Mortise Jig

Add Precision to Your Work!

Why bother with a mortise jig? Without it, you compromise your furniture joinery. The mortise and tenon is the joint of choice in furniture. The joint resists tension and twist, and works great in compression and shear. In addition, registration of your joint is perfect with this jig!

The mortise is an excavation. It can be difficult without the proper tools. For a perfect fit, you want the tenon to fit the mortise exactly.

Some people use hand chisels or a drill press with hollow square chisels. Other woodworkers turn the router horizontally.
For the most precise and repeatable mortises, you should consider this mortiser. The Mortise Jig gives excellent results every time. The mortise and tenon joint will last your lifetime.

With the Tenon Jig, you can make precise mortise and tenon joints in less time than any other method.
You get exact alignment for both parts. You can make mortises of nearly any length, width or depth. Moreover, they are repeatable for multiple cuts.

How does the mortise jig work? The beauty of this system is simplicity.

• The set up is quick.
• The cuttings are efficient.
• It supports the workpiece in all directions.
• It locks the router to evacuate only the mortise needed.
• It is repeatable for several pieces, such as multiple drawer cavities on each side of a desk.
• It makes your furniture uniform and strong.

With this Mortise Jig, your capabilities increase. You transfer the skills required for cutting and fixturing to the jig. Once you make this mortiser, you will wonder how you got along without it!
(See Movie Demo below.)

You can purchase a similar Mortiser from Pat Warner (Router Expert) for $319.

Or You Can Make Your Own:

All you need is four pieces of oak, maple, or cherry, along with shop-made Slide Stops and Edge Guides. With the Slide Stops, you define the long dimension of the mortise. The two Edge Guides control the width of the mortise. The plunge router is locked into position to make precise mortises.

This jig will amaze you with perfect mortises every time.

To make your own, go to the Plans Page - Mortise Jig.
The plans include large diagrams, material list including hardware, and cutting guide.

How to Use:

Mark out the mortise dimensions from your tenon. Center the mortise in the center of the mortise jig (centerline). Clamp the wood into the jig from below first, and then lock the toggle clamps. Set-up your stop index on the right, if you are going to do several. Adjust your mortise slide stops, so that the router bit just touches the North and South Line. Adjust your Edge guides' stop collars so that the router bit exactly hits the edge of the mortise on both sides. Now you have the mortise defined.

The movie demonstrates how easy this is!

Loosen bottom support. Unlock toggle clamps. Take board out, and put in the next one. Make sure it fits snugly to your stop index. Raise your bottom support; Lock the toggle clamps. Nothing else changes, so you can rout to depth for multiple duplicate mortises.

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Size of Router Bits:

A carbide straight bit is best. I use a ¼" router bit (½" shank) for most cuts. A larger router bit will get closer to the edge of the workpiece.

If you want quality router bits at a fair price, please visit my Best Place to Buy Page.

Which first — Tenon or Mortise?

With the tenon jig, you make the shoulder of the tenon with a rabbet bit. The bit's different size bearings give you the size of the shoulder. They are in 1/16" increments.

I think it best to make the tenon first. It is easy to set-up the mortise jig to make any size mortise that you need. Therefore, you will have a snug fit when you know the tenon's size and make the mortise to accept it.

Once you use the system, you will understand how quick and easy it is. Make the tenons. Setup the mortise jig and make multiple mortises exactly the same size and depth.

To square the mortise or round the tenon — that is the question?:

You can either square the mortise or round the corners of the tenon. I've tried both methods. It seems easier to round the edges of the tenon. You can use a chisel or a wood rasp to do this quickly and easily.

Good Luck as you make perfect mortises!

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