Mortise and tenon joinery as shown in Fig. 1 produces some of the
strongest connections between two pieces of wood but the setups
can be tedious. The mortises are difcult to place accurately at the
router table and the tenons, while easy enough with the right jig,
still require t wo sets of cuts to produce. First the shoulders
are cut using a miter gauge followed by the cheeks, which are
cut using a tenoning jig. And all of this to produce what amounts
to a square peg for a round hole. The tenons need to be rounded
or the mortises squared for the nal assembly. We probably don’t
need to mention the additional challenge of making cuts at the table
saw that t well into cuts made at the router table.
Loose tenon joinery, on the other hand, provides all of the strength
benets without the tedious setups. In loose tenon joinery all of
the pieces to be joined receive an identical mortise, while the tenon
itself is simply a short cutoff from a long piece of stock which has
been thickness planed, ripped and rounded over to t the mortise,
Fig. 2. And, while locating the mortises at a router table is still
a problem using conventional methods, you’ll nd perfectly located
slots easy with this new slot-mortising jig. The STS Slot Mor tiser
takes advantage of the ease of vertical router adjustment provided
by the wave of router lifts on the market today. If you own a router
lift and a router table with a miter slot, you’ll love the versatility and
ease of use of this great jig. Just clamp your material in place and
slide the jig back and forth between two stops as you slowly raise the
cutter using the lift’s crank handle.
®
it
System
STS Slot Mortiser
Fig. 2
Fig. 1
Mortise and Tenon Joinery
Cheeks
Loose Tenon Joinery
Slot Mortise
STS (Slot-Tenon-Slot) Mortiser Assembly
Mortise
Build-It Platform
1. In typical router table cutting operations, router lifts are installed
Shoulders
in the table with the crank handle located so that it is between the
Router Table Conguration
router bit and your router table’s miter slot. In order to use your
Fig. 3
new STS Slot Mortiser, you’ll need to rotate the router lift in your
table opening so that the router bit is between the miter slot and the
crank handle, Fig. 3
CAUTION: ALWAYS RETURN THE LIFT TO THE ORIGINAL SETUP AFTER
USING THE STS SLOT MORTISER.
Miter Slot
Crank Handle
2. Attach the Miter Slider and (2) T-Slot Panel Connectors to one
of the Build-It Panels and place in your router table’s miter slot as
shown in, Fig. 4. Adjust the Miter Slider for a smooth glide in the
miter slot. Cut the remaining Build-It Panel at your table saw to ll
Install router lift
with cutter between crank
handle and miter slot
the gap between the panel connector and your router lift’s crank
handle. Attach the panel.
Crank Handle
SAFETY:
Before using the INCR A STS Slot Mortiser, read and follow all of the instructions and safety informa-
•
tion in t his owner’s manual.
When using the INCR A STS Slot Mor tiser in conjunction with any other tool, f irst read and follow
•
all instructions and sa fety information in that tool’s owner’s manual.
Never let the router bit come in contact with the aluminum or steel components of the INCRA STS Slot Mortiser.
•
When using the INCRA STS Slot Mortiser, always keep your hands clear of the router bit and the line of cut.
•
Always turn off the power and make sure that the router comes to a complete stop before changing the
•
setting of any part of the INCR A STS Slot Mortiser.
Wear safety glasses, hearing protection, and follow all norma l shop safety practices.
•
After making any adjustments to the right angle faceplate or fence position of the INCRA STS Slot
•
Mortiser, always tighten all clamping k nobs before making any cut.
Manufac tured by: Taylor D esig n Gro up, Inc. P.O. BOX. 810262 Dallas, TX 75381 W WW. I NC RA .CO M ©2007 by Tayl or De sig n Grou p. All rig hts re ser ved.
Panel Connector
Miter Slider
Loose Tenons
Build-It Platform
Cut Build-It Panel to t
between Panel Connector and
crank handle
Fig. 4
INCRA Build-It STS Slot Mortiser Kit M an ual
INCRA Build-It STS Slot Mortiser Kit M an ual
Fence and Stop Positioner
3. Attach the stop positioner to the fence using
Build-It Platform using (2) Build-It Brackets with the included
1
/4-20 x 1” hex bolts, washers and clamping knobs. Square the
fence to the “cut” edge of the Built-It Platform and tighten the
clamping knobs, Fig. 5.
1
/4-20 x 1” hex bolts with washers and clamping knobs, then attach the fence to the
Right Angle Faceplate Assembly
4. Attach the 18” T-Track Plus to the faceplate using the #8
1
x
/2” Phillips pan head screws, then glue up the right angle
faceplate assembly as shown, Fig. 6. The right angle supports
will sit in the grooves located on the base, Fig 7.
5. Secure the right angle faceplate assembly to your Build-It
Platform using (2)
clamping knobs as shown in Fig. 8. Slide the slotted base of
the faceplate assembly up to the fence and tighten the clamping
knobs. Attach the (2) faceplate stops to the assembly using (2)
1
/4-20 x 1-1/2” hex bolts with washers and clamping knobs, Fig 9.
Fig. 6
Attach T-Track Plus to Faceplate
Faceplate
1
/4-20 x 1-1/2” hex bolts with washers and
Add Fence and Stop to Build-It Platform
Fig.5
Clamping Knobs
Stop Positioner
1
/4 - 20 x 1” Hex Bolts
Fig. 7
Glue Faceplate Assembly
Right Angle
Supports
Square fence to
this edge of
platform
1
/4 - 20 x 1”
Hex Bolts (4)
Faceplate
Operation
For your rst mortise, you’ll cut a slot about 4” long through the “throat plate” Build-It Panel that overlaps the cutter at your
router table. Since most loose tenon applications in
bit. (The longer the cutter length, the deeper
you’ll be able to cut your slot mortises later on.)
Install the cutter and lower the bit below your
tabletop. Place the STS Slot Mortiser on your
router table and center it on the length of your
miter slot. Now clamp a
3
/4” x 3/4” x 3” block
of wood into the infeed and outfeed ends of
the miter slot 2” from the ends of the Miter
Slider, Fig. 10.
Slide the right angle faceplate assembly and
T-Track fence away from the area directly
above the cutter and turn the router on. Use
your router lift crank handle to raise the cutter
1
/16” per pass as you slide the jig back and forth
between the two stop blocks clamped to the
table.
CAUTION: ALWAYS START AND STOP ANY
SLOT CUTTING OPERATION WITH THE JIG
POSITIONED AGAINST THE OUTFEED STOP
BLOCK. When you have cut through the throat
plate, turn off the router. The throat plate provides support for your workpiece and zero clearance for tear out control. If you
choose to cut mortises with a larger or smaller diameter cutter, additional throat plates can be produced. Your new STS Slot
Mortiser is now ready to use.
3
/4” stock work well with a 3/8” tenon, we’ll cut the slot with a 3/8” straight
Fig.10
Cut Slot Through Throat Plate
Slide STS Jig between two stop
blocks as you slowly raise cutter
Miter Slider
2”
Infeed
Stop Block
Build-It “Throat Plate”
Stop Block
2”
3
/8” Straight Bit
Outfeed
Fig. 8
#8 x 1/2” Phillips
Pan Head Screws
18” T-Track Plus
Attach Faceplate Assembly to Build-It Platform
Right Angle
Faceplate
Assembly
1
/4 - 20 x 11/2”
Hex Bolts
Build-It Platform
Base
Attach Faceplate Stops
Fig. 9
1
/4 - 20 x 11/2”
Hex Bolts
4”
For typical slot mortising there are four steps to locating a slot on your workpiece.
Step 1
Set Length of Slot
To set the length of your slot, raise the cutter through
Fig.12
Setting Slot Length
Slide faceplate to cutter and clamp in place
the slotted hole in the throat plate panel and slide
the faceplate assembly up to (but not touching) the cutter.
Before tightening the faceplate assembly clamping
knobs, make sure that it is pressed securely against the
fence. Slide a faceplate stop into each end of the T-Track
on the faceplate. In setting the stops, you will always
use the 8” mark on the faceplate scale to represent the
“center” of your slot length.
To set up for a 2” long slot,
Fig.11
Slot Length
set the outfeed faceplate stop
to 7” and the infeed stop to 9”.
In other words, the distance
between the two stops is
equal to your slot leng t h,
Fig. 12.
Set distance between stops equal
to desired slot length
(use 8” mark on scale as center)
Page 3Page 2
INCRA Build-It STS Slot Mortiser Kit M an ual
INCRA Build-It STS Slot Mortiser Kit M an ual
Slide the STS Slot Mortiser forward until the cutting wing on the cutter contacts the infeed faceplate stop. Now clamp a block of
3
/4” scrap wood into the miter slot against the outfeed end of the Miter Slider, Fig. 13. This will set the forward or outfeed travel
limit. Now pull the jig back until the cutter contacts the outfeed faceplate stop and clamp a block of
3
/4” scrap into the miter slot
against the infeed end of the Miter Slider, Fig 14. This sets the rearward or infeed travel limit.
Fig.13
1st: Slide jig
forward until cutter contacts
infeed faceplate stop
Set Distance from End of Slot to End of Workpiece
Set Forward Travel Limit
2nd: Clamp stop block into
miter slot against end of
Miter Slider
Step 2
Fig.14
Set Rearward Travel Limit
2nd: Clamp
stop block into
miter slot against
end of Miter Slider
1st: Slide jig back
until cutter contacts
outfeed faceplate
stop
Step 3
Set Distance from Edge of Slot to
Edge of Workpiece
You’ll rst want to zero the faceplate to the edge of the cutter.
Loosen the clamping knobs that secure the faceplate assembly
and slide it forward to contact the cutting wing of the bit.
(You may need to rotate the cutter to nd the “high spot” of
the cutting wing.) Hold the faceplate assembly steady as you
slide the stop positioner up to contact the back of the faceplate
assembly’s base and tighten the clamping knobs. Note the
position of the stop on the scale in the top of the fence.
Fig.18
2nd: Using
scale as a reference,
slide stop away
by an amount equal
to desired slot-to-
edge distance
Setting Slot to Board Edge Distance
Stop Positioner
1st: Slide faceplate to contact
cutter, then slide Stop Positioner to
contact back of faceplate assembly
(We suggest you slide the scale to read at one of the whole
inch numbers, or slide it to read at zero if you don’t mind some
of the scale hanging out of the end of the fence.)
To set the cutter-to-faceplate distance, simply move the stop
positioner away from the back of the base using the scale on
the top of the fence as a reference. Tighten the clamping
knobs, then slide the faceplate assembly back to contact the
stop and tighten the clamping knobs, Fig. 18.
For e x ample, if we start with
t he s t o p p o sit ioner set at 8”
and then move it to 8-
1
/2” along
with the f aceplate assembly,
there should be
1
/2” between
the faceplate and cutter.
Fig.17
Slot to Board
Edge Distance
Now, we need to locate the slot on your workpiece. To begin
we’ll set the distance from the end of the slot to the end of your
board. Simply slide either the infeed or outfeed faceplate stop
away from its current position the distance you choose. For
instance if you wanted to start the slot 1”
Setting Slot to Board End Distance
Fig.15
Fig.16
Slot to Board
End Distance
from the end of your workpiece (after setting a 2” length of
slot), slide the outfeed faceplate stop to read 6” and tighten the
clamping knob, Fig. 16.
Remove the remaining faceplate stop.
Final stop
position
Distance from
end of workpiece to
beginning of slot
Original stop
position
3rd: Slide faceplate assembly
to stop and clamp in place
Cutting the Slot
Step 4
Now you can clamp your workpiece in place
and start the cutting process. Lower the cutter
until it is just ush with the top of the Build-It
throat plate. For horizontally oriented material,
place the board end against the faceplate stop
and clamp to the faceplate. Always begin
and end each cut with the jig against
the outfeed travel limit block. Turn on
the router and, using your router lift’s crank
handle, raise the cutter
1
/16” and slide the jig
between the two limit stops, Fig. 19. After
each cut cycle, raise the cutter
1
/16” until you
reach the desired depth. You’ll have to count
the crank handle rotations to keep up with
how deep your cut is.
Fig.19
Cutting a Slot Mortise
ALWAYS begin and end each
cut with jig against the outfeed
travel limit stop block
Clamp horizontal
material to faceplate
with end against
faceplate stop
Page 4 Page 5
INCRA Build-It STS Slot Mortiser Kit M an ual
INCRA Build-It STS Slot Mortiser Kit M an ual
Vertically held stock will often interfere with full rotations of the
crank handle but your local hardware store has an easy solution.
Just purchase a hex driver for your ratchet set as shown and use
Fig.20
Fig.20A
A Hex Driver
for Ratchet
To avoid interference
when cutting vertical
boards, use a ratchet
along with a hex driver
half rotations of the crank mechanism, Figs. 20 & 20A. In many
cases, a T-handle hex key will work as well, Fig. 21 & 21A.
Fig.21
Fig.21A
T Handle
Hex Key
Faceplate stops can
be installed in a
variety of ways to
support your
workpiece
Tips
By removing the faceplate assembly and using the T-Track fence
along with one of the Build-It hold down clamps, you can cut
slot mortises and dados across the grain. And by angling the
fence across the Build-It platform you can angle the mortises
as well.
Fig.23
Cross Grain Mortises
Fig.24
Vertical mark on faceplate at 8”
Build-It Clamp
Through Mortise
Fig.25
Cutting Mortise in the Middle of Long Stock
A stop positioner should always be clamped to the T-Track fence
at the left end of your material and a Build-It Clamp should be
used to prevent slippage during the cut, Fig. 23. And again,
always start and stop each cut cycle with the jig against the
outfeed travel limit stop block.
Need to cut a mortise in the middle of a longer
board? Just use a square to place a mark all the way
up the faceplate and in line with the 8” mark on the
faceplate scale, Fig. 24.
(Remember the 8” mark will always be used as the
center of your slot length.) Now place a mark on
your board at the center of the desired slot
location.
The mark should be placed on the board edge
opposite where the mortise will be cut.
Align this mark with the faceplate mark when
clamping your material, Fig. 25.
Align marks when
clamping material
Making Loose Tenon Stock
Of course, slot mortises can be fun to cut with your new jig,
bu t you’ll need lo ose te nons to p ut it all together. When
preparing loose tenon stock, it’s a good idea to make several
sizes of long stock all at once then cut to length later as needed.
For instance, you can thickness plane material to match your
slot width then rip lengths of stock to 1”, 2” and 3” wide.
Roundover the edges with a bullnose bit that matches the slot
cutter’s diameter, Fig. 22.
Fig.22
Page 6 Page 7
Loose Tenon Stock
Roundover edges with
bull nose bit
1” Wide
2” Wide
3” Wide
Mark center of slot
location on edge opposite where
slot is to be placed
INCRA Build-It STS Slot Mortiser Kit M an ual
As in most woodworking projects, the alignment between parts
is an important part of the nished look of the construction.
Sometimes, you’ll want a ush alignment as shown in Fig. 26,
while other projects may require offset alignments, Fig. 27.
Either way, you’ll want to be able to control and maintain the
alignment selected. This is often accomplished through the
use of reference marks placed on the individual parts. These
marks are then used to ensure the correct face or edge of the
material is placed against the fence when setting up for a cutting
operation. Workpiece reference marks used with your STS
Slot Mortiser will also help in determining whether you will need
an infeed or outfeed faceplate stop when setting the slot to end
of board distance.
For example, in order to keep the ush alignments shown in
Fig. 28, you’ll mark the surfaces that you want aligned and the
surfaces that will receive a cut. We have used the letter “F” to
designate the surface that will be placed against the faceplate,
and the letter “C” to represent the surface that will receive the
cut. The pieces are numbered 1, 2 & 3. When cutting the #1
piece, it would be necessary to use an infeed faceplate stop in
order to position surface “F” against the faceplate with surface
“C” face down over the cutter, Fig. 29.
When cutting the same mortise on the #3 piece, however, the
setup would require the use of an outfeed stop in order to
position the material with the “F” surface against the faceplate
and the “C” surface face down, Fig. 30. The procedure is
the same for offset alignments, except that the edge-to-cutter
distance is changed when setting up for the cuts on piece #2.
Fig.26
Flush alignment
Fig.28
Reference Marks
1
Fig.27
Offset
alignment
3
2
F
F
F
F
C
C
Fig.29
Using Infeed Faceplate Stop
Infeed
faceplate stop
INCRA Build-It
“F” mark is against
the faceplate
“C” mark is face
down over cutter
STS S M K M
Taylor Des ign Group, Inc.
P.O. BOX 810262 Da llas , T X 75 381
Piece #1
Fig.30
INCR A Tools are protected by one or more of the foll owin g U.S . pate nts:
#4 ,79 3,6 04 , # 4 ,9 30, 22 1, # 5,19 5, 73 0, #5 ,27 5 ,07 4, #5 ,4 23 ,3 60, # 5,7 16, 0 4 5,
#6 ,2 37, 457, #6 , 557, 601 , #6, 672 ,190 .
Ot her p ate nts g ran ted o r p en din g. IN CRA i s a R eg ist ere d Tr ade m a rk o f
Ta y lo r D es ign G rou p, I nc.
Page 8
Using Outfeed Faceplate Stop
Outfeed faceplate stop
Piece #3
©2 00 7 Ta yl or D es ig n Grou p, Inc. R ev. 0 8. 23 .0 7 w w w. in c r a.c om
“F” mark is
against the faceplate
“C” mark is
face down
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