Donzoid

Hi, My first (real) post here. I'm fairly new at real woodworking. I'm going to make a small table and want to make mortises in the legs using a router table. I intend to clamp a guide piece and plunge the wood into the bit by holding on end down on the table and lowering the other to the table - like a hinge. Has anybody had any luck doing this ?

My next stop will be to buy a mortising machine. But this method seems like it will make cleaner mortises.

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Roefa

Hi Don -
Welcome to Router Forums!
Yes, the procedure you described is done often. I hope some of the real pros will add to my comments, but here's two cents: Be sure your fence is tall enough to provide a good surface to rotate down against. Put a piece of masking tape on your fence just above the width of the leg. Mark the position of both sides of the bit and put marks on the leg (or on tape on the leg) where you want the mortice to start and stop. Bring the leg down slowly and carefully between the marks and make your cut(s) using the marks to line up the beginning and end points.

You have found a great site with some really fine folks who are always willing to help you in any way they can. I hope you'll browse some of the threads to get an idea of the wide scope of things that are covered here. Log in regularly and join in. No doubt,
in time, you'll be able to contribute your ideas, too. It's a fun and informative group. Enjoy!

Roger
(Roefa)

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Joe Lyddon

Joe Lyddon

That should work... better if you lay the board onto the bit in the middle of the mortise, then go side to side to your guidelines.

Also, to control the depth of cut, NOT doing the complete mortise in ONE pass...
Adjust your bit ht. to the desired depth.
Use some slotted pieces of 1/8" plywood over the table & bit, to raise the workpiece.
Make a cut.
Remove one piece, making room for another 1/8" cut.
Make a cut.
etc. until the last cut is without any spacers.

By doing that, it's easier on the bit, the wood, the router, and you will maintain the bit position to keep a clean cut pass after pass, etc.

Mike

Be sure to use a plunge bit for this operation. I plunge in the left side and move to the right. Unless you are using a very hard wood you should be able to use the 1/4" rule for cutting... remove no more than 1/4" per pass.

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Mike

bobj3

Hi Don

Some router jobs are done better with the plunge router and this is one of them..

You can make a quick jig to do this easy job but you want the mortises to be dead on center and true...to the sides.

Here are just some of them
the 1st. is one Bob R. and Rick R. of the RWS came up with..

http://www.routerforums.com/jigs-fix...ge-router.html
http://www.routerforums.com/jigs-fixtures/
http://www.routerforums.com/search.php?searchid=166900

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Woodnut65

Hi Don, welcome to the forum. The method you describe has been used many times as you see in the responses. I usually mark the start of the mortice on the fence using tape and I clamp a stop block to the out put side of the fence. I leave some room under the block to avoid having the cutting get stuck in between the stop and the work. In soft wood I'll take a 1/4" cut each time,and less in harder wood.
Good luck.. Woodnut65

Joe Lyddon

I have seen Rick, for the most part, use the plunge method.
It seems to me that Bob, more often, uses the table method with his masking tape lines.

If you want to cut 1/4" portions, remove two of the 1/8" spacers, etc.

I think you're getting a good idea... it's what's more comfortable for you.

template tom

Don
I have found that making a simple jig is much quicker and safer than using the router table especially if you going to make at least 8 mortices this same type of jig can also be made to insert mortices in the rail then insert a 'Floating Tenon'
Tom