Easy Angled Mortices on the Drill Press Attaching

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Easy Angled Mortises on the Drill Press - (Attaching Round Legs at an Angle)by ymouseron October 6, 2014

Table of Contents

Easy Angled Mortises on the Drill Press - (Attaching Round Legs at an Angle) ................................................................

Intro: Easy Angled Mortises on the Drill Press - (Attaching Round Legs at an Angle) ........................................................

Step 1: Materials ...........................................................................................................

Step 2: Tools ..............................................................................................................

Step 3: Mark the Seat .......................................................................................................

Step 4: Make the Jig ........................................................................................................

Step 5: Set up the Drill Press ..................................................................................................

Step 6: Bore the Widest Hole First ..............................................................................................

Step 7: Bore the smaller hole .................................................................................................. 1

Step 8: Rotate and Repeat ................................................................................................... 1

Step 10: Finish ............................................................................................................ 1

Related Instructables ........................................................................................................ 1

Advertisements ............................................................................................................... 1

Comments ................................................................................................................ 1

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Author:ymouser author's website

artist, designer, builder

Intro: Easy Angled Mortises on the Drill Press - (Attaching Round Legs at an Angle)One of my favorite things to make is wooden stools. I love them for their simplicity and versatility.

When building these I most often use a round tenon in an angled mortise to attach the legs to the top. These joints provide a clean strong connection, and they are eato make with a drill press, Forstner drill bits and a simple jig.

Step 1:MaterialsTo start you'll want to gather supplies for the stool and the jig.

For the stool:

1) A wooden top - I'm using a 14" disk made from ash that's 7/8" thick. I've already joined, planed and shaped the circle. This can be any size as long as you can fit it othe drill press jig you build.

2) A set of round legs - I made four of these on a small wood lathe. These are about 14" long with 1"x1" tenon and a 1 1/2" diameter at the shoulder.

For the jig:

3) a 3/4" thick piece of MDF or shop ply that is a few inches larger than your seat diameter. Here I have a 17x17" square and two 1"x17" strips

4) Wood glue

5) 1 1/4" brad nails

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Step 2:ToolsNext you'll want to have a few tools on hand

1) Pencil

2) Tape measure

3) 12" combo square

4) 18" ruler

5) 45 degree drafting triangle

6) Brad nail gun

7) Forster drill bits: 1 1/2" and 1"

8) Safety glasses

9) Clamps

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Step 3:Mark the Seat- First you'll want to mark the wooden top so that it has center lines for reference. This is easiest to mark before you cut the circle. After the circle is cut you can transfethe lines to the side with a combo square. Be sure final marks are made on the bottom side of the seat.

- Next, because of how I want the grain direction to run on the stool I adjust the center lines to 45 degrees from the grain direction using a drafting triangle.

- Then mark the center point for each leg mortise using a combo square set at 3" and drawing a line at that point. You can adjust these points closer to the outside edgfor a wider stance.

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Step 4:Make the JigThis jig provides reference surfaces for your piece on the drill press andthis one set up will allow you to cut all the mortices with a simple rotation.

1) Take your 17"x17" piece of MDF and mark the center line at 8.5"

2) At the bottom side draw two 45 degree angles diverging from the center line as shown.

3) Next cut 45 degrees off one end of each of the 1" MDF strips.

4) Then position the 1" strips so the cut angle fits inside the panel at the bottom as shown. Then mark and trim the outside edge of each strip to fit inside the paneldimension.

5) Now you can attach the strips to the panel by applying some glue for tack. You want to be sure the corners line up directly on your center line and set at exactly a 4degrees. Use your reference lines and your combo square to position them in this way.

6) Finally, pin nail in place.

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Step 5:Set up the Drill Press1) Start by centering your drill press table. I do this by eye, checking alignment with the base and then the chuck.

2) Then set the angle of the table to the degree required for your project. I'm positioning mine to 15 degrees and you can increase this for a more dramatic angle.

3) Next insert your 1 1/2" bit into the chuck and tighten.

3) Place your MDF jig with the seat onto the table. First, align the center mark on the edge of the seat disk to the center mark on the jig, then position the jig onto thecenter of the table. You can check that the edges of the jig are parallel to your already centered table and use the brad point of the forstner bit to locate the exact posit

4) Now clamp the jig to the table.

5) And clamp the seat to the jig.

6) With the drill turned off I pull the bit down all the way until it makes contact with the wood and adjust the measure marker on my press to 0. This is simply a referenc

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as I start.

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Step 6:Bore the Widest Hole First1) Now with your set up positioned correctly and securely fastened in place bore the first 1 1/2" hole so that the entire diameter of the bit just clears the surface. Onthicker seats this hole can continue deeper for an even stronger hold. For now we just want a even clean connection between the seat and the leg.

2) Note the depth of this hole so that you can repeat this on the next three.

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Step 7:Bore the smaller hole1) With the seat and j ig still securely fastened remove the 1 1/2" Forster bit and replace it with the 1" bit.

2) Now drill the second diameter hole for the tenon you turned on the lathe. In this instance I'm going to drill as deep as possible without cutting through to the other sileaving about 1/8" in tact.

3) Use the stop on your drill press to lock this lowest position and ensure the proper depth is cut on the remaining mortices.

4) At this point, if you prefer, you can drill all the way through the top side of the seat for an exposed joint. This provides an even longer, stronger connection and anopportunity to highlight the details of construction with a wedge hammered in from the top, but this time I'm keeping the joint hidden.

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Comments

15 comments Add Comment

scarr56says: Oct 11, 2014. 9:24 AM REP

Thanks for the reply.

What is the basic jig for cutting the length of the legs and the angle of the feet you mention in your answer? Maybe you should make a follow-up tutorial???

scarr56says: Oct 11, 2014. 9:24 AM REPThanks for the reply.

What is the basic jig for cutting the length of the legs and the angle of the feet you mention in your answer? Maybe you should make a follow-up tutorial???

scarr56says: Oct 11, 2014. 9:24 AM REPThanks for the reply.

What is the basic jig for cutting the length of the legs and the angle of the feet you mention in your answer? Maybe you should make a follow-up tutorial???

Quanahsays: Oct 8, 2014. 4:31 AM REPI am always looking for jigs to use on my drill press. Do you make 3 legged stools also? I am partial to these because they don't rock, even on an unevenfloor.

ymousersays: Oct 10, 2014. 4:42 PM REPIt's true, with fewer points touching the floor it is less likely to rock. I love the idea of three legs, it's even more simple. I've not yet built a three-leggedstool, but I will try it!

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cburgsays: Oct 9, 2014. 8:43 AM REPI believe that jug would be the same. you only have to divide the seat into 3 sections instead of 4 to make a 3 legged stool. There are all sorts of videoson "how to divide a circle into 3 parts"

I also will be using the jig to replace a seat on a stool I have had for years. Thanks for the Instructable ...

scarr56says: Oct 10, 2014. 8:26 AM REPGreat instructable! Will the bottom of the legs have to be mitered to lay flatly on the floor? If so, what angle? Also, If you did a barstool height stool, would tangle still be 15 degrees?

ymousersays: Oct 10, 2014. 4:37 PM REPGood question. If you want the feet to sit parallel to the floor you'll want to cut the bottoms off a the same angle. After the legs are glued in you can useanother really basic jig attached to the seat as a reference and then hand saw off the legs at the proper angle and length. For any stool the leg angle cabe determined by your specific dimensions and design, but my guess is 15 degrees could work or even be reduced slightly. Try drawing it out full scalefirst to see how it looks.

winton.wightman.5says: Oct 10, 2014. 12:04 AM REPGreat jig, however it assumes that one has a drill press/pillar drill with a tilting table - many smaller machines do not...

ymousersays: Oct 10, 2014. 4:17 PM REPWith a couple additions you can make this jig work on a drill press table that is fixed! You will just need a second base (you'll use this to clamp to thetable) and between the bottom and the top panels attach a pair of triangular pieces of MDF that are cut at the angle you need. If you want to keep thingadjustable, leave out the triangular blocks and instead attach a piano hinge on the bottom edge and swap out different height blocks of wood fastened the top to achieve your desired angle.

Eh Lie Us!says: Oct 10, 2014. 11:51 AM REPGood point! In that case, you're entire jig would be built with an angle.

Well, at least that's my slant on it. :)

warehouse32says: Oct 9, 2014. 7:22 AM REPNice job! a good jig goes a long way, thanks for posting!

technoslicksays: Oct 9, 2014. 4:42 AM REPNice. Thank you!

xwaniasays: Oct 7, 2014. 6:43 PM REPnicely done. thank you for sharing

seamstersays: Oct 7, 2014. 1:15 PM REPNicely done. I have officially added this to my mental list of woodworking tricks!