Mortiser

[Todd Hoppe]

I'm thinking of buying a dedicated mortiser for a project involving lots of M&T joints (mission style bedroom furniture).

I'm considering either the Steel City, or the Grizzly:

http://www.grizzly.com/products/1-2-HP-Bench-Top-Mortising-Machine/G0645

Both are about the same price after accounting for shipping.

Another possibility would be to just use a jig for my plunge router, but with LOTS of joints, I wonder whether the dedicated machine would be better.

Any suggestions?

[Chris Kennedy]

If for some reason you don't want to go to Marquette, Woodcraft has the Steel City on sale right now. I have it and think it is great.

Cheers,

Chris

[Gary Herrmann]

Check and see if anyone is still having that great sale on the Jet floor model. JFM5 is the model, I think. This is the rebadged PM 719.

[pat warner]

There are trades offs, no matter what what method is chosen.
Notwithstanding, routing (http://patwarner.com/router_morticing.html)can be fast & precise.

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi Todd, I don't think that either the Grizzly or Steel City machine have a vise, or a tilting head.

I've owned the non tilting head General International mortiser for about 8 years, and have made many pieces of Arts and Crafts furniture with it. It is solid, accurate, fast and quiet. It has a good vise, a good hold down, and the dovetail ways have adjustable brass wear strips for years of use and accuracy.

It also makes square holes, which can be handy if you want to insert square pegs for pinned joints.

Not being a router owner (I hate the noise and dust), the hollow chisel mortiser is the correct choice for me, although I have to admit that I've considered a slot mortiser for my Hammer A3-31 a couple of times.

Regards, Rod.

[Mod edit - a referred-to offer was removed.]

[Irwin Fletcher]

I have the Steel City and like it. I would vote for it over the Grizzly. The slide-out supports and roller guides on the SC are a nice feature, as is the 5 year warranty. The Grizzly only has a 1 year warranty.

[Bob Genovesi]

I have an oder Delta bench-top unit that's always served me well. I think I've had it for about 6 or 7 years now and not one issue with it.

[Mikail Khan]

I currently use a router but plan to eventually get a dedicated mortiser.

Amazon has the Shop Fox 3/4 HP for $230 with free 2 day shipping with Amazon Prime.

MK

[David Winer]

I'm thinking of buying a dedicated mortiser for a project involving lots of M&T joints (mission style bedroom furniture).

I'm considering either the Steel City, or the Grizzly:

http://www.grizzly.com/products/1-2-HP-Bench-Top-Mortising-Machine/G0645

Both are about the same price after accounting for shipping.

Another possibility would be to just use a jig for my plunge router, but with LOTS of joints, I wonder whether the dedicated machine would be better.

Any suggestions?
I'm curious. I don't have a mortiser or a suggestion, but I wonder why a special mortiser OR a router is preferable to a woodworking drill press with mortising attachment. The drill press table can be tilted for angle mortises but the mortisers such as the Grizzly do only 90 degrees. I am probably missing something here!

[Cole Dunlay]

To answer David Winer's question, a drill press attachment is OK if you're going to do a few mortises occasionally, but if your'e going to make a lot of moritses a mortiser is much better. The drill press doesn't offer the leverage that a mortiser has, the column that the chuck is attached to can flex a little under the extreme force of mortising, and the attachment can take a long time to install and remove - often half an hour or more and you can't use it as a drill press with the mortising attachment installed.

Cole

[David Winer]

To answer David Winer's question, a drill press attachment is OK if you're going to do a few mortises occasionally, but if your'e going to make a lot of moritses a mortiser is much better. The drill press doesn't offer the leverage that a mortiser has, the column that the chuck is attached to can flex a little under the extreme force of mortising, and the attachment can take a long time to install and remove - often half an hour or more and you can't use it as a drill press with the mortising attachment installed.

Cole
Thanks, Cole, for the explanation. I knew there had to be a reason. Actually, I tried the mortising attachment many years ago and didn't like it much, then took it off the DP and never used it again. I assumed that my dissatisfaction was due to the el cheapo quality of the equipment I was using. However, I wonder if a heavy duty drill press, good steel chisels, and a good woodworking DP table might not make a significant difference.

[John Thompson]

Thanks, Cole, for the explanation. I knew there had to be a reason. Actually, I tried the mortising attachment many years ago and didn't like it much, then took it off the DP and never used it again. I assumed that my dissatisfaction was due to the el cheapo quality of the equipment I was using. However, I wonder if a heavy duty drill press, good steel chisels, and a good woodworking DP table might not make a significant difference.

The gearing in a DP (even a HD) is really for drilling which is done with a tiny tip that does most of the work. The hole is more or less finessed. You use little pressure when drilling wood and metal. Those gears are just not made to plunge a chisel into hard-wood. I won't tell you they can't but... I will tell you that a normal life-times use of a DP as a DP will be shortened to an early death if you do enough mortises in hard-wood.

So.. you are not alone by taking it off and never using it again as many have discovered that as you did. Not the brand.. just not the right tool to do that job on long hauls...

Regards...

Sarge..

[David Winer]

So.. you are not alone by taking it off and never using it again as many have discovered that as you did. Not the brand.. just not the right tool to do that job on long hauls...

Regards...

Sarge..
Makes sense. Thanks.

[Neal Clayton]

I'm curious. I don't have a mortiser or a suggestion, but I wonder why a special mortiser OR a router is preferable to a woodworking drill press with mortising attachment. The drill press table can be tilted for angle mortises but the mortisers such as the Grizzly do only 90 degrees. I am probably missing something here!


in addition to the other replies, from my experience, unless you like spending alot of time with a hand chisel and a rasp, you need a strong clamp, which a mortiser with a front clamp has, and a drill press attachment doesn't.

even very rugged mortisers tend to want to flex, causing inaccuracy. on small benchtop mortisers and drill press attachments even moreso.

[David Winer]

in addition to the other replies, from my experience, unless you like spending alot of time with a hand chisel and a rasp, you need a strong clamp, which a mortiser with a front clamp has, and a drill press attachment doesn't.

even very rugged mortisers tend to want to flex, causing inaccuracy. on small benchtop mortisers and drill press attachments even moreso.
I now have the picture. Real mortiser is the way to go. Thanks to all for the replies.

-- Dave