Tool Gloat

[John Holder]

I just got the delta mortiser and am very pleased. I am building a toddler bed for my son and went back and forth on buying some good spirals and building a jig or just getting a bench top mortiser. I only cut a couple for practise before digging into the mohogany. Anybody used a benchtop and a plunge router and have a preference one way or the other?

[Frank Drew]

John,

I've never used a benchtop hollow chisel mortiser (I assume that's what you're asking about) but have used the floor models.

I used a plunge router with spiral end mills and a box jig for a few years and like the results; I subsequently got a horizontal slot mortiser (again, using spiral end mills) and liked it very much. For me, both these methods are faster, and give cleaner results, than hollow chisel mortisers, but your mileage may vary.

[Carroll Courtney]

John,where do you purchase your spiral end mills from?Are they better than using a straight router bit?Just wondering,thanks Carroll

[John Holder]

Do you have to square up by hand for through tennons with the horizontal slot mortiser.

[John Holder]

Rockler. They plunge better, but are harder to sharpen. More sizes in straight bits to.

[Mike Heidrick]

John,where do you purchase your spiral end mills from?Are they better than using a straight router bit?Just wondering,thanks Carroll

Sorry OP for OT.


Carroll, You did not ask me but I just got some Onsrud four flute end mills for a horizontal slot mortiser. I bought them from www.onsrud.com - Price runs about $20-$24 each depending on size. IL pays shipping and tax with them, they are in Libertyville, IL. They are the 24-300 series. They have been out of stock for a long time but when I asked at IWF they said they had them and could not figure out why I thought they were out of stock. Sure enough I ordered them on Tuesday (I am also from IL) and had them yesterday with ground shipping only. You may want to check them out. Thanks to Peter for the heads up on these.

[Carroll Courtney]

Thanks Mike,I'll check them out.Carroll

[Mike Heidrick]

The 24-300 series are not spiral.

24-500 should be the spiral ones. Really only saw the 24-520 though - 3/8th spiral upcut. That will be on the next order.

[Frank Drew]

Carroll,

I've mostly used two-flute up cut end mills from Eckstrom Carlson, both in the plunge router and slot mortiser; you used to be able to buy direct but I'm not sure that's still the case. I'd also use Onsrud without hesitation. Four-flute are nice, and give a clean cut, but I found two-flute a bit easier cutting and faster. YMMV.

I think the spiral end mills are generally smoother cutting than straight flute bits but I can't say I ever did a rigorous comparison; I tried both, like the spiral cutters, and stuck with them.

John,

I've found that rounding the corners of the tenons is easier than chopping the mortise square, with either through or blind mortises. Of course, if the look you're after demands square, rather than round, through mortise corners, then you'll have to chop them.

[John Holder]

Thanks Frank, The look I came up with is pretty well squared off everywhere. What do you use to round down the tenons?

[Frank Drew]

John,

A chisel and/or wood rasps or files will do the trick. If you do use a chisel, pay attention to the grain direction so that your cut doesn't run on you (slant in too sharply, taking too deep a cut.)

I first tried chopping the mortises square but quickly discovered that that takes WAY more time than rounding the tenon corners.

[Matt Ocel]

You could have had mine.

The chuck key fell apart, and the plastic handles for the fence stripped out.

I would have expected better quality from Delta.

P.S. If your looking for a Delta 14" band saw you can have that also.