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Steel City ... Hollow Chisel Mortiser ... happy buyer

Review by DAN posted 112 days ago 644 views 0 times favorited 9 comments Add to Favorites
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DAN

3505 posts in 523 days


Steel City ... Hollow Chisel Mortiser ... happy buyer No-picture-s No-picture-s Click the pictures to enlarge them

Bought the Steel City Mortiser today on the way home from work. link to tool store Mueller

Assembly, no problems … intuitive design

Came with 4 bits and chisels. Black and white, printed boxes exactlly the same as came with my old Delta.

Pros:
Fence looks real good. Nice design. Fine adjustment knob is a plus. Worked good.
Big table base , easy to fasten to work bench. Very stable.
Pull out, cast iron table extensions go to about 36 inches. Solid fit.
I thought the $289 price was a good deal.
Rubber rollers hold the stock next to the fence very well.

Cons:
Tool tray only 4 places
Will need to buy the Height Attachment. It Raises the height of the mortising head 2 3/8” to accommodate larger work pieces.
Heavy for a 54 year old man, good thing I have a back support belt

Recommend this one.

link to Steel City data sheet for this tool

-- ..... art for lifes sake ... danwalters@lumberjocks.com


9 comments so far

View Karson's profile

Karson

14323 posts in 940 days


posted 112 days ago

Looks great Dan. Good luck. I find that the tools do a great job if you set them up right.

Lee Jesberger mentioned to me the other day that the back fence was not 90 Deg with the table and the holes were cut crooked into the wood. He blamed Bruce his employee until he checked out the fence. He had to use emory paper and grind off some extra metal to get it to 90 deg.

Mine flexes when I clamp a piece of wood up to the fence and I was getting the same condition that Lee had. My rear fence was a seperate piece from the base. I put some coke can shims under the rear of the fence to make it about 87 deg and when I tighten the wood it bends it to 90 deg, I’m looking for some solid steel block that is 90 deg to replace the fence.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

View Lee A. Jesberger's profile

Lee A. Jesberger

2898 posts in 519 days


posted 112 days ago

Hi Dan,

A great brand, I’m glad you like it.

Th unit Karson , mentioned is a Powermatic. Great machine, a bit expensive. But I was disappointed in the fact the cast iron fence was machined out of square.

Once that once fixed,the machine is great.

Good luck with your unit.

Lee

-- by Lee A. Jesberger http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com http://www.ezee-feed.com

View DAN's profile

DAN

3505 posts in 523 days


posted 112 days ago

The Peggster and I checked the fence with a 3 inch machinest square. No daylight.

Fence appears to have a couple 1/2” dia delrun or uhmw buttons. Some manufacturing engineer thought up a clever method to make a square fence.

Nice finish on the table top too. Blanchard ground. No visable defects. Looks like a nice casting.

-- ..... art for lifes sake ... danwalters@lumberjocks.com

View Douglas Bordner's profile

Douglas Bordner

2741 posts in 604 days


posted 112 days ago

Glad your happy with it, Dan. I’m sure you give a mortiser a run for it’s money with the style of your work.

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

View motthunter's profile

motthunter

1234 posts in 339 days


posted 111 days ago

cool. I know others that say that this is the best one out there for the money

-- making sawdust....

View DAN's profile

DAN

3505 posts in 523 days


posted 111 days ago

Thanks guys !

Compared to my ole Delta’s, this one is a big, solid upgrade.

-- ..... art for lifes sake ... danwalters@lumberjocks.com

View bayouman's profile

bayouman

62 posts in 205 days


posted 108 days ago

Dan, I just recently ( about two months ago) purchased the same Steel City model. My first project went extremely well. I really like the whole set up.

View DAN's profile

DAN

3505 posts in 523 days


posted 107 days ago

photo of my first project on the mortiser

Photobucket

-- ..... art for lifes sake ... danwalters@lumberjocks.com

View brianinpa's profile

brianinpa

941 posts in 263 days


posted 107 days ago

Dan, you aren’t messing around. I have been looking at these for quite some time. Right now I can’t get past the price tag. One son is starting college and the other already talking about it. Until they are out of school, it is mallet and chisle for me.

-- Brian, Lebanon PA, If you aren’t having fun doing it, find something else to do.

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