# Homemade Mortise Pal jig



## MattKindall

So I've been looking for a good mortising jig for building six dining chairs. Each chair has about 20 mortises and I want to finish them before I'm 100 years old (I am 42), so I needed something fast and accurate. I found the Mortise Pal online, but I am apparently a few years too late because they are out of business. I figured I could try to make one with some aluminum and plastic. Turns out my old 12" Caftsman band saw with an Olsen 6tpi blade cuts through one inch aluminum like butter! The band saw, a crappy tabletop drill press, some thread taps and a Ridgid belt/spindle sander are about all I needed to make this. Careful setup and use of a clamped-on fence got it done. All told, I spent about $60 on this thing and it works like a champ!!!


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## HerbC

Great jig!

Good luck on your chairs.

Be Careful!

Herb


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## DMC1903

Well done, I purchased a mortise pal years ago. It worked very accurately, however I grew tired of making the loose tenons. So using the Festool XL is my current form of joinery.


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## AandCstyle

Matt, welcome to LJs. It looks like you must be something of a machinist because your MortisePal replica looks pretty good to me. Maybe you should consider selling your version commercially unless there any patents protecting the original design. I greatly prefer my MP to the hollow chisel mortiser it replaced. Will your chairs require angled mortises? The MP can do them if you make angled wedges to insert between the MP and the stock. Anyhow, please keep the posts coming.

P.S. Beautiful table, especially the sapele.


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## bonesbr549

Good job, it looks cool.


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## MattKindall

AandCstyle, "looks like you must be something of a machinist" Haha no. If you saw my shop you would laugh with me. I told a bit about the tools I used, and I wasn't kidding. It was all just careful planning and layout, and the use of a block of wood as a drill press-and-sander fence. It was really pretty slapdash, and that's why I posted it, because I was sort of surprised by the turnout as well.


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## Betsy

Slapdash works! I often wished I had a bit more of the "tinkerer" in me that could come up with these jigs on my own - but that gene did not get passed on to me. I'm glad it worked out for you.


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## joey502

Well done matt.

How wide is the polycarbonate piece? Does your router have the tendency to rock on a base that narrow?


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## MattKindall

The poly part is about 1" by almost 6" long. The router rides on the outer thick pieces of aluminum, and actually doesn't touch the poly at all, since it sits about a 16th of an inch low to keep it from getting scratched by the router base. I didn't notice any rocking in it, but I've only run a few mortises so far. The weight of the jig and the clamping pressure keep it pretty steady, in the bottom picture where it is clamped onto the wood, the whole thing is almost 6" square, so it's a good base to ride on.


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## joey502

Ok. I did not realize the polycarbonate was below the aluminum and that the router did not touch it.

A 6" base is a nice size. I cut mortises with plywood jigs that use a slot and guide bushing similar to your jig. Mine have a 6" square base but are not adjustable.


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## FrankRGinn

Thanks. I love it. I think it's useful.


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## Pete_LJ

Nice looking jig. Excellent execution. Do you have plans for this jig?


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## mdn125

Can you give some of the dimensions?


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## HerbC

> Can you give some of the dimensions?
> 
> - Matt


Since the OP has only 10 posts, many of them on this thread and has not contributed any further info in two and 1/2 years, I don't think he'll be answering your question…

Good Luck!

Herb


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## AandCstyle

Matt, I recently sold mine to "DIY1". You might trying PMing him to see if he can help you out. He also has a set of guides he would like to sell to you if you're interested. HTH


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## MattKindall

> Can you give some of the dimensions?
> 
> - Matt
> 
> Since the OP has only 10 posts, many of them on this thread and has not contributed any further info in two and 1/2 years, I don t think he ll be answering your question…
> 
> Never underestimate the power of automated email notifications!
> 
> The body is just under 6" long, and I made it out of 3/4" by 2" aluminum. I used thick aluminum so it wouldn't flex when clamped down. The only thing that would really matter is the rod length. I made them long enough that I could clamp a piece of stock up to about 4 in. thick. The larger pieces are adjusted to roughly fit the stock, then I crank the threaded ball which is attached to the smaller piece on the inside. The different plastic templates are for different sized mortises. Any other questions let me know!


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## HerbC

MattKindall,

Wow, good to hear from you.

Herb


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## wingate_52

Nice to see this. I shall post my version.


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