How to Make a Mortise

Is this video we are going to learn how to make a mortise, in other words, how to make a hole in a piece of wood.

Thanks to this technique and to the technique used to make a tenon, you will be able to make a stool, a bench and many other bushcraft constructions.

Caution, this technique requires:

Protective gloves

Protective footwear.

To make a mortise, you will need:

An auger for wood

You will also need:

A log.

There are two steps required to make a mortise which we are going to describe to you.

STEP 1: preparation

Place your log flat on the ground.

Place your feet on either side of the log in order to keep it straight.

STEP 2: drilling the hole

Hold your auger in an upright position then turn the handle in a clockwise direction.

To avoid hurting yourself, bend your knees and keep your back straight.

Once the small bit has drilled into the wood, continue turning the handle while keeping the auger straight.

The deeper into the wood the auger bit gets, the harder it will be to drill further

Once the auger has drilled all the way through the wood, pull the auger out towards you while unscrewing it.

You can also use a hand drill to make a mortise.

To understand what a mortise is used for, take a look at our video on how to make a tenon.

Now you know how to make a mortise.