Replies

1. 
   roc | May 27, 2012 11:18pm | #1

   Here is something . . . or two

   I have used them in shops but do not own one.  I enjoy the "fun" of hand tool morticing and am not in a hurry to crank out what little work I do so I have not bought one but must admit to drooling over quite a few in catalogs and in person especially in the years I was first learning.

   That said I like to read about sharpening the bits and making the things work right.  If  the bit is smoking and squealing and hard to press into the wood it is NOT working right.

   here is a thread of many views

   http://forums.finewoodworking.com/node/102760

2. 
   phonebill | May 27, 2012 11:38pm | #2

   I bought a Delta hollow chisel mortiser a couple of months ago and have been pleased with it. I was about to build the hayrake table featured in the June issue of FW, as well as accompanying chairs. The table has a number of mortises as does the chair design I selected, so I felt I could justify buying it. I went back and forth on just getting a mortise attachment for the drill press, but several folks warned me that the amount of pressure needed to cut the mortise would take its toll on the drill press. 

   It does take a good bit of pressure to cut a mortise, and the larger the mortise, the more pressure it takes. I learned quickly that the mortise chisels are just like any cutting tool in that you have to work on them right out of the box to get them properly sharpened. The mortising chisels came very rough. Working the outside on a water stone made a huge difference, and I also got a cone sharpener to clean the burr from the inside . 

   Prior to getting the mortiser I often used  my router to cut mortises, but that always involved making a template and a little jig of some kind. I have saved considerable time with the mortiser.

   The mortiser has a fairly large depth range, but mortising the end of a long piece is still not practical on it. I recently used some floating tenons and cut the mortises in the long pieces with my router and a template. Overall, though, I am very happy I got my mortiser.

3. 
   Tinkerer3 | May 28, 2012 12:13am | #3

   I have a PM mortiser and have used it on a couple projects.  It's the only one I have used so I don't know exactly what to expect but It did seem to work OK.  Some one has mentioned that you need to sharpen them  right out of the box.  I never have sharpened the chisles.  You might consider the Domino - quite expensive but not too mujch more than my mortiser.  I have heard they are very good at mortising.

   Paul

4. 
   RalphBarker | May 28, 2012 10:04am | #4

   Joy vs. "git-er-done"

   I have a nice set of Lie Nielsen mortising chisels, which are a joy to use. But, sometimes, you just want to "git-er-done" - like when you have more mortises to cut than you have time to cut them.

   I opted for the Powermatic bench-top mortising machine, which, for me, was the best balance between motor HP and cost. I also liked the arm on the PM better than the others available. The PM also has a nifty little tool to set the proper chisel-auger spacing.

   I use the cone-style diamond sharpening tool. You don't really want to hone the outside of the hollow chisel, as that will change its dimensions, making matching tenon creation more complex. Imagine, for example, cutting tenons that are 0.4923867" to match your outside-honed chisel.  ;-)

5. 
   wericha | May 29, 2012 11:02am | #5

   Love it!!

   I've got a Delta benchtop and I love it.  Compared to the drill press contraptions, these are great.  I had the drill press version and set up was so difficult I swore I'd never use a mortiser.  In fact, I just gave my drill press set up away.  When I got a chance to try a dedicated mortiser, I changed my mind immediately.  I'm now far more inclined to incorporate mortise and tenon in my projects.

   All that being said, it is not for fine detail work.  They are great for blind mortises, but I wouldn't dream of using one for through mortises.  That requires hand work.

6. 
   larrythewoodguy | May 29, 2012 04:38pm | #6

   Thanks for all your comments . It looks like im going to get a mortiser.

   Now to convince my wife .