Replies

1. 
   BG | May 29, 2003 02:06pm | #1

   BigDonny,

   Buy it....it dosen't matter.  It will sell for a lot higher if it dosen't work for you. I have not used either (attachment or morticing machine) but I suspect there is a sinificant speed differential between the two options.  But for $25 bucks, why wonder and never know...

2. 
   JeffKurtz | May 29, 2003 02:35pm | #2

   Buy it.  I've been told mortising machines produce better cuts, but I've never had any complaints on my drill press.  Would suggest you attach to a heavy duty drill press to avoid any "flex" which will produce a poor cut.

   Jeff

1. 
   larry309 | May 29, 2003 05:29pm | #3

   Buy it, like the man said you can sell it later and use the money to buy a mortising machine.  I just bought a Delta to replace a Delta mortising attachment.  I did 80 mortisies(sp) the alignment was perfect, and the edges are good it took me about 2 hours for four seperate boards.  I had been using the attachment on my small Delta drill press and I had seen lateral movement of the quill when I was using the mortising attachment.  The attachment is ok for an occasional mortise but for more than occasional use I would go with the machine.

   larry

1. 
   JeffKurtz | May 29, 2003 08:37pm | #5

   Larry,

   Do you know anybody who uses one on a larger drill press?  I have used mine on a 16.5" Delta stationary press for several years now and found the results satisfactory.  (I also like the fact that on the DP I can run the chisel at lower speeds.  I usually run it at about 800 rpm and get no smoking whatsoever.)

   Jeff

1. 
   larry309 | May 29, 2003 10:05pm | #6

   Jeff,

   I don't know anyone who is using the mortisiing attachment on a 16 inch Delta..  I talked to one guy a the Dayton Woodcrafta store and he has used one on occasion, but he didn't say what size drill press he had.

   I just did 80 mortises in walnut using the 1/2 bit and I did not get any burning or any problems.  Take that back, on one or two occasion I drilled next to a knot and it took a little extra pressure to get the chisle in, but all and all I am very pleased with the Delta.  BTW it is the 14-651.

   larry

3. 
   scooter1 | May 29, 2003 07:43pm | #4

   There is no appreciable difference. Both use the same chisels, and it is actually slightly easier to change chisels with the mortiser. The problem with the drill press attachment is set up time. But if you leave it on a drill press full time, its a push.

   I love my dedicated mortiser. It has made me a better carpenter and woodworker, because I now think about using mortise and tennon joints where I would have used half laps, bisquits, or dowels before.

   Regards,

   Boris

   "Sir, I may be drunk, but you're crazy, and I'll be sober tomorrow" -- WC Fields, "Its a Gift" 1934

4. 
   user-17340 | May 29, 2003 10:49pm | #7

   Buy it !!

   I mounted a mortising attachement on a 10 inch craftman drill press, but it was too low, so I changed the tubing on the drill (10 inch longer) and it work like a charm

   Bob in Sherbrooke, Province of Québec

5. 
   AlanTurner | May 30, 2003 12:51am | #8

   I use the Delta attachment on my 15" Delta, and it works just fine.  I would like  a dedicated mortiser, but have my sights set high, and haven't found one yet in my price range.  There was a Yates American, converted to single phase, on ebay out of DesMoines, Iowa, abot 1 or 2 months ago.  Went for $816.  I should have gone higher.  It had a table that tilted, and was a nice, heavy, older machine.  Oh well.

   As to the changing over, takes about 3-4 minutes is all, once you set it up to begin.  No big deal.

6. 
   Elcoholic | May 30, 2003 06:19pm | #9

   For occaisional mortising get it.  For more than occaisional mortising in really hard wood they are marginal.  A drill press has much less leverage and a much lighter duty quill feed mechanism than a HCM.  Mortising will be harder on the DP and your arm.  Since you are willing to dedicate the space and a press to a full time set-up I'd guess you are planning to do more than occaissional mortising.  I would go with the machine.  BTW the chisels for a drill press/adapter set-up are not the same or interchangable with a HC Mortiser.  The shanks of the auger bits are much longer because of the adapter, or a least my Jet ones are.  After busting the rack gear on a Delta benchtop HCM I'm going for a PM719A floor model HCM on the next job with lots of mortises in QSWO.

   John O'Connell - JKO Handcrafted Woodworking

   Life is tough.  It's tougher if you're stupid - John Wayne

7. 
   ccampbell | May 30, 2003 06:38pm | #10

   For $25 you probably can't go wrong, but there is a difference that I haven't really seen mentioned here.  Just leaving it in the press isn't the only problem.  Adjusting the attachment each time you need make a different cut is the biggest pain to me.  I have the Delta attachment in a 14" press.  There are too many moving parts for the setup for the cut to be easy.  The fence and the table both move in several directions, which makes it difficult to get a square cut.

8. 
   RANGERP75R | Jun 01, 2003 02:22am | #11

   BIGDONNY

      If you have the opportunity to compare a drill mortise attachment and a BT mortiser, by all means do so. Cut a piece of ash, hickory or maple to about a two inch depth. I won't make a suggestion on which to buy, but I bet you notice a big difference in the two in both set-up and efficiency.

      I agree with ELCOHOLIC that a drill press is not designed to take the stress a mortiser is. The DP is a finesse machine and the correct rpm and sharp bit do the work. You put big loads on a press when you use it to mortise. Big loads equal wear and wear equals excessive run-out. That boils down to in-accurate holes eventually and replacement of press parts.

   Good luck...

   sarge..jt

9. 
   vacabby | Jun 01, 2003 05:34am | #12

   Sarge and the boys are correct.    The cantilevered design of the DP is not conducive to repeated use as a mortiser.    To mortise a 3/4" cut you are putting the pressure of a 3" chisel on the head of the machine.    The dedicated machines have the motor positioned directly above the bit/chisel and the force moves in one direction.    The rack that drives the chisel into the wood is also much closer to the work in the dedicated machine and not being stressed at 12 to 18 inches offset from the work.

   At 25 bucks you can't go wrong.   Put it in your next yard sale and at least double your money.    I don't recommend them for everyone because I would rather see guys that only do a small bit of M and T work to use some skills and drill out and clean up their own mortises.    A dedicated machine is great if you do production work, your wife doesn't care how much you spend on tools, or you can get one for $25 bucks.   What a deal.

   jb