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Mortise Machines...Suggestions on Which One

13K views 88 replies 21 participants last post by  Cherryville Chuck 
#1 ·
So I'm thinking the near future may hold a new piece of machinery for the shop. I've looked into mortisers and am curious who is happy with theirs and what model they have. In my shop it would get a fair bit of work as I have plenty of furniture projects in the works but again it's a hobby shop and not a business. Most reviews I've read seem clear that most are not familiar with how they are used and have unrealistic expectations. The biggest complaint I hear is the cutters are poor quality and dull. From what I've read and I expect is in the manuals is that the cutters need sharpening first much like chisels.
 
#2 · (Edited)
I think all manufacturers are shipping product with only cursory sharpening these days. Surprised table saw blades don't arrive dull.

Here's info and video on sharpening these chisels: https://www.finewoodworking.com/2014/06/02/how-to-sharpen-hollow-chisel-mortising-bits

Some sharpening gadgets for those chisels https://www.amazon.com/mortise-chisel-sharpener/s?k=mortise+chisel+sharpener

I've looked at a number of these and of like the PowerMatic, but the following article makes me rethink the choice: Here's an interesting website on mortising machines with lots of info, and some editor ratings that look pretty informative. https://www.popularwoodworking.com/questions-and-answers/benchtop-mortisers/

Hope this helps. interesting in that last article the comments about RPM differences, and also about cheap bits.
 
#3 ·
I have the Powermatic...
does everything I want...
LeeValley Chisels and their sharpening cone have proven to been a good value and quality...
the table and clamps are 1st rate...
the Jet is a lighter weight version...

I had a Delta and absolutely hated it...
 
#6 ·
I wanted to make mortises years ago and couldn't afford a mortising machine so I got the mortising attachment for my DP instead. I was using it recently and realized that the DP and attachment has a far greater range than the dedicated mortiser will do. Mortisers only have about a 6" travel I think where the DP could do something over two feet tall or thick. Plus you eliminate the footprint of another machine and the cost is around $120 https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B0000223B4/ref=dp_olp_new_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=new

I agree with getting the diamond cones from LV for sharpening them. Even just spinning them by hand will sharpen the edges of the chisel to razor sharp. 2 or 3 seconds in a drill is probably enough.
 
#51 ·
I'm giving some serious thought to this route as I see that a dedicated machine will cost considerable more, be used on occasion, not be easily portable, and just hard to justify. I have a strong drill press, may need to make a better table top and fence but have less invested. I'd still likely get the better Lee Valley mortise bits and cone sharpener.

That said looking at some of these attachments leaves me wondering if they would fit. The Jacobs Chuck on this DP is a 633C 33 Taper and Cap 0-1/2. Most of what I see says they fit such and such models DP and the 1966 Clausing isn't listed for some reason. I may need to make a few calls.
 
#7 ·
I bought a Delta years ago and it works fine BUT over the years I haven't used it enough to justify the price I paid for it. It all depends on how much you will be using it. In my case I could have bought something else that I would have used more. With the number of mortises I have made I could have just as well used my plunge router. I bought it because I had a customer who was big into doll furniture but that dried up pretty quickly. It was good for the small joinery.
 
#8 ·
Morning Chuck,

I guess I wonder how well you can secure the wood using a drill press? I have an old Clausen drill press that doesn't have the geared table raiser and is a real pia to move up and down. It is adjustable speed though and works well for my needs. I'll have to check the HP rating but I think it's an old commercial unit I picked up from a friend some years ago. It's a free standing unit as well. Turns out the DP has a 3/4 HP motor. Pictures attached....
 

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#13 ·
You need to add the clamping mechanism for the DP attachment to an auxiliary table you clamp to the table on the DP. The attachment clamps onto the DP's quill just above the chuck. I think most sizes are standard these days but I'm not sure what you would have. The attachment comes with different size bushings to accommodate several sizes of quill. My Delta 16.5" is the largest size at I think 66 mm. It takes about 10 minutes to attach everything to the DP and start making mortises.

A camper or RV lift jack might be the ticket for quick height changes on the table.
 
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#10 ·
Hey Roxanne,

Yes I had looked at that a few times and about the only thing I came across was using a lift like that used on a boat trailer. I just haven't quite figured out how that would be attached securely. I installed a 12 volt lift on our 25" travel trailer that works quite well and that style could likely be adapted. I even have a few 12 volt 10 amp power supplies that are spares for the observatory. Thanks for reminding me.....
 
#14 ·
The Shop Fox at Grizzly runs at 3450 rpm. IMO, 3450 rpm is too fast for a mortiser. I have a Jet, which runs at 1725 rpm and works great. I've owned mine for at least 30 years. The Powermatic also runs at 1725 rpm. I don't use my Jet any longer, unless I have a project requiring particularly deep mortises. For most purposes these days, I rely on my CNC, or my Festool Domino.

Although the price is clearly obscene, the Festool Domino, which uses loose tenons, is the fastest, most reliable and versatile solution for mortise & tenon work. You can use it in place of conventional M&T joints, and can also use them for edge gluing boards. The fit tends to be tighter than biscuits, and the overall results better. The Domino works best for regular casework. For larger work, the Domino XL works better. Just offering a more versatile alternative to a dedicated mortise machine.

Here's a link to the Domino 500: https://festools-online.com/media/catalog/product/cache/e6b5fb7bfcf8f21ce74679c09f82fe9c/5/7/576693-festool.png
 
#20 ·
I was thinking of one of the 12 volt leveling types. Steve said he had some 12 volt power supplies and that would be a sweet way to adjust it, even better than the rack and pinion and crank handles.
 
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#25 ·
I have a Delta Mortiser and have used a few times. It is quite heavy and hard to handle. I bought a rockler table for it when they used to make the mortising table. Overall I think a mortiser is a waste of time and money. You can make loose tenon with a router and a jig. You could buy a Festool Domino (quite expensive). You could use the Rockler Beadlock loose tenon system. If you are going to buy a dedicated mortiser then buy a good one like the Powermatic. The newer ones have a piston assist for helping you lift it. The key to any mortiser is to have a sharp chisel. They make several sharpeners that are cone shaped. The other key to success with a mortiser is to insert a dime between the chisel and the stop and set the drill up then remove the dime and seat the chisel to the stop. This gives your drill a chance to clear chips and the square part of the chisel can evacuate chips better and not overheat the drill and chisel.
 
#27 ·
A bit late to this, but you might consider using cables, pulleys, and counter weights. A friend did this with his old Craftsman Drill Press. He mounted a pulley on each side of the head and ran steel cables from the table up over them and down to counter weights that roughly equaled the table weight. It was then easy to move the table up or down to any desired position.

Charley
 
#39 ·
I have used mortise and (floating) tenon joinery extensively in my (hobby) shop. The process I use requires a plunge router that accepts guide bushings. The template for the router requires some Melamine (1/4"), a fence, two hangar bolts and two star knobs; see picture. Note that only one of the slots is used for a given project. The length and width of the mortise is determined by the slot geometry while the depth is determined by the plunge router. The jig costs very little to make.

The router shown in the photo is a PC 891. I have subsequently switched to a DW621 because I think it has better dust collection.
 

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#47 · (Edited)
I think I've gone the whole distance, when it comes to making mortise and tenons. I started making mortises with a hammer and chisel, and cutting the tenons to match on the table saw. Then upgraded to the drill press and mortising attachment. Then bought a dedicated mortiser. Then switched to floating tenons and a router for making the mortises, and now I have a Leigh FMT Pro that both cuts the mortises and matching tenons using the same setup. I bought the FMT after trying the Trend version and getting totally frustrated with it. I also tried a friend's panto router and decided against getting one.

Then I was faced with a project that required just over 1,600 mortise and tenon joints, and the need to do them accurately and quickly, or I might still be working on that job. Once the FMT is set up, I can make mortises and perfect fitting matching tenons that are even interchangeable, so full production mode becomes easy to do. The FMT has an adjustment that lets the user fine tune the fit of the mortise to the tenon. This, and the repeatability of the FMT made all the difference in the world, and that one job paid for my FMT several times over. A Domino might have been an easier way, but at the time of my FMT purchase the Domino didn't exist yet, nor did the Mortise Pal. I don't use my FMT very often any more, but won't part with it. It has more than justified it's existence in my shop.

Charley
 
#48 ·
Charley the floating tenons definitely have some advantages. I made a screen door a couple of years ago (it's in my uploads) and pieces that long are just about impossible to do on a drill press too even with it's longer capacity but using a router was no problem. It took maybe a half hour to whip up a home made jig.
 
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#49 ·
I picked up an old used WOODTEK 1 HORSE POWER MORTISER FLOOR STANDING unit from a guy that used it to build high end work benches which he sold at wood working shows in Dallas Texas. He bought a new Powermatic floor unit.

The unit needed to be cleaned and lubed up with a few small parts replaced. It was well used. I want to say I paid around $275 for the mortiser. It works good now but I don't use it much as I have been side tracked with non-wood working projects.
 
#50 ·
I would look at putting a pulley on the housing then use a cable and counter weight. My Delta floor model bends the gear rail outward every time I try to move the table. I have the powermatic desktop/table top mortise machine and it works OK. Just tends to slip on the hold downs so you need to keep checking. Also think about using it to hollow out other things besides mortise and tendon joints. At one of the Albuquerque Woodworkers Assoc. meetings we had a guy demo how to make the Japanese triple interlocking joint and he used his mortise machine to do a lot of the process.
 
#52 ·
I thought about getting a mortising machine off and on for years but am having really good results using a router and template. Granted, I can't make super deep mortises (about 1" is my limit) but I can live with that. Even the benches I've made are holding together pretty well. If I need deeper, I just hog out a bit more depth with a drill and clean up with a chisel. I'm really not a fan of specialized, single purpose machines in my shop.

By the way, I've been using my CNC machine to make left and right mortise templates for exact alignment. I'm down to less than 1/64" misalignment which makes me very happy.
 
#62 ·
I thought about getting a mortising machine off and on for years but am having really good results using a router and template. Granted, I can't make super deep mortises (about 1" is my limit) but I can live with that. Even the benches I've made are holding together pretty well. If I need deeper, I just hog out a bit more depth with a drill and clean up with a chisel. I'm really not a fan of specialized, single purpose machines in my shop.

By the way, I've been using my CNC machine to make left and right mortise templates for exact alignment. I'm down to less than 1/64" misalignment which makes me very happy.

Phil, I know compression bits are available quite long...have you considered using one...? just a little more work to clear the sawdust...:smile:
 
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#53 ·
I bought the bench version Powermatic Mortiser and it is the only worthwhile choice that I found. Am using some pretty cheap bits and getting good results more from an accurate setup and operation than overall tool quality. Learning to sharpen bits is a must and not hard. Like all operations, tool setup and bit condition are the critical factors.
 
#55 ·
If you go with the dp jig you’ll need to mount the hold downs and fence that come with it to a piece of ply you mount on your dp table and clamp it to it. I made a quick one that hasn’t made me happy so I’m thinking maybe one layer of ply that attaches easily to the dp table and another on top of that with the fence. Mind you that’s because my dp table has the X pattern on it. If your Clausing has the parallel grooves then you won’t have a problem.
 
#56 ·
One aspect of this decision that will make or break your heart is the amount of runout from the chuck/spindle assembly. If you see any significant runout on your DP it will be transferred to the mortise game operation. This and the ability to hold the workpiece well and easily move it along it’s marks is what tipped me over to buying a dedicated mortiser. I’ve adopted an ‘early remorse - later rejoice’ mentality toward tool purchases and am quite glad of it.

I knocked out all the mortise/tenon milling for a small hallway hutch in one evening the first time I used the mortiser on a project - accurately accomplished and very satisfying.

The lack of depth it can cut isn’t an issue with me but is a consideration if you have plans that go that deep (pun intended). Anything larger than 1/2” mortises can be done more than one way as long as you can handle the stock effectively,
 
#59 ·
Well it seems the DELTA Mortising Attachment with Chisel Bits 17-924 is one of few listed. I found this at Home Depot for $99.99 with free shipping. So I figured it would be here by 1/10 and if it doesn't fit I can take it while in Richmond Saturday 1/11 while at Woodcraft. Now to get the sharpener cones. Just in case it actually works.
 
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