Hollow Chisel Mortisers....give me the skinny on them

[George Farra]

Hi everyone,

My next few projects are going to require a lot of mortise and tenon joints....mission style side tables, sitting area table, and sleigh style bed

I've tried using a router & jig to cut mortises in the past. I've also tried cutting them by hand, which surprisingly came out better that the router approach. But given the amount needed, handwork will take me forever!!

I'm also a power tool junkie...sooooo....onto hollow chisel mortisers :)

I'm considering the following machines:

1) Delta 14-651 seems like the benchmark 1/2hp machine. Recently increased in price to $320, so I'm thinking there maybe better options??

2) Woodriver, also a 1/2hp machine which looks like a Steel City clone. Has some nice features with the base extensions and work peice holddowns

3) Grizzly G0645, also 1/2hp includes cast iron base and riser block. Attractive price even after shipping

4) Shop Fox G9976, priced the same as the Grizzly G0645, but with a 3/4hp motor, increased capacity to 8" thick stock, but uses a wooden base...not sure if this is something I should be concerned with????

5) Powermatic PM701, 3/4hp cast iron base with work hold downs. More $$ than I was hoping to spend


So...give me your thoughts. In the 1/2hp machines, the Woodriver is the most economical right now with the Grizz G0645 following. But at the same price point of the G0645, I can have the Shop Fox with a bigger motor and cut capacity. So is the wooden base something to cause me concern??

Any user feedback on any of the above is appreciatted

TIA

George

[Ken Fitzgerald]

George..... I don't have any experience with the ones you listed so I won't comment on them.

I do have one and I will tell you what I have learned.

Sharpness is your best friend. I use a cone shaped sharpener and a cone shaped diamond hone to sharpen and hone the inside edges of the chisels. Then I flatten and hone the flat outside of the chisels. It makes a significant difference in how well my mortiser functions.

[Ralph Butts]

+1 on the sharpening. I have the Delta 14-651 but sad to say it is still in the sealed box under my table saw.

[Jerome Hanby]

+1 on the sharp chisels. Lee valley has a premium line of chisels that seem top notch and are pretty reasonable. Their sharpening cone is a fair price also. For what it's worth, I've got the Powermatic, I picked it up during their big sale last fall. I played with most of the ones you mentioned and it just seemed to be brawnier. I looked very closely at the ShopFox, in fact it was on my Amazon wish list for about 2 years, but some reports about quality and the higher speed (3600 I think) causing some burning pushed me towards the PM. I haven't used it for any projects yet, but it sure is fun to play with!

[Victor Robinson]

Rockler is having a sale on the Delta 14-651...I have the flyer at home (sale starts 8/27), but I think the price was something like $299 with a $25 or $35 gift card. I bought this mortiser about 3-4 months ago. It performed well, but I quickly broke one of the auger tips because I was trying to bang out a large number of mortises without taking the proper time to hone the chisels. After a proper honing of the OEM chisels, the mortiser performs well. I imagine even better with Lee Valley chisels, but I didn't want to plunk down the change for that right now. The work hold-down is a little finnicky - not sure if it's just mine but it seems to need constant re-tightening. The rack-and-pinion fence is quite nice.

[Jerome Hanby]

Yea, I bought the size I thought would see the most use from LV. I'll fill in sizes as need and funds dictate.

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi George, I've owned the General International bench top machine for over a decade and it's been great.

It's consistently rated as one of the best in tests.

It has a good hold down vise, good fence, it has cast iron dovetail ways with brass wear strips, and a long handle for leverage.

I would suggest checking it out as well................Regards, Rod.

[David Hostetler]

There's not a lot to a hollow chisel mortiser. Basically they are a funky dedicated drill press for making square holes. 1/2HP seems to me to be more than enough power. I have used mine for walnut, oak, cherry and maple so far. Sharp chisels and bits are critical to this. My Central Machinery mortiser has a wood table and no problems due to the table, just a badly designed fence / hold down on that one... If you are on a tight budget, even that one can be made to work well by building a drill press style table with T tracks for hold down clamps. So if you are willing to fix a big design flaw, a decent, and unique mortiser can be had cheap...

Since you mentioned the Powermatic is more bucks than you are willing to spend, of the models you list, I honestly like the Delta the best. Not that there is anything wrong with any of the other options, at least majorly... I like the Delta fence and accessory holders, combined with that nice machined cast iron table.... But there is a lot to be said about the Shop Fox with the 3/4 HP motor. I have never used a chisel larger than 1/2", but if you are hogging out huge mortises a lot, maybe you will want a machine with more grunt... Mind you, the fence on the Shop Fox is the most like my Central Machinery model... I don't see it as having the same problems, but there is a possibility of an issue...

Whatever machine you get, spend the quality time to set it up carefully, and you will end up with the precise mortises you are wanting with ease...

[Matt Kestenbaum]

Popular Woodworking just arrived with today's mail and they have a whole page write-up of the new General bench-top hollow chisel mortiser. Seems like they had very positive things to say. I have the Jet JBM-5...aside from sharp chisels and augers (don't forget to hone the spurs on the augers!) the biggest feature (I wish I had) is a really good fence/clamp/hold down system.

[Paul McGaha]

I have a Powermatic 719A. Had it a few years and really like it a lot.

I see the speed is 1725 RPM. That seems to be about right to me.

Good luck with it.

PHM

[Ben Hatcher]

I looked at those same models and had narrowed it down to the Shop Fox and the Delta. Not wanting to spend the money on any of them I watched craigslist and finally found a older Delta 14-610 for $75. After some clean up it works great. The sides of the mortises aren't super clean, but look pretty similar to what I've seen for various SMC project postings. I used the el-cheap-o Harbor Freight chisels, too. I did spend a few moments to flatten the faces and sharpen the drill.

Other than the sharpening advice, I'd say proper set up and cutting technique are very helpful. There are plenty of posts on here on those topics. Good luck. I just got mine the other day and I'm very excited about using it on my next project.

[Cary Falk]

I have the Steel City and am very happy with it. It's a beast. I also have the sharpening cones from Rockler.

[Randy Dutkiewicz]

Well...I'm the odd one here as I have the Wood River mortiser. I, too was about the pull the trigger on the Delta. As a matter of fact, I walked into Woodcraft with money in my pocket to drop on the Delta. Problem was, the employee told me they were all out of the Delta, given the recent buyout of Delta by some Chinese company and didn't know when they'd receive more (they were just sitting on a truck apparently). This was about 3 months ago. Anyhow, he introduced me to the Wood River. I really like the features it has, seemed quite a bit more "beefier" than the Delta, came with four chisels and the chisel holder on the back. All in all, it's a Steel City clone. I also had the exact same questions you did regarding the wooden table on the Jet and the overall cost for the PW (wish I could have afforded it, but it doesn't even come with chisels at that price either). I did a really good sharpening and honing of all the chisels and I must say, it has worked just fine for me in whatever I've cut into. I really like the large CI base on it and the extensions. It also has the swiveling knobs that allow the stock to move back in forth if necessary. I will say though, the instruction manual sucks. Although, you really don't need it much anyhow. Again, the KEY here (as all have said) is SCARY SHARP chisels! You can have a 4HP machine boring into teak, but if your chisels are anything less than scary sharp, then the results will be anything but acceptable IMO. Lastly, it weighs in at about 90 lbs. This thing is a TANK! When all is said and done, I was happy to go with the WR. Besides, Woodcraft even gave me a bit of a discount since they didn't have the Delta in stock. Make SURE you get the two sharpening cones as Ken said - you'll need them! I got mine from LV and work great!!! Good luck on whichever you decide.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Randy.....for the record.....Delta was bought by a Taiwanese company. The tooling equipment in Tennessee was moved to a new plant in Anderson County South Carolina.

Steel City while it is headquartered in Hayward, CA, it's products are manufactured in both Taiwan and mainland China..just like Delta's imports are.

[Randy Dutkiewicz]

Ken,

Appreciate the clarification. I was simply stating what the employee told me and the reasoning they stated for their shipping delays. Didn't really care where it was from as long as I could get my tool:)

Randy

[Paul Wunder]

+1 on the Wood River...$229.95 at Woodcraft. I bought it 2 years ago as a Steel City for $279 and it is worth it. The key as others have said are very sharp chisels.

[Myk Rian]

+1 on the sharpening. I have the Delta 14-651 but sad to say it is still in the sealed box under my table saw.
Open it.
Someone else had one for 5 years before opening it. The thing was broken, so he wanted a refund.

[Bill Rhodus]

I bought the Delta and have been very unhappy with it. The amateur user will not use the machine enough to determine how well it is made while the warranty is still valid and as problems crop up later it will not be Delta's problem. My machine has seen light use and has had a casting crack and the switch burn out. I paid for a new casting and replaced the micky mouse switch with an after market one that does not look as nice but will last. If I had it to do over, based upon my experience with the Delta bench top morticer, I would not purchase the Delta and I would be hesitant to purchase a competitor's model as it would have to be built similarily to the Delta to be competitive. I believe I would buy a heavier duty model or build a jig to utilize the drill press/chisel method.

[Paul McGaha]

I think Matt's last sentence carries a lot of weight. The fence/clamp/holdown system is a huge factor. When looking them over I would suggest you make this a priority.

The subject of which hollow chisel mortisers comes up pretty often here on the creek. Just reading what their owners think of them the General International and Powermatic seem to be really solid benchtop models, The Powermatic seems to be a well liked floor standing model.

PHM


Popular Woodworking just arrived with today's mail and they have a whole page write-up of the new General bench-top hollow chisel mortiser. Seems like they had very positive things to say. I have the Jet JBM-5...aside from sharp chisels and augers (don't forget to hone the spurs on the augers!) the biggest feature (I wish I had) is a really good fence/clamp/hold down system.

[Gordon Eyre]

I was in your position awhile ago and bought the Delta bench top mortiser. It is a good machine and cuts the mortises quickly and easily. Setup for each mortise is not as quick and easy as I would like but once setup is complete it works great.

[Jim Rimmer]

Check out the Wood Whisperer; he posted a video a few weeks a go where he goes through several brands.

[Rick Gooden]

I had a Delta benchtop for a short period of time and was completely unimpressed. I sold it, lost money, and recently purchased a General International with the tilting head. This is a machine I will keep for as long as I am able to work. Should have bought the better machine at the beginning. The only other machine I would consider is the Powermatic. I do realize both cost more than you want to spend, but worth serious consideration if you want a quality tool.

[dave toney]

I have a Powermatic 719A. Had it a few years and really like it a lot.

I see the speed is 1725 RPM. That seems to be about right to me.

Good luck with it.

PHM
I also have the Powermatic 719A, which is a floor model mortiser, and like it a lot.
The floor model has a table that indexes side side to side, and front to back, with adjustable stops and a good quick release clamp.
It may be more than you want to spend or need, but it is far more than a drill press that drills square holes!
Dave