'm hanging my head in shame Mads. I have so many things I have made and worked on and wanted to post some of these projects and just can't set down to take enough time to do it. You continue to inspire me and I appreciate you diligence to organize and present your work. I have photos for my take on making wooden hinges for boxes that I am very proud of and a method of making tools mobile that I just can't seem to bring myself to put in a blog. I think part of the problem is that there are people that do it so much better than me, but I know I should try.


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## phtaylor36 (Jun 13, 2011)

mafe said:


> *Cutter body from a piece of firewood *
> 
> *Cutter and Reamer*
> Cutter body from a piece of firewood
> ...


Looks great Mads, can't wait to see the final product


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

mafe said:


> *Cutter body from a piece of firewood *
> 
> *Cutter and Reamer*
> Cutter body from a piece of firewood
> ...


Good one Mads. This is very interesting. I've wanted a reamer for a long time to make some new shop stools with so your blog is very timely. Looking forward to this series. I will put this one in my favorites together with the male tool.


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## Kentuk55 (Sep 21, 2010)

mafe said:


> *Cutter body from a piece of firewood *
> 
> *Cutter and Reamer*
> Cutter body from a piece of firewood
> ...


Nice chunk o wood. That flu is all over the globe. Get well fast


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## CFrye (May 13, 2013)

mafe said:


> *Cutter body from a piece of firewood *
> 
> *Cutter and Reamer*
> Cutter body from a piece of firewood
> ...


Following…


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## madts (Dec 30, 2011)

mafe said:


> *Cutter body from a piece of firewood *
> 
> *Cutter and Reamer*
> Cutter body from a piece of firewood
> ...


Episode #2 please!!


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## Notw (Aug 7, 2013)

mafe said:


> *Cutter body from a piece of firewood *
> 
> *Cutter and Reamer*
> Cutter body from a piece of firewood
> ...


I always enjoy reading your blog post, keep em coming!


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

mafe said:


> *Cutter body from a piece of firewood *
> 
> *Cutter and Reamer*
> Cutter body from a piece of firewood
> ...


Hi,
I'm getting better every day, the flu has been a tough one, but I can almost breathe now.
Still no pipe smoking. ;-)
Notw, thank you, that was kind of you.
madts, almost there.
Candy, posting…
Roger, could it be ebola… lol.
Stefang, that's wonderful, then I have at least you as a reason to post this blog, thanks. It is always what makes me the most happy, when I see they become useful.
Philip, almost there…
Ken, please make that hinge blog! Don't ever care if some one are better, if I should care about that I would stop woodworking, I know your amazing works and talent, so I can only say 'do it'. Remember no matter what level we are on, we are there to learn, to improve, to play and enjoy - and also there are always someone that just started, so at least he or she can have joy of even putting a nail in a piece of wood the right way. ;-)
siavosh, actually I make these now just for the fun of it, but yes I have plans and dreams of some chairs.
Jim, big smile.
Druid, even bigger smile.
icemanhank, hmmmm yes I smell it. ;-)
Lew, thanks, I am going easy here. Also had a clay molding class, so I am working slow.








Thanks all for looking in at me fooling around.
Best thoughts,
Mads


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

*Thoughts, testing, drawing...*

*Cutter and Reamer*
Thoughts, testing, drawing…

Ok, the show goes on and in mysterious ways.
This one is most about thoughts, thinking and listening to yours.










So this is what it is all about - cutting some wood to shape.
Since I am a architect I think better with a pen than a chisel and also I love to give myself the impression of solving a unsolved problem, while I am fully aware it has been done a million times before…

First step is thinking and study, thinking makes me think of a pencil sharpener and those sexy shaves they make.
Then looking at pictures online, vintage cutters on E-bay, new from Veritas, other people's projects and all that jazz, thanks. I can see a lot of people have problems making them cut; many end up with a fixed scraper…
That's nothing more than cutting angle. My guess is that we need to think no more advanced than making normal shavings with a hand plane and so I'll aim for a bevel op blade, in this way I can hone the blade after the type of wood and go from 20 and up, so this will be what we aim for. Also the shaves need to be able to get out through a mouth and it will be nice to be able to adjust the cutting deepness a wee bit.
Ok - professor, make some shavings…









First a hole in a piece of wood, wooooooohoooo I make shaves.









Then the hole are tapered with my taper tool.
(will show how to make one in next blog).









Kind of fine.
Even it's a scraping action, not a cutting action.









Now some marking up.
The bed need to be almost on top of the hole and have size so the iron can be mounted.
I choose 20 degrees.
The trick is to follow the tapered hole.









And transfer this 20 degrees to the back side, from the center top and out.
Then you can connect the lines from front to back and see where to saw.
(Is that understandable?









Then saw down for the mouth opening.









And down the line.









Like this.









Close enough.









So the Siavosh C-clamp setup.
I use the cut off on the back to give the clamp a good grip.
Since the hole was a little low, I use the bevel down here and it works strikingly well.
Guess I could end the blog here and put the firewood in the fireplace… 
Naaaaa I set out to make that tool.









I just have to keep my focus…









And correct a few details a wee bit…









But for now we got a pair.









Less is more, but here also too much.
So I will go on with the project.
First some thinking and drawing again.










This is what I am planning, what do you guys think?
What is your thoughts on iron placement, angle, bevel up or down?

In next part I will be making a new reamer, using the old reamers blade.

Hope it can inspire others to make their own tools.

*The best of my thoughts,*
Mads


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

mafe said:


> *Thoughts, testing, drawing...*
> 
> *Cutter and Reamer*
> Thoughts, testing, drawing…
> ...


Looking good!

I'm no tool expert and I don't even play one on TV but I would guess the bevel should be up to carry away the shavings more efficiently.


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## Kentuk55 (Sep 21, 2010)

mafe said:


> *Thoughts, testing, drawing...*
> 
> *Cutter and Reamer*
> Thoughts, testing, drawing…
> ...


Very interesting Mads


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## johnhutchinson (Dec 9, 2013)

mafe said:


> *Thoughts, testing, drawing...*
> 
> *Cutter and Reamer*
> Thoughts, testing, drawing…
> ...


Hi Mads,

Some interesting thoughts on the subject from Matthias Wandel …


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## phtaylor36 (Jun 13, 2011)

mafe said:


> *Thoughts, testing, drawing...*
> 
> *Cutter and Reamer*
> Thoughts, testing, drawing…
> ...


Great project Mads, this is on my to do list this year…


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## mochoa (Oct 9, 2009)

mafe said:


> *Thoughts, testing, drawing...*
> 
> *Cutter and Reamer*
> Thoughts, testing, drawing…
> ...


very cool. I want a set of these.


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## siavosh (Apr 11, 2013)

mafe said:


> *Thoughts, testing, drawing...*
> 
> *Cutter and Reamer*
> Thoughts, testing, drawing…
> ...


Mads, this is very scientific! I'm ashamed to say it never occurred to me to play with the angles, I just picked the first one I cut. Looking forward to what you discover


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## kaerlighedsbamsen (Sep 16, 2013)

mafe said:


> *Thoughts, testing, drawing...*
> 
> *Cutter and Reamer*
> Thoughts, testing, drawing…
> ...


Looking good!
Bevel up for sure. Adjust with shims. Bevel down wil be difficult to adjust and the position of the iron could easily change the angle of the taper. 
Looking forward to part "3


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

mafe said:


> *Thoughts, testing, drawing...*
> 
> *Cutter and Reamer*
> Thoughts, testing, drawing…
> ...


A steeper bevel angle might work better Mads as there is a lot of stress on the edge because half of the hole is end grain. I also agree with the bevel up as Lew said. Pencil sharpeners and commercial taper tools are also bevel up. I like that you are experimenting as a lot can be learned from that, and it is very interesting to see your thinking on this. Another point made by Matthias Wandel is that a close grained hardwood would be a better choice for the tenon cutter as the rough pine/fir grain is rough and creates a lot of friction. I do think pencil sharpeners are a great model for taper cutting as they work so well as long as the blade is sharp.


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## CFrye (May 13, 2013)

mafe said:


> *Thoughts, testing, drawing...*
> 
> *Cutter and Reamer*
> Thoughts, testing, drawing…
> ...


Good thinking to practice on the pine, Mads. Often, I forget this step and get frustrated when I mess up a 'good' piece of firewood!


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

mafe said:


> *Thoughts, testing, drawing...*
> 
> *Cutter and Reamer*
> Thoughts, testing, drawing…
> ...


Hi there,
So it seems to be going in a good direction here.
Candy, yes this time I feel not sure where I'm going, so I enjoy playing on practice pieces.
Stefang, with the bevel up I can choose what ever angel I want so I agree. The final cutter will be beech wood, so I will have a strong tool, with minimum friction.
Kærlighedsbamsen, yes good idea, I can shim it up if needed, thanks.
siavosh, you also gave me that impression, and then I started thinking, why it went good for some and bad for others… So as I said, you were my inspiration to figure out what was happening. Thanks.
Mauricio, yes next will be different sizes…
johnhutchinson, thanks I have seen his wonderful videos on the subject and as always he is wonderful. Actually I am thinking I might make some dowel makers later…
Roger, smiles.
Lew, good point also.
Best thoughts,
Mads


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

*Tapered reamer - making one.*

*Tapered Reamer*
making one.

So in last part we got to test out the cutter principals and I can see we agree the bevel up version will be the version I go for.
Before I make the final prototype, I will like to improve my reamer, so that I will have the real setup.
The reamer I made back when I made the shaving horse, have two problems, one is that the wood are too soft, so it will tear and break, have started to show the first signs… It was a piece of a old parasol leg, so I had no idea about what is was. Now I will go for harder and stronger wood, so it will last. Second problem is that I made the reamer too steep, this means that the wedge effect is not so effective and that the joint comes too easy apart.
So time to make a new and I will show this process in this blog now.









From the sketchbook.









So once again a piece of firewood from my friend Michael are squared up, thanks.
Beech, it's strong and dense, perfect for tools.
(Running out soon).









Find the center and almost get there…









I like to use a auto punch.









First round it, this takes no time and shaves fly, I love this part.









Here the old one, to compare.
And so I can correct the angle.









To make the taper straight, I set the tool rest to the desired angle and then use this to make sure it becomes straight. As you can see I clamped a pliers to the cutting tool, so I could run it parallel, but it is IMPORTANT that you clamp on the other side of the rest, like this it can get caught and accidents can happen, sorry I was not thinking.









Do you get the idea.









But like this on the outside of the fence PLEASE.









Now I am happy with the angle and the finish.
I sand only rough the top, so it will have grip.
The taper gets a full sanding up to 600 grid and a polish and wax too.









You see, slimmer and a wee longer.









Now I can take the blade from the old reamer.
As you can see it's a piece of an old saw blade.
(Can also be a cheap saw from the dollar store).









I have clamped the reamer up, marked it down the center and made a fist saw cut here.
Now what we need is to fit the blade in the reamer.
The blade here are too wide in the widest end, I think it should be less than half the thickness but in can also be thinner.









So I correct it a little.









And reestablish a 45 degree cutting edge.
The side of cutting will determine if you need to turn your tool left or right to cut.
I like mine to go with the clock.









Then sharpening the blade.









Now I can craw the blade onto the saw I use, like this I can control the cut.
I draw it a little too small so I have space for adjustment and also the teeth's will dig a little into the wood once they get pressure.
(Saw teeth's not mine).









Now saw gently, especially in the front.
Be cool.
Listen music.
Kiss your loved once. 
Use for the final cuts a saw that have app the same width as the blade you want to put in.









Test fit again and again.









This is how my workbench looked after.
But I also managed to get a decent fit.
Had one little mistake, but this could be corrected with sawdust and glue.









So this is how it looks after the blade has been pushed hard into the wood, with a block of wood and a hammer, so I am sure it will not go any deeper and that it will stay, but can be removed.
Notice I rounded the end of the iron, like this it will start gentle and not dig into the wood.









So from the old sketchbook, you can here see the profile we want.
As you can see I want a edge in front of the blade so sawdust will not get clogged up too fast.









This I make with a chisel and the wonderful little shoulder plane I once got from DIV in South Africa.
(Still miss him here and also our mails, whish that life is good to him and bring him smiles).









That's ok.
(Even the picture are bad).









I can always make it deeper, for now I like it.









So a hole for a handle.
The handle are from the last reamer beech and turned in a light taper, so it can come in and out of the reamer.









Now I burnish the edge a little, this will help it to cut.
If you are not familiar with this, then just leave it until you learn it.
Burnishing is what you do to your card scrapers.









First test run.
It works really fine.
Easy to feel it was good to use some harder wood, less wobbly and easier to control.
I live it.









So if I did not have the flu, I would have smoked the pipe, now I'll just put one there for all you to enjoy.

So now I have the right size of reamer, I can make the final prototype for testing the cut.

Hope it can inspire others to make their own tools.

*The best of my thoughts,*
Mads


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

mafe said:


> *Tapered reamer - making one.*
> 
> *Tapered Reamer*
> making one.
> ...


Once more, sorry for the spam you guys that are on the mail list, the problem might have been with explore, I ended up posting it in Firefox and then it worked… Strange.
Hope you will enjoy the blog after all.
Mads


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## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

mafe said:


> *Tapered reamer - making one.*
> 
> *Tapered Reamer*
> making one.
> ...


mucho gooder mads

nice tools
good blog (finally)

get well
and stay warm


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

mafe said:


> *Tapered reamer - making one.*
> 
> *Tapered Reamer*
> making one.
> ...


Always happy to get email from you, Mads, no matter what the reason!!

Love the reamer!


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

mafe said:


> *Tapered reamer - making one.*
> 
> *Tapered Reamer*
> making one.
> ...


Thanks David, now I can get back to the workbench.
Don't like spending the time with error messages on the computer.
Best thoughts,
Mads

Application Error Occurred
Oops! Application error occurred while processing this page. Email has been sent to us with the error report. We will try to resolve it as soon as possible.
We apologize for the inconvenience.


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

mafe said:


> *Tapered reamer - making one.*
> 
> *Tapered Reamer*
> making one.
> ...


Thanks Lew, you bring my sm ile back.
Best thoughts,
Mads


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

mafe said:


> *Tapered reamer - making one.*
> 
> *Tapered Reamer*
> making one.
> ...


Very nice Mads. It looks great and works well, you couldn't want more out of it. Thanks for showing us how to do this.


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## Brit (Aug 14, 2010)

mafe said:


> *Tapered reamer - making one.*
> 
> *Tapered Reamer*
> making one.
> ...


Great blog Mads. I really enjoyed seeing how you made it and learning from your experience. You made me laugh out loud when you said "Find the center and almost get there…" If I had £1 for every time I've done that, I'd be a rich man. Then again, I probably wouldn't because I would have spent it all on more tools.

Get well soon my friend.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

mafe said:


> *Tapered reamer - making one.*
> 
> *Tapered Reamer*
> making one.
> ...


Excellent blog Mads!


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## revieck (Dec 29, 2009)

mafe said:


> *Tapered reamer - making one.*
> 
> *Tapered Reamer*
> making one.
> ...


Finaly an e-mail that worked! Nice work Mads! Love to see your work! ... What's going on with the e-mails from lumberJocks?.... Recived 12 from Mads, the 12th one opend… Recived 6 from StumpyNubs all I would get was "page not found".... Is this a digital fart or what?


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## revieck (Dec 29, 2009)

mafe said:


> *Tapered reamer - making one.*
> 
> *Tapered Reamer*
> making one.
> ...





> Finaly an e-mail that worked! Nice work Mads! Love to see your work! ... What s going on with the e-mails from lumberJocks?.... Recived 12 from Mads, the 12th one opend… Recived 6 from StumpyNubs all I would get was "page not found".... Is this a digital fart or what?
> 
> - revieck


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## siavosh (Apr 11, 2013)

mafe said:


> *Tapered reamer - making one.*
> 
> *Tapered Reamer*
> making one.
> ...


Looking mighty fine! I hadn't seen a one sided reamer before, looks very elegant. Any pros/cons of putting an oil finish on it?


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## Kentuk55 (Sep 21, 2010)

mafe said:


> *Tapered reamer - making one.*
> 
> *Tapered Reamer*
> making one.
> ...


Happy to see this finally came thru. Nicely detailed Mads. Stumpy Nubs was having the same problem


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## pbyrne (Jan 11, 2011)

mafe said:


> *Tapered reamer - making one.*
> 
> *Tapered Reamer*
> making one.
> ...


Thanks for the tutorial Mads. I will have to follow your plan for these, you got my gears turning.


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

mafe said:


> *Tapered reamer - making one.*
> 
> *Tapered Reamer*
> making one.
> ...


Thi hi hi,
pbyrne, keep those gears running. Thanks.
Roger, yes we are getting there. Ahhh so Stumpy and I was suffering from the spam LJs…
siavosh, actually I don't remember why it became a one sided version originally, but think it was because I got my inspiration from here: http://www.greenwoodworking.com/SawSteelTaperedReamerPlans the mother of all the wooden reamers. ;-)
revieck, thanks, yes finally it happened, today I had no problems…
Topa, thanks.
Brit, I'm much better today, thanks, Yes it's amazing how hard it can be to hit that spot. Smiles.
Stefang, soon the final version will be there for the cutter also. And now it should be possible for all of us to make us a set, fast and easy.
Thank you all, so nice too see the blog are read and read all these wonderful words.
Best thoughts,
Mads


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

mafe said:


> *Tapered reamer - making one.*
> 
> *Tapered Reamer*
> making one.
> ...


siavosh: I gave it a oil finish and wax also. Like this I can minimize the friction.
Sorry forgot to answer.


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

mafe said:


> *Tapered reamer - making one.*
> 
> *Tapered Reamer*
> making one.
> ...


Video on sharpening reamers:


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

*Tapered Reamer - testing and final layout for cutter*

*Tapered Reamer*
testing and final layout for cutter

The new reamer need to be tested before I cut into the final cutter.
First of all for the angle I have now chosen.









So I drill another hole in the test piece.









And 'ream' it.









It goes really easy and the cut is fine.
So I am a happy monkey for now.









Marking the center.









Then 20 degrees up from there.









The same on the back.









Now you can see how they are offset, due to the tapered hole.









So I can connect them with a line and like this I have my cut marked up.









Then all I have to is try to follow the line.









Better than last time.









It's the one to the right, just about perfect.









I nail the cut of to the back again for easy clamping.









Test time.
Looks really good.
Happy I am.









A piece of beech wood.









A little to the rough side, so I sharpen the blade…









That's perfect now.
Look at those shaves.
Sexy.









Really it's that easy.









Can be done with a broad chisel also.
If you are not into making a dedicated tool as I am aiming for.

See you soon for the final part of the blog, where I will be making the cutter.

Hope it can inspire others to make their own tools.

*The best of my thoughts,*
Mads


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## ksSlim (Jun 27, 2010)

mafe said:


> *Tapered Reamer - testing and final layout for cutter*
> 
> *Tapered Reamer*
> testing and final layout for cutter
> ...


Nice job. You make it look so easy.
I might have to try this one.


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

mafe said:


> *Tapered Reamer - testing and final layout for cutter*
> 
> *Tapered Reamer*
> testing and final layout for cutter
> ...


Nice, indeed!

That is going to be one fine tapering tool.


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## CFrye (May 13, 2013)

mafe said:


> *Tapered Reamer - testing and final layout for cutter*
> 
> *Tapered Reamer*
> testing and final layout for cutter
> ...


Looks great, Mads!


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

mafe said:


> *Tapered Reamer - testing and final layout for cutter*
> 
> *Tapered Reamer*
> testing and final layout for cutter
> ...


It looks like you aced it Mads. Very well done. Simple to make once all the brain work is finished. Now with this success I can imagine that a thread cutter might be next?


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## Kentuk55 (Sep 21, 2010)

mafe said:


> *Tapered Reamer - testing and final layout for cutter*
> 
> *Tapered Reamer*
> testing and final layout for cutter
> ...


Nice one Mads.


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

mafe said:


> *Tapered Reamer - testing and final layout for cutter*
> 
> *Tapered Reamer*
> testing and final layout for cutter
> ...


Hi there,
Roger, smiles here.
Mike, yes I actually need to make a thread cutter at some point since I was given a beautiful old thread tap.
Candy, and now I am done. ;-)
Lew, I am happy, the mechanics and the esthetics goes hand in hand. ;-)
KSslim, now it is easy.
Thanks for the comments makes me happy.
Best thoughts,
Mads


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## swans (Jun 13, 2015)

mafe said:


> *Tapered Reamer - testing and final layout for cutter*
> 
> *Tapered Reamer*
> testing and final layout for cutter
> ...


Thank-you very much for sharing this. I'm a carpenter from the UK and I am starting to make some chairs. For my first attempts I have bored the mortise holes cylindrical without a taper so I would like to adapt your design so that the rounder cuts perfectly cylindrical tenons. My first set of mortises are 25mm diameter.

So I think the way to adapt your design is simply to drill the 25mm straight hole in the cutter block without reaming it to form a taper. However there will be a slight taper needed at the entry point to allow the over sized tenon to enter the cutter. I would chisel the tenon down to say 5mm of finished diameter so I am thinking that I should make a small entry taper say 20mm long with the entry being say 33mm diameter.

Would this work?

All the best

Swans


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

mafe said:


> *Tapered Reamer - testing and final layout for cutter*
> 
> *Tapered Reamer*
> testing and final layout for cutter
> ...


Not sure I really get what you mean…
This set is easy to make so don't hesitate.
Ahhh do you mean to make a cutter for straight tenons, then I think your idea will work, you will have to round the iron also.
Let me know.
Best thoughts,
Mads


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## swans (Jun 13, 2015)

mafe said:


> *Tapered Reamer - testing and final layout for cutter*
> 
> *Tapered Reamer*
> testing and final layout for cutter
> ...


Thanks Mads very much for responding. I'm very sorry for my delay in response. I'm looking forward to participating in this forum.

Yes I do mean a cutter for straight tenons. You have made a nice comparison to the pencil sharpener for the tapered cutter….the low clearance angle is important, the same as when offering a chisel to the work piece on a lathe….here the bevel rubs the work piece prior to cutting and as the handle is raised a similar low clearance angle is achieved. Bevel up on your cutter however allows for an increased included bevel angle of the blade if needed for more difficult woods.

I think that you have positioned the blade at the top of the hole just right as I think any position other than tangential to the hole would create a scraping action which is not what is wanted. Your diagram in part 2 of the project nicely showed that.

To make a cutter for straight tenons we also want the cutter to be placed tangentially which we can do. For a straight tenon the hole will also be straight and the diameter of the required tenon. The hole however needs to be widened at the mouth to allow the thicker rough tenon to enter. So here, because the wood is thicker the cutter now will not be cutting tangentially but with a slight scraping action. So,as you say, I think the best thing to do is to round the blade at the point where the tapered entry changes to the straight hole. This will mean some scraping at this point but unless the blade can exactly follow the rough tenon as it enters I think this is unavoidable?

I did intend to photo my progress but I have not got round to it yet, even though I want to join in the spirit of sharing so I will get round to it. I've made the reamer and the cutter body out of some holly which was nice and easy to work as it had not been seasoned but it has split a little, but as this is my first attempt it should be ok and I can cut out the splits as I proceed with the cutter body. I'm just about to drill the straight hole in the cutter body, then to think about the blade a bit more, but I think I'm just going to go for the straight blade rounded at the entry point.

All the best for now.

Mark


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

mafe said:


> *Tapered Reamer - testing and final layout for cutter*
> 
> *Tapered Reamer*
> testing and final layout for cutter
> ...


Hi Mark,
Yes do take a few Photos once you finish it.
Happy you can use the thoughts and ideas, look forward to see what you come up with.
Best thoughts,
Mads


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## deebee15537 (Oct 23, 2012)

mafe said:


> *Tapered Reamer - testing and final layout for cutter*
> 
> *Tapered Reamer*
> testing and final layout for cutter
> ...


Great photos


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

mafe said:


> *Tapered Reamer - testing and final layout for cutter*
> 
> *Tapered Reamer*
> testing and final layout for cutter
> ...


Thank you D.B.
Best thoughts,
Mads


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

*Tapered cutter - finale*

*Tapered cutter*
finale

Here we are at the grand finale…
Or just me finally trusting I got to understand how it works.
So ready to cut into the wood.

Yes, I actually think I got it and so well that I can make any size or type I want from now in app a hour, so yes it was well worth the ride, now I have to find some projects, where I can use the tools… Even it was not the purpose, the purpose was just to play and understand.









So back to that wonderful piece of beech that I shaped up in the first part of the blog.
First find the center or just about there (Andy).
Hope it will show out to be worth waiting for.
Even I did quite a lot of fooling around…









Now drill a hole that have the size of the smallest end of the taper that you want.









Finally the reamer gets into that hard wood.
(Actually so hard, that I managed to make a crack in the reamer - grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr).









So here we have it.
The marking you can read about in last episode of the blog.









Saw the bed.
(Not the one you sleep in).









Open it up.









Clamp a blade in place to check if it runs as supposed to.
As you can see it makes sweet shaves.









To secure the blade I will like to use the hole in the blade, but it's a wee to long…









So mark up what you want to get rid of.









I like to cut the metal with a Dremmel tool, like this it is easy to control the heat.
We don't want it too hot, the edge will loose it's hardness.









Then I make the first of the cutting bevel here to save time.









Now sharpening on the wet grinder.
Remember to round the ingoing edge, so the wood will not tear.
As you can see I also cut the other end, just so it was not getting in the way and also it looked more right…









Time to kill and a time drill.
Don't ask me where that came from…









The hole will be used for a threaded insert.
I also made a hole in the center of an old 2 Mark German coin, just because I like these little details as a thing that will make people wonder in the future. (People might think, this MaFe, was he a German, so I guess I mislead them)...









In it goes.









As you can see I took a chisel and rounded the edges of the wood.
Now all we need is to adjust the blade.









Just as if it was a pencil, it runs really smooth.









Taper cutter.









Here from the front, where you can see the iron are rounded.









The taper cutting tool.









Top down.









Here we have the set.
(I made the reamer stronger by screwing in some brass screws).









So we will leave it hanging here among friends.

That's it.
Thanks for your thoughts, words and inputs, they made the ride even better.
Now I hope I will see some of these come to life here on LJ.

Ok and a little video for the child: 




Hope it can inspire others to make their own tools.

*The best of my thoughts,*
Mads


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## mochoa (Oct 9, 2009)

mafe said:


> *Tapered cutter - finale*
> 
> *Tapered cutter*
> finale
> ...


Beautiful Mads! I'd love to try to make these one day, this will be a great resource.


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

mafe said:


> *Tapered cutter - finale*
> 
> *Tapered cutter*
> finale
> ...


Thanks for taking us along on yet another fantastic tool making journey, Mads!


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## kenn (Mar 19, 2008)

mafe said:


> *Tapered cutter - finale*
> 
> *Tapered cutter*
> finale
> ...


Thanks, I tried making one of off these a while ago but my geometry was all wrong. Now I know how to properly make one. I'll be making one before I start on my next batch of chairs and I'll share it with you.


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

mafe said:


> *Tapered cutter - finale*
> 
> *Tapered cutter*
> finale
> ...


Hi guys, 
Kenn, just ran through some of your projects, I can see you are the man, when it comes to the Winsors, so once I get there I might ask a few questions. ;-) Really impressed. So I am even proud if I can be at help with this blog and look forward to see what you come up with.
Lew, thank you, I always get happy to see you joining.
Mauricio, smiles here, just one of those projects that's really nice to make.
Best thoughts,
Mads


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## buck_cpa (Mar 26, 2013)

mafe said:


> *Tapered cutter - finale*
> 
> *Tapered cutter*
> finale
> ...


well done sir. i'm planning to make some Windsor chairs this summer-so it's easy to understand the importance of these tools as I prepare. thanks for sharing.


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## madts (Dec 30, 2011)

mafe said:


> *Tapered cutter - finale*
> 
> *Tapered cutter*
> finale
> ...


Right on Mads. Get over the flu will you.


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## Sodabowski (Aug 23, 2010)

mafe said:


> *Tapered cutter - finale*
> 
> *Tapered cutter*
> finale
> ...


Nice series, and yeah you could use some Vitamin D at the beginning of Autumn next year to avoid any effin' flu.


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## Notw (Aug 7, 2013)

mafe said:


> *Tapered cutter - finale*
> 
> *Tapered cutter*
> finale
> ...


As always another wonderful tool and tutorial. Seems like an expensive washer though


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

mafe said:


> *Tapered cutter - finale*
> 
> *Tapered cutter*
> finale
> ...


Great blog Mads and very useful tools for making chairs, stools and a lot of other stuff I can't think of. Thanks for taking us along for the ride.


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## llwynog (May 5, 2011)

mafe said:


> *Tapered cutter - finale*
> 
> *Tapered cutter*
> finale
> ...


That was a most interesting blog series. Thanks again Mads!


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## siavosh (Apr 11, 2013)

mafe said:


> *Tapered cutter - finale*
> 
> *Tapered cutter*
> finale
> ...


Now that's a good looking pair of tools, congratulations!


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## phtaylor36 (Jun 13, 2011)

mafe said:


> *Tapered cutter - finale*
> 
> *Tapered cutter*
> finale
> ...


Great post Mads, I'll be trying this soon. I just bought a book by Peter Galbert on Windsor chairs so this will come in handy. If you are interested in trying some chairs check out his blog: chairnotes.blogspot.com


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## Brit (Aug 14, 2010)

mafe said:


> *Tapered cutter - finale*
> 
> *Tapered cutter*
> finale
> ...


Oh crap! Now that's something else I'm going to have to make. Will it ever end? LOL.


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## Lazy_K (May 27, 2012)

mafe said:


> *Tapered cutter - finale*
> 
> *Tapered cutter*
> finale
> ...


with the same tool geometry you can make a dowel cutter of any size.


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## Kentuk55 (Sep 21, 2010)

mafe said:


> *Tapered cutter - finale*
> 
> *Tapered cutter*
> finale
> ...


Well done Mads


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## tyvekboy (Feb 24, 2010)

mafe said:


> *Tapered cutter - finale*
> 
> *Tapered cutter*
> finale
> ...


Great tool design.


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## CFrye (May 13, 2013)

mafe said:


> *Tapered cutter - finale*
> 
> *Tapered cutter*
> finale
> ...


Made, thank you for taking us along your many tool building adventures. These new tools have a lot of friends to hang with. Do you think the reamer cracked solely due to the hardness of the beech? Would you do anything differently?


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## kaerlighedsbamsen (Sep 16, 2013)

mafe said:


> *Tapered cutter - finale*
> 
> *Tapered cutter*
> finale
> ...


A great pair of tools in the signature MaFe style. Lovely!
Thanks for the read


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## DennisLeeZongker (Jul 25, 2008)

mafe said:


> *Tapered cutter - finale*
> 
> *Tapered cutter*
> finale
> ...


Very Nice, I looks like you having way to much fun!!! Congrats.


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

mafe said:


> *Tapered cutter - finale*
> 
> *Tapered cutter*
> finale
> ...


Here is a Iles version.
http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/store/item/MS-IROUND.XX


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