here we are looking at the proper right rear stile of a New England 17th-century joined chest. I marked some points I wanted to show – (click the pictures to enlarge, these are small details we’re looking at.)
- the height of the mortise is struck with an awl (and presumably) a square. The awl skitters a bit across the fibers of the oak. A knife would cut it more cleanly..
- the joint ID marks that I wrote about last night are clearly shown, chopped with a very narrow chisel. I’d guess about 1/4″.
- the pins securing the rear frame were driven in, then the pin from the side blew through it.
Here’s a photo I couldn’t find last night; of an assembled stool. Shows the joint ID marks – the stile just gets one mark, then the two rails (in this case, aprons) each have the numeral I chopped in them.
PETER FOLLANSBEE: JOINER’S NOTES 
All of these pencil-free marking methods has got me wondering about marking beyond woodworking in the seventeenth century. In today’s world the ubiquitous graphite pencil is turned to for so many things — woodworking, drawing, jotting down notes, etc. What a difference it must have been with quill and ink. I’m trying to picture sketching in a spoon outline on a hewn branch with a quill and ink instead of a water soluble pencil.