Happy new year everyone. I am raising the age old question once again. How best to make mortise and tenons with tools. I love to make them by hand but when I have 127 of them to make and limited time I am looking to machines. I have looked at bench and floor mortisers from delta and grizzly to laguna and woodtek. I have looked at Leigh FMT and mortise pal and all of them say they are the best. I like that Leigh can make both mortise and tenon. The mortise pal is compact and uses loose tenons so it is easy to make both ends but again repeatability is the key. Thanx.
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Replies
Tenons? Then router.
Thank you, that is an excellent alternative.
Edited 12/28/2008 11:31 am ET by wolfonce
Seems to me that the "Tenonmaker" requires you to control the thickness of the piece to be tenoned exactly. Otherwise you'll wind up with an odd-size tenon that won't match up with the router bit or chisel used for mortising. Not a big deal with a thickness planer and a couple of practice pieces though.I usually cut tenons with a band saw now. I make up a block that's the desired thickness of the tenon + the saw kerf. Then I cut both cheeks with the same side of the piece against the fence. The first is cut with the spacer between the piece and the fence, the second without. The spacer has to be made exactly, but once you have one for the tenon thickness you need, the method is very fast. Also, as long as you always register off the same face, the thickness of pieces like table aprons need not match exactly, the show parts and tenons will be identical.Pete
Edited 12/30/2008 7:48 pm ET by PeteBradley
Thank you Pete, that is a great tip and it would be repeatable also. I am working on several of the ideas I got and learning much at the same time
Bill Hylton has a couple of simple router jigs at the DeWalt site. One freehand and one for a router table. Both are accurate and produce repeatable tenons.
http://www.dewalt.com/us/articles/article.asp?Site=woodworking&ID=244
I use the festool domino for floating tenons. Repeatability and quick and if you can hit a pencil mark your spot on!
If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it.
And if it stops moving, subsidize it.
Think Woodrat or Router Boss. I have a 'rat and can tenon both ends in less than a minute. Mortises, though rounded just as quick.
I have tried the mortising machines and the router jigs.
Started with a bench top mortiser....... which was fine for small projects, but a PIA for larger runs (like 127).
Moved up slightly to a cheap stationary machine with an X-Y table, which is perfect for me, which at the time I bought it was just under $700.
http://www.powermatic.com/Products.aspx?Part=1791264K
Since so many rave about router mortises, I built a couple of those jigs and they work extremely well.
How to make a decision?
If you don't have the space or dollars for a stationary machine, then the router set up is probably the way to go. However, if making mortises will be a consistent part of your woodworking life, then the machine makes more sense.
With the router jigs, if you already have the kind of router you need (a plunge works best), then you can build a jig with scraps you probably have laying around and maybe $20-30 for the necessary hardware.
********************************************************
"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
Thank you to everyone for all the great advise. I didn't know there were so many options. I am going to try a couple of jigs first and see if I can make them reliable enough. I sure do like the wood rat and that might be the way I go. I do like dedicated mortisers and horizontal mortisers but they are limited in tenon size and we need to make so much variation. Great new year to all, The days are getting longer from now on.
Here's another suggestion for you to consider:
I find the hands-down easiest method for making tenons is to use the two outside blades from a dado set on a TS, spaced with spacers made from various thicknesses of materials (sheet metal, plexi, masonite, ply, etc.). I keep a chart showing what spacers I need to use to make tenons perfectly matching my mortising bits. I make the tenon cheek cuts first using a tenon jig and cut the shoulders on the RAS. Only takes a few seconds to make a set.
Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA
hammer ,
Real straight forward jigs and set up looks great .
How deep can you cut the mortise in the door stile , and is it a progressive cut plunging in a few settings ? Long bits and how much hp ?
best wishes dusty
Hi Dusty, most of my jigs ain't pretty! I just cobble something up for the occasion. I'm using an ordinary PC plunge 600 series? I have a bunch of the motors and bases, some variable speed, don't know the HP. 7/8 - 1 3/4, I think. The slot for the template guide can be made any size. You could use any size bit or guide, too, depending on what you are morticing. In the pic, I'm using a straight 1/4" bit. Don't use an up spiral or the dust jams in everything. 1/4" straight bits are available in many lengths, so the depth depends on the bit. I can flip the work piece and come from both sides for a through mortice. I normally make incremental cuts. Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
Leigh FMT would be my choice. No offense to Pat, but the Leigh:
1. Cuts a matched Mortise and Tenon with one setting and one template.
2. Has a thinner plate so the M&T can be deeper. Homemade jigs made of 3/4 ply reduce the depth by 3/4.
3. Has the ability to accept outboard "wings" (mine are customized for each project) so that stop blocks can be added to make set up for mortises a one shot deal. No multiple layouts.
I have the MFT.
Sorry to 'bump' the post but I have a question for a 'user' of the FMT.
I was going to state the following to the original poster but I decided not to. My statements may sound too negative about the FMT and thought keeping quiet was the best. It IS a great fixture. Well made and it works. However...
I use it only for repetitive tasks. For that it is an almost perfect tool. For other work I hand cut or use my old methods/jigs with my routers and router tables.
It is most likely me and not the 'tool'. I find setting up the adjustment knobs/pins a real hastle.
Surfaced stock four sides. I set the 'limit blocks' and cut. If I get a 'perfect' fit for the width, sometimes, but not always, the length is a 'very tiny bit' too long. If I get the length correct, the width may be off a bit.. Make sense?
The joint is till very 'useable' but not what I would think the fixture should be capable of doing.
I cannot figure out what I am doing wrong.
"For other work I hand cut or use my old methods/jigs with my routers and router tables."
I agree. I like to use a RAS.
"I find setting up the adjustment knobs/pins a real hastle."
I agree with this as well. I did buy a cheap plunge router which is permanently attached to the jig. I learned that trick with the Leigh dovetail jig. Set up is way too long.
"Surfaced stock four sides. I set the 'limit blocks' and cut. If I get a 'perfect' fit for the width, sometimes, but not always, the length is a 'very tiny bit' too long. If I get the length correct, the width may be off a bit.. Make sense?"
Yep. Use the dial calibrator to increase both settings. I'd rather have the joint a tad to tight, so quick pass with a shoulder plane or sandpaper cures the issue than gluing on veneer or paper.
Regards, Scooter "I may be drunk, but you're crazy, and I'll be sober tomorrow." WC Fields, "Its a Gift" 1934
so quick pass with a shoulder plane ..
I agree also.. Now if I could ever learn to use one properly. For some reason, somewhere along the line, I'll take off too much and back to making another stick or gluing on some scrap veneer.
Life is hard in my little workshop! Maybe 2009 will be better?
I still have to say I do not regret getting the FMT for multiple sticks.
I was thinking of calling the Mfg. but I do not hear well on the phone. Old Tank mechanic. Self propelled Armored Artillery with 8 inch guns and 5 inch guns with huge very loud engines.
Folks on the other end of the phone usually get tired of me saying ... what? Please repeat that.
Hell, I never even bother answering the phone these days. Yes I can hear it ring if I happen to be walking past it at the time. But I'm lucky, I can hear most things , sort of, except voices. Or maybe I just got tired of hearing voices? Who knows?Yes
The FMT is a great machine for repetitive M&T joints. It does take a little set-up time, but it will do it’s job quickly and the resulting joint will require little, if any, handwork. Additionally, It really excels doing angled joints and will even do compound angles, with ease!
I recently made a gardening bench (cypress), for my wife. I used my bench-top mortiser (General) for the legs and the FMT for the remaining joints (130 or so M&T’s). It works like a champ. However, with all M&T joinery, I recommend having a good shoulder plane – they really make the handwork go quickly - just remember - if you take two passes on one side, do the same on the other side. This will keep the joint even with it's mating surfaces.
I purchased mine on EBay. It came with all the guides and a PC router. I think I picked it up for $600 or so.
Will,
Your comments on hearing reminded me of a fellow I used to know (dead now), a WW II vet, who was in heavy artillery. (He was nearly deaf from the noise he endured during the war firing those cannons.) He told me once, people used to say to him, "Weren't you afraid, handling all that gunpowder, and that high explosive ordnance?" He would reply, "It's all perfectly safe, until you forget how dangerous it is." True of many "dangerous" things, guns and woodworking included.
Ray, who doesn't hear as good as he used too, from listenng to the planer run without hearing protection in his younger (dumber) days
Jointerswork..
A post just for YOU and others that want to look!
I do strange stuff all the time. Story of my life.
I have a Leigh MFT? or some arrangement of those letters.. And a Horizontal Router I made some time ago.
http://forums.taunton.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=fw-knots&msg=9255.3&redirCnt=1
I could not trust my XYZ table to cut mortises and tenons with 96 inches by 6 inches by 2.5 inches of wood hanging off the X/Y/Z table. MFT and the roof in my shop with the router was too low~
My shop is very small and the height is limited because I hang most of my 'good' wood (and other stuff) off of the rafters on wooden frames. I found a gap to fit my router between the wood piles!
Fixture/Jig to cut the mortices in the long rails.. LOL.. Worked great but on a step ladder to cut???
Edited 1/12/2009 8:08 pm by WillGeorge
Edited 1/12/2009 8:11 pm by WillGeorge
Hi Will,
Cool set up. BUT- don't leave it there too long--your friendly neighborhood rooster might mistake that jig platform for a landing pad and start roosting on those dowels sticking out of the rafters!
Take care,
Ray
Ray. My bird has not been around for a while. Guess one of the local mammals caught it for dinner. I sort of miss that crazy bird.
Hi Will,
I saw a feature on public tv last nite on comedy. Steve Allen was on, but he never asked the interviewer, "How's your bird?" I guess that was only for when Louis Nye was a guest on his old show. "Hiii, Steverino!"
Sorry the rooster has flown the coop.
By the way, do you know why a chicken coop has two doors?
Because, if it had four doors, it'd be a sedan.
hahaha
Ray
By the way, do you know why a chicken coop has two doors?
Because, if it had four doors, it'd be a sedan.
hahaha
Ray.....
***
This reply won't change the world as we currently see it but... I will en-lighten you as you never know when it might come up in a triviall pursuit game that could give you the razor's edge. ha.. ha... ha..ha..ha..
Having worked for a company that restores and is a leading provider for "Muscle Car Restoration" parts and technical advise for 10 years I was also en-lightened one day when I ran into that situation. I always thougth... and the vast majority also believe that if an auto had two doors it was a coupe. If it had 4 it was a sedan.
Not necessarily so..... have you ever seen or heard of a mid 60's 4 door Impala coupe? I didn't think so! GM made it in either 64' or 65' if memory serves me correctly and I got to drive one on the Hot Rod Power Tour sponsered by Hot Rod Magizine.
If a 4 door auto has a post between the frong and rear doors.... it is a sedan. If there is no post (as that custom Impala had) it is technically considered a coupe by the Big 3 auto-makers. When a customer told me he was ordering for an Impala four door coupe one day I thought he was kidding and I ribbed him back. His answer was... "h*ll son, I have one already restored and am restoring this one".
Live and learn........
Regards...
Sarge..
Edited 1/15/2009 11:24 am ET by SARGEgrinder47
Edited 1/15/2009 11:27 am ET by SARGEgrinder47
Hello Sarge,
I'd heard that before about the roof post defining a sedan. But, would a white leghorn be able to reach the pedals anyways?
haha
Ray
Power-glide was the answer to your prayers in those days and of couse was available . BTW.. those "Big" back seats were the answer to young teens prayers with no apartment of their own. Someone told me that anyway....
They just don't make em like they used to. ha.. ha... ha..ha..ha..
Sarge..
If his name is Foggy I bet he can reach. Heck that guy looks bigger then me!
As for the back seats. I had a 77 Caddy (Sedan) in the late 80s when i was in HS and first year or so at the university. It had a ton of room. Took 7 of us to Cedar Point one summer. Three in the front and 4 in the back. (Best looking girl in the middle front of course) And I would think I could have played tennis in the rear of the thing. But alas I never did find out for myself. The next Car was Fiero. A bit smaller, but more fun (to Drive) Had three of us in that car once (me an two girls from the dorm).
Doug M.
I don't have time to read every post here. But with 127 joints to make, I'd go with floating tenons and a router jig. IF you have a Woodrat, and the boards will fit under it, by all means use it. If you don't own a rat, and you are considering one, look into the Router Boss by Chipsfly.com
I own a rat, but I believe Lewis may have a superior product.
If you are not equipped with one of these products and don't desire to invest in one, I'd go with a router jig — I'm more of a proponent of shopmade jigs these days. There is a plethora of router Mortise jigs out there. Search the FWW site. Do a Google search. Look into a Hylton or Warner router book.
Greg
•••••••
Exo 35:30-35
I'm gonna have to throw my vote in for the powermatic mortiser (or jet version) and a dado blade. All easy to set up and no jigs or other such goofiness!
Chris
Thank you one and all. I did look into every machine each of you recommended. I am going to purchase a wood rat. It had more info than any other and since i want a machine that will also do dovetails, the fact that it will do both appeals to me. It appears that once it is set up it will do good repetitive cuts. I really do also like the leigh FMT but it won't do dovetail. Since it is almost the same price I went with the woodrat. I hope it will hold up as I do a lot of jig work. We will see and I will report back. Happy woodworking, Dave
One more option. Eagle Jigs in Kansas City came up with what they call the Router Wizard to make mortises with a plunge router. It is sort of a router fence on steroids. It works great. You can see it at eaglejigs.com. If you can afford it, the Festool Domino is the fastest and easiest way to make mortises. It is an extremely well thought out tool that makes repeatable joints easy. The only drawback I can see is that you are limited to just a few sized mortises but you can make multiple mortises if the board is wide enough. Domer
You won't regret the decision to get a rat. Once you get it, and learn how to use it, which doesn't take long you will realize that it is an extremely versatile joint making machine. Unequaled by all but it's relative the cnc router.
thank you. I realize everyone has wonderful ideas and I appreciate all of them but the fact is i made a decision and my woodrat is in and running. I am working out the bugs and learning how to woork this new tool and it appears to be the cats meow. Now I am off trying to improve my paint room. It's too small and trying to paint 12 cabinets in it at one time is a great challenge. Dave
I'm making a ton of M&Ts for my cabinet doors and bodged together a great (for me, anyways) horizontal mortiser using my router. Built it based on ideas cobbled together from various FWW articles on the site. Tenons are cut on the TS.
A sturdy old bench has a chunk of birch ply screwed to the side, 90 degrees to the table surface and flush to the table surface. The ply has two parallel, vertical T-tracks on the outside face.
Second piece of ply has the router and four T-bolts, which slide into the T-tracks. Router is now horizontal, height adjustable and the bit extends over the table. Easy and straightforward to adjust bit height (center or adjust the mortise location along the edge of the board).
Both pieces of ply are stiffened using 1"x3" lengths of glued and screwed hardwood, running vertically.
Built a X-Y table using full extension drawer slides and pieces of 5/8" melamine. Hold downs on the upper melamine to anchor the workpiece. Bottom piece of the X-Y table is screwed to the original old bench.
It works like a charm and I couldn't be happier. Would love a FMT or equivalent bit of equipment, but this took 2 hours to put together and works well. Not as portable as FMT, but stable and repeatable.
Good luck whichever route you pick.
Pete
Peter,
I'd been trying to come up with a way to incorporate drawer slides into a device similar to the you describe in your post. Any chance of us seeing any photos?
ZoltonIf you see a possum running around in here, kill it. It's not a pet. - Jackie Moon
I'll try to grab some photos this evening and post them tomorrow.
Cheers,
Peter
Zolton,
Attached are a few photos, described below. I resized the photos but they're still a bit big.
"oblique view" is the overall setup. XY table is the white melamine pieces. I'm still making a couple of my doors, left enough room to use the vise while making mortises.
"slides" is looking along the vertical piece that holds the router. Bottom melamine has two screws securing it to the bench. Mounted the lower extension slides to this piece, then to the second piece from the bottom to give travel for boring into the workpiece. Mounted the uppermost slides above this, with uppermost melamine bit, to give travel in the direction of the mortise length. Plywood as a backer on top, with holdown clamps. I screwed the bottom piece of melamine to the bench once everything else was set up.
Make sure you leave enough overhang between each piece of melamine so that the uppermost piece can contact the vertical piece of plywood that the router mounts to. This is the "positioned" photo, note the gap between the middle melamine piece and the vertical plywood piece.
"closeup" shows the spiral upcut bit. Above it are two of the four screws that attach the router.
"back" is the vertical adjustment. Router is mounted to the upper plywood piece. 1X3 hardwood to stiffen it. Four T-nuts fit into the knobs. Adjustment isn't fancy--coarse adjustment = loosen all four knobs, fine adjustment = loosen three knobs and bump the upper plywood piece to rotate around the fixed knob. The lower plywood piece is fixed (screwed only) to the bench and has the T-tracks, which would be facing you if the upper plywood piece was removed in this photo. Wedges at the bottom were used to get true 90° between this piece and the bench surface. Not shown are addition 1X3 stiffeners on the far face of the bottom plywood piece.
Like I said, not fancy. It was more straightforward for me since the top of my cheapo bench is flush with the stretchers, but this could be modified for other bench types. It isn't an original design, the XY table with drawer slides idea came from a really good FWW article by John Matousek (March 2000)--only difference is I don't have stops for the X and Y directions (after using it for a while, I haven't found a need for them in my situation).
The size of my XY table is way overkill, by the way. All I had on hand were a 16" and a 12" full extension slide. This was my first shot at it and (surprise!) it worked. If I had to do it again, I'd make the XY table quite a bit smaller.
Hope this helps, let me know if I can provide other info that you could use.
Cheers,
Peter
EDIT : I further resized the photos, see following post.
Edited 1/7/2009 11:00 am ET by PeterThomson
Edited 1/7/2009 11:15 am ET by PeterThomson
Photos attached this time (first time using irfanview)
Peter,
Very clear and easily-understood! That's exactly the way I was thinking of going with the idea of using ball bearing drawer slides for an X-Y table.
Two questions:
1. Do you have trouble with chips and dust falling into the slides and gumming them up? It seems as though these slides always have some grease on them that attracts dust. Or does the dust collection you cobbled up on the router take care of the bulk of it?
2. Did you have a problem lining up the router's bit so that it was exactly parallel to the table? If it's not exact the mortise would be larger at the mouth than at the bottom. That's a problem I ran into using a shop-built router jig (not a horizontal one like yours though).
Thank you for taking the time to take and post the photos and the explanation. Very helpful.
ZoltonIf you see a possum running around in here, kill it. It's not a pet. - Jackie Moon
Zolton,
No problem, glad I can help out. I've received a ton of great advice on this forum, just returning the favour.
Dust and chips -- I haven't had a problem. The only DC I cobbled to the router is that black, step-tapered assembly (which I hook to the shop vac). The Triton router I use has really good dust shield around the shaft and collet assembly, with the shop vac attached I only get a few specks on the melamine tables. I blow those off and move on. Even those could probably be eliminated if I added a guard over the router bit... Which I am planning to do for safety reasons, anyways.
Bit alignment -- I thought this would be tougher than it was. The "back" photo shows some wedges at the bottom, between the fixed plywood piece and the bench. I planned to back off the woodscrews and use these to fine tune the alignment when I move the bench (small shop, uneven floors). The bench doesn't rack much though, so I haven't had to do it. The 1x3 stiffeners help a lot--without these, the 3/4" plywood pieces flex too much.
I normally don't do big runs of M&Ts at one time, so I tried to make it portable/removable... With limited success. The fixed piece of plywood (with the T-tracks) stays on the bench and comes in handy once in awhile. The router gets removed from its plywood, that piece gets stored. The XY table gets unscrewed from the bench and stored as one piece. I made the XY table using melamine scrap I had on hand and didn't bother to cut down any of the pieces, it could probably be made much smaller.
I've seen neat designs that would attach a threaded rod between the fixed and movable bits of plywood to give fine adjustment, but haven't had the need. I'll likely add stops one of these days, have some upcoming projects that I'm going to try floating tenons on. The added accuracy on mortise length will come in handy, right now I just eyeball them (after marking the mortise location on the top side of the workpiece, of course!).
Hope this helps,
Peter
Peter,
Excellent. Thanks for getting back with the information about the dust collection and the bit alignment. I have a Bosch router with a dust shroud, and when I use an up-spiral bit there's really not very much dust flying around at all. So I get that the Triton has a good system.
Didn't mean to disparage you by saying your system looked "cobbled up!" I was just in from a job for lunch and didn't have sufficient time to think of a better word to use. So, sorry if that sounded judgemental. You should see some of the things I've stuck together with duct tape from time to time. Now that's cobbled up...
Zolton
If you see a possum running around in here, kill it. It's not a pet. - Jackie Moon
Hey Peter, thanks for the information.I recently tried to build a table, but was getting a lot of slop, primarily in the slides. I didn't think that I would get near that much up and down deflection mounting side mount (slides). Did you use pairs of center mount slides? I'm thinking that would solve a lot of my problems.Thanks,
Matt
Hi Matt,
I used pairs of regular full extension drawer slides (AccuRide is the brand, I think), not center mounts. Haven't noticed any slop to speak of and I'm pretty picky about that stuff--runout bugs the heck out of me.
Peter
Thanks Peter, I bought mine at the HD. Should have known better.Matt
Mine were from HD, too, but I haven't had a problem. Are yours full extension slides? Steel with ball bearings (see attached picture)? I think I used medium duty or heavy duty, can't recall. Though I used melamine coate particle board, if I had to do it again I'd use hardwood ply... the PB flexes fairly easily.
Peter
Edited 1/12/2009 7:42 pm ET by PeterThomson
Peter,
They are full extension and look very similar to the picture, although I know that they are not Accurides. I can push down on the slides and get maybe 1/32" movement, way too much. I'm going to try mounting center mounts because that is what was in a FWW article and I just had not read it closely enough. Thanks again,
Matt
44740.1
I am raising the age old question once again. How best to make mortise and tenons with tools. I love to make them by hand but when I have 127 of them to make and limited time I am looking to machines. I have looked at bench and floor mortisers from delta and grizzly to laguna and woodtek. I have looked at Leigh FMT and mortise pal and all of them say they are the best. I like that Leigh can make both mortise and tenon. The mortise pal is compact and uses loose tenons so it is easy to make both ends but again repeatability is the key. Thanx.
================================
I'm going to assume that you're after furniture size mortise and tenon
joints NOT through mortise & tenon joints and that loose tenon M&T
joinery is acceptable. Given the need to do 127 joints, that's 254
mortises if you go with loose tenon M&T joints. And if you're willing
to take on one project like this others will no doubt follow. So this
is probably a Buy Once, Cry Once situation.
I didn't take that advice and wasted money - and time.
I bought the General International chisel and bit mortising machine
- the one with the tilting head and the X-Y table, along with a set
of Fisch chisel and bit. I needed rather large through mortise and
tenon joints for a real workbench and had the idea to make a bunch
of A&C/Greene & Greene type pieces. But the experience with the bench
- lots of layout lines, lots of sets ups, slow methodical mortise
cutting - turned me off the a chisel and bit mortiser, even a fairly
good one - and about $800 plus the Fish sets - which is now taking
up shop space - on it's own custom built base - with graduated drawers
and graduated finger joints.
Became aware of loose tenon M&T done with a plunge router. Making a
jig to do them seemed pretty straight foreward so I made one. Worked
sort of well - but there was still all the layout lines, jig alignment
set up, clamping and parts orientation. Spent maybe $30 in parts and
another $300 or more in time and effort - with some un-monetizable
cussing and swearing. Used it for three or four tables and went
looking for a quicker and easier way to do loose tenon M&T.
The LEIGH FMT looked like it might do the job nicely - but the loaded
package would come to about a grand. So I got the TREND M&T Jig for
around $350 "loaded". Quicker than the jig I made - but with most of
the same required layout lines, jig alignment and stops setting. etc.
And clamping narrow parts for end grain mortising was a PITA
By now I was aware of the layout lines requirements, jig alignment, stops setting - and how critical parts orientation was - two "lefts"
and no "right" is easy to do - and frustrating as hell - and the fun
and games with clamping vertical parts - in tight spaces.
When I saw the Festool DOMINO at a woodworking show and got to play
with it a bit my preconceived notion that it was just a very expensive
biscuit cutter began to disappear. This is NOT a biscuit cutter.
The grand for the complete package was a bit off putting - but I saw
the value of this system - and have since found it more valuable than
I thought when I bought it.
I've used it for table - aprons for six or more tables, a large gate,
a garbage surround that had over 400 mortises - in two different sizes
and had complete novices do loose tenon M&T joinery pieces that worked
perfectly with minimal instruction - one putting two mortised in
each mitered end - of a 7 foot tall gate and another for a linen
cabinet 8 feet tall - with raisd panels in grooves - so alignment
was critical.
The more I studied the DOMINO and other jigs and machines - the LEIGH
FMT and the MultiRouter - the more obvious the DOMINO's advantages.
Other than being Metric based, it's an intuitive tool to use - well.
AND - all mortises can be cut with the part laying horizontal - on
just about any horizontal flat surface - like a driveway. Not a big
deal - unless you want to mortise the ends of a bed frame or a 5 or
6 foot long credenza's apron and stretchers.
Have a look at this stuff I put together on the DOMINO and check out
the comparison stuff at the bottom of the page
http://web.hypersurf.com/~charlie2/DOMINO/DOMINO_TableOfContent.html
(don't know what the rules are about including hypertext links so
you'll have to cut the web address and paste it into your browser
- watch the line wrap)
Oh - it's handy to have a shop vac or some means of extracting
chips while cutting mortises - regardless of which jig or machine
you chose./
I use a Grizzly horizontal boring machine ( 0540 I think)equippeed with end mills for mortises and floating tenons. Easy set up and very fast. Mortise size is limited only by end mill availability. Art
Can't say enough good things about the FMT. Some people have noted set up times ?? If you keep records of the bits and the adjustments you used then I find you're up and running in minutes. Most of my cuts are set with the dial at 4.5 ?? (i'm guessing) and it's almost always perfect at that setting, maybe +/- .5 and I'm off and running. If you have a dedicated morticer and a TS jig it may be initially quicker if every joint is the same and in the same position on the wood. The FMT really shines in obscure angles like chairs and multiple joints like frame frames, furniture carcases etc. Here it can't be touched for speed and accuracy.
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