Bench #3 - Rails and Leg Mortises

Following Schwarz's book, I made the tenons on the ends of the rails by gluing two pieces together, the inner half being shorter. This was quick and easy, and yielded perfect tenons. The rails are 3" wide x 3-1/4" tall.



The mortises in the legs are very large. When is the last time I needed to cut a mortise this size? I don't know that I have. So I followed Schwarz's method of wasting the majority with a Forstner bit, overlapping the holes to get the cheeks as close to flat as possible. It's a very effective technique.







I squared the corners with chisel. I don't have a corner chisel, and I wasn't about to wait for one to be delivered, so I went at it with a typical chisel. It was hard work, and I'm glad its done.



Working with parts on this scale is a real workout. I guess I've been spoiled building instruments that weigh less than 3 pounds.