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Thread: Benchtop mortiser - anybody have one?

  1. #31
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
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    Peoria, IL
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    4,412
    Quote Originally Posted by Charlie Jones View Post
    Is the PantaRouter as good as their website proclaimes?
    I had a Multi-Router since the early 90 and sold it about 5 years ago. I missed it and bought a Pantorouter at the end of 2019. I'm very impressed with it. I like that the table is fixed which is much nicer when doing large heavy pieces. The Multi Router had a moveable table. All the templates for tenons have a taper on them, so adjusting the ball bearing follower adjusts the fit. Once you like that fit, you tighten a collar on the shaft of the follower so it returns to the same each time. Well worth the money in my opinion!

  2. #32
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Cashiers NC
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    603
    I built Matthias Wandels slot mortiser. It works really well. I am intrigued by the PantoRouter. I would buy the metal version because the wood one would be time consuming to built and likely not as accurate. I may put one on my list.
    Charlie Jones

  3. #33
    Join Date
    Jul 2016
    Location
    Lebanon, TN
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    1,719
    I have the floor standing PM719T mortiser, but a couple of months ago, bought the Pantorouter.

    I've done mortises in fine furniture, box joints and also made a bench out of 2x4's for my Son with large M&T's. This thing is bang on accurate and repeatable, simple to dial in, plus it's fairly lightweight so it's easy to move and store.

    Today I plan on doing 6 sets of dovetail drawers on the pantorouter.

    I also have a Festool Domino, but between the three tools, if the pants router can do the job, that's the one that gets the job.

  4. #34
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
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    Falls Church, VA
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    Quote Originally Posted by Charlie Jones View Post
    Take a look at Matthias Wandel’s shop built mortiser on Woodgears.ca. It is router based and very accurate and versatile. I use mine a lot.
    I love that guy! Dig down in the website and see what his dad did for that camp.

  5. #35
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Edmonton, Canada
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    2,479
    I started with simple jigs to use router for mortising (these are very old photos of it):

    mortice3.JPGmortice2.JPG

    It's very accurate, I've used with 3/8" and 1/2" spiral bits.
    I purchased a General Int (tilting head) bench top to do square baluster for railing and that was the only project it used it. Kept it for a while then sold as it was not as accurate nor easy to use (bits need to be SHARP, and re-sharpened frequently). Don't even think about attachments for drill press. They won't work. I have Domino 700 (had 500 before) and I never looked back.
    I suggest don't waste your money on a bench-top one. Either build a simple jig (like above) or a more complex one as suggested above and they are a lot better than a bench-top mortiser.

  6. #36
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Alaska
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    711
    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Cutler View Post
    Jon

    I've had the Delta 651 for many years. It has been modified as most usually do. I don't think I know where the base is any longer.
    The key to a benchtop mortiser is very, very,sharp chisels, and an x-y table. You absolutely must be able to sharpen those chisels, or you will fight any mortiser all day long. You will also need to invest in the stones necessary to sharpen the bits. The bit leads the whole tool. That first contact has to be exact and effortless.
    An x-y vise is fine for smaller pieces of material, but an x-y table and vise off a milling machine, or designed for use with a milling machine, will be many times better.
    My Delta 651 is repeatable to within 1/2 the width of a pencil line. The walls are straight, true, and parallel. But it took quite a bit of modification on my part to make it that way. Buy the model that requires the least modification. But it has to have an x-y table, and vise, and a good one, or everything will be painfully slower.
    Routers are fine for cutting mortises, but there are limitations, same with the Domino. The depth of the mortise will be dictated by the diameter of the bit.Smaller diameter bits are generally shorter in length to maintain strength.
    The FMT's are amazing pieces of hardware. Absolutely elegant and beautiful in design and function, but again the router bit itself is the limiting factor.
    Benchtop Mortisers are also limited by the width of the mortise, but a 1/4", or 5/16" chisel set can give you a mortise with a depth of 2"+.
    I remember when Bill Carey was looking at benchtop mortiser. His research was pretty thorough. If Bill is happy with the Bailiegh, I would strongly advise checking it out.
    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.

  7. #37
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
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    Griswold Connecticut
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    6,923
    Quote Originally Posted by Michael Drew View Post
    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)

  8. #38
    The drill press ones work, I did custom work on the press until I got an 1,800 lb machine. Not as easy on the press but you would not be able to tell if they were cut on the press or the pro machine.

  9. #39
    Join Date
    May 2015
    Location
    Ingleside, IL
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    1,417
    Quote Originally Posted by mreza Salav View Post
    I started with simple jigs to use router for mortising (these are very old photos of it):

    mortice3.JPGmortice2.JPG

    It's very accurate, I've used with 3/8" and 1/2" spiral bits.
    I purchased a General Int (tilting head) bench top to do square baluster for railing and that was the only project it used it. Kept it for a while then sold as it was not as accurate nor easy to use (bits need to be SHARP, and re-sharpened frequently). Don't even think about attachments for drill press. They won't work. I have Domino 700 (had 500 before) and I never looked back.
    I suggest don't waste your money on a bench-top one. Either build a simple jig (like above) or a more complex one as suggested above and they are a lot better than a bench-top mortiser.

    great minds etc etc
    20210315_161158.jpg
    Stand for something, or you'll fall for anything.

  10. #40
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Houston, TX
    Posts
    278
    Well...I feel like this is the start of a 12 step program....I have a mortise and tenon "machine" problem. Aside from the usual suspects of chisels, plunge router, drill press, jigs etc. I also have both dominos (why oh why), a multirouter, a pantorouter (new), a Leigh FMT pro, a Shaper Origin, a CNC, and both a floor model (grizzly) and a benchtop (delta; waiting to be sold) hollow chisel mortiser. Yeah - don't tell my wife, please. But I honestly use all of these machines quite regularly and they all have their advantages and disadvantages.

    With respect to choosing ONE machine to do it all, it all comes down to how you like to cut your tenons in my opinion. I you love cutting square integral tenons using a tablesaw and tenoning jig or maybe a shaper in one step then a hollow chisel mortiser is a great tool. It's honestly a one trick pony though so it probably gets the least use of the embarrassing list of tools above in my shop. Whether you get a floor model or a benchtop is primarily a function of space and whether you really need a tilting head option. That is assuming we aren't including the old American Iron versions of this machine which are in another class. The biggest advantage to my floor model isn't the extra power but rather that the table is more sophisticated and has x-y controls that actually work well.

    The domino is clearly the easiest and most idiot proof option and if you can live with floating tenons for everything it is a game changer - sort of a cheat code in a video game. The Pantorouter (which I have the least experience with so far as it is relatively new) seems to be the best combination of versatility, ease of use and community support. Easier to make your own templates, be creative. If you told me I could only have one machine I suspect the pantorouter would be it (or maybe that and a domino and call it done). I suspect this one is going to be my go to for a LOT of things. The multirouter is the nicest made, the most fun and "coolest" but has very little educational or instructional support out there and using one is a bit of a black art (also fun). Now that Woodpeckers has bought the rights to it perhaps things will improve as it is a beautiful machine. The table isn't quite as large as the Pantorouter's and offboard workpiece support is necessary for larger pieces. With that said, it's a killer way to do the mortises for bed rail hardware... The Leigh FMT is versatile and fun to use but probably wouldn't be my go to if I had to choose just one machine as the setup can be lengthy.

    In conclusion: if you are set on a hollow chisel mortiser, and make your tenons on the tablesaw, I would actually suggest going with relatively inexpensive (maybe splurge on the PM701) and stay away from a floor model unless you KNOW you are going to be using this thing all the time!
    Last edited by Richard Link; 04-05-2021 at 2:06 PM.
    Richard Link

    **********************

  11. #41
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    Princeton, NJ
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    Fully commit to the hollow chisel platform, get a sturdy machine (old iron) and sharpen the chisels.
    Personally, I love using the hollow chisel mortiser and the Maka. The hollow chisel is quite popular with my students also.

    Sharp chisels, accurate setup and a sturdy machine make the platform.

  12. #42
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Location
    Elizabethtown, PA
    Posts
    124
    I have a Delta, got it cheap on FB marketplace. The previous owner was NOT mechanically inclined to say the least. $100 in parts and a new set of chisels and I'm in for a total of $250 so not bad. Check the used market, you could make out like I did.

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