mortising machine vs leigh fmt

[paul cottingham]

I am considering one or the other of these for making a bunch of furniture. Any opinions are welcome.

Thanks,

Paul

[John Harden]

I own the Leigh and recently purchased a European combo J/P that has an optional mortising unit. I've also used a Multi-Router quite a bit.

The Leigh (cast aluminum version-vs-new one) is very solid and capable of amazingly good work.

It is not a commercial mortising unit like you'd find from Felder/SCMI, etc. It is also not in the same league as the Multi-Router which is just plain beefy.

That said, I prefer my Leigh. If I made doors, it would be a poor choice. If you're making M or T's on the end of long work pieces, you'd need to position the Leigh up so high, you'd need a ladder.

For everything else, it works incredibly well. Dust collection is good, versus non-existant on the others. Dust collection jumps from good to very good if you remove the narrow, cast aluminum shroud off the back and replace it with a semi-rigid 2.5" flex hose from Rockler. Instruction manual from Leigh is so thorough, it is like a bible. Fit and tolerances of the castings, machining and guides are excellent, and it simply works extremely well and is fast to set up and make cuts.

The Leigh enjoys prime position in my shop right next to the bench. Even after using them, I never once considered buying either a Multi-Router or mortising attachment for my J/P when I went through the buying process for my Euro combos.

Hope this helps.

Regards,

John

[Jim Kirkpatrick]

Another worthy tool to consider is the Domino. I found the domino when I was on the same boat as you. I was googling reviews for the FMT and stumbled across it. I went with the domino and it, along with other Festool tools have changed the way of life for me. It'll rock your world.
http://www.festoolusa.com/products/domino-joining-system/overview.html

[Mitchell Andrus]

I've got a hollow chisel mortiser and a domino. Each has it's uses and drawbacks. The Domino is fast and is quick to change settings, the hollow chisel makes square through-tenons a breeze.
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[Al Navas]

... considering one or the other...

Paul,

If you use the mortiser, you still must make the tenons, one way or another. I have used the FMT for many years, and is my go-to machine for M&T work. Only twice in quite a while have I had to use the bench-top mortising machine, and that was due to a shoulder injury that prevented me from lifting my left arm above shoulder level.

Whenever possible, I prefer integral tenons on furniture. You may want to read my blog, and search for "FMT" (without the quotes) to find several articles on how I use the FMT in the shop. I also have an article on how to get (and maintain) accuracy and precision with it, by using workholding techniques.

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[roman fedyk]

Has anyone used the Leigh M2 tenon mortising attachment on their dovetail jig? Granted it is not as sophisticated as the FMT but wonder if it would be useful for the occasional user....

[Al Navas]

I have never used the M2 for M&T work - but for finger joints, for example, it does not have the fit adjustment capability; It DOES excel at multiple M&T work, away from edges. For example (from the Leigh Gallery):

http://www.leighjigs.com/data/1054938671.jpg

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[Neal Clayton]

having used both..

the leigh jig excels in shallow flat shouldered mortise/tenon joints and angled joints such as those you find on chairs. it's smaller, after all, so therefore easier to set up, and very repeatable.

a proper square chisel mortiser coupled with shaper tenons excels for mortises within other types of joints, such as door mortises within a rail/stile profile. this the leigh jig can't easily do.

the square chisel mortiser also has a depth advantage over the leigh. you can easily mortise 3-4 inches deep with a mortiser. the leigh is limited by router bit depth. to get 3 inches of depth with a plunge router you have to use metal cutting bits not really designed for the task, and kinda hang on for dear life as the router struggles to cut that much material.

accuracy can be comparable on either. so it really comes down to what you plan to do with it, assuming we're talking about a mortiser with a front clamp and a sliding table. benchtop mortisers are notoriously lacking in accuracy without some sort of exterior clamping mechanism modified to work with the process.

[Rod Sheridan]

I have a General International bench top mortiser, and like it very much. In most tests, it's ranked best out of the bench top machines.

It makes accurate mortices, and as others have said, it has a depth advantage over milling cutter devices.

It also is quiet, has a great hold down and vise, and makes square holes, something you may want to have if you wish to make A&C furniture.

Regards, Rod.

[Philip Rodriquez]

I have the FMT and a General bench-top. Both get lots of use. However, the FMT is a lot easier to use... since it performs both operations.

[Neal Clayton]

and yea i guess it should be noted that the general benchtop is really more of a hybrid. most bench tops don't have any sort of integrated clamp (not counting plastic clamps and wheels like some have, because those don't really work and therefore aren't clamps). since the general does, it's not really what i would consider a benchtop, even though it doesn't stand on the floor ;).

[David DeCristoforo]

For the price of the FMT, you can get a really decent hollow chisel mortiser (not one of those cheap lightweight things, that are not worth a nickel) or a horizontal "slot" mortiser. Tenons are easily cut on the TS. If I were going to invest in the neighborhood of a thousand dollars (NIC all of the "accessory" templates and guides), I would want something more than an aluminum jig that would be just as easy to make out of wood in the shop. My vote goes for the mortiser.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I have used a router.

I don't have a FMT nor have I seen one.

BUT....since I just dropped the cash for the General Benchtop mortiser I will tell you that SWMBO will insist that is what I will be using for some time to come!

BTW....used it once for a current project and it worked well!


No snide remarks please....I'm only 1 foot taller and 100#s heavier. I don't stand a chance against her in a fair fight!:rolleyes:

[Robert LaPlaca]

Paul,

I own a FMT and I also have a horizontal slot mortiser for my Minimax J/P combo.. Let's just say, that since the slot mortiser has arrived, the FMT hasn't come off the shelf. I find that the horizontal mortiser is much faster, quieter and easier to setup than the FMT..

[Charles Frankenhoff]

How about comparing the Leigh super FMT to the Powermatic 719T? The Leigh seems almost as expensive, once you add in bits, guides etc. Granted the Leigh makes the tenons as well, but is that that much more useful than doing them on a table saw?

Also, I like arts and crafts, so though tenons matter. That's not decisive over ease of use - seems like squaring up the FMT slots etc wouldn't be the biggest deal ever.

Thanks for all opinions.

[Neal Clayton]

if you want square tenons i wouldn't consider the FMT, it's not designed to do them. you'd have to defeat the alignment process to leave the mortise short, and then cut the tenons after.

[John Michaels]

I just sold my mortising machine and bought a Dowelmax. I also plan buy a Leigh Super FMT or Festool Domino for making chairs and other various projects. I found myself spending too much time making M&T. After using the mortising machine I still had to take my Dremel and clean out the bottom of the mortise. Then over to the table saw for the tenon. I really like the Dowelmax and when I can afford it would also love to get the FMT and/or Domino.

[Al Navas]

if you want square tenons i wouldn't consider the FMT, it's not designed to do them. you'd have to defeat the alignment process to leave the mortise short, and then cut the tenons after.
Neal,

I used to think so, too. However, Leigh has introduced guides that allow machining square tenons:

http://www.leighjigs.com/images/fmt_specialjoints_left1.jpg

You will find additional information at their Special Joints (http://www.leighjigs.com/sfmt_specialjoints.php) page - for louver door guides, and y-axis mortises.

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[Josh Rudolph]

I vote for the Leigh FMT.

I have been using one for about the last year, it is my friends, when he takes it back to his shop, I will buy one for myself. I guess it now considered to be the Pro version. I have built a baby gate, helped a friend with a crib, face frames for a clock, end table, and a shop outfeed table.

I have done small and large and some double tenons. I have given it a pretty fair shakedown.

Once you get over the initial learning curve, it is a breeze to use. You simply mark the center of your mortise and tenon, grab the appropriate guide and bit and go to town. You can make a joint that will fit perfectly in a couple minutes.

If I were to go with the benchtop route, The General had great reviews when I was looking. The Powermatic was right behind it. But I think I would take the General version.

If your after the square through tenon look, then I think the benchtop would be your best option, otherwise I wouldn't hesitate on the FMT.

Good luck with your decision.

Josh

[Chris Rosenberger]

I have used a hollow chisel mortiser for years. Mostly use it for face frames. A couple of years ago I decided to make some chairs & bought an FMT. It is a very nice tool. I worked with it & was able to cut some nice joints.

Then I started planning out all of the joints on the chairs I was wanting to make. The amount of setup time that would have been required for all of the different joints on the chairs was overwhelming. All of the joints were compound angles & they were left & right versions.

I decided to try a Domino. It made the chairs a pleasure to build. There was very little setup time. I have also used it to make several face frames & many other projects.
I have no plans to sell my mortiser, but I did sell the FMT.

[Neal Clayton]

Neal,

I used to think so, too. However, Leigh has introduced guides that allow machining square tenons:

http://www.leighjigs.com/images/fmt_specialjoints_left1.jpg

You will find additional information at their Special Joints (http://www.leighjigs.com/sfmt_specialjoints.php) page - for louver door guides, and y-axis mortises.

.

i stand corrected ;). i didn't see such things available when i was using the leigh jig a couple years ago.

[paul cottingham]

Pulled the trigger on the FMT. Made a perfect M&T joint on my first try. Couldn't be happier. Thanks for all the input everyone.

Paul