Need some experience help.
I have used three methods for cutting mortises. They are 1) router table, 2) mortising bit and chisel in a drill press and 3) hand cutting. I don’t like any of them. I’m considering buying a plunge router and using it with a jig. Before I do that I thought I would tap your expertise.
What is the “best” method for cutting mortises?
Replies
Hi Dave, I also have used all three methods and for the last few years I have had a Delta dedicated bench type morticer and it is by far the best ever. I have cut several hundred mortices with no problems with the Delta machine. I would never want to go back to any of the other three methods. The drill press was the most cumbersome and inconvenient. It always seemed as soon as I had the mortice attachment set up I needed the drill press for another purpose.
Thanks for your answer.
My problem with the drill press mortising was the bit/chisel. Sometimes the wood would -he,he - hang up between the auger and the chisel. It would have to be taken apart and cleaned. Sometimes the chisel would twist a little bit giving you a stepped mortise. As things heated up, I've had the bit slip out of the chuck a little bit causing a deeper mortise than the original set up.
Does the dedicated mortiser eliminate these problems?
Dave
Dave:
Sorry to butt-in. I just bought a mortiser as I stated and did some extensive shopping. Shop-Fox my choice with the General-International close second.
Drill press motisers are just that, an after-thought attachment to put on a drill-press. You don't get the leverage from handle, etc. What your experiencing is rack (or twist) and as you have found out, can cause frustration and even possible breakage of chisel. I've had some situations that I thought explosives would be a quicker fix. Ha..
Mortisers have to have a square fence and table like any other tool to eliminate the rack. They also have a much more adequate hold down. Mortisers are designed to mortise. Most of the b/t models get the job done. Some have better hold-downs and front clamps than others. All can be tweaked to work light years ahead of the drill press. I did extensive comparisons b-4 I bought as I usually do. If your interested I will tell you what I found. Reply e-mail or post if you wish.
Good luck and have a great day!!
Sarge..john
Thanks for your reply. Yes I would be interested in your research on the mortisers.
Dave
Dave:
I looked at 5 models, armed with micrometer and square. First all were very good and all had something I would change. Tweaked out, with small corrections I could say mostly good about all. IMO only, the Delta, Jet and Bridgewood had too short of handles. Longer handles mean more leverage. Can be corrected easily by sliding 22" pipe over exsisting. These also would require a slight more tweaking as I would have preferred sturdier hold-downs. You can compensate with Quick-Clamps. They were a few .000 more off than General International and Shop-Fox (fence-table). All models require some tweaking.
I bought the S/F b-4 I looked at G/I. I caught a floor-model as the only one left in stock and pulled a poker bluff with I needed immediately so I would go with competitor. Got it for $185. S/F does not come with chisels and retails $235 my area. It has dual columns in rear and very solid. It weights 90 lb.s and looks like a floor model after I built a dedicated cabinet base. I changed the table to a solid piece of phenolic to eliminate warp and added 1/4 phenolic plate to fence. Mel is correct on keeping chisel parallel to fence as any tool. The only thing I didn't like about it was it runs at 3450 rpm. I prefer 1750 pm. It is quicker but you have to watch feed rate to keep from scorching wood. Just practice and no problem.
I looked at General after I bought as was curious. Very solid with good machine specs and a great front crank hold-down. So good I built one and it now sits in front of my S/F on the cabinet table. he...It has 1750 or 1725 (forgot exactly) and very good hold downs. Both S/F & GI come with long handles. The G/I retails $350 my area (Atlanta) and has the Taiwanese chisel with it. A little overpriced to compete with others even though hold downs are good.
Like I said, I would be satisfied with all I looked at. I got a deal on the one that I thought edged all out in machining, sturdiness, hold downs ( with exception GI front h/d ) and last price. You have to get chisels but, I would have opted for better grade chisels anyway. They will hold much better edges when honed.
Hope this helps. This is my opinion only. Go see for yourself. That's why this a great country, Freedon Of Speech and Choice.
Good Luck and if you still have a question- Shout this way!!
Sarge..john
Thanks again for the info.
Your right. The people that try to beat up on us are the people who have never experienced "The American Way". May God continue to bless America.
Dave
Dave (and Sarge)
I have the General international. $30 more than the shop fox. Same power motor, but a WAAAAY better hold down system. (Sorry Sarge<grin>) Get a good set of chisels. I just finished doing a complete house full of custom doors out of oak, Not a single problem with the mortiser. But man, lifting all those oak doors sure got the muscles sore.
Michael
3DOG3
Glad you like the General. I choose the SF as I got a floor model for $185. I love the front hold-down on the General. I built one from a veneer clamp. The General is $300 local and the SF is $235 retail. I could have been happy with either. I think thye're the best two in that price range.
I'm working on a sliding table for the Fox. I have a tendency to modify everything. ha...
Have a good day..
sarge..jt
Hey Sarge:
When you get that sliding table done, post a picture with some basic construction tips. Sounds like a really good idea! Got my General for $285 local. Can't beat your price though.
Michael
3DOG
I am going to look at a machinist sliding vise to see if there is a way to produce it cheaper. I also have a few back-up ideas on another way to achieve. Can't promise, but if I fail it won't be cause I didn't give it a shot at field expediency to get the job done.
Be happy to share if I come up with a working slide.
Have a good evening..
sarge..jt p.s. I like that green color for some reason. ha...
Dave:
I noticed I missed portion of your question. Does mortiser eliminate wood being caught between chisel and bit. I went to a better grade of chisel and bits as S/F doesn't come with the Taiwanese ones most others do. After doing about 30 cuts with my bench-top on various scraps I am not having much difficulty with problem. I noticed softer woods get caught up easier and expecially noticed when the wood was not what I considered proper dryness ( 8%-12% ) had more of tendency. Eliminated some build-up by spraying bit with Pam. Don't ask as it works on saw blades.
I only have about 30 or so practice cuts, so someone that has been using a mortiser ( Mel ) can give you a better answer.
Sarge..john
I, as a novice, was able to routinely get accurately cut mortises with a bench top mortiser. This left me with the time to and inclination to build my skills solving many of the other problems that arise in joinery.
Dave, the dedicated Delta morticer eliminated all the problems you mentioned. Take a little time setting up and you will get good clean cuts very smooth sides, in fact you can hardle see ith individual plunges. It is all in getting the chisel perfectly parallel with the fence. I have never had the bit slip or the chisel twist. Like others have said the morticer is very quick to set up with the adjustable depth stop and sliding fence.
Mel
My choice would be to get the router. There all all sorts of cheap, accurate jigs for router-cut mortises, and they will have cleaner walls (better gluing surface) than any of the other methods you mentioned.
Besides, you'll find many other uses for the router.
Edited 8/24/2002 6:19:21 PM ET by Donald C. Brown
Edited 8/24/2002 6:20:10 PM ET by Donald C. Brown
Edited 8/24/2002 6:20:54 PM ET by Donald C. Brown
Don---
My qualms about the plunge router approach have to do with the depth of the mortise. For example, an article in the current issue of FWW describes a process using a plunge router and floating tenons. But it looks to me as if the tenons are only going to penetrate each piece about an inch or so. This may be plenty for a face frame on a cabinet, but is this enough for a chair or other application requiring significant strength?
Mark--
The depth of the mortise will depend on the amount of plunge travel of the router and the total length and cutting length of the bit.
My large DeWalt router has 2-3/4" of plunge travel, and I have a solid carbide 1/2" bit that has 2-1/8" of cutting length. That bit is long enough so that I have to plunge only a little way to rest the end of the bit on the surface. I can cut 1/2" mortises nearly 2'' deep with that combination.
Of course, some bits are much shorter, and much of the plunge travel is taken up just getting to the surface, but extra-long bits are available.
For the small-diameter bits used in the FWW article, a practical depth of an inch or a little more is imposed because lengthy, small-diameter, bits tend to rotate unstably at high router speeds. No matter the cutting diameter, a half-inch shank is preferable to a quarter-inch one.
Thanks, Don. A 2" mortise and tenon sounds terrific. But what do you think of 1" mortise with a floating tenon? Preferable to a biscuit joint? I remember the FWW article a couple years back concluding that the M&T joint is strongest, but I think those tenons were considerably longer.
Mark--
I think most woodworking joints are way overdesigned for the stresses the piece is likely to encounter. How much stress is a table subjected to? By and large, tables just sit there year after year.
Your example of a chair, is one piece of furniture that is routinely subjected to joint abuse. Even so, my guess is that even a 1" tenon tightly fit in a matching mortise would provide plenty of overstrength. The real problem in an M&T joint comes when it begins to separate in withdrawal. Then racking and twisting can begin to take hold. If glue alone isn't enough to resist withdrawal, then peg the joint also.
Your question has inspired me to open a new thread. See if you can find it.
Don,
Rich Rose was looking at some of the issues surrounding the use of a plunge router for mortising. I do not know what he concluded, but one of the issues was long and narrow (1/4") bit availability. The link below appeared to solve that issue....
http://www.national-tool.com/HTML/square-XL.html
BG,
Since then, I have not had any need for the 1/4 inch bits, so I haven't tried them. I've been mortising with a Freud 1/2 inch double flute carbide tipped router bit, not an end mill. It gives me just over 2" mortising depth in my Bosch plunge router which is what I wanted. The equivalent in an end mill is twice the price in solid carbide! (Lowes has the Freud at $19) Can't find a HSS end mil in the length I want.
I might still get the 1/4 inch end mill. It's $14 which is reasonable. They have to be used at way below a router's top speed or "end whip" is a problem. I don't know how slow the Bosch is going when I dial it down with my outboard "Made in Taiwan Router Speed Control" (that's its actual name on the face plate). The speed control is a full-wave Triac unit which maintains very good torque even at low speed.
Rich
I use my router for mortising and solved the short router bit by using an endmill from a machinist supply company. I think the bit I have is 4" overall with a 2" cut 1/2" diameter. It is solid carbide and it cost me less than an actual router bit.
I'm curious about the experiences those of you who are using end mill bits. My favorite set up is a plunge router and a microfence for average size mortises. For larger mortises or a lot of them, I'll set up the slot mortiser that hangs off the back of my jointer and use bits specifically designed for slot mortisers. Guhdo is one manufacturer of them. They look nothing like end mills. The machinery rep who sold me the jointer with the mortiser said end mill bits would work fine. When I tried end mill bits, however, they were very prone to wander. The only way I got decent mortises with a HSS endmill was to make successive plunge cuts and then a final, slow clean out cut across. If it grabbed any, the slot was sloppy. Way more trouble than it was worth. I gave up on end mills. The slot mortise bits, on the other hand have no flex and a plunging motion while going side to side gives a "router clean" cut. It's fast too. Real fast. So what cutting technique are you all using with end mill bits and are they really OK to use at router speeds (the slot mortiser is going at about 6,000 RPM).
Can you give any sources for those slot mortiser bits. What speed do the run best at? What is the max depth of cut?
The Guhdo bits I got from my local machinery dealer (Texas), but anyone who can order Guhdo for you can get them. Go to Guhdo.com and access the catalog. The bits are in Chapter 6 on about page 13 or 14 and are called SP Mortise Bits. I think the prices were generally in the teens per bit. I figured out the mystery of getting the right tooling for this slot mortiser by just canvassing the tooling specialists at either the Anaheim or Atlanta shows in the last few years. One company that sells a lot of dedicated slot mortising machines (Balestrini, Micron) and can get any kind of tooling for them is Solid Wood Systems. I believe you can probably find them though a directory on Woodweb.com.
Wow, thanks for the info. Looks like there US office is about 30 mins from me. I'll give them a call tomorrow. I was planning on picking up some end mills but maybe I'll give these a shot instead.
BDavis
I've been using endmill bits for years with great results. I use a HSS two flute style for cutting aluminum. A lot cheaper as well. Just go side to side while plunging in. 6,000 rpm isn't a problem. We have a Griggio slot mortiser but I have used them in a Bini as well as other commercial slot mortisers not to mention in converted handmills which make terrific slot mortisers that can be picked up for scrap prices if you can find the right scrap yard.
Rick
Rick,
I'm glad to hear of your experience. I'll look in my tool drawers to see if what I had was two flute or four. I do recall the bits are HSS, Hanita brand. And they are for aluminum. I had a chuck for them. My Guhdo bits use a 16mm collet - which seems to be a more substantial holding device, but I can use either on the machine. How do the machines you use hold the bits, chuck or collet? The Guhdo bits are doing great, and are not hard to get with a little lead time. But of course end mills are always more readily available and the more options that can work for me, the better.
Thanks
Most mortise machines use a two jaw chuck. Collets are better but for woodworking it really isn't signifigant unless it's router bits in a CNC. Everyone I know uses endmills in their mortiser with no problems. I've never heard of anyone having the experience you had. What's the make on your machine? I checked with Gudho and a 3/8" bit lists for $31. I can get 3/8" HSS endmills for a lot less and the cut is fine. I'm curious about the collet thing you have. Gudho makes essentially the same size bits with different shanks. So you are using a 16 mm shank bit. Is this bit cheaper in a smaller shank? I'm assuming you can unscrew your chuck and put on a collet holder instead.
"The only way I got decent mortises with a HSS endmill was to make successive plunge cuts and then a final, slow clean out cut across. If it grabbed any, the slot was sloppy. "
Your above technique with endmills gives me the worst results. Side to side while plunging gives me excellent results even with the most inexpensive endmill. So why does it work for me and not you? Typically running it between 3,450 and 5,000 rpm.
Hi Rick,
Got a question on endmills: is there any difference between a HSS endmill and a HSS upcut spiral router bit? I was about to order endmills of the 2-flute HSS center cutting type from MSC, but came across Onsrud HSS upcut router bits in the Lee Valley catalog. I'm looking at using these for horizontal mortising at 3500-4500 RPM.
If I go with MSC, is the 2-flute center cutting type the way to go for horizontal mortising?
Thanks,
Rick
Rick
I'm sure there is a difference but off the top of my head I'm not sure. I'd be willing to bet something is different in the geometry of shear angles. The Onsrud are probably better for the high speed of a router so it might not perform as well at low speed but then again it might. I'm still learnin' this stuff too. I've had good luck with the inexpensive HSS 2 flutes. Sometimes I go for the ones designed to machine aluminum. The inside of the mortise has always been cleaner and in better shape than any mortises done with a chisel or chain mortiser. I keep catalogs from Enco, McMaster, J &L and find the import tooling for metal working is more than satisfactory for wood.
Rick
Rick,
Thanks for suggesting Enco. I used to get great deals from them when they had a local showroom, but I hadn't thought of Enco after they closed down the showroom years ago. I will order some 4-flute endmills and see how they work out.
Rick
Rick
I think 2 flutes are better and cut faster. It's like trying to rip with a crosscut blade...less teeth take less power.
Rick
Rick,
Oops! Too late, I was placing an order for 4-fluters when your message came in. As they say in France, Oh well...
I must have been re-reading a FWW reprint of an article on horizontal mortising by Ross Day- he mentions he likes 4-flute endmills, and that's why it stuck in my head. I'm sure they will be fine for weekend-warrior use where speed is not an issue. I'm also guessing that they will be less prone to flex than the 2-flute.
I'm going to try these endmills first in my lathe- the lathe fitted with Jacobs chuck and adjustable table. If it works well, then I plan on building a dedicated mortiser, just a heavy-duty belt-driven spindle with Jacobs chuck. Thanks for the tips.
Rick
Rick
Watch out with the Jacobs chuck. The kind you screw on would be the one to use. The ones held on with just a taper tend to come loose with lateral pressure.
Rick
Rick,
My mortiser is attached to an SCM F410 (16" jointer). It's heavy, works smoothly, accurately and is obviously overpowered for mortising. The chuck is a two jaw that opens/closes with an allen wrench. The optional collet is 16mm and either can be threaded and locked onto the cutterblock extension. The endmills I tried and were dissapointed with are HSS Hanita bits. Most of the endmills I saw did not have a very long cutting length, so I got extra long models. The XL endmills are about as long as the Guhdo bits. I just thought anything shorter in an endmill would be useless. I can tell you that the problem with the endmills I had was they flexed. I could see them flex when I fed side to side. That's why they wandered. Scared the daylights out of me. I remember being thankful one did not snap - specifically recalling using a 1/4 or 5/16". As far as the Guhdos -- I bought a number of them - last purchase was about a year ago. No way would I have bought a bunch of them at $30 each. Maybe they gave me a good deal looking to sell that next tool to me. I'm going to measure the cutting length on those endmills this weekend and get back to you. I'd be happy to find out what your brands/sources are and what the cutting length is on the ones you are having good luck with. You've got me determined to find some endmills that will work enough to make a comparison with what I've got.
I read your comments and the many responses regarding Mortising and which chucks are best.
I don't know some of the brands mentioned so speak only out of my experience.
In 1977 I purchased a 10" INCA table saw with a morticing table and chuck mounted on the side, as you might suspect it necesitated a tilting table saw. Since then I have used the mortising attacement many many times using end mills, four fluted HSS. Just recently I added a 5/8" and 3/4" bit as well. The chuck is a jacobsen style with an adjustment that takes a lot of turns but is quite beefy-strong I mean.
I love the tool. I tried a long bit, 2 flute totally carbide at a cost of about $55. It cut wonderfully but on a big project recently the two pointed tips at the ned of the flutes broke off. That is one problem with carbide, being so hard it is also very brittle.
The back and forth table action which leaves rounded ends took a bit of getting used to, meaning that I did hand work to fit the tenons except with floating tenons which could be milled with table saw and rounded with a router.
In a later FWW magazine, I saw that someone had purchased the INCA table separate from the saw and used it with a router body for which they had made a special benchmount that held the router on its side. That would probably be the best solution for somone making a lot of mortices.
INCA is no longer imported by Garrett Wade, and the later models did not have the mortising table, so it would require one of those multi tools for routers that have moving tables to accomplish the same thing using currently available shop tools.
Enjoy the mortice and tenon, it is a wonderful and satisfying way to get a solid and long lasting joint.
I had a problem with the upspiral bit in a router-it is supposed to lessen splintering on the bottom side of a the cut-but in making a rather lengthy track for a tambour it just kept creeping out of the chuck, I had damaged one of the sections of my project so had to cut that part away and reglue and later use a stand router bit for the tambour track. It finally cut a track about 11/2" deep before I found out what was happening-obviously I was working on a thick piece of white oak.
Ted
You can get that end mill sharpened. Look in the yellow pages or on the net for tool grinding or tool and cutter grinding, or call a machine shop and ask where they get their tools sharpened.
You might also want to take a look at end mills with replacable inserts. One source is http://www.mscdirect.com Search for indexable end mills. Or call (800)645-7270 and they'll send you a free catalog.
Thank you "uncle Dunc!"
I appreciate your helpful comments. I will check out the possibility of getting a place that can sharpen the end of my carbide bit, also the connected tips sounds worth following up.
Best wishes,
Ted
Ted...glad to meet another slot mortiser enthusiast.
I find the HSS two flute endmills made for machining aluminum work best and are really inexpensive for 3/8" and under. I don't find carbide necessary at all. 3.500 to 5,000 rpm is what the commercial units run at.
Laguna sells a similar unit to the inca but it's a lot heavier duty. By the time you set it up though you could buy the dedicated Rojek slot mortiser which has a few nice features such as a repeatable stop bar for doweling. The JDS multi-router is nice but at that price I would just as soon go with a commercial unit. Being able to tenon is nice but the whole idea of the slot mortiser is the speed and accuracy for production and custom one offs. I keep tenon stock already prepared so it ready to go in an instant. For the most part you don't even have to round the tenons off in my experience. That's the "float" aspect that makes it really fast and forgiving.
Slot mortiser chucks are typically a two jaw type and if you buy the Laguna it comes with it as the mortiser is the unit that you mount on a combination machine so with a couple of pillow blocks and a shaft this is an option versus the noisy whine of a router.
For the person who wants to try slot mortises on a shoe string budget build the unit featured in FWW #141.
There's also a machine called a handmill which is obsolete in the metal working industry that can be converted to a slot mortiser with very little work if one can find the ones that use collets. Usually they can be had for scrap prices if you know where to look.
I can't say enough good things about the slot mortiser. Perfect for angled tenons and a snap for say and apron setting back 1/4" by putting a shim under the respective part. It's a shame that FWW hasn't really done a good in depth article on the benefits of this tool. It's truly one of the best kept secrets of woodworking. Would you believe it's been around since the 50's.
Rick
Thanks Rick!
You have opened my eyes to new possibilities. I will pursue the idea of the hand mill and see what kind of tool that is. I am with you that the whine of a router can be annoying-however my variable speed router might reduce that somewhat. I like the idea of a dedicated machine so that you don't do set up everytime you want a mortice cut.
Sounds like you are out in front of some of us who earn our keep other ways and do wood as our hobby and passion.
Best wishes and thank you for the good ideas.
Ted
Ted...another name for a handmill is a horizontal mill. Typically they have a shaft to mount circular milling cutters but there are a few that have a collet. Not that the former can't be adapted but if you can avoid it why not. The one pictured here is a Barker but there are others. This one was priced at $450 and needs a little modification plus it's a bench mount size which is a little more uncommon. Plus a worn out metal working machine is often still tighter than a new woodworking machine. In the meantime why not make the one in FWW #141. A couple of drawer slides and scraps of plywood and you are in business. The clamping set-up could use improving. You don't even need a plunge router.
Rick
Greetings Rick!
Thanks for the response and the photo! I must admit that I am very inexperienced in matters related to metal shop. When I was in high school, my brother in law taught metal shop and welding, and like a too 'smart' kid I didn't want to go to class under him so went to four years of wood shop.
A broader focus helps, as there is a lot of cross-over in machining, whether it be wood or metal.
It is pricey but am looking at the multi-router-I have asked for the current price, my memory is that it was around $1400 when I saw it demonstrated at a wood show in California.
Best wishes.
Ted
Funny thing about memory...try $2,400 and more if you got the air clamps
http://www.tools-for-woodworking.com/product.asp?0=277&1=320&3=1952
I'd build the one in FWW #141 and take the wife out for dinner and still have money left over. Next would be the Laguna...then Rojek. A commercial one starts at $3,400.
Rick
I am still awaiting their (Multi-router people) reply with the price list, maybe they are ashamed to send it out.
So like life, I waited till I could afford the $1400 and then find they are much more costly.
I actually purchased the video of a similar tool sold by a mail order house for wood workers based in Wyoming and Carolina, I think. It sold for about $500+. It worked using 3 plane movement but was much lighter construction than the multi-router.
I have been getting along with my INCA made mortising table, but after 25 years of that, feel a need for a bit more flexibility, such as angle tenon cutting, etc, not to mention more flaxibility in the size and shape of things that can be held while the mortising tool does its work.
Thanks for the input, and encouragement.
Ted
I sent you a link to the site with the price...
http://www.tools-for-woodworking.com/subcatmfgprod.asp?0=277&1=320&2=-1
I still think the one in FWW #141 is better than what you have and it could easily be made to tilt and put air clamps on it and build it for cheap and still take the wife out for dinner and have money left over.
rick
Thanks Rick!
I got a reply from the people at Multi router-you were right, $2395.
I have all or nearly all the Fine Woodworking Magazines, I will look up issue #141 and have a look. I am not remembering the specific article you and others in the forum referred to.
I am for saving money and fortaking my wife out to lunch as well.
Thanks!
Ted
The Rojek slot mortiser $1250 at the shows and just talked to Hammer and they have a dedicated mortiser at $1000. hammerusa.com Find that article!
Rick
Dave:
I just finished a cabinet for my new Shop Fox b/t mortiser. I have been using other methods for years and I'm getting lazy. The mortiser is great as other poster stated.
I will add merit to Don C. comments to go with plunge router. He is correct about a bit cleaner cut and you can build a jig or buy. If you don't already have a plunge router, in your shoes I would get it as it will preform numerous other functions. You could latter get a mortiser if you find yourself doing numerous mortises and the plunge router is sitting ready to do all the other functions it can preform..
Good luck and have a great day..
Sarge..john
I think the "best" way to cut mortises is to use a dedicated mortiser machine. I like the square ends that the mortiser makes so my tenons fit right of the saw without having to round over the corners etc. I also think set-up time is quicker with the mortiser over the plunge router.
This comment will probably receive howls of protest, but...my philosophy (I realize it is not my own and give due credit to those my like minded predecessors) is use the quickest and most effective joinery for the given situation and make sure your joints are reversible, i.e. you can take them apart for repairs later. That being said I would dispense with mortises and tenons and go with pocket screws and call it a day.
I have a PC plunge router, and bought a good edge guide for it. With that setup, I was able to do a good job on this type of joint for an end table. I laid out the mortise very carefully, and dialed in each board to account for minor thickness changes. I like to leave about an eight of an inch to chisel out, just to give my chisel something to bite into. It seemed harder if I cleaned out all the way to my end line. For medium numbers of mortises, I'd recommend this approach. For 1-2 I'd chisel them any day. For bunches of them, I might long for either the good router jig or the mortisers. It sorta boils down to your needs, room, budget, work- all that. Good luck.
A recent issue of ShopNotes magazine had a great mortising fixture for plunge routers, capable of cutting both edge and end (for "loose" tenons) mortises, the end mortises at both 90 and 45 degree angles.
I have designed and will be building a much modified version of it sometime soon (but not too soon), one which I hope will enable a plunge router to cut single and compound angled end mortises and tenons at any angle to 45 degrees as well as the standard edge mortises.
My design merges in ideas from a Fine Woodworking article on a tenon fixture for plunge routers from some years ago. I'd be happy to share my design with you. I can take e-pictures and send them to you while I build it, if you like. Maybe I'll even write an article for one of the mags.
I have a number of other jobs to complete first, so the project won't be started tomoprrow, more like the tail end of Sep or early Oct. If you need something sooner, I could send you some rough sketches.
It would be nice to see what your doing. Please keep me informed.
Thanks, Dave
Hi,
I am new this forum,I can sugest a good and effective machine for mortising as well as tennoning which I use at my shop. It is called Multi Router.I am providing a link to this machine- http://www.thejdscompany.com/Multi.htm
AB
Lee,
I've got that shopnotes put aside to build the jig sometime in the next year - please share your improvements when you can.
Thanks.
Dave
Have you considered the horizontal mortiser that was featured in FWW #141. Absolutely one of the best home built mortisers ever featured in an article and I've seen the one featured in shop notes and other mags on the stand. It uses drawer slides for the x and y axis of the table plus it's designed to be used with a regular router so no plunge is needed. I knew a guy who built something even more low budget years ago so I know it will work. I've been lucky (debatable at times) to have worked in shops with chainsaw, chisel, maka, and horizontal slot mortisers. The slot mortiser is great for one offs or production and easy to fixture for curves and angled pieces.
Rick
Just wanted to let you know I order that past issue of FWW, saw the mortiser, built it and love it. Need to get an extender for my router as the deepest i can get with my current set up is about 3/4"
Thanks again for the heads up.
Dave
Dave
Cool! Of all the plans for mortisers I've seen I think the one in FWW #141 is the best of the lot. Slot mortisers are the best kept secret of woodworking. I still can't imagine why they haven't caught on. Maybe someday Delta will make one and give it to the plaid guy on TV. Nah!
Rick
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