Replies

1. 
   tinkerer2 | May 13, 2006 06:00am | #1

   I have the Powermatic Mortiser with traveling carriages to move the work piece both longitudinally and laterally.  It does have a small chuck like a drill press but turns at only one speed, limiting, somewhat, the size bits you

    should turn.  A square tube with a very sharp end fits over the bit and penetrates the work piece feeding the excess into the bit.  Makes a very precise hole exactly where you place it.  You must have the square piece that fits over the bit turned exactly to make a straight line of holes.

    

   I don't think the Mortiser would be very adaptable for a drill press and from what I hear, I don't think the mortising attachment for the drill press works to hot for mortising.  I've never used a mortising attachment personally.

   
   

   ---

   Edited 5/12/2006 11:02 pm ET by tinkerer2

1. 
   Masrol | May 13, 2006 07:07am | #3

   Thanks  for the feedback.

   Masrol

2. 
   PADDYDAHAT | May 13, 2006 06:38am | #2

   Basically it's a specialized beefed up drill press. It is a square chisel with an auger drill inside, just keep moving it across your marked out mortise and it's done. If you need to do this as a normal thing don't hesitate to look at delta or others. Look for deals that include all the normal bits for mortiisers. There are atachments that let you attach the chisels and augers to a drill press but drill presses are really designed to only drill holes.  It really is the best  process unless you are a purest and want to do it by hand only with chisels. Pat

1. 
   Masrol | May 13, 2006 07:13am | #4

   Thanks Pat !

   I will navigate as many on-line stores  as I can afford to find out if there is such a mortiser that can do drilling work too.

   Masrol 

1. 
   DougU | May 13, 2006 07:44am | #5

   Masrol

   You can get a drill press and adapt it to do mortises, Delta makes an attachment.  That way you have one tool to do both jobs.

   I've never seen a mortise machine that you can put drill bits in.

   Doug

1. 
   dgreen | May 13, 2006 12:32pm | #7

   I have not seen or used an attachment yet that was worth spit. The major problem is usually the hold down, if it won't hold down tight and square the bit will bind coming back up and this invariably seems to be the case. Even some of the dedicated machines have this problem but at least with them you don't have the added problem of flex in the column and inadequate handle length. Shop around and buy a dedicated mortiser and pay particular attention to the hold downs. Powermatic's new one works pretty good and General's also. I added a pneumatic hold down to my "deluxe" Delta to make it work right.

1. 
   DougU | May 14, 2006 03:08am | #14

   dgreen

   I wasnt aware that the mortise attachments for the drill press were such POS.

   I've never used one, never even seen one used. I guess after reading your post and all the others I'll not recomend the use of one in the future!

   I have access to an old Powermatic chain saw type mortiser, works great on big doors, and for smaller stuff I just do it with router and some jigs.

   Thanks for the heads up on the thing, I had just figure that because  their was so many of the darn things out  there that they must work.

   Doug

    

2. 
   TimNott | May 14, 2006 06:09pm | #16

   I've got a Fox mortiser, which has a chuck to hold the augers and a collet and bolt to hold the chisel.
   I was looking for a way to drill 3/4" holes perpendicular to the surface of the components of the workbench I was making, for dog holes. The drill stand I've got - a cheapo B&D thing that you bolt a powerdrill in wasn't solid or square enough, even after beefing up the base and shimming. Those things with two shafts and a baseplate that you fit on the drill were even worse.
   So I went round a few places looking at proper pillar drills - everything was either too big and heavy or too cheap and lightweight. When I got back to the shop, I noticed the mortiser... D'oh. Beautifull perpendicular holes, with a forstner bit, with a fence to keep them all in line - the fence lets me drill up to 4" from the edge of the wood, and there's plentifull plunge depth. I've since used it with a 40mm boring bit to set kitchen cabinet hinges in MDF. At 1000 rpm, it's not too fast

3. 
   tinkerer2 | May 15, 2006 05:31am | #21

   I've never seen a mortise machine that you can put drill bits in.

   Then you haven't seen the Powermatic 719.  It uses a chuck as found on most any drill press.  The shank of the drill bit is the same as any other bit but the bit is much longer to fit through the hollow chisel.  Although I haven't paid much attention to other mortisers it seems the bit and hollow chisel are universal it would seem they all would need a devise similar to the drill press chuck.

   From the tone of the original post, I assume the originator is trying to save money and at 900 dollars for the 719 from Tool Crib it probably is not practical for him.  It is easy to use and does a nice job fast.  As for all jobs done by machine, mortises can be done by hand by a skilled woodworker.

    

   Edited 5/15/2006 12:00 am ET by tinkerer2

1. 
   Masrol | May 15, 2006 06:06am | #22

   Thanks tinkerer2.

   Yes,  if  I can save  by  having  either one machine.. that can do two different functions.  Since  I do woodworking  just for  hobby (serious hobby), I try to save where possible. 

   After 2 years serious in woodworking,  I never reach perfection when come to making  "mortise" using hand chisel.  The first 1" deep  seem to be OK, but when the hole is through, it usually  off  (either side)  by  2/8" or so.  That's why I'm thinking of buying  Press Drill (where I can use the hole as the guide to square the mortise) or  buy  a mortiser  provided  it can also be used  for drilling.   

   Masrol

       

    

2. 
   dgreen | May 15, 2006 06:58am | #23

   If the choice is between the two buy the drill press and the attachment, the mortising machine is pretty unusable for a drill press and a man as clever with clamps as you can come up with a good hold down for the attachment. Feed slowly so as not to flex the column on the press and keep the table as close to the chuck as you can. If nothing else you can use a forstner bit in the drill press to hog out most of the waste leaving little for the chisel to do.

3. 
   tinkerer2 | May 15, 2006 07:43am | #24

    

   As much as I like the mortiser, yes I think, with limited resourses, of the two I would get the drillpress first.  So many things you can get with it.  So many people complain about the mortising attachment I'd probably just use the drill press and forsner bit to cut the hole then square it up with a chisle.

2. 
   WillGeorge | May 13, 2006 07:16pm | #12

   mortiser that can do drilling work too.Never tried that but should work. Just leave the chisel part out.. BUT it is hardly a drill press! OH, and the drills have to be a 'bit' longer than usuall!AND mortiser on a drill press is usually something to be desired!
   In one statement I think ya' need both OR use a router for the Mortiser...

3. 
   cowtown | May 13, 2006 09:38am | #6

   I have had a drill press almost since day one.

   I have never had a morticer. and even though I'm aware of them, and can appreciate their utility, I've not encountered a job which justified it to date.

   Of course you can draw yer own conclusions, but despite my self-acknowledged tool junky personality, anytime I've really HAD to use mortices, they were angled, or on-site stuff which no inexpensive or expensive morticing contraption could handle. And believe me I looked an looked.

   And BTW, don't forget that a mortice chisel is still only a chisel, and you can drill yer own hole, and drive that 1/2" mortice chisel in with a mallet if you have to. Believe me it works.

   Drill press is gonna have utility over a morticing tool by probably a factor of over 60 0r 80 times in my experience. You can see for me it is quite clear cut.

   just my opinion

   Eric in Cowtown

4. 
   Lataxe | May 13, 2006 01:16pm | #8

   M,

   I can tell you from bitter experience that mortising attachments for drill presses are a waste of time and money.  It is possible to get them to work - just; but the results are poor and you will struggle to cut anything wider than 3/8 inch or deeper than 1 inch.  You also need top notch chisels and a true running drill press to make them work at all.

   I spend hours and hours fettling all the elements, including the drill press, but never got the thing to work for more than 3 or 4 mortises until a new bout of sharpening and fettling was needed.

   As to buying a mortiser - there are some good reviews in at least 2 back issues of FWW - look them up in the index of the magazine on this site.

   Should you buy one at all?  Eric of Cowtown is right I fear.  A good one will cost you circa $500 (plus another $ 100 or so for top quality chisels).  Personally I baulk at paying such a large sum (or even half that) for a machine that does nothing but make a square hole.

   Better alternatives might be:

   * Drill a row of overlapping hole on the drill press with a small forstener bit then hand chisel the holes square.  This is quite fast if you have just a few mortises to make and you use a good sharp chisel with a guide block to keep it vertical and square.  (Your drill press will perform many other jobs too, unlike a mortise machine).  I use this method for larger mortises of 1 inch or larger.

   * Get a woodrat and make the cleanest, most accurate and best-fitting mortise and tenon joints you can imagine.  It does very nice holes (and tenons to match) from 1/8 inch to over an inch (although the latter starts to require a lot of routing passes to widen and deepen the hole made by, say, a half inch router bit). The woodrat also helps you make hundreds of other joints to a similar standard.  Although basic joints such as M&T, dovetail, finger, bridle, lap etc. are easy on the woodrat, some of the more complex joints have a steep learning curve.

   * Make a jig for you router and make mortises with that.  Back copies of FWW have a couple of very good Gary Rogowski articles about the jigs and techniques. You chisel the ends of the mortises square; or the tenon shoulders round, to match.  Or make round-ended mortises in both bits of the work to be joined and use a loose tenon.

   Despite owning nearly every tool invented, I don't have a mortiser myself.  Unless you're going to make mortises on a production scale I think every other method you can find is probably more cost effective and less hassle.  But then I never used a good quality mortiser......

   Lataxe

    

    

5. 
   douglas2cats | May 13, 2006 03:05pm | #9

   Unless you've got to make an awful lot of mortises and can justify the cost of one of the big floor units save your money. You'll get better quality mortises with a router (with either a good edge guide or homemade mortise jig) over either a dedicated benchtop mortiser or DP with attachment. You'll either have to round over the tenon ends or square up the mortise ends with hand chisels, but I think the results are better. Just my 2 cents.

    

   If you build it he will come.

6. 
   BruceS | May 13, 2006 04:08pm | #10

   You have many options. 1. If you have a drill press with a 38,48,50.8 or 66 MM quill you can install a Delta mortising attachment, It will come with 1/4, 5/16,3/8 & 1/2  inch chisles,  The fence and hold down arn't the greatest but you can get the job done. About $75.  2. Trend Mortise and tennon jig, to be used with a plunge router and spiral up-cut bits, between 1/4 and 5/8 inch.  You can also do angled M/T joints with it. very precise and clean fit but M/T corners will be round. About $300. 3. Then the Dedicated  M/T machines of the 3 brands I've used Record, Jet, Delta.  I would get the Delta Delux.  Much better fence and hold down than the others. About $250. 3.  Or you can do like I did and build a jig and use guide bushings and a Plunge router with Spiral up-cut bits. So much for doing it with power.  Then you can do it by hand. 

   Work Safe,  Count to 10 when your done for the day !!

   Bruce S. 

    

1. 
   rwjiudice | May 13, 2006 04:25pm | #11

   I am both a "tool junkie" (not much I don't have!) and an avid woodworker.

   I have tried to use the mortising attachment on my drill press, but as prior writers have said, it was minimally useful, and ruined more wood than the cost of the attachment. (Delta attachment on a Delta drill press).

   I then purchased and used a Delta dedicated mortiser with great success for mortising holes for six chairs (24 mortises per chair !!!). It worked super!

   However, I could have done the same job with a router and mortising jig. (yes, I own those also).

   BUT..... I would not have the fun of showing my friends and neighbors my "magic" machine..... when they ask "what's this?", I casually explain that it's a machine that drills square holes...... then I wait, while they take another sip of their cocktail and think...........

   Of course, after a minute or two, they never fail to say "you're kidding, right?"

   I then bet them a dollar, demonstrate the machine, pocket their money and then dream of the next magic machine I will add to my shop!!!!!! 

    

7. 
   citrouille | May 13, 2006 07:25pm | #13

   As Lataxe mentioned mortising attachments for drill press are a waste of money.
   I have a Multico mortising machine (made in en England) They offer a drilling attachment for it.
   You will not have the versatility of a drill press (only one speed etc.) but ...

   C.

8. 
   joinerswork | May 14, 2006 04:49am | #15

   Masrol,

   Bucking the trend here, but my Craftsman drill press with craftsman mortising attachment has got the job done for me for the last 30 yrs.  I've cut thousands of mortises with it.  Normally it's set up as a  mortiser; mostly I'm using a 5/16" bit, and mortising to a depth of around 1 1/8" for 1" tenons.  My experience has been that it works well for most hardwoods.  Softwoods tend to clog the chisel, especialy 1/4", and the large chisel 3/4" is difficult to get through hard maple, but those are the exceptions for me, as I'm doing mostly reproduction furniture in hardwoods.

   It is important to have the stock square, and consistantly sized, as you are registering off the bottom and side of the stock (table and fence) rather than the face.  I've not had problems with the cast iron hold down that came with the attachment.  The chisels will wedge themselves fast if you have carelessly honed the outsides, so they are not the same size bottom to top.  And they are easily overheated, which draws their temper and makes them less able to hold an edge.  The trick is to used the proper speed (rpm) for the bit, fast enough so that chips are ejected without being so fast that the bit is overheated, and to use a feed rate (downward pressure) that doesn't choke the bit with chips. Also you need enough clearance (set-down) between the bit and chisel so there isn't over much friction there, and room for the chips to clear the lips of the bit.

   Mortising is more accurate if: 1- the stock is square.  Any variation from square will tend to throw the top of the stock more or less away from the fence at the top, where the chisel enters 2- the chisel is set perfectly square (or parallel) to the fence, so that adjacent holes are aligned. 3-you punch the ends of the mortise first.  4-punch a series of holes, leaving a web of wood (less than the width of the chisel)between, then make another pass and remove the webs. The chisel is less likely to wander as it enters the wood if it is equally supported on all sides. 

   Regards,

   Ray Pine

1. 
   Lataxe | May 14, 2006 09:03pm | #17

   Ray,

   It's good to hear of a siccesful mortise attachment for a drill press but now I am all green with envy!

   Am I right is assuming that your drill press, being at least 30 years old, is a good quality one, with a lot more stiffness in its construction than the run of the mill Far East jobs that cheapskates like me have bought more recently? 

   I ask because one overriding impression I came away with from my abortive efforts with the thing was that my drill press (a large floor stander) tended to bend the chuck and chisel just enough out of square to cause chisel-jamming, when one hung on the little short drill press lever to get sufficient pressure to make the chisel cut.......?

   Lataxe

1. 
   Masrol | May 15, 2006 04:13am | #18

   Hi  tinkerer2, DougU, Paddydahat, cowtown, dgreen, Lataxe, douglas2cats, BruseS, rwjudice, WillGeotge, citrouille, joinerswork, TimNott and  everybody !

   Thanks for your feedback, views &  opinion.  Due  timing diff. I could not read and immediately reply your posts. So I printed all the posts and shall read  during my lunch break.  I  only have access to this forum during my office hour,  the time when most of you good people, are in bed.  I'm writing this post now at 9:08 AM.   

   I just had  two small cuts on my heels  (one right & one left, almost  the same position)  while  making  mortise  on  my  mallet.  I used my feet for holding the work-piece, instead of clamps..    

   Thank you very, very much.

   Masrol

   KUL, MY    

1. 
   dgreen | May 15, 2006 04:26am | #19

   The original multi-purpose, multi-position, variable pressure clamps !
   Take care of them though, they are very hard to replace !

1. 
   Masrol | May 15, 2006 04:34am | #20

   Very  fast release indeed ! and readily available in need !

   Masrol

2. 
   joinerswork | May 15, 2006 03:47pm | #25

   Lataxe,

   Apparently so.  Flexion (is that a word?) of the column (about 3" dia steel) the table (cast iron) or the quill/chuck (steel) has not been a problem for me.  The handles on the quill  pinion are  short for pushing a 3/4" chisel into hardwood, but that is not an operation I regularly have to do.  Works fine for normal  (1/4, 5/16, 3/8) furniture sixed mortising.

   It's been a remarkably good machine.  At the time I bought most of my stationary tool, 1976, the craftsman drill press and radial saw were in my opinion, better value for the money than what delta offered.  The drawback to the drill press was that there wasn't an integral height adjuster for the table.  I bought a bolt-on crank adjuster that has been barely adequate for the weight of the table.

   The v-belt for the step pulleys is tiny, maybe 1/4" wide at the widest.  I immediately ordered a spare, knowing that it couldn't hold up.  The spare is still in its shipping bag, 30 yrs later.  Just had to adjust the rack and pinion quill controls. A set screw had vibrated loose and allowed too much backlash between the gear teeth.

   Regards,

   Ray 

9. 
   a_Furnitologist | May 15, 2006 04:29pm | #26

   Depending on how you plan to construction your work will determine the need of a morticing "work station".

   If I may suggest, I would got after the drill press and purchase the attachment. Rather than use an individual mortice machine, think to substitue a plunge router and for those tight horizontal mortices in a 1.75 sq post, set the drill press up with a morticing attachment.

   Purchasing a drill press will provide you with more options not only as a morticing tool but also as a drum sander, 35mm hinging, straight drilling.

   Drill press first...........then depending on your construction techniques you use....morticing machine.

   Remember Norm gets sponsor dollars to use the mortice machine. Doesn't means it's a necessary tool.

   Hope that  helps.......Neil   http://www.furnitology.com