Converted to Cherubuni-style mortising - long

Re: Converted to Cherubuni-style mortising - long

Kevin F, New Zealand

>What sizes do you need, Angus? I might be able to get some this weekend. Price guide?

Cheers

Kevin

Re: Converted to Cherubuni-style mortising - long

Angus Barclay, in New Zealand

>Hello Kevin,

Thanks for that generous offer Kevin.

I've currently got only one pig-sticker - with a 3/16ths inch (5mm or thereabouts) blade so any sizes other than 3/16ths would be good. I guess the most useful is likely to be 1/4, 5/8ths, and 1/2 inch widths. Max price of $15 each but I'm not worried about the condition of handles as I plan to make a whole bunch of manuka and pohutakawa tool handles soon and can easily make a few more if I need to.

regards

Angus Barclay

Keep Joel In Mind

Hank Knight from SC

>If you don't find the chisels you need, keep Joel at Tools for Working Wood (Wood Central sponsor) in mind. He should start shipping the new Ray Iles pig stickers soon. They really look nice. No affiliation, etc.

Re: Converted to Cherubuni-style mortising - long

Rob in Peoria

>I've re-read Adam's description of the method and I'm just having trouble picturing it. Any chance we could get some photos?

Re: Converted to Cherubuni-style mortising - long

Stephen in Ottawa

>I had exactly the same experience when trying Adam's technique. I work when my 19 month old son is sleeping and can't affort the sharp, loud wacking of the mallet when chopping. Also, I don't quite like the wacking sound myself so a quiter, more gentle technique was very welcome. I made ten mortises in red oak for two gates last year, and was amazed at how quick, easy and pleasant the technique is. I agree that the right tool is a must. I use the pigsticker type chisels myself. You do need a long chisel with a large handle.

- Stephen

Angus - for the Yanks, translate

Johanna in Placitas, New Mexico

>"bairn" to "baby". I found I had to learn a lot of new words when I lived in Scotland!

Re: Converted to Cherubuni-style mortising - long

William Duffield, on the Cohansey

>Just pick up a copy of the latest issue of Popular Woodworking. In it, you will find photos of Chris Schwarz demonstrating the method and the proper chisel handle shape without bruising his shoulder. This is in the Arts and Mysteries feature, written by Adam.

Re: Angus - for the Yanks, translate

Angus Barclay, in New Zealand

>oops, my heritage and upbringing are showing!

I was raised in a part of the country where the idiom and vocabulary of the Scottish settlers remain in fairly common usage and, as my name indicates, there are more than one or two drops of Scottish blood in my ancestry too.

regards

Angus Barclay

Re: Converted to Cherubuni-style mortising - long

paul womack

>Having tried mallet+sash, paring+sash, paring+pig-sticker, you ought to try maller+pig-sticker, in the interests of a properly "controlled" experiment.

BugBear

I tried that!

Adam Cherubini, NJ

>Bug,

As you know there's no historical precedent for this technique. Moxon clearly disucusses the technique, but never clearly associates it with mortising. The guy I saw doing it in a video (Kaare Loftheim)doesn't remember doing it and never uses this technique.

You know, I woke up tired yesterday, even though I slept all night. Putting two and two together, I think alien abduction is a reasonable explanation. If they can wipe our memories, why can't they do anything for the fatigue?

Anyway, I've never been confident that the technique I use and write about is practical, authentic, etc, etc. So I had some mortises to cut and tried drilling and paring (that's a neat way to make a really crappy mortise- its not even fast, though it is evident in period furniture), and I tried pounding.

Instead of levering the chips, I pared them out. I saw Phil Lowe do pretty much the same thing except he pared with mallet blows.

So I guess I'm saying, what I'm doing isn't really all that different. Instead of walking the chisel down the length of the mortise vertically, I do that sort of work only at the ends and pare teh bit inbetween. Because I am paring more material (say 2" or the length of the mortise instead of the space between the mallet blows) I use my shoulder.

So I say, forget about the whole mortising thing. I'm just using Moxon's paring technique and applying it to my mortise. So do you want to pound more or pare more? It really is that simple.

I'm more comfortable paring because I'm accustomed to the technique, I use it elsewhere, and I feel I don't have the same control using mallet blows.

For so many reasons, I really like that last Moxon quote in my PW chisel article. I actually don't remember it. If anybody has a copy or recalls the quote please post it. It really sums up a lot the way I think many of us probably feel about woodworking, specific techniques and tools, etc.

Adam

Adam, is this it??

Frank Mutchler in Colorado Springs

>"...This Posture, all workmen are at first taught, and Practice doth so inure them to it that if they would, they could not well leave it."

---Moxon, "Mechanick Exercises"

Experiment vs expedience

Angus Barclay, in New Zealand

>By the time I had cut two mortices using each technique, all the morticing for the gate was completed. It is now fitted to its jamb, painted, and hung on four 270 degree hinges so it can be swung out of the way when not needed.

Thinking "mortice" and reaching for a chisel but not a mallet seemed strange, so I'll likely add morticing experiments to the long "play-time" list pinned next to the the "Honey-do" list in the shop.

regards

Angus Barclay

That's it! Thanks Frank!

Adam Cherubini,NJ

>