I have read the comments in a current thread that the drill press is not designed to handle the forces involved with mortising. I have a Craftsman drill press (not top of the line either) that has been doing it for over 20 yrs. Granted I don’t get to do near the amount of ww’ing that most of you do but I’m curious.
I’m no mechanical genius (nor any other kind for that matter) but it seems to me that the force I’m generating when mortising is not that much different than when drilling.
If you told me that it would be harmful to use a drill press as a drum sander or something similar that would produce a SIDE load; that I would believe more readily.
Regards,
Mack
“Close enough for government work=measured with a micrometer, marked with chalk and cut with an axe”
Replies
Well, unless you're using really, really dull drills, you need a LOT more downward force to push a hollow chisel through oak than you do with just a drill bit. Still, I would think a decent DP would be able to handle that.
That said, once I got a dedicated mortiser (albeit a cheapo), I said goodbye forever to the DP attachment. What a PIA that thing was.
Mike Hennessy
Pittsburgh, PA
Mack,
I too have an old Craftsman drill press with mortising attachment. While mine does not get daily use either, it has gotten regular, sometimes prolonged use, in building multiple sets of chairs for instance. Other than what I consider normal maintenance, I've had no problems over the last 32 yrs.
Drill press mortising attachments have a bad rap here on knots. I don't understand why. I've used the small dedicated machines, and they are fine, but I've not felt the need to get one and scrap my old set-up.
Ray
"----bad rap here on Knots-----"
Yeah, I've definitely gotten that impression as well. I use my mortising set like you do; once in a while but "prolonged" as you put it. I haven't had a bit of trouble with it. I keep the chisels and the bits very sharp and clean and I have a "two ruler" method of aligning the chisel to the fence. I certainly works better for me than the drill guide and chisel that I used in "the beginning"!
Regards,
Mack"Close enough for government work=measured with a micrometer, marked with chalk and cut with an axe"
Mack,
Well you know what they say :
"Great minds run in the same channel."
Or is it:
"Fools think alike."
Ray
LOL!! It's definitely one of the two!!!
Regards,
Mack"Close enough for government work=measured with a micrometer, marked with chalk and cut with an axe"
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