mortises

Well, *I* got all the mortises cut for eight legs for two end tables.

So there. :)

I've only squared up the mortises on one leg so far (no pics yet). To my delight (and relief), the corner chisel is making short work of the task.

But, but ... we read right here that is theoretically/geometrically impossible.

It's possible. There are any number of baffling anomalies unknown to standard physics in my garage. Don't even get me started on the singularity that makes small parts vanish when I drop them.

On a related note, I decided to try to make myself a sharpening stick for the corner chisel. I didn't have any popsicle sticks handy, so I asked my wife for a worn-out emery board. It's about 7/8" wide and 7" long. It's thin but pretty rigid. I used spray adhesive to affix 600 grit sandpaper to one side and 1000 grit to the other. I haven't tried it yet, but I assume I'll just make a couple of light passes over the secondary bevel; the chisel is still very sharp.

Unless that emery board is metal don't a wooden/carboard emery board is too flexible, and will round your edge.

It's pretty rigid, maybe 5/32 thick. Someone here suggested a popsicle stick. I think this emery board is as rigid as one of those. But I take your point. It would be easy enough to make another one from something stiffer.

------------------------------------------------------------------ Get an aluminum extrusion that has a sharp 90 degree corner.

A 3/4" x 3/4" x 1/16" x 96" angle cut to a short length would work but would be a tad pricey unless you can get a shorter length.

Attach a piece of 600 grit with rubber cement and you are good to go.

A trip to the scrap yard might be in order.

After all, the only thing need is a sharp corner.

Lew

The geometry is off though. In order to hone both edges at once, you'd need a larger angle than 90 degrees. I'll be satisfied doing one at a time.

------------------------------------------------------------------ Lew Hodgett wrote:

--------------------------------------------------------------- Greg Guar> The geometry is off though. In order to hone both edges at once,

------------------------------------------------------------------ Au contraire.

The reason you want a 90 degree sharp corner is so that ONLY ONE CUTTING SURFACE at a time gets polished with the 600 grit.

The sharp corner insures that you get to the bottom of the cutting tool, but only the one side.

If you want to polish both surfaces at the same time you will get a lesson in "can't get their from here".

Sorry for any confusion.

BTW, you glue the 600 grit to only one leg of the angle.

Lew

I remember emery boards that were like that. The last ones I got aren't really stiff enough for even their intended purpose.

They reduced the amount of ice cream in the container, they reduced the amount of mayo in the jar, they reduced the number of slices in a loaf of bread and now they've reduced the amount of material in our emery boards.

Good God, when will it stop! ;-)

Check out toilet paper rolls.