Precision Router Morticing Jig

By David Dundas I have never managed to find a description of a jig to rout precisely located mortices of accurate dimensions; so I decided to design my own (Photos 1 & 2, and Figures 1 & 2). The main feature of the jig is its micro-adjustable fence, adapted from a router fence designed by Pat Warner, as described in Fine Woodworking, issue #144. Warners fence assembly rides on 25 mm aluminium bars, which engage with matching dadoes. My jigs fence also rides on runners, to ensure that the fence remains precisely parallel to the face of the workpiece in which the mortice is to be cut. However, I used 9.5 mm wide strips ripped from an 11 mm thick polythene kitchen cutting board for the runners, instead of aluminium. The fence is microadjustable by turning a threaded rod. It is locked in position by knobs, whose bolt extensions engage with tee-nuts inserted into the underside of the horizontal platform. The stop-blocks, which also slide on polythene runners, limit the travel of the router to control the length of the mortice. Each stop-block has a scale for precise positioning, and is locked in position by a similar locking knob to those used for the fence.

Photo 1. The morticing jig.

Photo 2. Side view of the jig. Construction (The letters refer to the codes in the List of Materials and on the illustrations) Cut and mill the hardwood parts (D-J) to the sizes given in the List of Materials, except for the dial-gauge base block (G), which should be left long, and docked to length after routing and drilling. Rip the polythene for the runners (K-M) a shade wider than 9.5 mm, and use a jack plane to fine-tune its width, checking it after each pass of the plane with a dial or electronic caliper, and set it aside for now. Cut the MDF for the horizontal platform (A), vertical support (B), and triangular support blocks (J) to size, making sure that A is exactly rectangular (Figure 1). Use a jigsaw to cut a light-bulb-shaped hole in the centre of the vertical support, and an angled slot in its left side (Figure 2).

Figure 1. Plan view of the horizontal platform, the fence assembly, and a stop block.
Note: The dimensions given in this figure and in the list of materials suit a router baseplate of 166 mm diam. 258 mm 6 mm diam. hole tapped with 5/16" thread

M
45 mm 150 mm

E
45 mm

K
50 mm

A
150 mm

K N

N H
221 mm

J
258 mm Centre line

Holes for tee-nuts

207 mm

L
110 mm

191 mm 8 mm diam. hole

F
450 mm

Cut the window in the horizontal platform by raising the table-saw blade through it. Use a piece of tape to mark the position on the table-saws fence opposite the top of the blade, and rule a centre-line across the horizontal platform exactly perpendicular to its edge. Lock the fence in the required position (Figure 1), then use a hold-down pad to hold the platform MDF firmly against the fence as you slowly raise the saw blade through it, taking care to ensure that you position the pad well clear of the position where the saw blade will emerge (Photo 3). The horizontal platform is joined to the vertical support with a splined butt joint. The kerf for the spline (Q) in the underside of the platform (Figure 1) is cut with the tablesaw blade raised 3 mm. The blade is then raised to a height of 6 mm to cut the matching kerf in the top of the vertical support (Photo 4).

G C E M

D L J F

K H

N L

J B

Figure 2. Exploded view of the jig.

Photo 3. Cutting the window in the horizontal platform.

Photo 4. Cutting the kerf in the top of the vertical support. Routing the dadoes for the runners In order that the fence (C) will slide smoothly parallel to the face of the workpiece, it is crucial to ensure that the dadoes for the fence runners (L) in the horizontal platform (Figure 1) are parallel, and that they are perpendicular to its near edge and equidistant from its centre line. Similarly the dadoes in the underside of the fence must be perpendicular to its edge and equidistant from its centre line. To rout these dadoes, I used the following procedure: I ruled two guidelines parallel to the centre-line previously ruled on the horizontal platform and 13 mm from it, and then clamped a length of 6 mm x 25 mm aluminium bar between the guide lines, making sure that the clamps would not interfere with the 6

Photo 5. Routing the dadoes for the fence runners. router when using the bar as a fence to rout both of the dadoes (Photo 5). If your routers cutter axis is not precisely concentric with the baseplate, inaccuracies can arise. To avoid these, you need to ensure, when cutting the second dado, that the same point on the circumference of the baseplate runs against the fence as was running against it when you routed the first. All the runner dadoes used in the jig are 9.5 mm wide. They should be 5 mm deep in the horizontal platform and 7 mm deep in the fence and stop blocks. A similar procedure is used to rout the matching pair of dadoes in the underside of the fence (Photo 6).

Photo 6. Routing the fence dadoes. Routing the slots for the fence-locking knobs Mark the centre lines for the fence slots at the positions indicated in Figure 1. Then draw guidelines on the fence perpendicular to its edge to indicate where to clamp a bar to guide the router (Photo 7). Rout 9.5 mm wide slots through the fence; then, using the same guidelines, use a 25 mm cutter to rout slots 8 mm deep to form countersunk shoulders for the locking knobs (Photo 8).

Photo 7. Routing the slots for the fence locking knobs.

Photo 8. The countersunk shoulders of the fence slots. Completing the fence assembly Rout a 9.5 mm wide dado 7 mm deep in the top of the fence for the runner (M) for the dial-gauge base-block. On the router table, rout a 9.5 mm matching dado in the underside of the base-block (G). Cut a 5 mm wide slot in the end of the base-block to fit the lug on the underside of the dial gauge. On the drill-press drill a 6 mm hole for a carriage bolt to lock the dial gauge in position and drill a series of 5 mm holes through the base block to form a slot for its 5 mm locking bolt (Figure 1). Dock the baseblock to length. Rabbet the undersides of the fence block (E) and the static block (F), so that they can overhang the near edges of the fence and the horizontal platform respectively. Drill a (6mm) hole through the fence block on the drill press, then use a 5/16 (8 mm) tap to tap a thread in the hole. It is best to chuck the tap in a drill press and rotate the chuck by hand (NOT using the drill-press motor) to get the tap started in the hole

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Photo 9. Starting to tap the thread in the hole drilled in the fence block, rotating the chuck by hand. then clamp the fence block in a vice, and turn the tap with an adjustable wrench until its end projects about 5 mm on the other side of the block. Glue the fence block onto the fence, centring it on the fences centre line. Cut the fence runners to length and insert them into their dadoes on the horizontal platform. You will need to lightly pare with a sharp chisel the sides of dadoes on the underside of the fence, until the fence fits onto its runners snugly. Move the fence forward on its runners towards the window until the ends of the runners disappear beneath it; then use a 3/8 (9.5 mm) brad-point bit to mark the centres of the holes for the tee-nuts (Photo 10). Insert a (6 mm) brad-point bit through the tapped hole in the fence block, then place the static block in position on the horizontal platform. Use the point of the bit to mark on the static block the required position for the centre point of the 8 mm hole for the threaded rod. Drill the hole through the static block.

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Photo 10. Using brad-point bits to mark drilling positions.

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Photo 11. Routing the dadoes for the stop-block runners. Making the stop blocks Rout 9.5 mm dadoes for the stop-block runners in the horizontal platform (Photo11 & Figure 1). On the router table, rout matching dadoes in the undersides of the stop blocks (D), and 9.5 mm wide slots through them (Photo 12). Rout 6 mm dadoes 0.5 mm deep in the horizontal platform for the stop-block scales (N). Push the stop-block runners (K) into their dadoes and fit the stop blocks onto them, paring their dadoes until you achieve a snug fit. Move the stop blocks towards the window until the scale dadoes disappear beneath them; then use a 9.5 mm brad-point bit to mark at the inner ends of the slots the centres of the holes for the locking-knob tee-nuts.

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Photo 12. Routing slots in the stop blocks. Drilling the holes for the tee-nuts Drill 3 mm pilot holes through the horizontal platform at the four marked positions for the tee-nuts. Then drill the two 3/8 (9.5 mm) holes for the fence tee-nuts, using a brad-point or Forstner bit, and drilling from both sides, so as to avoid tear-out. The tee-nuts for the stop-blocks need to be countersunk on the underside of the horizontal platform to prevent their interfering with the workpiece when it is clamped to the jig; the 3 mm deep, 22mm diameter countersink is drilled with a Forstner bit centred on the pilot hole. Finally drill out the 9.5 mm hole for the stop-block tee-nuts, again drilling from both sides to avoid tear-out. A similar procedure is used to fit the smaller countersunk tee-nut in the fence for the 3/16 (5 mm) locking bolt for the dial-gauges base-block. Completing the jig assembly Remove the fence, the stop-blocks and their runners from the horizontal platform and cut biscuit slots in its sides for the edging strips (P not shown in the Figures). Glue the spline (Q) into the kerf on the underside of the horizontal platform and fit the vertical support onto it, and glue on the triangular support blocks. Clamp on a carpenters square to ensure that the joint is precisely square (Photo 13). When the glue has cured, remove the clamps and insert the four tee-nuts into their holes in the underside of the horizontal platform; then clamp the jig upright in a vice, fit the runners, and glue the edging strips to the sides of the platform. Fit the fence assembly, the stop blocks, and their locking knobs; screw the threaded rod into the fence block, and glue the static block (F) in position with the rod passing through it (Photo 14). Glue the dial-gauge stop-block (H) in position. When the glue has cured, reinforce these two blocks by inserting screws into them from below. Fit two locking nuts on the threaded rod between the fence block and the static block, and fit a locking nut and a wing-nut on the end of the rod. Use epoxy to glue the scales (N) into their shallow dadoes in the horizontal platform, with each of their zero marks at a distance from the centre line on the horizontal platform that is equivalent to the radius of your

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routers baseplate. When you have adjusted the locking nuts to minimize backlash, and fitted the dial gauge to its base-block, the jig is complete (Photo 1). Workpiece-support fence A member of the Australian Woodworking Forum suggested the idea for the workpiece-support fence shown in Photo 15. This accessory facilitates the accurate clamping of the workpiece in position.

Photo 13. Glueing the vertical support to the horizontal platform. Note the carpenters square clamped on to ensure that the joint remains square.

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Photo 14. Glueing the static block and the dial-gauge stop-block to the horizontal platform.

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Photo 15. Workpiece-support fence.

Operation
The only marking out required, when routing a mortice, is to rule a line across the workpiece to indicate the centre of the mortice. This line is registered with the centre line ruled across the platform of the jig and down the edge of the window. To set the stop blocks to rout a mortice, say 30 mm long, each block is positioned so that its scale reading is 15 mm minus the radius of the router bit that you are using. To set the depth of cut, the router is placed upside-down on the workbench, and a scrap of 12 mm MDF is placed on the baseplate, to allow for the thickness of the jigs horizontal platform.

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Photo 16. The workpiece is clamped to the jig ready for morticing. To position the fence for morticing, I use the following procedure. I clamp a piece of scrap stock in position on the jig, marking the face that is butted against the vertical support (Photo 16). I then rout a trial mortice in the scrap stock approximately the same distance from the marked face as the required distance. I note the dial gauge reading for the fence position. I then remove the scrap from the jig and measure with a caliper the thickness of wood between the marked face and the mortice. Say, for example, that the mortice I require should be 8 mm from the face of the workpiece. If, for instance, the trial mortice I have routed is only 6 mm from the marked face of the scrap, I need to adjust the fence position by 2 mm. Once the adjustment has been made, I lock the fence, clamp the workpiece to the jig, and rout the mortice. The jig can be calibrated for a particular cutter, so that the distance between the mortice and the face of the workpiece can be read directly on the dial gauge. The calibration is done by routing a trial mortice with the desired cutter; measuring the distance of the mortice from the face of the workpiece that was butted against the vertical support; then, keeping the fence locked in position, moving the dial-gauge base-block on its guide bar until the gauges reading corresponds with the measured distance; and, finally, locking the base-block in position. I use solid carbide spiral upcut bits for routing mortices. I stand on the same side of the jig as the wing nut, and start by positioning the router with its baseplate against

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the fence and the right-hand stop, and then plunge the bit to the full depth of the mortice. I then make successive 6 mm deep passes with a right-to-left feed direction. The jig can also be used to cut mortices in the end-grain of rails using a deep-throated clamp to hold the top end of the vertically positioned workpiece. It is also possible to rout tenons with the jig, after cutting the tenon shoulders on the table saw (Photo 17). The fence adjustment procedure for a centred tenon is as follows: Clamp a piece of scrap stock of identical thickness to the workpiece vertically on the jig, and rout the first cheek of the tenon. Flip the workpiece and rout the other cheek. Measure the thickness of the trial tenon with a caliper, and adjust the fence by half the difference between the trial tenon thickness and the desired tenon thickness.

Photo 17. The workpiece is clamped vertically for tenoning. Note that the tenon shoulders have been pre-cut on the table-saw.

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List of Materials Code Item Horizontal platform A Vertical support B Fence C Stop blocks (2) D Fence block E Static block F Base block for dial gauge G Stop block for dial gauge H Triangular support blocks (2) J for horizontal platform Runners (2) for stop blocks K Runners (2) for fence L Runner for dial gauge base M Scales (2) cut from miniature N Steel tape measure Edging strips (2) P Spline Q Threaded rod, 5/16 Nuts (3), 5/16 Wing nut, 5/16 Triangular knobs (4), with 5/16 bolt extensions 15/16 long, & 4 washers Tee nuts, 5/16 (4) Carriage bolt, by 2 , with nut, washer, and lock washer Mushroom-head bolt, 3/16 by 1 , with washer Tee nut, 3/16 Screws, biscuits Dial gauge

Thickness 12 18 20 16 40 25 20 20 18 11 11 11

Width 350 300 90 100 40 60 50 60 80 9.5 9.5 9.5 6 20 8

Length 450 450 440 125 90 90 90 60 125 90 140 90 75 350 450 150

Material MDF MDF Hardwood Hardwood Hardwood Hardwood Hardwood Hardwood MDF Polythene Polythene Polythene

12 3.2 8

Hardwood Hardwood Brass

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