Hollow Chisel Mortiser Table Ideas...

I have the Delta so I can’t say anything about the two you are looking at.

Unless you are going to be using it a lot, I would keep mine out of the way until I need it.
I would make some support blocks level with the table and keep them together.
That way when you needed it you could just pull it out, and use the support blocks to support
long pieces of wood, and then put it away after you’re done.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

My mortiser is a Jet and it has performed very well for me. I don’t use it constantly, but when it’s been called upon to a job, it’s worked very well. I can’t speak for the Steel City unit, or how it might compare to the Jet. I keep mine out of the way until I need to use it.

-- Tom, Michigan ~ Working with a renewable resource called wood

You might want to look at iannlb’s post on his Steel City jointer and drill press. This doesn’t speak very favorably about their product line. I have a Jet as well and keep it in its cabinet most of the time. I have mine mounted on a piece of 3/4” scrap hardwood that has been beveled at 45 degrees on both sides. When I need to use it I just slide it between two other strips with mating 45 bevels that are screwed to my bench top. The unit is locked down while I am using it and simply slides out when I am ready to store it until I need it again.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

I use the mortiser quite often. And right now it’s sitting on the front of the bench. I have another brand that I picked up. It’s called a Yorkcraft YC-10 It was sold by Wilke. They discontinued them and I got it for a great price. It works great. It has an X Y table so You don’t have to touch the wood to move down the mortise slot. If you can find one then buy it. It looks like Wilke went out of business.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

Hi Rob, I did a comparison of a number of machines when I bought mine actually this is my second one. The first one I sold back in 2001 when I moved along with a lot of other equipment I had but that is another story and not relevant to this discussion. The mortise machine I had then and replaced is the Shop Fox W1671. The reason I like it is the ¾ HP motor which I found is more then enough power even when using it at the 8 1/2 “ capacity. I also liked the fact that you can use the pivot feature to mortise vertically the ends of things like headboard rails, table legs and you are only limited to how high you mount the machine ( I can do a 5/8” or ¾” mortise at 42” vertically in any width board) You should also invest in a hone for your chisels I had to learn that the hard way by retooling with a few new chisels because I burned two of them out discovering they were not as sharp as they should have been from the factory plus I had the bit set to high in the chisel. The thing is I never had that problem the first time I owned one in 2001 and should have known better. The W1671 goes for around $249.00 plus shipping and the hone tool can be picked up at Woodcraft for around $60.00. I have used my and found no limitations or short comings what so ever. By the way Grizzly has one, I believe it’s the G9967 and is the same machine and Shop Fox is printed right on it. I am not a big Jet fan I had one of there contractor saws with a base and it was a piece of junk right out of the box and they would not replace it plus it came with no guard. That’s my two cents hope it helps.

About the mounting: Mounting it should be permanent because of the weight. You don’t want this puppy to topple over or crash to the floor. I have two boxes I clamp to the bench on either side of the base and this serves well as support for any length stock you work with.

-- Just another day in paradise.