Selecting a Mortising Machine

[AmishWarlord]

I'm wanting to get a mortising machine.

From the ones I've looked at I
think I like the Shop Fox and the Delta.

Which one of the two do you
guys think I should get?

 

[toolferone]

I have the Delta. I like the bigger access door for the bit. The table is bigger. There is also some debate on slow or fast rpm. The Delta is slow, I don't know about the shop fox.

 

[FlyingRon]

I've got the shop fox but I've not had a chance to use it much, the return mechanism is a little funky but usable. Mine came with a chunk broken out of the casting of the base which doesn't seem to harm it any.

 

[MarkE]

Wood magazine just did a review of mortisers.

 

[Charles Lent]

You should seriously consider making mortises with a plunge router before going this route. I'm not trying to stop you if you are convinced that a mortiser is for you, but I switched to using a plunge router and then sold my square chisel mortising machine. The plunge router just does it better, faster, and easier.

1. A plunge router and a straight bit makes much smoother, more precise cuts, so your tenons can be made to fit better.
2. You probably already own the router.
3. You can make "floating tenon" stock using your table saw, and you don't need the tenon cutting fixture for the table saw. If you have a planer you can make them fit the mortises perfectly.
4. You can round the ends of your tenon stock or just leave them square and leave the 1/2 round spaces in the ends of the mortise for glue squeeze out. Most of the strength of a M&T joint comes from the long sides of the tenon and how well it fits and is glued to the sides of the mortise.
5. Floating tenon joinery lets you make matching mortises in both parts with only one setup for most joints.
6. You don't need to make tenons on the ends of your mating parts. Making tenons that are in the right position and are exactly the right size is difficult and takes many steps using a table saw and/or a router table, usually requiring a lot of hand work to get the fit correct.

Again, don't listen to me if you are totally convinced that a square chisel mortiser is the way that you want to go.

Charley

 

[merrill77]

I have the Shop Fox. I've seen some complain about burning and overheating the bit due to the higher speed motor. For me, this was easily alleviated by simply plunging faster. Between the very long arm and the higher speed bit, it chews through oak with a vengeance. I haven't used it a lot, but I love it when I do :>

 

[Weber]

I've a delta about 15 years old, not current model. It does the job, but I really do wish the "positioning" hardware were more precise. It just slops around. You can get it lproperly set but it is up to you with very little help from the machine.

 

[Joe Scharle]

I'm with Charley in that I'll always try to do a task with a router. I have a bunch of them, so I may as well!
I was late to the party with loose tenons, but when I fell down the rabbet hole, I became a convert. I make most of my joints with a Woodrat and it makes quick work of mortises (and tenons too). HOWEVER, a loose tenon in a through mortise is an ugly thing. So, I have a Steel City mortiser which is about as good as any of the $300.00 machines. Bit/chisel changes are fairly easy, has rack and pinon fence (real handy) and front rollers to keep the stock trapped and allow easy sliding/positioning of the stock. You'll need at least a hand hone with fine/coarse stones. But above all, buy good chisels as soon as you can. Makes a world of difference.

 

[Bill Rhodus]

Mitch, I have the Delta in your post and will list it on ebay soon. I bought this unit 2? yrs ago, completed a table, and it sat on the bench. When I tried to use it recently I found the switch had gone bad and I replaced it with a heavier duty unit as the warranty had expired. I have the 4 chisels, riser block, sharpeninf tool for the inside of the chisel, etc. I think I will be asking $200 for it. if you are interested call me @ 803-331-3541. You can operate before purchasing if you want.