Staked Furniture Mortise Reaming: A Better Approach

[Philip1231]

Following the guidance of Chris Schwartz, I am experimenting with staked furniture.  My first project is a saw bench.  
Chris suggests using brace and bit (wood owl) for the hole, and this worked very well.  He suggests that the Lee Valley
standard reamer is excellent for reaming the mortise, but he suggests using an electric drill to get a more uniform mortise.
I tried this, and although it did work, and although I am not a hand tool purist, I did want to see if using this reamer by hand
would yield better results.  Heres the discovery:  use a tap wrench, specifically Starrett 93F tap wrench.  This wrench holds the
bit perfectly and the longer shaft gives you a good reference line to  compare to the bevel gauge.  I found this tool on eBay, sans handle (finding
these without a handle is not difficult since the handle comes off the tool and it apparently lost on occasion).  The stock handle would be too short anyway,
so I outfitted it with a 12" handle (3/8" SS rod stock).  Gives you massive amounts of torque with the control that you don't get with the drill.  
Reamed the hole perfectly.  Don't need no stinkin lektric drill: just a tap wrench!

[Paul-in-Plymouth]

That's a really cool idea.  Thank you for sharing it here.  It would be nice to see it in the reader tips section of a WW magazine, like PWW's "Tricks of the Trade."

[Boatman53]

I have a long handle tap wrench also and use it quite a bit. It really does help keep things aligned.
Jim

[Philip1231]

Thanks, my pleasure. Hey, maybe I could become a published author on this one: my 15 seconds of fame!

[elinourrumming]

Well I was going to send a PM, but can't figure it out (I guess my caffeine intake for the day is too low...). Shoot me an email re this if you don't mind (along with your address and phone number) if you like. I'd be interested in it for a trick, for sure! megan.fitzpatrick@fwmedia.com

[Philip1231]

Megan:

Just sent you an email.

Thanks!

Phil

[AgGEM]

Clear thinking!
Thank you for this post!
Ag

[kwadams]

Go Phil! And I knew you when you were just a simple woodworker from the woods of CT!

Nice job!
Kevin

[Philip1231]

Sorry, can't post anymore.  I am too busy hiring an agent and getting a twitter account (the trappings of fame and fortune) !

[Paul-in-Plymouth]

Maybe you can hire somebody to post for you too.  Good job!