shopfox mortiser – needs shopfox bits?
I picked up a used shopfox mortiser for a reasonable price. I then picked up a cheap delta 3/8″ mortising chisel and it appears the drill bit isn’t long enough?
I’m assuming I need to buy shopfox chisels … any other brands available that anyone is aware of?
Thanks, Brad
A better refined searched yielded a previous post from planesawn (sp?)
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Sarge and forestgirl,
Based only on what I have in my shop, prior to learning enough about mortisers and the length of their chisel/bit sets, I find there are two sizes. The chisels appear to be the same length, but the bit, that portion that sticks out of the top of the chisel, appear to be two sizes.
What I will call the short ones stick about 1 and 3/4 inch out of the top of the chisel. The “long” ones are about 2 and 3/4. The short ones fit only my Delta drill press mortising attachment. The Powermatic and the Shopfox require the longer ones.
I started out using the Delta drill press mortising attachment on my first mortising project. Everything was fine except I believed too much pressure was required on the drill press handle to cut into the cherry I was using. The attachment and the chisel/bit worked fine.
So, based on that assumption, that I did not want to use my drill press in such a way as to require that much pressure I decided to buy a benchtop mortiser. Found the Shopfox for around $200 and bought it. I installed the Shopfox chisel/bit and the screaming began. That story is in another thread from a couple months or so ago. But it was while I was trying to figure out the problem with the SF that I discovered the two different lengths. As I reported earlier, I then bought the Powermatic benchtop mortiser and it is quiet, smooth, and works like a charm.
Forestgirl, you may readily know this, but one important/critical thing to do is to polish all four sides of the chisel. The roughness of the way it comes will grab the wood and make it more difficult to cut into the wood. I used 3M micron paper on glass to smooth and polish.
Also, someone mentioned the sharpening cones from Lee Valley. They are inexpensive, about 8 bucks I believe, and, again, based on my now 4 sets of chisel/bits, I find the cones work in all of the chisels. There may be different angles, but not in the ones I have. I have a Jet set (long), a Fisch set (short), and a couple of other no name sets in addition to the SF (long). The cones appear to work in all of them. As you would know, the sharper that chisel is the better it cuts.
Edited 10/13/2006 11:05 pm ET by bww_maryland
Replies
Check Lee Valle .They sell bits that are long and you can cut to length.
Shopfox has its own setup for the auger. You have to lower the auger about 1/8" so you don't have the chirp. I have one and this minor adjustment works. They do have the longer mortising chisels and would be a good investment. Most of my joinery is with mortise and tendon. Used to do it the old fashioned way but the shopfox has cured me by making the process faster. Any machine that can duplicate hand done is a benefit, when it speeds up the project I'm working on. Sharpening the auger bit and fine tuning the inside of the mortising chisel with a round steel file helps. The cone sharpener works to keep the edges sharp. American chisels are usually 45 degrees, so you have to tilt the cone sharpener to each edge to lap the correct angle. A lubricant spray inside the chisel is a good idea to keep friction to a minimum. Hope this helps!
bww,
It appears you have copied a post of mine from a few months ago. As you might have seen in my text, Jet's chisel&bit sets are long.
Want to buy another SF mortise machine?
Alan - planesaw
Planesaw, 1st off, sorry for the typo on your name.
Thanks for the offer on the SF mortiser, but I just told my wife no more used tools. The 25% $ I save buying used, cost me 25%+ more in time lost. My parents raised me frugilie (ie, cheap) ... i need to get past this!
I put my $40 order into grizzly this mornign for a set of SF mortising chisels.
- Brad
Brad,
Didn't even notice the misspelling. As long as the bank will cash the check, I don't care how you spell it. :-)
You might go back to the thread where you found my posting and review one from Sarge. He talked with Shop Fox and they told him they have their bits made a little different. My SF, with SF chisels & bits, have a very loud noise from the grinding of the chisel on the bit. And, yes, I have them set properly. My conclusion was I got what I paid for. Althought I didn't like the volume of the noise, it alone was not my problem. It was the rubbing of the chisel on the bit which heated the bit to blue.
With poor customer service at SF, I gave up and bought a Powermatic and it runs very smooth and quiet. No burning of the chisel and bit at all.
Like you I don't like to waste money, or anything, but at some point I have learned it is simply better to cut my losses and move on.
Have fun makin' sawdust.
Alan - planesaw
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