New Benchtop Mortiser question

[Al Bacon]

HI guys

I am waiting to receive my new Powermatic benchtop mortiser. I am thinking about mounting it to a 24" X 24" cabinet on wheels but wonder if it will be stable enough. Have any of the members tried this or do you recommend mounting only to a fixed benchtop?

Thanks

Al

[Mike Cutler]

Depends on the work you intend to do. If you don't really see a need to mortise 8' long 8/4 boards then the cart will work well. Archimedies principle and all that.;)
If you know that you will be working on largish material. The cart will need to be pretty heavy, or the benchtop used for stability. The carrt will also need some type of extension wings to support, and level, the end of the boards while the other end is being mortised.
Congrat's on the mortiser. It's a nice one.

[Richard Shaefer]

I built a little rolling cabinet for my benchtop mortiser and I don't think that it's even as big as 24"x24". Maybe 16"x28". the front to back dimension is more important than the side to side dimension, since that's where all the force get's directed as you bear down on the feed handle. Mine also has stock supports on drawer slides for longer stock support that I can pull out to extend the useful width of the mortiser bed. For anything longer, I grab one or more of the outfeed rollers I keep by the table saw.

[Al Bacon]

I built a little rolling cabinet for my benchtop mortiser and I don't think that it's even as big as 24"x24". Maybe 16"x28". the front to back dimension is more important than the side to side dimension, since that's where all the force get's directed as you bear down on the feed handle. Mine also has stock supports on drawer slides for longer stock support that I can pull out to extend the useful width of the mortiser bed. For anything longer, I grab one or more of the outfeed rollers I keep by the table saw.

Do you have any pictures of that little critter?

[Richard Shaefer]

I'll take some pics of it tonight.

[Van Huskey]

If you are concerned you could put a bag of play sand in the bottom of the cabinet and put a shelf directly over it.

[Shawn Pixley]

Mine is on a cart and I mortise large stock. Support the end of the long stock with roller stand etc. My cart is 18" by 30". The mortiser shares with the planer. Probably more hazardous when moving than using.

[paul cottingham]

mine is on a spindly table made up of 2x4's. it is around 16x20 on top, it isn't pretty, but it works well.

[Richard Shaefer]

Here's the critter with the stock support wings in and out.
I kinda threw it together quick.
One of these days, I'll have to build a front door for it so that it matches the rest of the shop built cabinetry.
The wings handle about 90% of the workpieces that I handle. the rest are supported by supplementary feed stands or one of the rolling cabinets.
Just a general tip, but one of the best things I did in my shop was to make everything rolling and everything the same height so any surface from the table saw to the mortiser stand can be used as additional stock support.



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[Ken Fitzgerald]

Al,

I don't know what your experience is with a mortiser. Prior to my current project (Norm's Porch Swing) I had made about a dozen mortises. The swing has at least 50 mortise and tenon joints. One of the lessons I have learned is sharp, sharp, sharp. I use this first http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2001840/616/Mortise-Chisel-Sharpening-KIt.aspx followed by this: http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=11153&site=ROCKLER&filter=hollow%20chisel%20mortiser.

I have a little over 2 hours in those 50 mortises. I am pleased. I am working with white oak. I did stop and resharpen using just the diamond hones about midway through the process.