Mortiser Shop Fox how to question

[Craig D Peltier]

Hi, I finally used my mortiser today after having a used one for 3 months now. Anyways, I came up with a few questions.
1) Im mortising 1/2 inch wide mortise 1.5 inches deep into a ash 3.5 x 3.5 leg that will attach to a DR table apron thats 6/4. Does it suppose to smoke when chiseling out the wood?I know theres procedures of order you drill in. Like 163452 etc
2)I believe the opening of the mortise chisel should be facing in towards the hole so it spits chips into the open hole?
3) Do you usually clamp the board your mortising to the fence? I use the hold down but was unsure if most or all of you clamp to the fence as well, it seems to be a bit better but not alot in my 1 mortise experience? I havent lade a mortise since 1991. Its been a while.

ALSO I have the drill sticking out of the chisel maybe 3/16. I saw in an old woodworking bit it supposed to be 1/32 to 1/16 but the bit looks different than todays bit and the shop fox manual shows it sticking out rather far. Its hard ot push in at first once its in about 1/2 it gets easier.

Thanks

Thanks

[keith ouellette]

I just used my drill mortising attachment for the first time and it smoked also. I remember seeing one on tv and I think it smoked also. My directions said the split in the chisel was supposed to be facing front also.

I didn't use a clamp. I just held it tight against the fence by hand.

Mine gave no instruction as to the depth of the bit. With the shank up as high as it would go the tip protruded by about 1/16" but I had to do it that way because so little of the shank went into the chuck.

Did your chisels flex to the side as you drilled next to an empty space? Mine did but they are ultra cheap. Your chisels are probably worth as much as my whole set up chisels and all.

[Craig D Peltier]

I just used my drill mortising attachment for the first time and it smoked also. I remember seeing one on tv and I think it smoked also. My directions said the split in the chisel was supposed to be facing front also.

I didn't use a clamp. I just held it tight against the fence by hand.

Mine gave no instruction as to the depth of the bit. With the shank up as high as it would go the tip protruded by about 1/16" but I had to do it that way because so little of the shank went into the chuck.

Did your chisels flex to the side as you drilled next to an empty space? Mine did but they are ultra cheap. Your chisels are probably worth as much as my whole set up chisels and all.

I dont believe they flexed. There made by Jet. I was also careful to leave enough that they had at least half to bite into.

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi Craig, hollow chisel mortisers aren't supposed to smoke.

1) Sharpen the inside of the chisel with a cone sharpener. Lap the outside of the chisel on a waterstone, piece of sandpaper on glass, or whatever method you use for hand chisels.

2) Make sure all the burs are removed from the inside of the hollow chisel, and that all cutting faces are sharp and the corner points are straight and sharp

3) Sharpen the drill bit with an auger file, touch up with a stone if you wish, I normally just use the file.

I normally set my mortiser using the dime spacer method.

a) put the chisel in the mortiser with a dime between the chisel shoulder and the mortiser.

b) insert the bit all the way into the chisel, tighten drill chuck.

c) remove dime spacer, seat chisel fully, thus setting your drill bit/chisel gap to one dime thickness.

I normally plunge the two ends of the mortise, then plunge a series of holes where the chisel is fully engaged in the wood on all four sides, with the plunges being about 2/3 chisel width apart. This reduces bending forces on the chisel/mortiser.

I then plunge the remaining 2/3 wide sections which means that the front/back of the chisel is supported, the left/right sides aren't so there isn't any bending forces again.

All of the above plunges are with the work vise holding the work against the fence, and the hold down a few mm above the work.

Make sure your fence is square to the table, or shim it to be square, and that your chisel is square to the table, and all play is adjusted of the mortiser head by lubricating and adjusting the wear strips on the column.

Regards, Rod.

[Mike Cutler]

I do everything Rod said, and I have the vacum right at the discharge side of the chisel to remove the waste.
They shouldn't smoke, sometimes I try to go to fast in a tropical hardwood and get some smoke. It's an indication that I need to slow down, or touch up the bit/chisel.

I know that you just bought your mortiser, but you may want to consider adding an X-Y sliding vise to it. It makes it a lot easier to move the material under the chisel, and faster.

[John Thompson]

Agree with the others with a few exceptions I will note. I had a Shopfox for 5 years before purchasing an Industrial floor model. The "Fox" runs at 3450 rpm and most other benchies run at 1750 rpm. So.. make an entry about 1/2"-3/4" max and with-draw to let the chips clear. You might go deeper, but that is really a bit too much rpm IMO in hard-wood and heat will build up fast and where there's excessive heat.. you got smoke.

And.. with the Fox, I never got good results with the bit being adjusted as suggested in the text-book manner. The Fox's bits need more lead as you have done to avoid over-heating. They are not made in a manner that would result in being considered for the "Machinist Hall of Fame".

The outside edge of the bit will scrape the inner chisel cavity.. scream with metal to metal and heat up quickly. Doing what has been suggested by honing both bit and chisel is a must as the chisel set comes with terrible grind marks on them as most cheap Chinese knock-off chisels. But.. even then I found more lead was necessary on the Fox due to design and poor machining.

Hope that helps...

Sarge..

[Craig D Peltier]

Agree with the others with a few exceptions I will note. I had a Shopfox for 5 years before purchasing an Industrial floor model. The "Fox" runs at 3450 rpm and most other benchies run at 1750 rpm. So.. make an entry about 1/2"-3/4" max and with-draw to let the chips clear. You might go deeper, but that is really a bit too much rpm IMO in hard-wood and heat will build up fast and where there's excessive heat.. you got smoke.

And.. with the Fox, I never got good results with the bit being adjusted as suggested in the text-book manner. The Fox's bits need more lead as you have done to avoid over-heating. They are not made in a manner that would result in being considered for the "Machinist Hall of Fame".

The outside edge of the bit will scrape the inner chisel cavity.. scream with metal to metal and heat up quickly. Doing what has been suggested by honing both bit and chisel is a must as the chisel set comes with terrible grind marks on them as most cheap Chinese knock-off chisels. But.. even then I found more lead was necessary on the Fox due to design and poor machining.

Hope that helps...

Sarge..

Thanks everyone, I think I got it. Sharper chisels. I cut the first mortise yesterday and it still stinks in garage today.