On Mar 19, 8:15*am, " wrote:

about trimming ends of a rail to fit mortises...

hatchet works ok when making one end, but making 2 parallel ends is
more challenging!

Support the work on sawhorses, hold the first end vertical and then
mark off (with chalk or crayon) the second end using a level.
Chop to the mark.

A hatchet is one tool, the oldtimers might have had an adze that would
do
the job a tad easier... Roy Underhill did some adze-and-axe shows
(The Woodwright's Shop) and heavy timbers sure looked like fun!