3 Chisel Mortise Method | Paul Sellers
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- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
- Sometimes, we avoid simple joinery because we believe it cannot be done well, and efficiently by hand. This mortise, 4" long and 1 1/2" deep by half an inch, took me around seven minutes.
In any hardwood, oak, for instance, it might take a minute longer, but no more. I did this video to show a technique using my mortise guide and a strategic way using three standard chisels and a method.
I am making a bed with eight mortise and tenon joints, and the mortise I chopped here is one of them.
Enjoy real woodworking with me; it doesn't always need to be called work!
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Thank you, Paul. I made a piece of furniture recently - 26 mortise and tenon joints, all made using the methods I learned from you. And every one is a straight, square, snug fit. What a joy. Thank you!
No matter how many times I watch you use this method it's always a joy to see!
and I always learn something. Ive tried to chop as fast as Paul. Not yet.
A machine did do it! Paul is a machine!
So that's how you keep from blowing out the sides of a mortise when chopping, thank you Paul, always a pleasure :)
The guide is a great idea. Even if you own a mortiser you can use it to trim the sides since they usually don’t get very beautiful with the mortiser. Just use a slightly smaller bit than the mortise you need and then take off the extra millimetre with the guide and a chisel. Fast AND a nice result. :)
You know I hear and see a lot of people trashing yellow pine, but Paul doesn't seem to mind it. He works it and I can't recall him ever saying anything bad about it.
I could watch Paul for hours.
Thank you for putting there dimensions in both metric and imperial units :D
Im altering a large field gate to fit a smaller opening, which is hardwood so this take a LOT longer! Like chiseling granite. Great video.
Paul I was just perusing some old fine woodworking mags from 2007-9. It was such a good surprise seeing your letter to editor in the front of one.
The Master. Truly .
Paul, thank you for sharing this with us. Just great method. Everyone stay safe, warm, happy and healthy. From Henrico County Virginia
Fabulous methodology I use only your method for the last few years,works like a dream.
it looks difficult, but is quite doable with a bit of practice. Definitely worth having chisels in the toolbox.
I agree - it's good for the brain when people realise that there's more than one way to skin a cat.
I love that mortice guide too - it helps people see that they don't need to be suckered in to buying things they don't need when you can often just use the tools you were born with (your brain and imagination) instead and feel the satisfaction of overcoming challenges instead of buyer's remorse from being conned by businessmen!
Nicely stated, chippy. Thank you.
Wow. An Absolute thing of beauty your mortise chopping technique is. Thank you.
-Castor
I'm always learning something new about mortises from you Paul. I've always used your methods but, somehow I missed the episode about the mortise jig you're using. I'll have to dig that up and watch it so I can make myself one or two. As always, thank you for sharing, cheers :)
Thanks Paul, watched and stored away for future use !
This video will make many turn to hand tools mortising. Great inventive way to make a mortise.❤️👍
I've used Mr. Sellers method for years. At one point I bought these beautiful Marples mortise chisels with awesome boxwood handles.... And I never use them 😂 This method IS better.
Great method and brilliant idea to make a jig like that
Truly amazing! Thank you, Paul! 😃
Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊
i will use this method.. Thanks Mr Paul 🙏🇮🇩
Awesome. Just awesome. And so quick and easy! Really makes me wonder if I really need to bother with power tools.
Paul Sellers is not on the the King of Woodworking, he is the absolute best on YT at explaining while doing. Great video, thanks
Thanks Paul for another amazing video. I’ll be using this method on my next build. Have a good day. Thank you.
Thanks Paul
Hallo Paul, danke für das zeigen, habe wieder was dazu gelernt. Leider sind deine Videos zu kurz. Ich wünsche dir ein schönes Wochenende. Viele Grüße Christel ☺️👍
fantastico come sempre, grazie Paul
Nice! Wish I'd seen this video last week. Would have been a real time-saver.
Love the guide. That's a nice looking mortise.
Pura vida Don Paul su técnica y guía para las mortajas se ve muy efectiva y práctica .pura vida for sharing with us
Awesome video, Paul!
Thanks
I use it works better than anything else I’ve tried. Thanks Paul
Beautiful.
This is very similar to the techniques used by the Japanese carpenters. But it's really good to see these techniques developed
The Japanese got the idea from Paul though.
This man is God of woodworking.
What a great method!
Thank you.
Love the guide!!
thanks
Great examples. Thank you.
I don't need a mortice just now, but I'm having to go out and try this, right away!
Many thanks.
Excellent!
that's amazing... you did that almost faster than I can set up my router and jig to make the same cut.
Nice work dude 🥰🥰
Paul you should get this method patent in your name....its really a wonderful method.
This technique is so straight-forward , leaves me wishing I needed to make some m&t joints. You don’t score the far side of the mortise. Any tearing hidden under the tenon shoulder?
Awesome!
Still the best !
Nice method, I haven't cut any mortices by hand in a long time. I'll get the pig stickers out and make up one if your gauges. I do like the 'Haywood' method of standing end on to the mortice but I can see with your gauge its not needed.
When you see someone at work and you know it's a part of him you understand the ease which comes from him...🖖
This method is being used here in India from a long time.
Thanks have never used this method but will be from now on
Love it
Hats off 👏
Instructive as always - and you make it look so easy.
Could you tell me if you put a micro-bevel on a mortise chisel?
Good to see you back in the saddle Paul, how did the hands hold up, hopefully good? :)
Hehe I learn to mortise from you Mr Paul, it's a fun way than drilling two holes which I find inconvenient....
Do you use different size of guides for cleaning the other side wall of the mortise? Or do you free hand that side. Just curious how you tackle the far side. Or is it cleaned up as you hog out the material with the 1/2” chisel?
A few weeks ago I was thinking of making a mortise guide which is essentially a block of wood with a mortise already cut into it and some alignment lines.
The idea is you line the guide up on the work piece, clamp it down and chop the mortise through the guide.
Functionally it would work like a template for your mortise. Could over engineer by adding adjustability.
Have you tried a mortise guide like this before?
Thank you. Wonderful video. Please help. I’m making sawhorses to do post and beam mortise and tenon work. My wood for my sawhorses is 3.5x3.5 Douglas Fir. I’m not sure what size would be best for the mortise and tenons. Your help would be appreciated
Paul will u show how to makeing that mortice jig please I need to get all my work tidy n crisp joins doing level 1in carpentry and joinery diploma I'm after being a bench joiner that u scott ad dovtail jig u made how utch or 1 ???
If I can pay $25 and have fun for a few weekends, solo or with friends, and not have to deal with any live service or micro transactions or seasons or battle passes? That's the dream
Awesome as always :)
Can anyone tell me why does Paul only use a chisel for mortises? I see People making this with drill.
Is it still faster to use a chisel, maybe more accurate, or he simply prefer traditional way to do it?
honestly its just easier to use a chisel. maybe easier for mortises >1" wide.
I believe part of Paul's mission is to educate how easily it CAN be done using just simple (non powered) hand tools. Although TBH I recently needed three large mortises fully thru a cedar 4x4 and I did use a drill for the bulk, but still chisels to clean and finesse it the rest of the way.
It really is faster with a chisel, you'll spend a lot of time setting up power tools to make cuts when you really only need to just lay it out on the wood grab a chisel and get after it. I spent about 5 minutes chopping a half inch wide 1/8th deep 4inch long nock in a piece of wood just to practice, could have probably did it faster but i was trying to be quiet about it at 4 in the morning
Are you chopping into pine? The growth rings look much closer together than the pine I have. I'm making a treadle lathe out of a 2X12, and whenever I chop across the grain, it compresses and breaks apart. The growth rings are 1/4" apart, It's basically styrofoam... My chisels are sharp and I'm only taking 1/8" chops. Guess I need to just spend the money on better wood next time
Hi there Mr.Sellers 👋🇨🇦 I have a 100$ for you ,a lot of people are saying that we need a mortise chisel to make mortises . When i saw you take some normal chisels i got a big question mark in my head 😁 Can you make a video about this please and explain the why and don’t . Because now i am starting to think that a lot of woodworkers on UA-cam are saying things , either to sell for $$ or because they don’t know and got miss lead . 🤷🏻♂️ Thx for answering and being ho you are ❤🇨🇦👏
I agree. One individual here in Eastern Canada with his UA-cam site promotes woodworking excellence and also promotes his online sale of tools. Some of these tools such as chisels are manufactured in Canada and considered some of the best BUT are extremely pricey. Viewers believe that to produce a high level of result you must have these tools. I would like to hear what Paul’s opinion is on using a mortise chisel as opposed to a quality bench chisel for this exercise. Most times Paul and many others will not respond to questions or comments posted to their videos. 🇨🇦👨🦳👍
I'm no pro, but i can confirm you absolutely can use a regular "register" chisel to make mortises, the people saying not to likely have some expensive chisels with precise geometry and a lot of honing done to them and don't want to dull them/have to reshape them. But you don't need high dollar chisels, i just bought some off the shelf pony Jorgenson chisels and they're fantastic at $10USD a pop they're affordable well built and high performing every tool I've bought from them has been great from clamps to corner jigs pony Jorgenson really is bang for buck which is a huge shocker in the age of disposable everything
Ignorant question here: How would I adjust the mortise guide for mortises that have different thickness walls?
If possible, please make a video on making a chessboard with hand tools only.
Is there a link for the guide you made? I'm interested in learning more. Is that a sheet of copper on the fence? How did you choose the depth of the fence?
ua-cam.com/video/ZDk9Rv5imj0/v-deo.html&ab_channel=PaulSellers
It is just plywood. I am guessing he used plywood with a plastic or painted face, and the colors are paint/primer/plastic or glue. The depth of the fence is decided based on how far in your mortise should be from the edge. In other words, you make a fence from scrap for each project (unless you made a fence previously that fits your needs). And if you make furniture, you could use the same dimensions across the pieces so that you can re-use jigs and guides.
Another option would be to use shims for your guides, for example held in place with magnets: two magnets in the "mother guide" which has the deepest offset, then different shims with a piece of steel embedded to move the offset.
But at some point, you'll just toss the training wheels and do this freehand. You build skills fast! :)
He has a set of them for different offsets. Check out video on these.@@vharboe
I feel like you're challenging me to find a picture of someone who had a jig like that earlier. I mean, it's the obvious thing to do if your sides are critical.
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You'd need a registered mortise chisel for the guide would you?
Not all new mortise chisels have parallel sides I think so beware
I dont know about this one. It looked fast yes, but the first and most notably the last of the short edges, looked damaged from the lever action of the chisel. Would you also go to the extent of making another 'chisel guide' for the opposing face?
I think I prefer your previous method, this one seems a bit too agricultural.
Who else things Paul sound like a commentator calling a soccer match.
Sorry i have a question which isn't related to the video topic but maybe anyone can answer:
I bought an old Record No.4 it is a "warfinish" one and the sole looks pretty flat (checked with a straight edge) but the sole is not perpendicular to the handles / tote the whole body casting thickness is on the right side from the tote around 5.2 mm and on the left side of the tote its around 4.5 mm so round about between 0.5mm to 0.7mm diffrence from side to side but it's flat . Is it understandable?
It looks like somebody lapped it with a edge grinder seated on the side.. I will not use it for shooting (have bigger ones too) it should be my smoother so the sides do not be square to the sole..
Do i have to try to get the sole perpendicular to the tote or is it a good advice to do so?
In my experience, using this plane will disturb your developed muscle memory in holding and using normal planes level.
@@laurencegoedar462 Hmm, do you think human sense is fine enough to recognise this "inclined plane" of max. 1mm from left to right? Beside this.. i just started with handplaning.. didn't have muscle memory yet.. but some other "perpendicular" planes...additionally
No, square sides are not necessary for bench planes. You’ll get a ‘feel’ for when you’re planing slightly out of square eventually. So long as the sole is flat, you’re golden.
@@Gnasherism Sure not square sides to sole is not necessary.. But with this plane i meant the tote is not square to the sole. The sole is flat but slightly like an oblique plane in relation to the tote / knob..
@@SergeantBlubb sorry, I clearly hadn’t properly read what you’d said. I personally wouldn’t worry too much, just see how you get on. Would hate to see something useable get tossed in the bin (as would Paul, I suspect) especially if with a bit of fettling you could get it back sitting true
Blocking these new youtube attempts to force adverts at everyone is annoying with the 30 seconds of silence.
The mortise guide is a great thing, however it has been used for hundreds of years by japanese woodworkers so this is not a new thing.
Paul has a dry a sense of humor, he was making a little joke lol
Respectfully, why not just use a mortise chisel - designed for the job?
Easier on the ears, lungs and wallet than those machines👍
I’m the 2nd viewer
3d viewer 😂