# Hollow chisel mortiser...worth it??



## mesarber (Oct 16, 2011)

I have successfully made several pieces of furniture. I usually stick to tables (coffee, end, hall, etc) and anything other than chairs. I have the tools necessary to do large jobs, but no solid way to cut mortises efficiently and accurately. In the past I have use a router and edge guide with reasonable success.

My question is: Is a hollow chisel mortiser worth the investment? In particular, is the machine accurate, efficient, and effective so as to warrant the expenditure? 

Any thoughts would be appreciated.


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## wericha (Apr 29, 2012)

I've got a Delta I picked off CL for $100. I love it, and have used it far more than I thought I would. I would recommend one if you have the opportunity.


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## mesarber (Oct 16, 2011)

I've been saving now, and have been long looking for a good way to cut consistent mortises that doesn't take a lot of fussing. Just wanted sine op's on the results of a hollow chisel mortiser.


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## WarnerConstInc. (Nov 25, 2008)

HCM are nice, but I am in a hurry so I got chain mortiser.


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## VIFmike (Jul 21, 2012)

I saw one of these today at Sears and I had no clue what it is. Can someone explain? maybe with pics..


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*There a few ways to make mortises*

In order of cost and speed of operation:
1. by hand, with a drill and chisel.
2. mortising attachment for a drill press
3. plunge router, and cornering chisel ( may or may not be faster than no. 4)
4. hollow chisel mortiser.
5. chain mortiser.
Are they worth it? yes, depending on your style of woodworking, especially for Mission style and Greene and Greene joinery. Also if you are making raised panel doors.

A router with a straight cut bit can out perform a hollow chisel mortiser if you make a template for each different length mortise OR have a jig that allows different length mortises.

This is the king of bench top mortisers in my opinion and the one I have:









I used it for this Mission style headboard and it works fine. I would not want to make 100 mortises with it however. I'd use a plunge router and template. 

    

Some additional links:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/sis.html?_nkw=DRILL-PRESS-MORTISING-ATTACHMENT-

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p4069.m570.l1313&_nkw=hollow+chisel+mortiser&_sacat=0

http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?_adv_prop=image&fr=ytff1-tyc7&va=router+mortise+jig


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## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

If you want a mortise machine, WoodNThings has the same recommendation as Wood magazine. The PM Mortiser got the Wood magazine "Best Tool". The only caveat was that it did not include the chisels.

Wood tested the machine with non-PM chisels then with the PM chisels and found a big difference.

So if you go with the PM machine, get the PM chisels.

A recent thread on this topic made me realise that the first cut with the chisel requires a lot of downward force.

I have a Delta retrofit for a drill press, and I was so concerned at the force I was applying to make that first cut, I stopped and left the machine to gather dust.

I can now understand why the dedicated mortise machines have the long handles. You need to apply more force than you may appreciate.

I even tried using the chisel by hand with a mallet. This was after drilling the hole. I was not able to make the chisel penetrate as needed. I may have been doing something wrong, but the first hole is not easy.

There are other options to make mortise and tenons joints.

You have been using a router for the mortise.

There are jigs to make the mortise and the tenon using a router. One more option.


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## mesarber (Oct 16, 2011)

woodnthings said:


> A router with a straight cut bit can out perform a hollow chisel mortiser if you make a template for each different length mortise OR have a jig that allows different length mortises.
> 
> This is the king of bench top mortisers in my opinion and the one I have:
> Amazon.com: Powermatic 1791310 PM701 3/4 Horsepower Bench Mortiser: Home Improvement
> ...


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*I use the Jet chisel set*

Amazon.com: Jet 708585 / MBC-5 5-Piece Chisel and Bit Set: Home Improvement

You get 5 chisels instead of 4 and they are cheaper.... :thumbsup:
Yes, the first hole is a bugger and requires much more force than you'd think, hence the long lever arm and the rugged rack and pinion gears. Yes, I like mine but for extensive use I'd find a more expedient method. I'm planning some table legs that require some long stopped mortises, and some through mortises, 4 on each leg. I'll probably use a router and a template, since it may become a short production run.


Powermatic and Jet are part of the same company WMH Tool Group:
http://www.waltermeier.com/us/en/splash.html
http://www.jettools.com/us/manufacturing/en/home.html


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## cocheseuga (Dec 15, 2010)

Dave Paine said:


> If you want a mortise machine, WoodNThings has the same recommendation as Wood magazine. The PM Mortiser got the Wood magazine "Best Tool". The only caveat was that it did not include the chisels.


$150 worth of chisels is a big damn caveat. Their review would have been better if they purchased quality chisels for each one, and not saved that little aspect for the one that just happened to get 'Best Tool.' Must be a coincidence.

Don't get me wrong, the Powermatic is drool worthy. It was a flawed review, though.


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## WarnerConstInc. (Nov 25, 2008)

There is also a night and day difference between the bench tops and floor models.

I have a chain mortiser and a Domino, work is split 50/50 between them.


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## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

mesarber said:


> woodnthings said:
> 
> 
> > There are jigs to make the mortise and the tenon using a router. One more option."
> ...


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## Scot H (Jun 2, 2012)

I had a Shop Fox mortiser given to me (new) about 5 years ago. I have been very surprised at how well it works and has held up. It's a very smooth running machine. 

The Shop Fox chisles have been another surprise, they hold an edge very well, I doubt they would hold up for long in a production shop but for $45 you can get a full set, a great deal for us weekend warriors.

That said, the biggest con I have about the Shop Fox, is the fence set up. It can be a royal pain to get it set, but once set, it locks in place and stays in place. If it had a micro adjust like some of the high end ones do, I would have no complaints at all. As it is though, it does a great job and over all I would say it's worth considering if you run on a tight budget.


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## cocheseuga (Dec 15, 2010)

I want to add that I just picked up the Craftsman a couple of weeks ago on closeout for $150. I have been building up my collection of hand tools, especially chisels, but it was too good of a deal to pass up. In the Wood review, they stated that replacement chisels were available for the ones that turned blue. I contacted them and they stated the problem had been corrected mid-production cycle. Just an FYI.


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## mesarber (Oct 16, 2011)

Thank you all for responding to the post.

It is good to hear all the recommendations and take them under advisement. I enjoy hearing about the brands or mortisers too (PM, Shop Fox, C'man, Delta, etc) because after all, once you decide the route you are going, you also have to pick the brand. haha

I will keep this post updated once I finally decide and go with the product. Thanks.


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## dbhost (Jan 28, 2008)

I have the Central Machinery Hollow Chisel mortiser. It's nothing to brag about, but I tried cutting mortises with a router / jig and had poor results, and cutting them with a mortising attachment on my drill press took too long to set up and was hard to use...

I swapped a curb find Delta miter saw I cleaned up and got running to a friend that bought the mortiser and never took it out of the box (which is why I have the Central Machinery, and not the Shop Fox I was really wanting...). 

I don't hate my CM mortiser, but I don't love it either. The hold down is flaky at best in positions where the fence is close to the chisel, the chisel actually runs into the hold down pieces. I have a workaround involving T track and t track hold downs going that really does the trick. This is not the only mortiser that is like that, hold down designs are kind of frustrating... Few work well... 

As far as pre built jigs go, I have heard very good things about the Leigh, but it is awfully pricey. 

Long story short, if my whop were in a small shed or something like that, I would probably go with a jig, either Leigh, or General. DIY jigs are okay, but time consuming, and the ones I have seen plans for are big so a storage problem...

Since I have at least a little bit more shop real estate to work with, I went with, and would go with a dedicated HCM again. Having one has really opened up a whole new world of joinery for me!


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## shopman (Feb 14, 2013)

*mortise wander*

I had one of those less expensive table top versions (cant remember brand) but quickly found that it did nothing for me. I let it gather dust for years and then just gave it away. I now have a Grizzly floor stand model which is a lot heavier and a more quality set up as far as sliding table goes. The only problem i am having right at this moment is mortise wander. I make my first cut which is the hard to press one then I do a move over about 3/4 of the width of the bit (right now I am using 3/8"). I am finding that over the course of a long (2") mortise, the mortise is wandering towards me. I have just adjusted all gibbs to take out play but the only way to get a decent motise is to do multiple "first press" holes then connect them. This is kind of a pain as the first press holes are a workout whereas slight shift cuts go so easy because the debris clears faster. The machine has sat for a while because i am just getting back into it, and although the chisel is fairly new, maybe it has gotten dull through fine rust from sitting. Anyone else have this problem? Any suggestions as to what I should try? 

PS - I am only cutting 3/8" mortises into poplar so I do not think its a wood issue.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*I get a little of that also*



shopman said:


> I had one of those less expensive table top versions (cant remember brand) but quickly found that it did nothing for me. I let it gather dust for years and then just gave it away. I now have a Grizzly floor stand model which is a lot heavier and a more quality set up as far as sliding table goes. The only problem i am having right at this moment is mortise wander. I make my first cut which is the hard to press one then I do a move over about 3/4 of the width of the bit (right now I am using 3/8"). I am finding that over the course of a long (2") mortise, the mortise is wandering towards me. I have just adjusted all gibbs to take out play but the only way to get a decent motise is to do multiple "first press" holes then connect them. This is kind of a pain as the first press holes are a workout whereas slight shift cuts go so easy because the debris clears faster. The machine has sat for a while because i am just getting back into it, and although the chisel is fairly new, maybe it has gotten dull through fine rust from sitting. Anyone else have this problem? Any suggestions as to what I should try?
> 
> PS - I am only cutting 3/8" mortises into poplar so I do not think its a wood issue.


I have the 3/4HP Powermatic bench top. It's hard to pin point where the play is, but it may be the chisel is deflecting a tiny bit. This may be because it's off center on the edge of the first hole. Who knows, but a larger chisel may not deflect.
I may have posted this above I donno, but I ended up using a router with a self centering guide and stop blocks and couldn't be happier with the results. Of course I have to square up the ends of the slots/mortises, but a few whacks with a mortise chisel and it's done. These were 1/2" wide, but I did end up using the Powermatic for the 5/16" on the Quilt Rack project.


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## Fastback (Sep 2, 2012)

I have a Jet mortiser and it works OK, but I don't use it a lot. Instead I I use a converted Barker horizontal milling machine to do my mortising. I made an aluminum table to mount to the existing small mill table. I use a 2 flute mortising bit, I have 3 bits 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2-inch. It is not real high speed maybe 3,425RPM, but it does a nice job, I usually cut my mortises in 3 cuts. They come out very neat and clean is much faster than the Jet. 

I don't think I have a picture, I'll see if I can get one. They make plans for jig to do this with routers. I don't know how well they work, but it may be worth looking in to.


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