| Mission-Style Ottoman -- Batch Techniques for Making Joinery |
From "Wood Works"
episode WWK-106 |
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With all of the stock milled and cut for the mission-style ottoman, work can begin on the joinery. Mortise-and-tenon joinery is used throughout the piece -- for stretchers, legs and side spindles. To save time, the technique of batch cutting is used in making the joinery. Most of the joinery will use ordinary stop-mortises, meaning that the tenon doesn't extend all the way through the stock. The exception is on the bottom of the legs where the stretchers are attached using through-mortises. In that case, the mortise is cut clear through the leg stock (figure A). That technique provides for an exposed tenon (figure B) on the front and back legs. The exposed tenon is one of the signature features of the arts and crafts style.
Materials: Milled, quarter-sawn white oak stock
Table saw with fence
Handheld router
Table router
Hollow-chisel mortiser; chisel bit
Tenoning jig
Safety glasses or goggles
Note: Cut sizes may vary. For exact measurements, please contact David Marks through his Website -- information below under Resources. Safety Alert: Always wear safety goggles or safety glasses when working with wood, saws, drills, routers, etc.
Cutting the Mortises
Steps: - The through-mortises in the legs are cut using a handheld router (figure C) fitted with a carbide router bit (figure D). The router is used first on the front of the leg to cut a mortise halfway through the stock.
- The leg is then flipped over lengthwise so that the mortise can be routed clear through from the back. Running the router fence up against the leg stock helps accurately cut a mortise through the leg. Since the router bit leaves a curved end on the cut, a sharp chisel is used to square up the end of the mortise (figure E). The squared mortise will match up with the square tenons that will be made later.
- The remainder of the mortises in the ottoman are stop-mortises. These are cut using a tool known as a hollow-chisel mortiser (figure F). It uses a specialized bit consisting of a drill bit housed inside a four-sided chisel (figure G). The bit drills out the mortises, while the chisel simultaneously pares the corners of the mortise square. Since there are a total of 32 stop-mortises in this ottoman, using the machine will obviate the need to hand-chisel all those mortises square -- and will therefore save a tremendous amount of time and work.
- Uniformly placed stop-mortises are cut on the stretchers. These will accept the ends of the side spindles.
Cutting the Tenons The next step is to cut the tenons on the stretchers using the process of batching . Using uniform settings on the tools to make a number of identical cuts and create identical elements -- rather than repeatedly changing settings to complete one element at a time -- make the process much faster and more efficient.
Steps: - To cut the tenons on the stretchers, the table-saw blade is first set at a height of 1/8", and a stop-block is clamped in place so as to determine the length of the tenon. The ends of each of the stretchers are then scored on the table saw (figure H).
- With all of the pieces scored, each is then placed in the tenoning jig and cut on the table saw to finish the tenons (figure I). By flipping and turning the stretcher in the jig, all of the tenon cheeks are cut (figure J) without changing the setup in the jig.
- Once the cheeks are cut, the jig is reset and each piece is turned 90 degrees to batch-cut the tenon sides. This creates the wide-shouldered tenons required for this piece.
- For the through-tenons, the saw blade is raised to cut a tenon long enough to extend all the way through the leg stock (figure K). The same batch-cutting technique is used here as well: flipping and turning the stock to produce all four of the through-tenons.
- With the through-tenons cut, the exposed ends of each are beveled on the table router (figure L). Since the ends of the tenons will be visible in the finished piece, the beveled edges will add a nice detail.
- A further arts and crafts touch is added by cutting a deep bevel around the top ends of the ottoman's legs (figure M).
Sponsored Resource
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RESOURCES :
Fine Woodworking
A magazine devoted to high-quality craftsmanship in woodworking.
The Taunton Press Inc.
Website: www.taunton.com
The Small Wood Shop (The Best of Fine Woodworking)
Author: Helen Albert (Editor)
Publisher: Taunton Press
ISBN: 1561580619
Woodworking Techniques: Best Methods for Building Furniture from Fine Woodworking
Author: Editors of Fine Woodworking magazine
Publisher: Taunton Press
ISBN: 1561583456
Mastering Woodworking Machines (Fine Woodworking Book)
Author: Mark Duginske
Publisher: Taunton Press
ISBN: 0942391985
David Marks Website
David Marks, DIY's Wood Works host, is a master woodworker. For more information on cut sizes and project details, please contact him via his Website at www.djmarks.com
The Complete Woodworker's Companion
Author: Roger Holmes
Publisher: Watson-Guptill
ISBN: 0823008665
The Complete Book of Wood Joinery
Author: Robert J. Decristoforo
Publisher: Sterling Publishing Co.
ISBN: 0806999500
Advanced Woodworking
Model: 0783539126
Author: Editors of Time Life Books
1998
Time-Life Books Inc.
Website: www.timelife.com
Popular Woodworking
F & W Publications, Inc.
Website: www.popularwoodworking.com
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