G.I. Tilting Head Mortiser – Yes or No?
forestgirl
| Posted in Power Tools and Machinery on
My budget for a mortiser just doubled, thanks to an unexpected windfall. I’m eyeing the General International Tilting Head Mortiser, Model 75-050T. A few questions come to mind before plunking down the money and waiting 10 days for it to get into Woodcraft:
- Is it a better machine in general than the Shop Fox?
- Without the tilting feature, how much of a hassle are slanted, or even compound mortises, to do on a standard machine??
- Is the 5/8″ chisel size an advantage re: getting high-quality chisels in the future.
My use would be standard mortise-and-tenon joinery, A&C furniture, etc. TIA!!
forestgirl — you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can’t take the forest out of the girl 😉
Replies
Forestgirl,
Back some posts ago, I posted some pics of my mortiser and a purpose built cabinet for it. Anyway, I have General Int tilt mortiser. So far, I am very pleased with the performance. I chose this machine because it seems to have more bulk than the other benchtop offerings, closer to a floor model in terms of weight. Got it from my local Woodcraft, came very well boxed with no damage. Setup was a brezze. Very little to do, and a good wipe down and your off. The only thing that I think could be better is the hold down. You need two hands to tighen it and keep it alingned, so as not to wrack the clamp. Other than that, I am very happy with the machine.
pros.
heavy weight for its class, smooth lever function, good fit and finish, tilt option, and comes with a screw clamp already.
cons. hold down could be better.
good luck.
joe p
Thanks, Joe, appreciate the report. Do you happen to know if the Fisch mortising chisels will fit it? Too bad to hear of the problems with the hold-down. The one review I read, FWW #178, didn't report anything amiss. I wonder if it's a common problem??
Have you used it in the titled position much? How does it perform??
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
FG -See my post on the other Mortiser thread. I would buy the PM 719T. If you look around, you can find a deal on one too. They are changing that model to a JET and PM is going to have an even better machine. Joe
Thanks, Joe, but I really can't go upwards of $1,000 for this one machine. Other things on the agenda, and no indication I'd need that much of a machine in the next couple of years. Congrats on yours though! Keep us posted on the pros and cons.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
TPJ,
I saw that new powermatic in the pro version of woodworkers supply catalog. That thing is sweet! It's the powermatic 720HD. Has a tilit table and the table moves up and down on rack and pinion gears that go all the way down to the floor - so you can mortise something as wide as 43". $1800 street price from ww'ers supply.
Sorry for hi-jacking your thread forestgirl!
Lee
"Sorry for hi-jacking your thread forestgirl!" Not at all. They tried to sell me a PM yesterday, but whoa! My pockets aren't that deep. Nice though.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
I have no experience with fisch chiesels. I dont know if they would fit or not.
As far as the hold down goes. Let me clear it up. Its a two piece clamp that when you tighten it, it comes together and tightens around the column. You need two hands to keep clamp aligned when tightening. It certainly is a solid clamp system, but just Ithink it should be able to be done wiht one hand, for productivity reasons, thats all.
I have not used it in the tilt position yet. ( for real work)I have tilted it and done some test cut in red oak. This is where the screw press really comes in handy. Good system there. Test piece didnt move a bit. Very happy. Little pressure needed to apply to lever to get a good clean mortise. I think this machine is a huge step up from the other bench models I have looked at. ie Jet, Delta, Fisch. Yes, it was more, but they gave a beefer machine. You get what you pay for with this machine. Without going to a floor model, this really falls between a bench model and a floor model. I bolted mine to a special cabinet, put onboard vaccum, and a dedicated light. I just need to add a latteral support for longer boards though.
"I think this machine is a huge step up from the other bench models I have looked at. ie Jet, Delta, Fisch. " Exactly! A good compromise between just getting by and spending way more than one can afford or justify. I don't know what my "new life" will bring me in the next year or so, but I doubt I'll outgrow this mortiser that quickly. The smaller one worried me some.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=53252&cat=1,180,42240,53317Another option for bits. I don't have a hollow chisel mortising machine so can't rate them, but they come from LV so will probably live up to expectations.
I'm so thrilled you are going to buy a General machine I'm almost moved to buy it for you as a gift.
Edited 9/8/2006 11:31 am ET by BossCrunk
My son, who is a custom builder, just bought a Shop Fox mortiser with tilting head to use for M&Ts on a three-story circular staircase. He researched the usual brands before deciding on the Shop Fox because the ballisters have a more acute angle than typical and the other brands of tilting mortisers can't meet it. In other words, the Shop Fox can tilt more than the others -- for whatever that's worth.
That's the SF floor model, right? I don't know about the tilt on the various floor models, but this benchtop I'm looking at tilts to 180° so it should cover just about everything, LOL! Wonder how often I'll need to mortise into end grain. ;-)forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
The floor model. True.
Youa re on a buying spree lately!
I don't own the mortiser, but I can comment on GI as a brand. I own a tonne (literally) of GI and General. The machines are great. Quality control is top notch, and is only outdone by their customer service. I bought a bandsaw that arrived without an instruction manual, e-mailed GI and had a PDF copy that afternoon with an offer to send a hard copy in the mail.
The only issue I really have is that their manuals are very poor. I understand that they are rewriting them... but I've seen little imrpovement.
Buster
"Youa re on a buying spree lately!" A small one, yes. Sold my tiny business, gonna focus on something I enjoy doing (hated retail). forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Sold my tiny business, gonna focus on something I enjoy doing (hated retail).
I worked 8 months in retail while I was finishing high school. Not something I'd ever want to do again. I drill oil now. Much better.
Returning to GI, every thing in my shop is a GI except the planer (Dewalt) and Lathe (General Canada). I am very happy with it all. Compared to the alternatives it is the best available locally.
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