First real Mortise Job

Obi:

I got this for my birthday last year. It does great Mortises and also tenons. However I usually use loose tenons. I modified my sliding table to allow for other than 90 deg tenons. I used it on the Baby Cradle/ Glider where I needed 8 deg or 82 deg for the style and rails

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

Gettin pretty fancy on us arn’t ya!

-- http://www.woodsongsfurniture.com

I’m just a po’ boy, making sticks. Can’t affode no fancy machine’ ry. Yet. Delta makes the Mortising Machine I want. And I’m satisfied making tenon’s the old fashioned way… on my table saw.

Oh, with a dado blade.

I just realized that I’ve made 10 tables in the last 4 or 5 months

-- http://ye-olde-cabinet-shoppe.com/

Ah yes the mortiser! It is quite a time-saving tool, with precision to boot. A rather new company, Steel City Toolworks makes a fine one. These guys are woodworkers, designing and building tools for woodworkers. Check them out at www.steelcitytoolworks.com

-- RusticBru of Utah, www.aspenlogik.com

Obi,
I like the simplicity of that mortising jig you’re using. I’m definitely going to give it a try. Thanks for the info!

Maybe some day you’ll have a birthday and get a present as fine as Karson! Or a present as fine as the one Karson received?

I suppose Karson would make a fine present, as long as he brought his Mortising Jig with him…

-- Ethan, http://www.merganserwoodworks.com, http://greystonegreen.blogspot.com/

Obi, that is great to hear someone has made that jig and used it. It sounds like it works well.

I see that Rockler has the Jet Mortising drill for about $275. Sell another table and you could get it.

-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com

I read an article where 5 or 6 morise machines were tested by Plans now and they ranked the Delta as the Editors Choice with the Jet coming in second. I can get the Delta for $250.00 from Amazon.com And get a 6% commission.

-- http://ye-olde-cabinet-shoppe.com/

Sounds like time to place that order….

-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com

Obi – looking forward to pictures! Thanks for the link and pland for the jig.

-- http://foldingrule.blogspot.com

Obi:

Take a look at the YC-10BM Yorkcraft at Wilkemachinery.com their table moves left to right so you don’t have to loosen the wood the go down the mortise. It was reviewed in American Woodworker 2006 in a Mortising Machine review. It was the only one with an X /Y table.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

Obi, thanks for the article. Very informative!

-- Jesus is Lord!

When you guys start showing these great machines, I turn green with envy. We can’t use them here because of the power. Ours is 220+.

-- CanuckDon "I just love small wooden boxes!" http://www.canterburybaptist.org/

Don, I’ve decided to use another item instead. It’s a mortiser that attaches to your Drill Press, made by Delta. Check it out here

-- http://ye-olde-cabinet-shoppe.com/

Obi, I am familiar with this kind of mortising machine. I have a few friends that have purchased them an are very unhappy with their performance.

As a matter of fact, even the entry level dedicated machines don’t perform very well. Another friend purchased one of these and was very unhappy with it – just didn’t have the grunt to get through the wood.

I’ve often been told that unless you get into this level, use your router.

And remember, the machine is just the beginning, you will need to purchase chisels for each size mortise, and keep the chisels very sharp.

-- CanuckDon "I just love small wooden boxes!" http://www.canterburybaptist.org/

Obi:
Don:

Sorry to burst Don’s bubble but the problem is not with the Mortise machine but with the way it is being used. The current Woodworking-magazine has a review of Mortise Chisels from the $9.00 ones to the $88.00 english tool. Their reviews (no advertising in their magazine) states that the sharpening of the hollow chisel and the clearance (gap) between the chisel and the auger is the real problem.

AmericanWoodworker #125 November 2006 has reviews of Mortise Machines. All of them being the desktop ones.

My Sear’s hollow chisels state on the package to put a 1/16” gap between the augar and the chisel. Can you imagine trying to shove all of the wood chips in that small gap. I can because I’ve about burned up and turned black some chisels with the heat, and almost had to tie a 100lb bag of sand on the handle to be able to pull it down.

Set the gap bigger than anyone says and it cuts a lot easier. Their review says if you sharpen the auger it makes no difference on the ease of the handle pull, but 15 minutes sharpening the chisel made a big difference.

I bought and they referred to in the article the one by Rockler I had already made my own adjustments to my drilling and the sharpening before I bought this magazine. But, it’s nice to know that I’ve already made the changes that they recommend.

The set the gap between the chisel and the auger one magazine says to put a nickle between the shoulder of the chisel and the mortise machine and then tighten the drill auger holding it up close to the chisel then remove the nickle and move the chisel up to its final place. The resulting gap is a starting place. You might want it a little bigger, almost an 1/8” or more.

The smoke that I used to get when drilling is now gone and it’s easier to pull the handle. Mark and I talked about a week ago about mortise drilling and he said that he had to wait 15 minutes between mortise’s to let the chisel cool down. He was going to try the changes that I’ve done, but, I’ve not talked to him lately to see if has tried it yet.

If you haven’t bought the drill press version give me a call, because I’ve got one you can have. I bought the dedicated machine because the drill one didn’t work. (Now I know it was the setup not the tool)

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

Thanks, Karson. Your explanation sure makes sense. I look forward to Mark’s response.

-- CanuckDon "I just love small wooden boxes!" http://www.canterburybaptist.org/

That was a great write up Karson!

Obi, let us know how your mortise/drill press works.

-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com

Hey folks, I started writing out my response, and it started to get long. So I can get “credit ” for another Blog entry, I will post my response in my blog.

Karson is hot on my trail, and if I don’t get going, he will pass me soon.

-- Mark DeCou - Kansas Flint Hill's Artisan

Thanks for the info, Karson. It will come in handy when I get a mortiser.

-- Jesus is Lord!

Just a few pictures of the jig at work. In the process and finished

-- http://ye-olde-cabinet-shoppe.com/

You don’t work with you hat on?

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

No, I’m trying to get sawdust in my hair… I hear it’s a lumberjock trait.

Besides, I’m wearing safety glasses, what else do you want?

Go ahead… I’m waiting, Karson

-- http://ye-olde-cabinet-shoppe.com/

I’m going to side-step the issue by playing dumb. And move on to other items. I just want to notify you that we are going to have a new Spring Woodworking Challenge.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

Does that mean we arent doing the table? I was still deciding what to do, and a dresser is too much work. Besides the legs I was just doing is a coffee table with 6 drawers (three on each side) Octagon Hickory legs, Walnut raised panel ends and raised panel drawers. $1,200.00

-- http://ye-olde-cabinet-shoppe.com/

No we are doing the table that is the challenge. I’m in communication with Martin and Popular Woodworking. on setting this thing up.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

The Lumberjock/Popular Woodworking Table Challenge?

-- http://ye-olde-cabinet-shoppe.com/

Yup.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

I’ve got the pdf’s of the article from PW, so even if someone doesn’t have a subscription they can participate.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

Here it is

You guys are gonna lose, go back to bed.

-- http://ye-olde-cabinet-shoppe.com/

We’re all going to be winners Obi

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com