Just took my first crack at making a mortice & tenon joint. I chose the 'through' style because I didn't want to fuss with getting the depth right on this practice piece. (My drill press leaves a great deal to be desired in that department.)
My question for the group is this: how can I insure that the sides of the mortice (hand cut) run straght through the wood? I ended up with a convex wall this time and want to know if there is anything I can do to reduce or eliminate the possibility of this happening again.
The top of the mortise was just about perfect. But the length of it flared out and the width of it bowed in. It was more of an 'exit wound' than a deliberate hole ... although it was prime for a wedged tenon. :-)
Also, what sort of a chisel should I be using and what feature of it makes the difference?
Bill