Benchtop Mortiser

[Warren Wilson]

I have chopped a lot of mortises after drilling them, and I have made lots with a router and jig, so I have long been curious about benchtop mortisers.

I played a bit with a mortising attachment on my drill press and was underwhelmed by the results: difficult to register cleanly to mortise from both sides for a through mortise, some real deflection problems that might have been remedied by lots of practice to name two.

So when I saw the one below at Lee Valley, I found myself wondering if the dedicated benchtop mortiser was a tool that offered nice precision for various types of mortises.

Here's the link that got my attention: http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=76485&cat=51&ap=1

[Matt Day]

I just sold mine because of lack of use. I do them by hand if I have too, but prefer my Domino. I advise you to save your pennies for a domino.

[Ron Citerone]

I love my Jet bench top mortiser. 3 things:

1) I bought it on Craig's list for a lot less and I think they are out there used because people don't use them. i.e. I wouldn't buy new.

2) There is a learning curve on sharpening the chisels for them.......makes all the difference.

3) used mine yesterday and was thinking I am glad I have it.


Just looked on local CL and saw a jet for $125. consider used IMHO, if yo don't like it sell it again.

[Kevin Jenness]

I have a Delta benchtop mortiser for true mortise and tenon work, which for me is rare and associated with sash work and situations where an inserted tenon is impractical. I have a slot mortiser and have used a Domino and find them faster and easier where applicable. That said, many a long-lasting piece of furniture has been made in production shops with hollow chisel mortisers and the benchtop versions if made to a reasonable standard and setup with good tooling are sufficiently precise and far faster than drilling and chopping. A router will give a cleaner sidewall, but if you want a square ended mortise with a small investment...

[Andrew Seemann]

I've got the older Delta bench top mortiser. I do like it, and it is typically my first choice for making mortises. I have it permanently mounted to movable stand with my scroll saw, so it is convenient to use as well.

The newer versions look like they fixed some less than ideal things in the one I have. I haven't used a Domino before, but it seems like you would have more options on a actual mortiser for size, width, length, etc. As Ron says above, it does take a while to get the hang of sharpening the chisels, as well as using the machine in general.

The moving table on the Rikon looks kind of neat. Not sure it is necessary, but not a bad idea.

[Mike Cutler]

I have a Delta 14-651 bench top mortiser. It works just fine. It has been modified to incorporate an x-y sliding vise and table, like the one you linked too.
It's a little bit slow and time consuming, but it does a nice job.
The bit about the chisels is true.You will need to learn to sharpen and hone the chisels and drill bits for optimum performance.

Andrew
If you ever put a sliding x-y vise on your machine, you'll be amazed at how much easier it is. It takes a little bit of alignment at first, but only the one time.

[Jeff Bartley]

I use an older Fisch benchtop mortiser and it works great. I do a lot of restoration work so for me a domino is impractical. Even when building furniture I really like a through tenon so that also leaves the domino out.

On a recent interior door build I had to resort to the drill press/chisel mode and it wasn't that slow but had I been able to use the mortiser it would have eliminated the chisel work.

I do plan to give up the benchtop mortiser though, but only after I set up the giant Oliver 91 that's in the queue for restoration!

I saw that one at Lee Valley as well, the x-y table would be a nice addition to one of these machines. The x-y table, sturdiness, and the expanded usable height are the things I look for to with the Oliver.

I'll second the suggestion to find a benchtop machine used and give it a try. With careful set up I routinely cut 5" deep through mortises that fit well.

[Warren Wilson]

Thanks for the insights -- in fact it is a set of tables with through tenons that has had me thinking of the tool. I'll start checking out the used market.

[Robert Pugmire]

ditto on the go used if you can and look for a sliding table... Also make sure they have both collets for the chisels cause they can be a pain to locate if its an older model...

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I have a General International mortiser and it works well. I learned through experience that the chisel and bits must be "sharp, sharp, sharp"! I have a "sharpener" that will cut a new edge on the inner edge of the chisel and a coned shaped diamond hone that hones/refines that sharpened edge. Then I flatten the outer edges of the chisel similar to the method Neanders use to flatten the back of a standard bench chisel. Most often just honing the inner edges of the chisel and a light "flattening" will make a great difference ONCE the chisel has been initially sharpened. I use a jeweler's file to sharpen the flat/straight cutting edge on the bits.

Setup is also very important to performance of a mortiser. The bit must be sticking ever so slightly below the leading edge of the chisel so one is drilling out the majority of the material before the chisel squares up the corners.

[Wayne Cannon]

I've had the Jet & Delta benchtop mortisers and have been very happy with then both. Watch out, however, for "single point of attachment" fences (for easy adjustability) with play that allows adjacent cuts to be slightly out of parallel with one another.

[Stan Calow]

I too have a fairly new Delta, but I find that I still have to spend a lot of time cleaning up the mortise, with hand chisels and sometimes a router. My mortiser has a lot of play in it, so that sometimes the bit/chisel does not make a straight up and down cut. It's not as quick as I thought it would be, and the time to carefully set up and clamp for each cut is frustrating. Nevertheless, I still use it.

[glenn bradley]

As others have said, chisel quality and condition really makes or breaks this tool. A domino doesn't do everything (blasphemy) and my Mortise Pal still gets plenty of use for M&T work that is not so RTA in nature. As your target is a table with through-tenons I would favor a router and template for easy consistency. You could also consider false through tenons. Just my .02.

[David Utterback]

A limitation of the Delta benchtop that I recently discovered when building 2 entry doors is that the maximum capacity is a little under 5" which was too small for the door stiles.

[Marshall Harrison]

Also make sure you learn how much the drill bit needs to lead the chisel. Once common mistake is not using the correct amount of lead which puts more of the cutting process onto the chisel making things harder.

[Frederick Skelly]

I went through a great deal of research before I bought my mortiser a couple years back. The Rikon had nice features and I already own a couple of their tools. After many posts here, reading various magazine reviews and driving to local (sorta) places that have Rikon, JET and PM, I bought the PM701 and PM chisels. The PM seemed the most solid and consistent machine. I think I paid $620 including shipping. I LOVE that tool. I wish I had more PM equipment. YMMV.

Aside: I have not found the lack of the x-y table like the Rikon has, to be any disadvantage. If I ever do, there are several videos showing how to easily make one from an HF x-y drill press style vise.

Good luck Warren!
Fred

[Mike Cutler]

A limitation of the Delta benchtop that I recently discovered when building 2 entry doors is that the maximum capacity is a little under 5" which was too small for the door stiles.

David

This is why mine was taken off the base, and homemade base was made for it. I still have the OEM base, fence and hold down,,,,,somwhere???
I have about 6 1/2" of clearance with the 1/4" chisel the way it is setup now.
I could easily add another 2" spacer and get more if needed, but the wider the available depth, the more tedious the alignment for the Z axis becomes.

[roger wiegand]

I have the General International 75-075 (http://www.general.ca/products/1_general/75_mortiser/75-075.html) and the sliding table makes all the difference in the world. Once you set the stops you can really crank out parts. I wouldn't bother with a machine without this feature. I've only used the tilting head a couple of times, but when I needed it it was really handy. I found that the better chisels that Lee Valley sells to be a huge improvement over others I've had. Sharpening, as noted above, is critical to good performance.

[scott vroom]

I have a General International mortiser and it works well. I learned through experience that the chisel and bits must be "sharp, sharp, sharp"! I have a "sharpener" that will cut a new edge on the inner edge of the chisel and a coned shaped diamond hone that hones/refines that sharpened edge. Then I flatten the outer edges of the chisel similar to the method Neanders use to flatten the back of a standard bench chisel. Most often just honing the inner edges of the chisel and a light "flattening" will make a great difference ONCE the chisel has been initially sharpened. I use a jeweler's file to sharpen the flat/straight cutting edge on the bits.

Setup is also very important to performance of a mortiser. The bit must be sticking ever so slightly below the leading edge of the chisel so one is drilling out the majority of the material before the chisel squares up the corners.


Ken, how often do you sharpen your chisels? How long does it take to do 1 chisel?

[Mike Cutler]

Scott

I can't answer for Ken, but the chisels that came with my Delta were,,, Okay. Alright, let's just say that they needed some work.
It probably took me about 10-15 minutes per chisel the first time, but the bit took the same amount of time, maybe more, by itself.There is no other way to sharpen that bit, than by hand, with a small ceramic stone set. It's not a normal drill bit. The leading edge is inside a flute.
Now it just takes a minute or two to touch everything up.

The sharpening set from Lee Valley is really nice. It's better than the model WoodCraft sells. I have both. These sets only do the chisels, you need to invest in small ceramic stones for the bits.

[John C Bush]

I have the old version of the Delta and added the riser from Delta~~2", and it has been a great machine for me. Made lots of "hobby" M&T's with it. No XV vise and consitent alignment of stock to chisel is no problem. I haven't use any fancier machines but every visit to Woodcraft includes playtime on the PM mortiser with all the built in holddowns and XY table. If I did a significant volume of MT's I would consider an upgrade. I suggest you keep looking for a used machine and grow from there. Good luck shopping.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Scott,

I had the same experience as Mike Cutler. I have the chisels that came with the mortiser or it's a cheap set from Woodcraft. I honestly don't remember where I got the chisels except I know I didn't order them from some upscale place. Getting them in shape the first time took 15 minutes or so per chisel. After that rehoning a given chisel just takes a minute or two.

To sharpen them I have a Woodcraft kit that reams or cuts a new inside face on the chisels https://www.woodcraft.com/products/mortise-chisel-sharpening-kit and then I hone with this tool from Rockler http://www.rockler.com/3-piece-mortise-chisel-sharpening-set.

How often will depend on the material that you are mortising obviously. When I built my extended version of Norm Abram's porch swing for my wife I ended up with over 100 mortises IIRC. I sharpened before I started and then stopped and honed once during the process. Mind you I was mortising white oak.

As I said earlier. I used the Woodcraft kit once and since then all I have done is hone them with the Rockler cone shaped fine diamond hone. Then I touch up the outside edges on a flat diamond sharpener. It doesn't take long.

[David Utterback]

I have not heard about the 2" riser block. Would anyone know where one might be had? Thanks

[lee cox]

I ended up buying a Woodtek 1 hp floor model used for less than a benchtop mortise. I have not used it yet. It needed some clean up and lubing with a couple parts replaced. It think it will be a nice one to learn on.

http://www.finewoodworking.com/2002/12/01/1-hp-mortiser-924-020-review

[Warren Wilson]

Thanks, Glenn -- I have completed one larger table using the router/chisel approach and have pondered "faking" the through mortises. I just hesitate to fake something when it's my own work when I scorn others for the same thing! : ( If you have a mortiser and stil recommend the router & jig, that's a strong recommendation.

[Warren Wilson]

And thanks again to all for sharing your insights and experiences -- it makes considering the machine a greater pleasure!

[John C Bush]

Hi David,

I have had the 14-650 mortiser for over 20yrs and I must have ordered the riser when I bought it. I still have the original box!! The cat. # -14-611 and it raises the height under chisel to 5 3/4". Ii is a round casting with 4 bolt holes and I leave it on all the time. You could easily make one with a round block of a hard wood. Good luck shopping or fabbing.

[cob garner]

My next large project is replacing my overhead garage doors with carriage doors. I can buy a Delta mortiser and tenon jig on craigslist for $225, never been used. Most of my woodworking is cabinetry. I've thought about the Festool Domino XL700 for the carriage door joinery, but with accessories to utilize smaller bits I'm looking at $2,000ish. That would be the most expensive tool in my shop. Would the Festool be more useful for the extra money? I will have to save up to buy the Festool and delay the project.

[Aaron Rosenthal]

I also have a General International like Ken, and I have 2 sets of chisels, the ones that were bundled, plus the aftermarket set the previous owner added in. I also have the sharpening kit, and I file & sharpen ALL my bits for cutting speed.
One thing I did find, is that it depends on the wood you use.
I bought it because I needed to chop 96 mortises in Maple legs and I experimented with both 1/4" and 3/8" chisels - it turned out that the harder woods like Maple and Oak make you go quite slowly and deliberately, or the chisels deflect. For a true straight cut, I chop in 2 - 3 steps.
Mind you, I was going in 1-1/2" for these table legs.
Under normal circumstances, with a "normal" mortise, it would go faster.
I also don't use it all the time, but when I need it, WOW!

[Randall J Cox]

I bought a used Jet benchtop a couple of years ago (guy sold it because he hardly ever used it) and have used it in white oak with sharp, almost new chisels, love it. Haven't needed to sharpen yet but hear that, and how its set up (bit to chisel) is critical. Also read somewhere to polish the bit shank so the chips flow up easily. Randy

[Günter VögelBerg]

I used to have a Jet benchtop mortiser and I sold it because I hated it. The hold downs never stayed put, it was underpowered and the top of the table was, bizarrely, made of MDF. In retrospect I think part of my struggles may have been that the chisels that came with it were not very good. I got by cutting mortises by hand for a while but eventually bought a Powermatic benchtop mortiser and some good Fisch chisels and have been fairly happy with it. I still cut them by hand unless they are long or I have a lot to do.

[Mike Cutler]

My next large project is replacing my overhead garage doors with carriage doors. I can buy a Delta mortiser and tenon jig on craigslist for $225, never been used. Most of my woodworking is cabinetry. I've thought about the Festool Domino XL700 for the carriage door joinery, but with accessories to utilize smaller bits I'm looking at $2,000ish. That would be the most expensive tool in my shop. Would the Festool be more useful for the extra money? I will have to save up to buy the Festool and delay the project.

Cob

You brought up a slightly older thread, and there was another in the past year very close to this. Here is the link.
https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?270280-benchtop-mortiser

Whether or not a Domino would be more useful than a bench top mortiser is a question that each individual would have to answer based on project types.
Other than the fact that each make a "mortise". I don't really see them as performing the same function. The domino is a true "floating tenon system with a size limitation. ( There is only so deep a mortise that can be made with a Domino. The bench top, or floor standing mortiser can make a much bigger, deeper, mortise. If you were making deep, structural, load bearing M&T joints, like interior and exterior doors, the dedicated mortiser would be the better choice. For cabinets and furniture project where overall size is a limitation to start with, the Domino can make very strong floating tenon joints,relative to size. It can do these fairly quickly and in place.
I have a Bench top mortiser, an older Delta 14-651, and would not be without it. I do not own a Domino only because I have made too many router jigs through the years that replicate it's core function. It's just a matter of economics for me, but you can be certain that if someone ever gave me one, I'd use it instead of a router with edge guides and jigs in a skinny minute. ;)

[Brian Holcombe]

I prefer free standing equipment over handheld whenever possible. If you have positioning systems on your equipment it's easy to move from part to part with accuracy. That can be done with handheld tools as well but as the work gets larger the positioning near the center of the work becomes more difficult with handheld tools. Unless a work piece becomes really large and immobile, then you're back to handheld tools.

[roger wiegand]

The tables I'm building right now require lots of 1/2" by 1/2" and 3/16" square mortises. Hard to do with a Domino.

I fought with both a drill press attachment and a benchtop mortiser for years (after first learning with a big industrial horizontal mortiser in the Palo Alto high school woodshop) and wasn't very happy with them. The sliding table with its secure clamping system on the bigger General International mortiser makes a world of difference and is well worth the added price if you use the machine much at all.

[Carl Beckett]

it is a set of tables with through tenons that has had me thinking of the tool.


I would be concerned with tearout or breakthrough on the back side. A number of things might help. Sharp sharp sharp (a learning curve). Clamping the workpiece tight, with a backer board. Or go part way through and flip.

I have only used the drill press version and it now sits in a drawer. For through mortise and tenon I prefer the router (or to be honest sometimes clamp it into the metal milling machine). A two flute, sharp bit rotating at a high speed seems to give me pretty nice through cuts.

(yes I have a Domino... its not obvious that it is the best tool for through mortises unless within certain dimensional limits - just my $.02. Not trying to bash Domino. Please dont beat me.... )

[Jared Sankovich]

Cob

You brought up a slightly older thread, and there was another in the past year very close to this. Here is the link.
https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?270280-benchtop-mortiser

Whether or not a Domino would be more useful than a bench top mortiser is a question that each individual would have to answer based on project types.
Other than the fact that each make a "mortise". I don't really see them as performing the same function. The domino is a true "floating tenon system with a size limitation. ( There is only so deep a mortise that can be made with a Domino. The bench top, or floor standing mortiser can make a much bigger, deeper, mortise. If you were making deep, structural, load bearing M&T joints, like interior and exterior doors, the dedicated mortiser would be the better choice. For cabinets and furniture project where overall size is a limitation to start with, the Domino can make very strong floating tenon joints,relative to size. It can do these family quickly and in place.
I have a Bench top mortiser, an older Delta 14-651, and would not be without it. I do not own a Domino only because I have made too many router jigs through the years that replicate it's core function. It's just a matter of economics for me, but you can be certain that if someone ever gave me one, I'd use it instead of a router with edge guides and jigs in a skinny minute. ;)

The domino xl can do a 2.75" deep mortise and really fast, (its no maka though) width is only limited by the loose tenon stock.

I dont recall what the max depth the jet benchtop mortiser could mortise but i dont recall it being much more than the domino. I replaced it with a midsized oliver hcm that only has 3.25" depth (before i raise the table)

Benchtop mortisers are nice, but after owning the jet i wouldnt get another without a integral clamp and xy table.

I would personally go with the domino xl if i only had to choose only one mortising machine.

[Robert Engel]

Back when I was looking for a mortiser, the X Y table was a must feature for me.

I would be leaning toward the Rikon. Would like to see a bigger motor on it. At a fraction of the cost of a Domino XL, this would be the way I would go.

A few years ago, I was going to pull the trigger on the Rikon which was on sale when the night before I found a PM floor mortiser on Craigslist. The ONLY one I have ever seen in years of persuing CL. I stuffed called the guy immediately, stuffed 500 bucks in my pocket, loaded up and drove 1 hour, hoping I would be the first one there.

Ended up getting it for $400 along with 5 Jet bits and a mobile base [gloat].

[Frank Drackman]

I have an old Delta bench top unit. I haven't used it in years because the hold down clamp broke. When I remembered to check online for the part I could never find it.

Recently I have seen a few arrived and post about attaching a cross vice. I have the after market chisel set and sharpening kit so I probably sould.