The Forestry Forum

Gidday Guys,
I am looking for some advice on how best to go about mortising a heap of 8 inch x 8 inch Australian Hardwood Posts - Eucalyptus Crebra - known locally as Narrow leafed Red Iron Bark. (The timber is very hard).

I want to build a Post and Rail fence using 8 x 8 posts with 8 inch x 2 inch mortices to take 8 inch x 2 inch rails.

There will be 3 rails, most of the posts will be through mortices, but the end posts will be stopped mortices.

The posts will be pretty heavy also, whilst green could be up to 60kg per lineal metre, say 45 pounds per foot length, the posts will be up to 3.0m or 10 feet in length.

The chisel mortising gear that I have seen so far appear to have a maximum chisel size of 25mm or 1 inch, which means 16 cuts to the mortise.

Appreciate any ideas.
Regards
ChrisW

Chris...plunge cut chainsaw. It is the only practical way to cut the stuff. It will make a mess of normal woodworking tools.

rgs

DTR

Chris,  How many's a heap? 

Welcome christopherw! Just the name of that would sounds hard. :D

Quote from: srt on December 20, 2008, 05:15:22 PM
Chris,  How many's a heap? 

By my count 50 posts = 150 mortises

Hi Chris,

What's your budget? These chain mortisers have optional 2" chainsets...

SwissPRO KSP 16 Chain Mortiser (http://www.timbertools.com/Products/SwissPRO-KSP-16-Chain-Mortiser.html)

Swiss 3-in-1 Chain Mortiser (http://www.timbertools.com/Products/Swiss-3-in-1-Mortiser.html)

Swiss KSL 160 Chain Mortiser (http://www.timbertools.com/Products/Swiss-KSL160-Chain-Mortiser.html)

-N.

Gday ChrisW

And welcome to the forum Mate  ;) ;D 8) where are you located and how old are you  ???

Ive done a fair few mortices in Ironbark and Box for post and rail fences in the past  ;) id hate to think of how many  ::) ;) :D  ;D i did it by pre drilling the corners with a 1/2 or 3/4 drill bit ( dont skimp on price a good one will last you a lifetime  ;) ) also for plunge cutting if you havent done it often before get yourself a narrow tip antikickback bar and chain or a moticing jig to fit your saw  itl make it alot safer for you Steve Sneddon from sneddons fencing products at clarence town nsw makes a jig you can phone him on 02 4996 4504 ;) ;D I take it your cutting a 4"x8" mortice or are you going to wedge the rails  ???

Dave Ironbark is a dang hard wood if you let the logs  dry out before you cut it it gets a litle problem we call Case hardening but its not to hard going if its cut green and thats at 30% mc  :) ;) :D :D
My familys been working in the Box Ironbark forests of central Victoria for 4 generations over 103 years  alltogether we have cut a Power of wood My Dad and Puppa had the largest Post licence in the state 250000pa up untill about 92 then dad got a cutting area of 250ha which he and i cut untill 02 I get most of my local wood of farms or from a mate that has a treelopping buisness in Bendigo now  ;) ;D as they turned  55% of the bush into a national park small parcels of about 22000 bft come up  for tender about 6 times a year   ;) ;D ;D ;D ;D 8)

Reguards Chris