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[tigertiger]

Advice please.


This is a carpentry tool question.
I am thinking of buying either:
A - a drill press and mortising attachment or
B - a mortising machine.


Assumptions and other questions.
The mortising machine will accept the normal range of drill bits and can be used like a drill press (with only one speed)
Not sure how good a set up the mortising attachment would be, for solid working.
I will probably rarely, if ever, drill metals and will probably not need the gearing in many drill presses.
I will be buying at the cheaper end of the market as this is for diy/hobby use.



Any experiences to share, or advice, welcomed.

[Fastfaz]

     Hi,
         It depends what you intend to cut! is it for cutting out windows on the superstructure of a model wood or plastic only? if so go for a reconditioned mortice machine with a small size chisel bit. If its metal they are not designed for that purpose. Machinemart (in the UK) sell a drill press attachment and various sizes of chisel bits however the cost of the chisel bits and the attachment that is needed is way more than the drill press. It all comes down to how much you are going to use the machine and if the cost justifies it.
     Hope this helps.
         Cheers,
             Faz.

[david48]

I work a Shopsmith woodworking machine this does both , the mortise attachment is good but it is only good for joints and slots it would be to savage on thin ply it would not work on anything else because you still have to push the square chisel through the material that the drill leaves behind . My chisel sizes are 1/2"" 5/8" 3/8" and thy take a fair bit of weight to cut through .
David

[RAAArtyGunner]

Gearing, that is slower speeds will come in handy when also drilling some timbers, as too fast a speed will clog the drill bit and burn the cutting edge.

[tigertiger]

Shopsmith, very nice, but well out of my price range. Would be good to save on space too, as 7 tools in one http://www.shopsmith.com/markvsite/

[SailorGreg]

I will tell you my story and let you decide.  Some while ago I was planning the building of a blanket chest that had morticed joints for the frame.  My little previous experience of cutting mortises led me to buy an attachment for my pillar drill (which I already had).  It was a huge nuisance to fit and made mortises that I could do better by hand - and meant I had no pillar drill available.  Lesson learnt.  OK says I, obviously I need a dedicated machine.  Bought a fairly cheap one and tried that.  Long set up time and poor mortises.  In the time it took me to set up, trial cut to make sure the mortise was in the right place and then cut the mortises, I could do it by hand with a good drill in the drill press and a sharp chisel.  I sold the attachment.  The dedicated machine is still in the workshop somewhere gathering dust.  Meanwhile the pillar drill is in regular use, both as a drill and as a drum sander.  I know which tool I would buy in your position.

I accept that I probably didn't learn enough about the machine, but I was only making about 20 mortises and haven't made any since.  Ultimately it all depends on your future plans - if you are planning many projects with mortises, buy a decent machine and take some time to learn to use it well.  But even then I think a pillar drill will get more use and be more versatile.  And hand cut mortises are so much more satisfying than machine cut ones 

Hope that helps a little.

Greg

[CyberBOB]

Have the attachment that goes with the drill press.  Setup time takes a bit.  I always considered the cutoff to be 4 - ie less than 4 identical mortises - I cut by hand, 4 or more, the machine works decently enough and it is quicker.  I use the included fence, plus usually I'll clamp down some stops as well.

As for how good the mortises are, I found if the chisel is properly sharpened, with a sharp bit inside, it produces a decent mortise.  Dimensionally very accurate.  A little smoother cuts by hand.

[tigertiger]

Thanks for the input guys, it gave me information needed to do a more informed Web search of the topic


Having looked around the Web, this is what I have found.

There are some people who hate the drill press mortise attachment and one guy had thrown 3 down into the woods in frustration.
I have also found people who got them to work well.
This shows some simple quick set up tips. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxyWfze3qzQ
The main tips are:

• don't use the fence as provided, use two bolts to mount it on its own table (a board)
• when you cut, make sure you are cutting on all four sides, or two sides (front and back), not on three sides as this causes deflection.

This one is more in depth https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2ObN0ADfOI
This shows a lot more on set up, and how to sharpen and tweak your mortise bit (auger and chisel)

Having taking on board all that you guys said, and done a little more research, I will buy a drill press and attachment.
The drill press is more versatile, and a lot cheaper than a dedicated mortise machine.
Mortise attachments can be made to work and are also cheap.

Thanks again for your input 

[grendel]

I was lucky, I picked up a mortising press and 3 bits for it at a boot fair for £15, I have not used it yet, but have future plans to rebuild the kitchen units, when I will hopefully be used along with the table saw also bought at the boot fair.
Grendel