Mortiser: To buy or not to buy

[SHADOWFOX]

Folks,

I have a decent amount of amazon rewards gift cetificates and I am thinking of spending it on a dedicated mortiser. My question is this: I have a Delta 17-968 variable speed floor drill press would be worth buying a dedicated mortiser or should I just buy a mortising attachment for my drill press? Reason I ask is because I have a project "Baby Crib" that is going to need a lot of mortises and I have only been using my router and hand chisel for cutting mortises and it is a tedious process. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks and kind regards!

[LCHIEN]

I've had both. Delta Mortising kit on a 12" delta DP and a Jet mortiser.
a dedicated mortiser is all-around superior to a DP with an adapter.
You're going to be doing a lot of mortises.
Go ahead, you won't regret it.

[LinuxRandal]

Over at the Newwoodworker

Here is the review on the adapters, that made my mind up (though I am using a router, and haven't bought a mortising machine yet.)

http://www.newwoodworker.com/reviews...attachrvu.html

[drumpriest]

for something like a crib, a mortiser is probably the way to go, though you could double dowel. I use loose tenon mostly, still cut all of them with a plunge router and a spiral cutter.

I would suspect that if you have the space, you would be MUCH happier with a dedicated mortiser.

[PALefty]

fyi- HF is having the $99 sale going on for their mortiser right now. There are a few sites that combine this with their x-y vise for a seemingly decent low-cost solution. A recent poster just purchased one with some problems.. so buyer beware...

[Imadunatic]

Well, for me, the only time I ever even came close to regretting buying the mortiser is when I signed the check, as far as I'm concerned, it is indispensable in my shop. I do think of it as a luxury item and I know that I would have continued to make due the old fashioned way. But if you're even considering it, I would say go for it.

Kevin

[LYU370]

After reading some of the various comments about the attachments, I decided to go with a dedicated mortiser. Just finished a cradle that had 74 mortises, boy am I glad I had that mortiser. It flew through them, just have to make sure to get the chisel setup right, I'm still not sure if mine was setup properly since mine is a slow speed one and the chisel still smokes.

That said, here's an article about how to tune up a DP mortiser attachment: http://www.rd.com/americanwoodworker...&contentId=679

Here's an article about mortisers: http://www.rd.com/americanwoodworker...ltest/body.htm

[cabinetman]

I also vote for the dedicated machine. Not having to break down the mortiser from the DP, or change the DP setup every time you want to use it makes it worthwhile.

[eddy merckx]

Go for the dedicated mortiser Chris. They are a delight to use. Very fast set up time, relatively little airborne dust. Pretty short learning curve. Make sure you order a Rockler Hollow Chisel sharpener as well. You'll need it.

Eddy

[Russianwolf]

Out of curiousity, what are the capacities of the dedicated mortisers?

max plunge depth (how deep can you cut)
max throat depth (how far away from an edge can you cut)
max under chisel (whats the thickest piece that you can cut)

I'm wondering how much (if any) difference the capacities are from the attachments.

[Imadunatic]

SPECIFICATIONS MODEL 75-050

Chisel Capacity 1/4” TO 5/8” (6 TO 16 mm)
Maximum Chisel Stroke 6” (152 mm)
Distance from Fence to Center Chisel 3” (77 mm)
Distance from Ø Chisel to Table (Chisel 1/4”) 6” (152 mm)
Chuck Capacity 1/2” (13 mm)
Size of Table 5” x 7 1/2” (127 x 191 mm)
Size of Base 7 3/4” x 11” (196 x 280 mm)
Overall Height 27 1/2” (699 mm)
Spindle Speed 1720 RPM
Motor 1/2 HP, 110 V, 1 Ph, 3.8 A
Weight 76 LBS (34.5 kg) (FEELS LIKE 176 WHEN YOURE MOVING IT BY YOURSELF!!!)

Heres the specs on mine, I have no idea how this compares, but I do like it

[crokett]

Chris, if you want to make the mortises, get the mortising machine. I have also used both mortising bits in a DP and used a mortising machine. However, another thought. I've made that same crib and I do not have a mortising machine. What I did was run a dado in the rails and cut spacers that I glued back in to create the mortises.

[JimD]

I have a dedicated mortiser but when I made 4 kitchen chairs each with 22 mortises, I used a template to guide my router with a spiral cutting bit. I still like having the mortiser.

For wider pieces, you can add a bracket to raise up the mortiser. I did this to make some doors with stiles more than 6 inches wide. You do not get any additional throw on the chisel but you can get the workpiece under the chisel. Mine will also turn around backward and you could rig a special table to support the workpiece if you wanted to put a mortise in the edge of something like a tabletop.

Jim

[Jeffrey Schronce]

Festool Domino . . . . . only $800 more than average mortiser.