Pics of HCM Modifications & DP Mortising
Hello!
In the Feb 2005, #175, issue of FWW John Jory submitted a tip to the Methods of Work section. His tip was to mount a cross slide (aka x-y vise) to a hollow chisel mortiser. I had seen something similar to that tip in another magazine.
The reasoning is that most bench top HCM’s have lousy hold downs. Such a vise has more holding power and can travel while holding your stock. Adjustments are much easier.
I finally got around to tweaking my HCM this week (Delta 14-651). I had picked up an x-y vise several years at an auction for around $20. It was time to put it to use.
I won’t bore you with all the details. The Delta’s base is drilled and tapped for metric bolts. So drilled those out and retapped to 3/8″ by 16. I didn’t mount the vise directly to the HCM. I drilled and tapped a piece of 3/8″ thick steel. Holes were also drilled to utilize the original fence’s locking levers. The new riser block is 4 pieces of 1″ thick steel.
In one pic, I’m using a piece of aluminum angle and a spring clamp to square up the chisel to an elongated mortise layout line. Using cedar at the HCM. In another pic, I’m using ash and a 1/4″ dia up spiral bit at the DP. Haven’t really worked on the bits and chisels yet to feel comfortable doing a really hard wood.
Replies
I did replace the threaded rod with bolts of the correct length, 5" long.
What a great presentation, Chills! I don't have a mortiser yet, but I've read where the XY vise is a major improvement for them.
With your permission, and some extra time in about 3 weeks, I'd like to make a web page where all those photos would be on the same page, with reference links to your post. Would that be OK with you?? It's something that could be bookmarked for the future.
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Chills,
Good work on the adaptations for the mortiser. I made a similar modification to my Jet mortiser last year. It handles Oak Walnut and Cherry well. Walnut and Cherry aren't that hard but the Oak works without much difficulty. Just let the shavings clear from the chisel channel frequently.
Alan
Where did you get the x-y vise? Any idea on what the best deal is out there? Thanks.
Hi Toolwonk,I got my x/y vise from Grizzly. You can get then from Harbor Freight, McMaster Carr and other supply houses.I have to admit that when all is said and done. If I were to do it over I might forget about the HCM and get something like this Milling Drilling set up from Grizzly....http://www.grizzly.com/products/item.cfm?itemnumber=G0517Alan
thanks forestgirl. go ahead and use the pics in your website. one of the reasons i put that stuff out there is the free sharing of ideas.
my x- y vise was from an auction, it does have made in taiwan stamped on it. it works ok nonetheless.
i modified it too. unscrewed the top travel screw, undid the metal garter and its two bolts. inserted the screw from the other side, where the vise clamping screw is. held the garter in what i thought was the right place, marked the two holes with a sharpie, used a center punch so the drill pit doesn't go skeetering around and drilled and tapped for the two bolts.
it would be nice if the top travel screw was about 4 to 6" longer . that way your hand would have more clearance and not hit the vise screw handle.
yeah, i like the idea of that grizzly mill/drill. i was thinking if one could get a rotary table and chuck the right kinda router bit in it or a DP you could make some interesting rosette blocks. maybe even a lazy susan would work. an indexing rotary table with a x-y vise would make your rosettes even more interesting.
Thanks, Chills. Just to clarify it's not a web site (not yet, anyway). I would just make a page with your pictures and description. And provide the link to whomever was interested.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Go right ahead!
AYOUNG, yep that is a nice set up at your HCM!
FORESTGIRL, if you need any more pics, just let me know.
A couple more tweaks I thought of: an air hose with a bathroom fixture shut off valve (the chrome ones for under the toilet) and some bendable 1/4" copper tubing somehow attached to the DP or the HCM to help clear chips and maybe even keep the bits/chisels cool.
Take off the fixed jaw's clamping pad on the x-y vise. Replace with a longer piece of steel that extends way past the right side of vise. Drill and tap holes 1" apart for a screw. That screw would act as a top to register your leg stock in.
Make some stops for the XYV itself. These could be pieces of metal with a mating dovetail shape milled in them, drilled and tapped with a set a screw. That woud give you infinite adjustablity. Or you could drill a series of 1/8" diameter holes on the XYV itself. Insert a short piece of 1/8" diameter rod in those holes where you want the bottom slide part of the vise to start and stop at.
Once you have one leg laid out for your mortises, you could go ahead and mill it, set your stops on the XYV, and mill the other 3 or three hundred legs and they would all be the same.
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