John's technique illustrates a cure for a common (well, to me at least)
defect with mortices:

> From: jmanners@p... To: galoot@I...ProcessSolutions.com;
> peterhyde@v...; oldtools@ruckus.law.cornell.edu Subject: Re:
> [OldTools] Chopping mortises for the first time Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2008
> 13:10:46 +1000
> CC:
>
...

> Sitting on several (usually 4) larger workpieces suspended between two
> 24" saw horses is a quick and comfortable enough way to hold the
> pieces whilst chopping the mortises. Need good wooden horses, though,
> best built by the man who uses them. Those metal-legged products from
> Hell will take one on a ride all around the shop.
>
> Regards from Brisbane,
>
> John Manners

Sitting on the morticed piece puts your eye in line with the morticed-
tenoned pieces, where any deviation from a squarecut is easily noted and
corrected. My initial stance of standing in front of the bench with the
pieces running left to right in front of me made it too easy to lean the
pigsticker away or toward my body, resulting in a racked joint. I don't
usually sit on the pieces, but clamp them to the bench so I'm sighting
down the length of the piece, rather than across it.
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