Desk-top Bookshelf Build Process

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The other end of the pin board is going to get joined to another piece of wood with a tusked mortice and tenon. I'd been considering using some contrasting wood for this bit but in the end I decided to keep it nice and simple and make the whole thing out of Sycamore. To that end, I Ryoba'd a bit more off the same piece:

This time I did take a photo of the rougher side:

Getting smoother:

Smooth:

To mark out the mortice and tenon joint, I used my favourite edge distance gauge thing and a marking knife. The gauge has a long stretch so I could do all the along-grain marks referencing off the same edge. I marked both pieces on both sides and used a combination square to knife the shoulder lines:

It was feeling rather hot in the workshop so I decided to get some Forstner assistance with the stock removal, using a 22 mm Forstner bit for the bottom of the central section of the tenon board and a 12 mm one for the mortices:

The ends of the tenons will be visible and hence I'd like a reasonably good surface finish. To that end, I'll chisel them rather than trying to saw to the line. Sawing the tenons (away from the line) was done with the saw held at a steep angle, attacking first from one side and then from the other:

However, the tenons are rather long, so I couldn't saw down the middle without the back of the saw hitting the end of the board. I could have used a (back-less) Ryoba, but its plate is a lot thicker than that of the Dozuki I'd started with. Fortunately, my other rip Dozuki has a bit near the tip that is back-less so I was able to do the last little bit by taking short strokes with that saw instead:

That's as far as I've got today and I needed to come in to do some non-woodwork stuff for a bit. Tomorrow I'll chisel to the lines:

Once that bit of the joint is complete I'll mark up for the other mortices (the ones in the tenons into which a wedge will go).

I am a hobbyist metalworker and woodworker. I work as an electronic design engineer and spend most of my working days in front of a computer so I enjoy having the opportunity to use my hands and make things in my spare time. I particularly enjoy making tools as I can then use them on other projects. This website showcases some of the things I've made.

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