Mortiser??

[toolcrazy]

I may just have my wife convinced that I need a mortiser. She wants a shaker table to replace the cheap one we are using now. Lucky for me, the shaker style use breadboard ends and they require deep mortises. I have told her that I can do it on my drill press, but it's much more work and not as accurate. The last time I researched these machines, Shop Fox was top rated. Anyone use one of these regularly? And anyone have any suggestions for brands other than the Shop Fox. TIA

 

[dbriski]

Sorry to burst your bubble, but if its for the bread board ends a router will do the job cleaner and faster than the mortiser. If its for making a lot of mortises of varring sizes then the mortiser will probably be good for you.

 

[kent4Him]

Even if I could convince my wife that I needed one, all she would say is that I better sell more pens to pay for it. I love her anyway.

 

[toolcrazy]

Originally posted by dbriski
<br />Sorry to burst your bubble, but if its for the bread board ends a router will do the job cleaner and faster than the mortiser. If its for making a lot of mortises of varring sizes then the mortiser will probably be good for you.

Well shoot. I'll have to look at the depth, these are fairly large breadboards. But, if that is the way to go, then I will do that. No bubble burst. I'm more willing to learn the correct way of doing things than get a new tool.

 

[toolcrazy]

I would still like opinions on mortisers, I may just take advantage of getting one. Thx

 

[DKF]

I have the Delta and I use it every time I need a mortise, and it is well worth it. I have used drills and chisels, and though they works fine, the mortiser is much better in the long run, especially if you have several of the same size to do. I have made furniture with most all joints being dovetail and mortise & tenon. I have never regretted buying the mortiser, even though it is not a machine that is used often.

 

[IPD_Mrs]

Steve,
I have a Delta and before that I used the Delta drill attachment. I make reproduction step stools and the legs rungs and steps are all teneon and mortise. I have not used the silly thing for maybe 4 years as I use the router station and a 3/8" straight bit for my mortises. It is ok if you are doing a handfull of mortises but in a production enviroment it is a real pain in the rear. It makes a great dust collector now.[V]

If you really want one make me an offer. Comes with all four chisels and bits.

 

[Ron in Drums PA]

I have a Jet, it's about 10 years old. Back then it had the slowest RPMs which meant less burning, at least that was the idea. I use it for about 3 projects a years. Still works and I'm happy with it.

The one thing you can't do with a router or a drill is to cut square holes, at least without a chisel.

Mortising chisels are important, back then the ones that came with the tool where junk, I doubt if they are any better made today. I picked up a better set and they worked way better than the original ones. I wish I could remember the brand.

You will also need to learn how to sharpen the chisels, they don't come sharp. But after learning how to sharpen turning tools, it should be a breeze.