Squaring up hollow chisel

[Eric McGill]

I'm relatively new to woodworking and have been purchasing used tools to outfit my workshop.

I picked up a Delta mortiser and I'm pretty pleased with it so far. I'm a bit frustrated when it comes to aligning the chisel parallel to the fence. The instructions (and what I've been able to find online) tell you to loosen the chisel, bring it down against the fence or a piece of stock and then tighten it.

The problem is that there is some play left to right in the fence when I move it in and out. So, even if I do this method, that doesn't guarantee the fence will be aligned when I slide it back into position. I think others must have this problem and wonder how they deal with it. A couple of thoughts I have had so far:

1) Get a bunch of precision blocks so that I can fix the fence in place and put them between the fence and the chisel to "calibrate" for that fence position.

2) Modify the mortiser so that the play is eliminated.

I hope this is coherent. Any feedback is appreciated.

[Lee Schierer]

Set your fence to the location you want first and then loosen the bit in the holder slightly and aligh it to the fence with a square. Place the square agains the fence and check one side of the bit.

Lee

[Mike Cutler]

Eric.

I usually align the chisel square to the fence after I have set the distance to the center of the bit from the fence and have it locked in. I have a Delta 14-651 Benchtop, and the fence does move out of square to the chisel if it is amoved.
I Find it easier to align square to the fence, than in parallel. I also mark the mortise completely,at least the first one, so that I can ensure that the chisel is moving parallel to the face of the material.

I also use an XY sliding vise, if the material can be properly supported.

[Eric McGill]

Inspired, I went back and tried again last night and was able to align it better with much cleaner mortises.

Thanks for your feedback