Does anyone own a 1/4″ mortising chisel?  I sure don’t.  Chopping tiny mortises for the breadboard ends of a marine cutting board for my father’s boat was a bit of a chore with only a 1/4″ bevel-edged chisel.

They are done, at least.

The worst part was the inability to lever out the waste between chops.  A 1/4″ bevel-edge chisel is just too flimsy for aggressive levering, so I ended up using a square awl to clean out the waste between chops.  Definitely slowed down the process.

I also had to lengthen the mortises after they were initially cut, but that wasn’t too bad.  I just sawed down the walls (as if I were cutting a haunch) and then banged out the waste with heavy chisel chops.

Now it’s time to cut the tiny tenons.  I wonder, though, will drawboring work with an elongated hole the same way simple doweling does?

JPG