When I started woodworking last year I was doing mortising with a cordless drill and a cheap set of chisels. Based on the advice of my fellow lumberjocks I eventually tried using a plunge router with a spiral upcut bit, still cleaning up the edges and corners with a chisel. Then, the other day I was browsing craigslist and saw an ad for a Jet Mortiser for $140. I quickly called and drove out to see it.
The mortiser was in pristine condition, only used once and came with three chisels. The guy that was selling it had decided he didn’t like a benchtop model and upgraded to a floor model.
-- Brian - Belmont, Massachusetts
10 comments so far
donnyTop5
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22 posts in 3330 days
#1 posted 04-18-2010 03:53 PM
We have that same mortiser. Ben having trouble with bad tearout in the back though, May need to sharpen the chisels….hmmm….
David Murray
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187 posts in 3140 days
#2 posted 04-18-2010 04:41 PM
I’ve been looking at Delta model 14-651 looks like about the same machine for about double the money. I’d say you got a pretty good deal.
-- Dave from "The Sawdust Shed"
RickWY
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2 posts in 2986 days
#3 posted 04-18-2010 05:20 PM
I just got a used woodtek. Bench mount. Came with bits. The tendon machine for the table saw came with it. It is great compared to my drill press and chisels. It, as with yours, was in new condition. I gave $250 for them.
-- If you dont like the weather in Wyoming just wait five minutes.
webwood
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626 posts in 3276 days
#4 posted 04-18-2010 08:35 PM
nice score
-- -erik & christy-
Beginningwoodworker
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13345 posts in 3699 days
#5 posted 04-18-2010 08:48 PM
Nice score.
woody57
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650 posts in 3453 days
#6 posted 04-18-2010 09:02 PM
you got a good deal
now make something
-- Emmett, from Georgia
Jimi_C
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507 posts in 3261 days
#7 posted 04-19-2010 02:09 AM
Nice. I’ve been happy doing mortises with my drill press/chisels, though I’d probably spring for a good set of mortising chisels over the power mortiser myself – but at that price it’d be a close call.
-- The difference between being defeated and admitting defeat is what makes all the difference in the world - Upton Sinclair, "The Jungle"
Jero
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79 posts in 3012 days
#8 posted 04-19-2010 04:50 PM
I did hand mortising on ONE project, which was enough for me. I ended up getting a Delta model, very similar, which works much better/quicker/more accurate then by hand. If I made furniture full time I’d be apt to upgrade to one with more features, but the one I have will get me by until that point.
-- Jeremy - Marshfield, WI
brianl
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108 posts in 3107 days
#9 posted 05-21-2010 06:31 AM
The first few times I used it I was actually unhappy with the results. It was very difficult to keep the lines of the mortise straight. I started worrying that I had made a bad purchase. However, after a few tries I finally got the hang of it. Now I can crank out a mortise in no time. It is amazing how quick it is compared to he router-chisel method.
-- Brian - Belmont, Massachusetts
a1Jim
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117119 posts in 3603 days
#10 posted 05-21-2010 06:35 AM
Enjoy
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