This is the antique mortiser I am using. I got it off Ebay for not much, and it works pretty well. The first holes were off no more than 1/16" going through a ten inch beam. Not bad in my opinion. once all the holes were drilled out, I roughed out the mortise with a skilsaw, and chiseled out the rest. I was able to borrow a big corner chisel and a slick from my grandfather- thanks gramps! They work well but the mallet I had was too small.
So, I dug out a piece of firewood, and made this thing on a lathe (again, thanks gramps). We had a hell of a time getting the thing to spin on the lathe without jumping all around, but eventually we got it. It's quite a weapon- I haven't hit a finger yet, but give me time.
The rest of the weekend was spent on the first two posts. One is complete, and the other is almost there. My planing idea from a previous entry worked, and I think it looks pretty nice. I'm using danish oil for a finish, and I've found that the best way to apply it is with a spray bottle. I let it sit for a while, and come back a few hours later to wipe off the excess. One of the finished posts is shown below, pre-oil.
2 comments:
Topper,
I love it!!! I can tell you are going to succeed. The craftsmanship of your first post looks impeccable. Keep the vision and don't worry that it is taking so long ('cause it will!!!). And please keep blogging for those of us who have done this only once (timberframing) and may never get to do it again!!! Looks awesome so far!!!
-Thomas
Thanks for checking it out, and for the encouragement. I'll keep blogging as I go, it's kinda nice to keep a record of the project.
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