Cherry Console Plans - Can I Do It?

[JR]

[quote=91FE;372459]Having never cut a mortise, I figured I'd follow their suggestion and use my drill press. Maybe I should reconsider and figure out how to do it with my router???

//have decided to go with this one: http://plansnow.com/dn1135.html )/quote]Oh, you're going with that plan? I take it back, you'll never be able to do that in a million years!

Syche! That's a great design and you should have a lot of fun doing the project.

A plunge router is a great way to go for mortises, particularly compared to drill and chisels, which require a lot of patience.

Using a router also leads to the notion of mortise and loose tenon. In that technique you make mortises on both mating pieces and apply loose tenon into both mortises. This way the rounded ends of the mortises can be matched to roundover sides on the loose tenon, making the whole assembly very straightforward to make.

JR

[JimD]

If you have a plunge router, I think you should get a spiral upcutting bit and cut the mortises with that. You can put mortises in both pieces and use a slip in tenon if you want. It takes a bit more time but I think it is easier to get good results than a traditional tenon (because there are no shoulder cuts to get lined up perfectly). I do both, depending on the project. A router will make a very smooth sided mortise for a nice tight joint. It is not hard to cut some tenon stock from scraps on the table saw although a planner is nice to get it just the right thickness. The router produces rounded corners but you can round over the tenon stock on a router table (or use a rasp to round over the corners if you go traditional).

If the mortises are 3/8 or more, you can also use a bottom cutting straight bit to do the mortises. They are cheaper.

Jim

[drumpriest]

Linking again, this tutorial is on mortising with the plunge router, check it out...

http://www.bt3central.com/showthread.php?t=27419

[91FE]

Linking again, this tutorial is on mortising with the plunge router, check it out...

http://www.bt3central.com/showthread.php?t=27419

Thanks Keith. I'm not sure I'm clear on how you're aligning the router though. How would you do the same thing without the workmate?

[drumpriest]

Without having a workmate I use this little guy, VERY complex jig (joke)...



Just 3/4" mdf glued together into a U. Here it is setup for face mortising.



And here is mortising into end grain.



I just flip the jig upside down on a flat surface (assembly table, table saw, whatever) and use that to align my workpiece, then clamp the open side shut. I then clamp this setup down to the table, or use my router mat. The router I use has an edge guide. For end grain mortising I sit the workpiece over the edge of the assembly table (any work surface will do) and then the jig sits on top of the table, I then clamp the workpiece to the table with a bar clamp. Pretty simple setup.

Hope this helps.

[BobSch]

Nice solution Keith. Gonna have to remember that one.

[cabinetman]

That looks like a nice project. Don't be intimidated by looking at the finished product thinking that it's beyond your skill level. Plans are written to be a step by step process, which converts wood pieces into furniture. What's important is to follow the directions and along with the drawings, you'll see how each part has to be made and how it's integrated into the whole finished piece.

JR and JimD had good suggestions as to using loose tenons. They are more forgiving than M&T's. The picture shows it made in QSWO, which for materials cost may not be as inexpensive as other species. It has a definite character in that species which would be very different if some other would be used, like Maple, or Mahogany.

If you plan on using hardwood plywood instead of glue-ups of solid wood, whichever supplier you purchase the hardwood and plywood, try to match up color and grain to be as similar as possible. With a good match it can be hard to tell the difference. If you like the Oak look, Red oak is usually available in both solid lumber and hardwood plywood at many distributors. QSWO may be difficult, or more expensive than Red Oak, which is usually carried in 1/4", 1/2", and 3/4" thicknesses.

Just as a suggestion, since there isn't a whole lot of material needed for this project, you might check around at some shops that build furniture and do their own millwork. Their surfacing may be better than a run of the mill lumber yard, and their prices of the materials they carry may be equivalent to what lumberyards are charging. Besides, they may be intrigued with your interest in doing it yourself and provide you with some nice parts. Then again, it could go the other way, in that they might tell you to get lost. You never know.


What is in your favor, is that at any point in your project, you can post your situation or ongoing progress and get many opinions to help you out.
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