Thread: Mortising and routing on round TP poles

Originally Posted by Daisy

I want to mortise slots for the fence rails and need help as to how that would be done on a round pole

Easiest DIY way is to mark a centre line and top and bottom position for the mortice on both sides of the post. Use a line across the top of the post that runs through the centre to line them up and use a combination or try square to run the lines down the sides of the post. Then use a spade bit that is slightly smaller than the width of the mortice to drill all the way through the post. You can drill about halfway in from each side to make sure that where the mortice meets the outside face of the post it is in the right place. If you get a little bit off in the middle, only you and I will know. Then square it up and finish it to size with a chisel, working from each face.

Originally Posted by Daisy

I'd like to put some decorative "something" treatment on the pole tops to make them less... well, ugly: kind of tart them up a bit - I'm thinking that maybe the tops could be routed, but I'm uncertain if it can be done on a round pole. Using the premade finials are a bit cost prohibitive.

I did some decoration on round posts using a router. I made up a sort of temporary lathe, which just had a board at each end with a V groove. The boards are joined together with some rails. I screwed a large timber screw into the post top and bottom dead centre. These sat in the V grooves so that the post could spin. I then made up a plate for my router, just a bit of MDF with a hole for the bit and screwed to the router, that could slide along the rails and allow the bit to come into contact with the post. I clamped this in position, started the router and lowered it into the post, then I spun the post by hand. I used a coving bit so it cut a shallow round-bottomed groove all the way around.

Wow, thanks SilentC!! I never thought of using a drill for the mortices, I kept thinking along the lines of a skill saw like you would do with square posts, but couldn't think through how to work the blade depth part - your solution just sidesteps the whole issue. I did consider trying to use my multi-tool gadget, but I think that would get very old over a dozen posts.

On your V groove frame idea to router the tops ... I'm pretty sure I understand the approach you outlined, but I think I'd better practice routing skills before I try. I also think it would take a few goes to find "dead centre" with pine poles, they are not so standardised as cut timber. I may just use my drop saw and make a series of cuts off the edge ... a bit like a partially sharpened pencil. I'll keep working on ideas for this one.

Cheers, Daisy