Dealing with Mortising chips?

[jgourlay]

I'm making a table for the shop. It's a fast and dirty hack job of SYP and Cedar legs for a sharpening station.  Really, it's a way to get some low-consequence chisel/saw time in a busy schedule.  I'm cutting the mortises by hand and the cedar really makes visible a problem that I've had to varying degrees with every table I've built.

That is, the little chips get under the leg and make dents in the leg when I hammer down on the chisel.  The trivial solution is "well, make sure you dust off the table a lot".  Clearly you could spend twice as much time sweeping off chips as cutting.  Do you all have a better solution?  Something like not planing the legs to final dimensions until after the mortises or cut, or some such?

[Strokes77]

I'm no expert. But I always finish plane after joinery is cut. Right before assembly.

While chopping waste, either mortise or dovetails, I use my hand or blow to remove Chips everytime I reposition the piece. I'm not perfect, but I'm very conscious of keeping the bench clear. Lots of little hand wipes continuously throughout make it manageable for me.

[jteneyck]

That shouldn't be a problem if the leg is clamped down on your bench.  When you install a new piece well, yes, you do need to make sure the bench is clean where it will be clamped. 

I don't know if it works with cedar, but when I get dents in a piece, regardless of my best efforst/intentions, they usually come out by steaming them wiith an iron set on cotton pressed against a wet rag.  

John

[MidwestMan]

I agree with what John said about clamping down the piece to be worked on.

In addition, to make it easy to do that, I installed one of those vice-clamp thingies in the top of my workbench. I don't know the name of it, but it is a  metal square about 3" x 4" with a slot in it. The hand vice clamp fits in the slot. The metal square is mortised in the top of your workbench.

It is really a nice addition to any workbench.

Joe

[Alan S]

Maybe if you contact Lee valley, they'll make something for a chisel analogous to this plane accessory:
http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/page.as...75235&ap=1

[Rob Young]

I'm making a table for the shop. It's a fast and dirty hack job of SYP and Cedar legs for a sharpening station.  Really, it's a way to get some low-consequence chisel/saw time in a busy schedule.  I'm cutting the mortises by hand and the cedar really makes visible a problem that I've had to varying degrees with every table I've built.

That is, the little chips get under the leg and make dents in the leg when I hammer down on the chisel.  The trivial solution is "well, make sure you dust off the table a lot".  Clearly you could spend twice as much time sweeping off chips as cutting.  Do you all have a better solution?  Something like not planing the legs to final dimensions until after the mortises or cut, or some such?

Haven't done what you say with cedar, but when making some tables using poplar (to be painted) had similar problems.

1) Put down an old dish towel or bath towel between the leg and the bench.  This gives a little bit of cushion in case something does get under the leg.  At least then, I only had small dents and those steam out.

2) Use a handscrew clamp to hold the leg, handscrew clamp is then clamped to the bench top.  This supports the sides and minimizes the chance of splitting.

3) Between each mortise, clean up the chips.  

4) Be prepared for a little bit of steaming or just wet the dented surface and let it dry.  Then do the final surfacing.

[rwe2156]

Is there another solution? No.  With soft wood the dents can be so deep you can't plane them out.


How long does it take to swipe off the table?

However long that takes, isn't it worth is not to ruin a project?

Its a good "second nature" habit every ww'er should develop.

[Rob Young]

 With soft wood the dents can be so deep you can't plane them out.

Severe bench rash.

[ez-duzit]

...Put down an old dish towel or bath towel between the leg and the bench.  This gives a little bit of cushion in case something does get under the leg...

You don't want any "cushion" beneath a workpiece on which you are using a chisel and mallet.

Clamp the workpiece down to a clean, smooth bench.

[Rob Young]

You don't want any "cushion" beneath a workpiece on which you are using a chisel and mallet.

Clamp the workpiece down to a clean, smooth bench.

Trust me, it doesn't make any difference in speed or efficiency of the mortising.  What it does do is minimize bench rash.

I'll race you through pine, poplar, cherry, hard maple or oak.