# Simple mortising jig



## rwyoung (Aug 3, 2008)

I'm working at replacing my first homemade router table with a second homemade table. The first one is just setting on two saw horses. And while this is OK, it is too low for me and hurts my back. I decided I should make it a bit larger surface area, thicker top (1 1/2" this time) and get the height so that it is usable both as a side support (fence removed) for my table saw and also can take advantage of my workbench/out feed support table. The workbench is 1/4" shorter than the table saw so the idea is to make this height be only about 1/8" below the table saw.

Anyway, I've decided I wanted to make it mostly an open frame stand (that may change later, maybe box in around the router for noise and dust collection) to save a little weight. So this sounded like a good opportunity to practice making mortise and tenon joints. And that means a jig opportunity. For the mortising jig I decided to make the simple sliding plate kind where you have the plunge base screwed down to some 1/4" material, say 10" x 10" and then cut two parallel slots. In those slots ride to runners made of hardwood. These are adjusted to "pinch" the workpiece and center the bit over the mortise area. Two 1/4-20 bolts up through each runner and the slot provide the tension to hold the runners. Wing-nuts are your friend.

Just a little creative clamping on the bench top and I had my workpiece positioning stops, and the front and back stops for mortise cutting. 

Worked great! Got all the mortises cut in four legs (16 mortises) for the aprons and stretchers of the table in short order. Then did the tenons at the table saw and rounded them. Dry fit was pretty good, glue up today. But first I was going to play a little bit and practice some fluting to dress up the legs (yea, just a shop table but still a good opportunity to practice technique) and make the slots and blocks for holding the table to the stand.

I'll try to remember and borrow a camera to take some pictures of the jig if anyone wishes to see it. Pretty simple though. At some point I think I'll replace it with a more sophisticated bench mounted one so I can do mortises in the apron pieces and thus floating tenons.


----------



## AxlMyk (Jun 13, 2006)

rwyoung said:


> I'll try to remember and borrow a camera to take some pictures of the jig if anyone wishes to see it. Pretty simple though. At some point I think I'll replace it with a more sophisticated bench mounted one so I can do mortises in the apron pieces and thus floating tennons.


Yes. Pictures. We want pictures. (So does Harry)


----------



## rwyoung (Aug 3, 2008)

*Adding photos*

As requested by AxlMyk, here are a couple of photos. Borrowed a digi-cam for the evening.















And here is the reason I made the jig













I'm working on a set of legs for my new router table. Using pine because it was available and inexpensive in case I buggered things up to badly. So far it has worked out just fine.

Two steps left for a functioning table, one is to cut the hole for the plate and the other is to seal the MDF (top and bottom sides) to give it some protection. In the short term I'll re-use the fence from my first table but after seeing how BobJ made his fence inserts, I think I might make something similar! Imitation, flattery and all that...


----------

