Originally Posted by
Michael Drew
I'd be real interested in seeing the mods you made to your 651. I have the same machine, but rarely use it, due to its shortcomings. But when I need it, I need it..... I'd like to make it a better tool than just give up on it.
Michael
Thank you for prompting me to change my membership status to post pictures.
Give me some time and I'll get some pictures.Be warned though, it is not elegant, but it is rugged, reliable, and works like a champ. Don't expect to be "wowed".
Don't give up on it. The is capable of doing serious work. It just needs a little help.
The OEM base, fence, and holdown, on the 651 just did not work for me. They were crude, clumsy, and just not stout enough for mortising into tropical hardwoods. They may work well for softer woods, and some of the softer domestic hardwoods, but not the hard tropicals.
The other issue is the OEM chisels. As supplied, they are nowhere near prepared to cut a mortise. They are dull, and the bit is not sharpened at all close to what is required. The base and fence were problems, but that chisel set was probably a bigger problem.
Lee Valley makes a cone hone for the chisel inside faces,and Japanese waterstones will hone the outside faces. I treat them just like bench chisels, so they are honed to 4000grit. My chisels finish with 8000 grit.
I bought a set of slip stones from Woodcraft, and some Spyderco serrated sharpening stones many years ago for the drill bits. I'm not going to lie to you, it took me a few days to really figure out how to get them right. Now,any incidental contact with those chisels, results in blood. They are very sharp.
Debris extraction is an absolute must. Somehow, or the other, you have to get a vacuum pickup right at the base of the slot in the chisel. The "swarf" will fall back into the mortise and just makes that much more work.
Give me some time and I'll post some pic's.
"The first thing you need to know, will likely be the last thing you learn." (Unknown)