Replies

1. 
   rob.kelly | Jul 25, 2000 02:43am | #1

   *
   Search the entire site for "mortiser" or "Laguna mortiser"

1. 
   CStanford_ | Jul 25, 2000 03:53am | #2

   *They are great and I would not be without mine. Beats mortising with a router by a mile in my opinion. Don't let anyone sell you the line about a mortiser not cutting a smooth wall. They will.If I'm faced with a mortise I can't cut with my machine, I cut them by hand.

1. 
   Douglas_Vincent | Jul 30, 2000 06:18am | #3

   *I give the Multi-Router by JDS Company a two thumbs up! Chair making is a breeze, and I would go on and on but I don't want to but it is worth every penny and more if you want to use it even semi-commercially.

1. 
   William_Tandy_Young | Jul 31, 2000 11:54pm | #4

   *If you're thinking of a hollow chisel machine, if you can afford one that has a moving table, it makes a big difference. You can scoot the work from side to side under the chisel very fast and make nice mortises in a hurry.Try to get a machine that has a 1725 rpm motor. I'll never understand why manufacturers put 3450 motors on hollow chisel machines. The cutters are basically auger bits, and they actually do better at slower speeds. No burning, and efficient cutting.A mortiser with a hand lever instead of a foot pedal will give you more sensitivity and control. Foot pedal machines get uncomfortable to operate after a few mortises.We have a Taiwanese mortiser which works fine. The same basic machine is sold under various names: Lobo, etc. It's not as fancy as a Multico and it has its shortcomings, but we tuned it up so that the problems are eliminated or minimized. Expect to do that to almost any machine to get truly decent performance.I've spent a fair amount of time prepping and maintaining the chisel sets. This is a must. If you can't stand honing and reaming, you may be better off with a router-based mortising rig.

1. 
   Bob_Cunningham | Aug 03, 2000 10:08pm | #5

   *Douglas is right on with his praise of the Multi-router. I was reluctant at first because of the price (which I understand has just gone up) but after owning it for a while I would do mortises no other way. I have tried hand mortising and have owned a hollow chisel mortise(Delta), but honestly these ddotven come close to the ease and accuracy you get with the M..

2. 
   Aaron_Speiser | Dec 14, 2000 03:50am | #6

   *The Multi-Router rules.I was dubious at first, but have seen the light.Buy one, and also buy a case of double stick tape.

3. 
   Kevin_Jenness | Dec 27, 2000 08:52am | #7

   *I have had a Steton (Italian) slot mortiser for 10 years- it is great for round end mortises. I use it a lot for spline tenons. Very smooth, strong and easy to set up. I also have a Delta benchtop hollow chisel machine for occasional sash work, square pins and the like, but the slot mortiser gives a smoother wall and a better gluing surface. Had a mult-irouter briefly, but found it rather whiny with the router motor, though accurate enough- not easy to set up for tenoning though, so I sold it. I think for much use for custom work the Italian machines are a good choice, but not cheap.

4. 
   DanO_Kelley | Dec 29, 2000 10:31pm | #8

   *Douglas-Where do you get a multi-router? Looked in Winter 2K issue of FWW and no listing for JDS Company. My local tool retailers have no idea. Any help would be appreciated.DanO

5. 
   Rick_K | Dec 30, 2000 04:25am | #9

   *I think it was a woodworkers of new mexico catalog that had the multi-router. For $600 the laguna/robland is a good way to go for an inexpensive slot mortiser.http://www.lagunatools.com/mortiser.htm By the time you pay for a souped up multi-router you can almost buy a real slot mortiser. There was a good article in FWW a few issues ago where a guy made one with drawer slides. I knew someone who did something similar 15 years ago and to my surprise it worked really well. I've used an old handmill that was converted pretty easily to a mortiser similar to the one in the attached picture. Inexpensive and very accurate and a little on the heavy side. Loose tenons are super slick especially on angled jointery. Kind of new technology (1950's) from Europe that hasn't really been grasped by american woodworkers.

6. 
   Don_Hamel | Dec 30, 2000 06:50am | #10

   *www.thejdscompany.com

7. 
   Tom_Witt | Mar 18, 2001 01:28am | #11

   *I have had two mortisers over the years. The first was a hollow chisel mortiser from Garrett Wade. I tried it on a piece of Bubinga and it wandered and the sides were sloppy. I returned it.A couple years later I purchased the Rojek slot mortiser from TechMark. It is a very nice machine for 1074.00 though it has gone up now. This is a heavy machine. As heavy as my 15" planer. It cuts clean walled mortises and is easy to use. If you're doing alot of chairs I'm sure the Multi-Router is superior but at this point there is a 2000.00 difference even without the bells and whistles you can buy for the Multi-Router.So the Rojek seems like an ideal medium. One note- in the old days when mortise and tenons were created they were joined with pins. Today they are joined with glue for the most part. Glue relies on an intimate bond unless you are using gap filling glue. From my experience you can't get an intimate bond with a hollow chisel mortiser. JMHO.. Tom