Horizontal mortiser..

[Patrick Walsh]

Do i go tilting table or fixed.

With a Felder Ad941 and RL 125 to be delivered and thus paid for in full in only a couple short weeks time i am contemplating my next tool purchase.

The three big tools on my list and listed by priority of purchase go as this mortiser, drill press and oscillating edge sander.

I'm inclined to just order the Felder stand alone mortising unit. However i have noticed at least one company making a unit with a tilting table. I have no idea the price and assume it is pretty expensive.

So the question for people that use a mortiser on the regular, should i spring the extra cash for the tilting table and be happy i did later when the money is spent and i could care less. Or will it just be a feature i never use and wish i had spent the money elsewhere?

The machine will be used in furniture and cabinet construction along with the odd art piece..

[Jeff Duncan]

It's really up to you to decide…..do you ever see yourself doing diagonal mortises? If not it's a fair amount extra for something you'll never use. If you think you might with the "odd art piece" then it may be worth it? Mines a fixed table and can't say as though I've ever wished I had a tilting. Then again if something comes up someday…….

good luck,
JeffD

[Patrick Walsh]

These are the machines that peak my interest. Pretty sure the Kundig is out of the question. Any others i should be considering i am missing?

http://www.houfek.com/sanders/oscill...36.htm?lang=en

http://www.martin-usa.com/products/tm100/

http://www.kuendig.ch/en/edge-sanding/kuendig-uniq-s/

http://www.felderusa.com/us-us/produ...fs-900-kf.html

[Roy Harding]

These are the machines that peak my interest. Pretty sure the Kundig is out of the question. Any others i should be considering i am missing?

http://www.houfek.com/sanders/oscill...36.htm?lang=en

http://www.martin-usa.com/products/tm100/

http://www.kuendig.ch/en/edge-sanding/kuendig-uniq-s/

http://www.felderusa.com/us-us/produ...fs-900-kf.html

Only one of your links leads to a mortiser (the Martin) - the others are all sanders.

To the question - Jeff has it nailed, I think. If you're often going to be doing work where a tilting table mortiser is an asset - then get one. Otherwise, for the occasional piece that requires an angled mortise, a shop built jig should be more than sufficient.

By the way - given the quality of the machines that pique your interest (at least as illustrated by your links), you're going to drop a pretty penny whether you go for tilting or not.

[Peter Quinn]

I can think of two instances where you might need a tilting table. Some odd angles on chairs, and louver doors. I could rig the louver doors easy enough on a flxed table....for chairs the tilting table may be handy. But for almost everything else I encounter....I'd buy a domino XL. I'm using one at work and cant say I really want a slot mortiser at all. It handles all but the very biggest of mortises, set up is super fast, a slot mortiser takes up a fair amount of real estate in the shop, the domino almost none. Pretty sure I could jig that up to do angled mortises too should the need arise.

Another for the list to consider.......http://www.atlanticmach.com/standard/Griggio_TRC_N.pdf

[Patrick Walsh]

Chairs are mostly my motivation for buying a tilting table. I can see myself using the added feature although not very often in all honesty. The feature will however get used from time to time will surely not go unused. Do i need it though for the money. The felder machine can be had for a a short few grand give or take.

As for the domino well that will be purchased at some point also. I kinda considered the XL and Seneca route but then decided i think i would like the stand alone machine so i can make true mortise and tenon joints.

I am a carpenter somewhere lost between finish work, kitchen installations and the general all around construction of 3-5 million dollar homes coupled with the maintenance and repair of them. Point being i am a avid Festool user to date and assume a Domino is at some point in my future. I think for sight work the smaller would be better suited. For home hobby type stuff "furniture making" i think the slot mortiser peaks my interest a bit more as i just dont see using dowels on repro or one off custom pieces i am building simply for the joy of it.

I can think of two instances where you might need a tilting table. Some odd angles on chairs, and louver doors. I could rig the louver doors easy enough on a flxed table....for chairs the tilting table may be handy. But for almost everything else I encounter....I'd buy a domino XL. I'm using one at work and cant say I really want a slot mortiser at all. It handles all but the very biggest of mortises, set up is super fast, a slot mortiser takes up a fair amount of real estate in the shop, the domino almost none. Pretty sure I could jig that up to do angled mortises too should the need arise.

Another for the list to consider.......http://www.atlanticmach.com/standard/Griggio_TRC_N.pdf

[Paul Murphy]

I can think of two instances where you might need a tilting table. Some odd angles on chairs, and louver doors. I could rig the louver doors easy enough on a flxed table....for chairs the tilting table may be handy. But for almost everything else I encounter....I'd buy a domino XL. I'm using one at work and cant say I really want a slot mortiser at all. It handles all but the very biggest of mortises, set up is super fast, a slot mortiser takes up a fair amount of real estate in the shop, the domino almost none. Pretty sure I could jig that up to do angled mortises too should the need arise.

Another for the list to consider.......http://www.atlanticmach.com/standard/Griggio_TRC_N.pdf

The Griggio is a nice machine. As a matter of fact Griggio makes the mortiser for Martin, the only difference I can see is the color of the paint.

[Peter Quinn]

Regarding true mortise and tenons....slot mortiser and domino are equivalent. The domino punches the same slots as a slot mortiser, just that you bring the tool to the work. Punch slots on stiles, nothing stopping you from milling true tenons on rails. We just got the smallest cutter for the XL which IIR is 8mm, so around 3/8", perfect for 1" face frame work, I actually like the bigger domino better in every way than the smaller one. I though the big one would be akward on small parts, but it's actually very stable given the longer fence and increased mass. We originally got it for a batch of curved entry doors, we wayed all the options, slot mortiser with dowel bar versus bridge port versus domino. The domino won due to space and flexibility. I have a fixed table slot mortiser in my home shop, would trade it in an instant for a domino XL. It's really a game changer in my mind.

[Patrick Walsh]

Its this thought process that makes it so hard to pull the trigger either way.

I guess I'm crazy to not start with the Domino XL. being a avid Festool user its kinda just weird i don't own one to date.mit would save me $1500-$2000k and fact i would use it for work all the time.

Regarding true mortise and tenons....slot mortiser and domino are equivalent. The domino punches the same slots as a slot mortiser, just that you bring the tool to the work. Punch slots on stiles, nothing stopping you from milling true tenons on rails. We just got the smallest cutter for the XL which IIR is 8mm, so around 3/8", perfect for 1" face frame work, I actually like the bigger domino better in every way than the smaller one. I though the big one would be akward on small parts, but it's actually very stable given the longer fence and increased mass. We originally got it for a batch of curved entry doors, we wayed all the options, slot mortiser with dowel bar versus bridge port versus domino. The domino won due to space and flexibility. I have a fixed table slot mortiser in my home shop, would trade it in an instant for a domino XL. It's really a game changer in my mind.

[Jeff Duncan]

We originally got it for a batch of curved entry doors, we wayed all the options, slot mortiser with dowel bar versus bridge port versus domino. The domino won due to space and flexibility. I have a fixed table slot mortiser in my home shop, would trade it in an instant for a domino XL. It's really a game changer in my mind.

How big were the mortises you cut in the entry doors? With my slot mortiser I can mill 5/8" slots 4"+ deep, which on some doors are still on the smallish side. I didn't think the Domino could do tenons in that range but admit I haven't looked too closely at the new "bigger version".

JeffD

[Patrick Walsh]

This is a important detail for me also.

The first project these machines will see is the construction of three entry doors. The doors will be solid teak with 5.5" wide by 8/4 styles and rails. The jambs and casings will also be solid teak 4/4 and 5/4.

Second project is ten plantation style interior shutters of various sizes made of either qswo or some kind of gum wood?

How big were the mortises you cut in the entry doors? With my slot mortiser I can mill 5/8" slots 4"+ deep, which on some doors are still on the smallish side. I didn't think the Domino could do tenons in that range but admit I haven't looked too closely at the new "bigger version".

JeffD

[Peter Quinn]

How big were the mortises you cut in the entry doors? With my slot mortiser I can mill 5/8" slots 4"+ deep, which on some doors are still on the smallish side. I didn't think the Domino could do tenons in that range but admit I haven't looked too closely at the new "bigger version".

JeffD

It goes in 2 3/4" on each side, biggest cutter is 9/16 thick. Thats 65% to 70% of an average door stile. I think they set it up to compete with industry standard dowel doors which IME run 5 1/2", but the dominos have a lot more surface area. There is definitely work which is beyond its capacity, but it sure does a lot. I've run double rows of dominos in to some thicker work, it really makes you think about how much you trust your glue! I tried a few joints with this thing when we got it, I couldn't break them with a sledge hammer, and I really tried.

I'm with David on the big is good thing with slot mortisers. My cheapo chinese mortiser will chuck a 5/8" cutter, but the user has to work hard to make lots of those happen. I spent some time at a place with an older Bacci, that thing was literally built like a tank, pretty sure you could clamp a 300# door to that table and mortise a lock box if required.

[Joe Calhoon]

We have a Domino XL we use for odd (angled and curved) window and door joinery where it is easier than using the Maka. I have owned several good manual horizontal mortisers. The Domino is as fast of faster than these. I think the best thing is the mortise is more precise than you get with a conventional slotter. Because of bit chatter with these. We run our own Mahogany tenons on a moulder because of the high cost but the fit of the Festo ones is better than we can do. It does take a steady hand to get accuracy with the Domino.
I think the downside is the Domino will probably not last as long as a good slot mortiser. Large production might get tedious with it and the better slotters will do accurate dowel joinery also.

curve sash.jpg

[Kent A Bathurst]

OK, Joe - that looks way cool.

Can you show a photo of those pieces joined? Trying to envision the product that goes with the wizardry..........

[Prashun Patel]

I have a Domino 700 (the large version). I can't imagine wanting tenons any longer than the max setting this one offers. I mill my own domino stock. By doing overlapping holes, you're not limited in your tenon width or depth. You can still do traditional M&T if you are willing to bevel your tenon ends.

It works on large tables and small stiles. I have the Seneca adapter and it works well and accurately.

I do think that if you 'start' with the Domino and decide you want the stationary machine for whatever reason, you'll be able to resell it for close to what you pay for it new.

One thing required is dust collection, tho. If you find it annoying to attach a hose to the unit every time, then this may not be a good option for you; without DC the accuracy can suffer.

I also think the Domino owners are right that the tool is far more versatile than a non-owner can imagine. If you're able to use floating tenons, it greatly reduces layout and marking time.