Mortise Pal Jig does it do what’s it is suppose to do?

[richard poitras]

Mortise Pal jig? Well I have seen this jig more and more as of late here and there. :eek: In regards to this new jig does anyone have one? And if so could you comment on it in regards to quality and how well it works, and the pros and cons… thanks

http://mortisepal.com/index.html (http://mortisepal.com/index.html)

[Bruce Page]

I don't have one but it does look pretty slick.
People might gasp at the price but when you stop and concider what it takes to produce & market something like this, the price isn't too bad.

[Will Blick]

Bruce, i agree, it sure is slick, and the price seems reasonable considering how well made it appears. Is this a brand new product, or has it been around for awhile?

Very clever jig, but IMO, I think a Dowel Max would be easier and less hassle, cause its easier to use a hand drill vs. a plunger router, and you can buy the dowels ready-made. I guess if you wanted max. strength, these larger floating tenons may provide more support. However, in most cases, the wood will break before the dowel joints will.

[Will Blick]

BTW, this NEW rockler jig is a nice alternative, but only a few dollars less

http://tinyurl.com/2vlc8p


I like the video on the Mortice Pal site, he does a great job demonstrating the use, and versatility of the jig.

[Alan Lilly]

I too am very interested to hear from owners of the mortise pal.
I am trying to decide if I want to build my own "knock off" version for the fun of it OR just buy the mortise pal and get busy woodworking.

I figure it would cost me a $100 for raw materials and misc extra machining tools for my machining mill... some careful planning and thought.... so I wouldnt really save a much, but it might be fun to build.

I have done some aluminum projects before, but I'm sure there are some other machinists out there who could advise on design or construction/machining issues?

[keith micinski]

Man I got all fired up reading about this jig and was expecting it to be pricy but man can't you almost buy a dedicated mortising machine for that?

[Bruce Page]

I too am very interested to hear from owners of the mortise pal.
I am trying to decide if I want to build my own "knock off" version for the fun of it OR just buy the mortise pal and get busy woodworking.

I figure it would cost me a $100 for raw materials and misc extra machining tools for my machining mill... some careful planning and thought.... so I wouldnt really save a much, but it might be fun to build.

I have done some aluminum projects before, but I'm sure there are some other machinists out there who could advise on design or construction/machining issues?
Alan, what kind of mill do you have?
I've done some "toy" making myself, I'd be happy to advise.
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=29281

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Man I got all fired up reading about this jig and was expecting it to be pricy but man can't you almost buy a dedicated mortising machine for that?


Holy cr*p you're right! That is close to the price of a dedicated mortiser. And you can make your own jig that does the same thing. And I did. But that does look pretty slick though. My jig isn't nearly as smooth working but I don't know. Does this "toy" buying ever end?

[Alan Lilly]

Dang Bruce! I am inspired... you've got obvious skill and training.
Your stuff looks super nice! You would have no trouble making a mortise pal copy.

I have a sherline mill and a central machinery mini mill (no lathe yet).

The mortise pal design/engineering appears clean and simple?
I would be curious to know how an experienced machinist, such as yourself, would handle each step of the machining process. I have no formal training as a machinist.

The part I am most unsure about, is how the brass screw attaches to the clamp plate so it spins freely, but stays locked inside the plate. Also, I would probably buy the brass threaded rods and would have to attach knobs in some way. I think the rest of the design seems apparent...
Blocks of aluminum, precision machined, holes drilled for steel rods, slits cut, holes drilled and tapped to clamp rods, tap for brass clamp screw and lock screw. If the steel rods are stainless, how do you cut stainless?

Your help is greatly appreciated!!!

http://home.comcast.net/%7Epanofish/pics/mill.jpg

[Joe Mioux]

Alan, what kind of mill do you have?
I've done some "toy" making myself, I'd be happy to advise.
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=29281

Hey, Bruce, thanks for re-linking (? re-posting?, well you know what I mean, i hope ;) ) to your "toy" project. I re-read that whole thread. It's hard to believe that it's been two years.

Alan, I hope you will consider posting a work-in-progress thread with this project. It should be fun.

Joe

[Bruce Page]

Alan, you could do something like this where the threaded rod would be drilled & tapped (8-32 in this case). The socket head cap screw would be lock-tighted into the threaded rod but left just loose enough that the rod could still rotate in the aluminum bar. Make sense?

Thanks Joe. I re-read the whole thing two. I wonder if anyone bought a mill...

[Alan Lilly]

That seems simple enough. Thanks.
If I'm gonna try to build this... I guess my first step will be to draw up my own blueprints.

[Kyle Kraft]

Hey Bruce!

A most excellent machining job on your router base. A possible alternate way to attach the clamping screw to the moveable jaw could be a shoulder on the screw on the back side and a snap ring in a groove on the front side. If you watch the video and study the illustrations you'll notice a relieved area on the face of the moveable jaw where a snap ring could hide.

[Jim Becker]

I agree with Bruce....that's a very nice looking tool!

[Bruce Page]

Hey Bruce!

A most excellent machining job on your router base. A possible alternate way to attach the clamping screw to the moveable jaw could be a shoulder on the screw on the back side and a snap ring in a groove on the front side. If you watch the video and study the illustrations you'll notice a relieved area on the face of the moveable jaw where a snap ring could hide.

Kyle, thanks for the kind words.
I thought about a snap ring but since Alan doesn’t have a lathe to cut the groove, I thought this would be easier for him.

[Art Mann]

Both the concept and apparent construction remind me of the Dowelmax. $189 Doesn't seem so bad to us Dowelmax owners.:rolleyes: It looks like it would do what the Domino does, but with a little more effort. I hope someone will buy this thing, give it a good workout, and report the results. I think it has the potential to be another excellent joinery alternative.

[John Cooper2]

Man I got all fired up reading about this jig and was expecting it to be pricy but man can't you almost buy a dedicated mortising machine for that?
I bought a slightly used Jet Mortise machine for $100.00 with bits. Have seen several others close to the same price. Think I will stick with this method for now.

Just my $00.02

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