Old Mortiser

[Jarviser]

Thought you might be interested in this old mortiser. I guess it's a Hand Tool as you just have to hang on the lever to cut the mortises. Saw it in the Friday Flea Market in Hitchin last week. From a demolished yard belonging to a builder/undertaker of the old brigade. The chisels are U-section to allow chips to escape (I assume). Presumably for windows and doors rather than coffins. They wanted £100 for it. (NO I didnt!!)

 

[Philly]

Interesting, Peter!
So does it work?
Philly

 

[David C]

I have always been led to believe that those fixed chisel morticers worked very well indeed.

David

 

[Jarviser]

I was wondering how you would work the mortice from both sides, but on closer inspection it looks like there is a side handle just above the Morse taper chuck which I presume rotates the entire quill through 180 degrees.
I didn't have time to sharpen up a chisel and try it as SWMBO was already tapping her feet waiting for me to wind my neck in and go shopping.

 

[bugbear]

I was wondering how you would work the mortice from both sides, but on closer inspection it looks like there is a side handle just above the Morse taper chuck which I presume rotates the entire quill through 180 degrees.

For the this to work the chisel must be VERY accurately central on the axis of rotation.

I'm guessing this was (in practice) hard to achieve, since in old catalogues some brands make quite a point of "accurate reversing".

BugBear

 

[Jarviser]

That's true. Though if they have morse tapers they will have been machine made pretty accurately anyway. And I expect banging out a joint in a door stile in redwood was not too precise a job. Nearest 1/32nd and plenty of glue and wedges!