Leg and Rail Mortises

Mortises on the Leg are easily done on one of the two the Horizontal Mortising Machines

we will be using a 1/4" end mill bit to cut a 3/8" wide mortise

 A 1/4" piece of MDF is is held to the table with double sided tape.
It is not obligatory to add MDF to the table, but it sure is useful when layout lines are needed.

The center is marked on the MDF before beginning to lay out lines for x axis

Then we laid out the length of our mortise equal on each side of our center line

Because we laid out our 4 legs and test piece, the mortise can be lined up with the lines on the MDF then clamped in place

the y axis can now be set by raising or lowering the table. Because the bit is 1/4" and the mortise is 3/8", you can choose to line up the top of the bit with the top line, or the bottom of the bit with the bottom line.

oops. This blackened layout is incorrect. only the 3/8" haunch  will be cut.

First set the Z axis (the depth of the haunch) at 3/8"

Lock the mortiser|s  depth 

After the bit is lined up with one side of the x axis, set the stop on the opposite side of the table.

Then do the same for the other x axis. (inside the end of the Haunch)

Here is the first cut. Notice the entire width of the mortise is not done yet.

 

Then flip the leg over and place it back on the layout lines.

Clamp it down and cut out the remaining part.

Note the feed direction. In the video above the table jerked because the cutter was fed the same direction as its rotation. this may result in imperfect machining.

Since the mortise was cut twice (once from each edge) it guarantees a centred mortise

Don't fret is the mortise is not exactly 3/8". Remember we have to make the tenon fit the mortise.
Yes I know. The top of the haunch is not completely machined. A bit of chiselling will be required.
don't forget to cut all 4 legs on two sides.

The height of the rest of the mortise is 2 1/4"

Now a new set of layout lines must be drawn on the MDF. 1 1/8" both sides of centre to total 2 1/4"

reset the depth (z axis) to 1 1/6"

Reset the x axis to below the bottom of the haunch.....

......and the bottom of the mortise with the stops

Now repeat the same steps by flipping the leg over and machining each mortise twice.

And there you have it. Verify your mortises are correctly machined according to plan.

Do you see how well this joint is engineered according to the properties of solid wood?

Of course there would be a way to set this up and have the mortiser cut clean through the haunch.

If you have figured it out I'd love to hear from you in the comments.

Leg and Rail Lay out

Laying out the mortise for the leg

The Haunched Mortise and Tenon may seem like an unorthodox joint, but it is superior to just a regular mortise and tenon because of it's ability to prevent cupping on the rail.

Be sure to have the top of your legs square before starting layout.

The mortise detail in the plans is 1:1 so lines can be checked and transferred right off the plan

 First lay out the bottom of the haunch at 5/8'' and mortise at 2 7/8" from the top of the leg.

 do so on two sides, this will be the corner of your leg that faces in

 Next find the center and lay out 3/16" on either side. This will center the 3/8" mortise. You can also transfer these line right off the plans

 Use the proper tools to lay out. this combo square in your toolbox is also a marking gauge. Lines should be paralleled off the edge and never drawn perpendicular from the end.

 Do so on both sides.As a matter of fact do so on all four legs

 Now layout the depth of the haunch. it is 3/8"

 The shaded part represents the visible portion to be mortised out on the top of the legs

 AKA: the Haunch

The rest of the mortise is not visible from the end grain. 

 the portion left on the top of the leg and not machined out solidifies the joint. Not only does it prevent rail cupping but it will also prevent the leg from splitting along the grain due to racking pressure.

Tool Box Lid cut and hinge

The Lid Cut separates the tool box into two parts.  The top being 1 1/8"

 

Before cutting the lid off be sure to inspect the tool box for any glue bumps or uneven joinery.

A block plane quickly levels uneven surfaces.

 It is best done on the table saw. Note the splitter is installed for safety

 

Preferably, the box should be lying on the long side for the last cut. So we'll start on the short side

 wedges are taped in the kerf to keep the operator from collapsing the lid and creating an uneven cut.

 

Watch Daniel complete his last cut. The kerf splits in two to reveal two perfectly even surfaces.

 Next a hacksaw divides an 18" portion of piano hinge

 The hinge will be mortised halfway into the box and lid

This means the mortise will be half the width of the closed hinge (actually a little less)

 

the ball or knuckle will stick out the back of the toolbox. Folding it over makes for an easy lay out.

 Yes that's half the gap.  about 1/16"

 a jig will be made for this trim router.  This reqires some MDF or plywood. Then tracing the holes from the original router base and reproducing them. Make sure those screws fit in nice and flush.

 Now attach the new MDF base to the router

After finding the edge of the bit with a sliding "T" square, a base line is drawn on the MDF

Then a second parallel line is drawn to represent the width of our hinge (5/8" not including the ball)

Now to test it, two test pieces are needed.

The bit is round, but the hinge is square. Get as close as you can to the end layout line. Then finish with a chisel (or knife on pine)

 Do it again.

 The fence sets a a base line at the back of the mortise that the hinge butts up to.
This guides the hinge in place during installation so test and test away until you get it right.

A centre finder can be helpful to pre-drill the perfectly. If your screw is off centre it will pull the hinge out of place causing alignment problems

 Drive these screws in by hand. over tightening and stripping the pine is easy to do.
Take your time

"Use the force"

 

only 2 screws per side is required for this test.

 examine the gap left when the hinge is closed

This gap is too big

 it should close all the way without resistance yet have almost no gap.

 

Be aware that the screws pert-rude and sometimes prevent the hinge from closing. 

Space them out so they don't close one on top of the other by skipping every second hole.  

This may be unavoidable on the ends though.

Be sure the hinge is tight up against the edge of the rebate.

  The moment of truth!

once the hinge is installed, go ahead and sand the outside of the box.

Cabinetmakers will sand pine with 120 to take out processing marks from machines.

 Then 150 final sanding. Higher grits depend on finishing procedure.

 it is however possible to do this free hand.

Watch *another Daniel do this with his router by simply laying out his mortise and free routing.