Replies

1. 
   eddiefromAustralia | Mar 17, 2007 11:27pm | #1

   Hi Amishness,

   There won't be too much on here as they're not a common machine in the US amateur market.

   Here's a google search that brings up relevant hits

   http://www.google.com.au/search?num=100&hl=en&q=horizontal+slot+mortiser+manual

   Basically, you plunge drill out as much of the waste as possible (probably about 90%) and then move the thing side to side to square up the walls of the mortice, removing the last 10% of the waste

   CMT make a set of mortising bits, but others have used end mill bits successfully. Apparently the spiral ones give a cleaner finish, but the straight bits I use work well enough so I haven't been tempted to replace them.

   CHeers,

   eddie

   edit: new link above and to say that you also have the option of locking the sideways movement, so you also have a horizontal borer/drill, which makes dowelling easy.

   
   

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   Edited 3/17/2007 4:41 pm by eddiefromAustralia

2. 
   JeffHeath | Mar 17, 2007 11:38pm | #2

   To give a bit of an analogy, it's a bit like a plunge router on it's side.  Industrial grade slot mortisers are the cats meow if you do alot of mortising, like chair building, etc...  I don't own one, but I sure wish I did.  I have had the opportunity to use one a few times, and it's far better and faster than any router.

   Jeff

1. 
   amishness | Mar 17, 2007 11:46pm | #3

   yeah, i was looking at the minimax smart jointer/planer combo and saw that you can also hook up a slot mortising table to it. it looks pretty good for the price. getting those machines seperate would be way over the 5000ish theyre asking for.

1. 
   eddiefromAustralia | Mar 17, 2007 11:58pm | #5

   Hi Amishness,I've got one hanging off the side of a Minimax Jointer/Planer combo.Only problem is that the thing's LH rotation, so you can't use a standard drill, a set of LH drill bits was expensive in the common imperial/metric sizes to set it up as a borerCheers,eddie

1. 
   amishness | Mar 18, 2007 12:08am | #6

   you mean you cant stick in a regular drill bit to lets say, drill out for dowels?

1. 
   eddiefromAustralia | Mar 18, 2007 12:17am | #7

   Hi Amish,THat's right, think through rotation on the one you're looking to purchase in case I'm wrong, however.Which way does the jointer cutter head rotate, and therefore, will a regular twist drill bit be running in reverse or the correct direction?Smaller sized twist drill bits in LH cost about USD8- over here, but tools are usually a lot cheaper in the US.CHeers,eddie

2. 
   amishness | Mar 18, 2007 12:38am | #8

   Damn youre right haha. do reverse threaded bits even exist?

3. 
   eddiefromAustralia | Mar 18, 2007 12:55am | #9

   Yes, they do, Amish, but you won't find them in a hardware store.Try an Industrial tool specialist, or one that sells predominantly to tradesmen. THey'll have a good supplier, or can look in their catalogues to see what their suppliers do manufacture. The ones I bought were US made, but I can't remember the name (maybe Bracht or something similar) and they're locked up at the moment.Cheers,eddieedit: the name you're looking for is a "Left hand rotation drill bit"

   Edited 3/17/2007 5:56 pm by eddiefromAustralia

2. 
   Rich14 | Mar 18, 2007 02:30am | #10

   amishness, I'm waiting for my Hammer Combo machine to arrive. While I had the opportunity to "test drive" the sliding table saw, shaper and jointer/planer components, I didn't pay a lot of attention to the horizontal slot mortiser which I plan to use a lot. Hammer offers right hand and left hand drill bits including brad point, standard and Forstner as well as RH and LH mortising bits. The Hammer machines also can reverse their motors, so I assume standard RH bits of all kinds (including end mills) could be used on the slot mortiser. I don't know if the MiniMax machines have reversible motors. Rich

3. 
   IronDog | Mar 17, 2007 11:56pm | #4

   Hi,

   I have one made by Rojek.
   http://www.rojekusa.com/PHP/slot_mortisers.php

   It is a nicely made machine, made in the Czech. Republic.
   It makes mortises quickly, accurately and quietly.
   Quietly because it is not a router motor that turns at high speed with the accompanying whineing sound and all the dust.
   This produces small chips more than dust.

   The mortise slot is rounded on the ends. I don't bother squaring
   them off. I just use loose tenons that I have machined to fit the mortises.A loose rounded tenon is slightly less strong than a traditional square tenon. Not enough to notice especially if you are using a high quality glue like polyurethane.

   I did try the bits offered by Techmark who imports the Rojek line.
   The bits were a split point design and worked really poorly.
   So avoid them if they are still selling them.
   I use a spiral upcut bit.

   Hope this helps!

   Tom

   You Don't Know.

   You Don't Want to Know.

   You Aren't Going to Know.

4. 
   Jfrostjr | Mar 18, 2007 03:33pm | #11

   After the recent review in FWW on combo J/Ps I fell in love with the idea of a 12" jointer with a 59" bed. I called and received CDs from Rojek (Laguna), Hammer and MiniMax. After looking at three sessions of slot mortisers I fell in love with the idea (I'm a soft touch!) and ordered one to go with my MM FS30.

   Why not call and get one of the CDs and watch what they can do?

   Frosty

5. 
   Napie | Mar 18, 2007 04:38pm | #12

   I had one on an older Robland planer/jointer/mortiser.  I miss it all the time and am looking to replace the separate machines I bought after I sold the combo.  Once you use one you’ll wonder how you ever got along without it.