Tomás Callanan

Marking out Steps:

The exam has begun and you have decided Piece A will be your first piece to mark out. Every piece

that is marked out will follow the exact same steps. If you follow these steps you will never miss any

section of the mark scheme. When you are marking out Vertical Pieces we read out measurements

from Top to Bottom. When you are marking out Horizontal Pieces we read out measurements from

Left to Right. The 4 steps of marking out are outline below. Follow each step for instant success

Step One: Joint Locations

In this step you are just isolating the locations of the joints, ie meaning where piece A joins

to piece E. Common locations are typically 12, 18 and 40mm. Ensure to only mark joint

locations and nothing else

Step Two: Mark out Joints

This is step which has already been sorted early in the exam, take each individual joint and

mark out using the tri square, mortise gauge and ruler. Typical Mortise gauge sizes for joints

are typically 6mm, 9mm and 10mm,

Step Three: Look for Drilling

Look at the current piece and check for drilling. Where there is drilling mark the exact location

and draw a freehand circle around the point.

Step Four: Shaping

Shaping differs from Piece to Piece. Some just involve using a set square to mark an angle.

Shaping should not take very long to mark out and it is usually only a few marks going for

shaping.

Again if you follow these exact step and apply them to each piece, then every piece will be

marked out accurately

Tomás Callanan

M

Marking Out of Piece A

When marking out a Vertical Piece always read the

drawing from Top to Bottom

Joint Location:

Measure 18mm (Use width of Piece C) to find

location of Joint 1.

Measure 30mm then a further 40mm (Use width

of Piece E) to find the location of Joint 2

Measure 124mm then a further 18mm (Use width

of Piece D)

Marking Out:

Mark Joint 1 first. Set your mortise gauge to

11mm first to stab a point for a location of a

Dovetail. Set the mortise then to 29 (11 + 18) to

stab a point for a location of the other end of the

dovetail. Ensure same procedure is complete on

the back. Use the dovetail template to get the

angle of the joint. Repeat procedure on the back

Mark Joint 2 next. Measure 5mm either side of

the 40mm line to find the 30mm gap. Next set the

mortise gauge to 8mm and scribe a line both sides

of the piece. Then set the mortise gauge to 18mm

(8 + 10) and scribe a line both sides.

Finally Mark Joint 3. Set the Mortise gauge to

15mm and scribe a line either side of the piece.

Then set the mortise gauge to 25mm (15 + 10)

and scribe a line either side of the piece. Repeat

the procedure on the back of the piece.

Check the exploded view for correct position of

the XXXX

Look for Drilling:

Scan through the drawing looking at all views. This

piece has no drilling so you move on to step four

shaping

Shaping

Measure down 10mm from under the Joint 3 and

draw a line to the bottom left hand corner. For

the rest of the shaping find the two points and

join the line

MARKING OF PIECE A IS NOW COMPLETE

Tomás Callanan

Marking Out of Piece B

When marking out a Vertical Piece always read the

drawing from Top to Bottom

Joint Location:

Since all of Piece A has been marked out we will use

the same joint locations to quicken up the marking

out procedure. Transfer the 18mm, 40mm and 18mm

locations

Marking Out:

Mark Joint 1 first. Set your mortise gauge to 4mm

and scribe a line on the front from either side. So

you are left with a gap of 10mm in the middle.

Since it is a halving joint we set of mortise gauge

to 20mm and again scribe a line from either side,

ensure front and back are fully marked out.

Mark Joint 2 next. Measure 5mm either side of

the 40mm line to find the 30mm gap. Next set the

mortise gauge to 8mm and scribe a line both sides

of the piece. Then set the mortise gauge to 18mm

(8 + 10) and scribe a line both sides.

Finally Mark Joint 3. Set the Mortise gauge to

20mm and scribe a line either side of the piece.

Since this is a halving joint, one of the 20mm is

removed

Check the exploded view for correct position of

the XXXX

Look for Drilling:

Scan through the drawing looking at all views. This

piece has no drilling so you move on to step four

shaping

Shaping

Measure down 10mm from under the Joint 3 and

draw a line to the bottom left hand corner. For

the rest of the shaping the point on the right hand

side and draw a line to the corner

MARKING OF PIECE B IS NOW COMPLETE

Tomás Callanan

Marking Out of Piece D

When marking out a Horizontal Piece always read the drawing from Left to Right

Joint Location:

Measure 18mm (Use width of Piece A) to find location of Joint 1.

Measure 160mm then a further 18mm (Use width of Piece B) to find the location of Joint 2

Marking Out:

Mark Joint 1 first. Set your mortise gauge to 15mm and scribe a line all the way around the front, over the end grain and

at the back of the piece. Use the same scribing technique for the rest, as show above. Use the gauge on the right hand

side of the piece and repeat same procedure Next set the mortise gauge to 25 (15 + 10) and scribe all the way around.

Follow the same procedure

Mark Joint 2 next. Set the mortise gauge to 20mm and scribe a line either side of the piece to mark out the halving joint

Check the exploded view for correct position of the XXXX

Look for Drilling:

Scan through the drawing looking at all views. This piece has no drilling so you move on to step four shaping

Shaping

Draw a line from the corner at 45 degrees. Find the remaining two points and join them together to complete the shaping

MARKING OF PIECE D IS NOW COMPLETE

Tomás Callanan

Marking Out of Piece E

When marking out a Horizontal Piece always read the drawing from Left to Right

Joint Location:

As we have marked the locations of Piece D and it is a horizontal piece, we can transfer our measurements of the locations

across. Transfer the two 18mm measurement

Marking Out:

Both joints are marked the exact same way. Set the mortise gauge to 10mm and from the front scribe a line around the

end grain and two sides as seen in the image above. Repeat the exact same procedure on the Joint 2. Set the morice

gauge to 5mm and scribe a line all the way around the front from both sides so you are left with 30mm left over. Repeat

the same procedure on the other Joint 2

Check the exploded view for correct position of the XXXX

Look for Drilling:

Scan through the drawing looking at all views. This piece has two holes that need to be drilled, 30mm either side of the joints

and centred on the piece. Mark the position with a small dot and freehand circle

Shaping

Get a thumb gauge and draw on a 6 x 6 chamfer on the two edges

MARKING OF PIECE E IS NOW COMPLETE

Tomás Callanan

Marking Out of Piece C

When marking out a Horizontal Piece always read the drawing from Left to Right

Joint Location:

As we have marked the locations of Piece D and it is a horizontal piece, we can transfer our measurements of the locations

across. Transfer the two 18mm measurement

Marking Out:

Mark Joint 2 first this time, measure 4mm either side of the 18mm to ensure you are left with 10mm in the middle, Set

the mortise gauge to 20mm and scribe across the piece between the 10 on the front and back of the piece

To Mark Joint 1, the dovetail has to be processed fully and then traced onto the end grain as show in the image. The

dovetail is marked onto the end grain and the lines are brought down straight for 18mm as shown

Check the exploded view for correct position of the XXXX

Look for Drilling:

Scan through the drawing looking at all views. There is no drilling on this piece so you move onto shaping

Shaping

Get a 45 degree set square and draw a line from the corner

MARKING OF PIECE C IS NOW COMPLETE

Tomás Callanan

Before you begin Processing

You should be aiming to complete the marking out portion of your exam in about 1.5 to 2

Hours depending on the work load. Before you start processing use the marking knife to

scribe all lines that you are going to remove to get a clean finish on your cuts.

Set yourself a plan of action for your cutting and chiselling, a sample plan is laid out below.

In the plan you will see the different cutting techniques required sectioned out into either

Standard Cuts or Triangular Cutting. Note no shaping is completed until the end.

Always start with your standard cuts as they just involve a bench hook and a tenon saw.

These are straight forward cuts that will boost your confidence during the exam. The

triangular cuts are more difficult and require three cuts for better accuracy. The last joint

you should always cut is a dovetail. After Piece A Joint 1 is processed. Chisel the parts

around it and trace it on to Piece C as shown earlier. Then complete the Piece C Joint 1 cut.

Next is to create a plan for chiselling. It is broken up into two areas again, Standard

Chiselling and Mortise Chiselling. See sample plan below. Always ensure all the joint based

cuts are complete by this stage.

Standard Cuts:

Piece D Joint 2

Piece C Joint 2

Piece B Joint 3

Piece B Joint 1

Mortise Chiselling:

Piece B Joint 2

Piece A Joint 2

Piece A Joint 2

Piece A Joint 3

Piece D Joint 1

This requires higher level on concentration and

accuracy. Same tools are needed but more force

is applied during the processing of the joint

Standard Chiselling:

Piece B Joint 3

Piece C Joint 2

Piece D Joint 2

Piece B Joint 1

This requires less force, waste piece,

standard chisel and a mallet is

required.

Triangular Cuts:

Piece D Joint 1

Piece E Joint 1

Piece E Joint 2

Piece A Joint 1

Piece C Joint 1