OK all. Bringing this zombie post back to life:
Before:
After:
Replacement of 2/3rds of the south facing wall of a traditional half-timbered, thatched cottage (Chaumičre) here in Normandy with a contemporary take on colombage finished with direct glazing of 11 of the 12 openings created. The masonry and render work is by the client.
I show this because it demonstrates an idea that came to me recently. This style of framing tends to be where the demand lies here in this region and as you can see, the mortise count is fairly high. For a 5m length of single-storey wall, there are 20 draw-bored mortise and tenon joints and certain styles will push this count up higher. This is a fairly high density of mortises.
Also, this project got me thinking lots about the investment in a chain mortiser. Being relatively generous with the estimated time saving, I worked out that I needed at least 18 comparable builds if I kept my pricing the same in order to break even on the purchase, which at my current work load worked out at about 2 years (although this doesn't include the cost of sharpening or replacing the chain). In the end I bought a high quality 30mm bit and will soon be receiving a corner chisel and we'll see where that get's me efficiency-wise.
