{"id":4871,"date":"2017-06-29T22:12:05","date_gmt":"2017-06-30T02:12:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rpwoodwork.com\/blog\/?p=4871"},"modified":"2017-06-29T22:12:05","modified_gmt":"2017-06-30T02:12:05","slug":"router-mortise-jig-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rpwoodwork.com\/blog\/2017\/06\/29\/router-mortise-jig-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Router mortise jig, part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"router<\/p>\n

Now let’s work through the elements of the jig. The top photo<\/strong> again shows an overall view with a leg blank in place.<\/p>\n

Basic construction:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The jig is built on a piece of plywood<\/strong> about 5″ wide and 39″ long. Screwed down along one edge is a double-width T track<\/a> with the groove placed up at the outer edge.\u00a0The wide T-track allows the sliding stops to be far enough away from the leg blank to make room for the router fence. (See previous post<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Workpiece registration:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The side of the leg blank registers against the track, and the end registers against the moveable tab stop<\/strong> that you can see sticking out sideways from the track in the photo below<\/strong>. (It is dark wood \u2013 wenge \u2013 with a brass knob.)<\/p>\n

\"router<\/p>\n

Clamping the workpiece:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Two toggle clamps<\/strong> are mounted on 1 7\/8″ square x 5″ moveable blocks, which are secured in the track with T bolts. These clamps provide lots of holding power and can be positioned away from the routing action.<\/p>\n

For use in addition to, or instead of, the toggle clamps, there is a wedge system<\/strong>, seen in the photo below<\/strong>. This consists of three 5\/8″ square x 1″ blocks, distributed along the length of the plywood, that are bolted to the plywood but free to rotate. Wedges, 5\/8″-thick x 8″-long with a 1:7 slope, secure the workpiece.<\/p>\n

\"router<\/p>\n

Stops for limiting the length of the mortise\/haunch:<\/strong><\/p>\n

These are 3\/4″ x 2 1\/2″ x 2 1\/2″ blocks<\/strong> that position in the T track and lock down with T bolts and star knobs. You can see them at the sides of the photo below.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"router<\/p>\n

At the right of the photo below<\/strong>, the router fence jig meets the stop to define the bottom of the mortise.<\/p>\n

\"router<\/p>\n

At the left of the photo below<\/strong>, the router plate jig meets the stop to define the bottom of the haunch (the limit of the full-depth mortise).<\/p>\n

\"router<\/p>\n

In the photo below<\/strong>, the left-side stop has been moved out of the way create the haunch all the way to the end of the leg. In practice, you would rout this first. Then you would move the left-side stop into place to define the top of the full-depth mortise, as seen just above. That location is “remembered” by the little maple stop with the brass knob.<\/p>\n

\"router<\/p>\n

In summary:<\/strong><\/p>\n