Project Update: Making Square Holes

After working so hard on the first rectangular mortise, I decided to actually listen to Random Roger Green and move forward with the kerfing approach I mentioned in my last post. The first step in this approach is to drill holes large enough for a jig saw blade.

For this task, I switched from the Forstner bit to a brad point bit. It's important that the holes meet from both sides; that way, the jig saw blade has enough freedom of movement to not bind or break the blade. Once I got both sides drilled, I cut a rough hole and then cut kerf lines from the hole to the outlines of the mortise.

This looks pretty funky, but it was easy to do and quite effective in helping me move along at a much faster pace. The photo below illustrates about ten minutes of work with a 1/2" chisel.

When cutting the small sides, I am effectively cutting end grain, which is really quite difficult to do. But, if that's the hardest part of this approach, I'll take it. Speed and accuracy are of the essence now, so I can get back to this:

On a completely unrelated note, Mark Roberts of Mark Roberts Guitars and Ukuleles recently posted an interesting hack on his Facebook page regarding the use of a little IKEA light for one of his band saws. If you've ever used a band saw, you know that lighting is a constant challenge. So, I followed Mark's lead and purchased two IKEA JANSJÖ LED lamps with clips on the ends, rather than a base. They're lensed, which means the light both spreads and focuses as you move it around and they work great for both of the band saws.

Total savings: $150. Thanks, Mark.

Until next time...