Reynolds Hand Morticer c 1875

[condeesteso]

Mark - I quite like yours... but it's the 'transition' version. Good for fifteen quid mind. Mine's nicer.
In my haul of chisels I found one marked Cannon St EC... need to get a pic to share.
And you have how many chisels, Mark... four, was it? And made by...?

 

[marcros]

"Transition" version! I rather like to think of them having ironed out all of the issues on yours and learned to manufacture mine more efficiently!!! I was going to give it a coat of paint, but it is so heavy I am put off slightly, I just cant fancy disassembling it. Maybe a winter project.

i have 4 chisels roughly 1/4", 3/8", 1/2" and I think it was 3/4" (may be 5/8"). No names that I could see. Usable condition though- the 1/4" I just gave a quick rub on a fine stone and it cut. I have bought a bilt hamber corrosion remover to use on them amongst other things. http://www.bilthamber.com/deox-c I think that they have forgotten to update the shipping cost- 1kg was only £2.95 to post. I will clean them up, grind and sharpen them properly and give them a workout.

I was beginning to think that the chisel taper was reasonably standard, but there is one for sale on ebay at the moment with 7 chisels- 4 that fit and 3 that don't. I will measure mine when I get back out in the workshop later in the week. There must have been an awful lot of chisels made over time if ward et al made aftermarket ones- i have spoken to a few people that remember the machines, but they don't seem to come up often for sale. I have the common sizes that I might use- I wouldnt mind a wider one, but am interested to hear how you get on with the fluted ones before I go chasing them.

I agree that yours is nicer. What I cant understand is why manufacturers put no branding on their machines into the casting- yours you know who made it and when- mine they have gone to the effort of putting 1910 on to it, but other than "patent" I cant see any other marking cast on it at all.

My father asked me a question- when you pull the handle, what stops the bevel of the chisel from moving the wood along the x axis on its lead screw. I couldn't answer- obviously a sharp edge reduces it, but if the bevel is against uncut timber, it can actually move it slightly. Have you seen this happen on yours?

What size chisels have you got now?

They take up a fair bit of room these machines dont they....!

 

[Thomas Hayman]

Nice to see it was made about 7 miles away, and was very likely used in the mill - one of the biggest woollen mills in the area, just down the road from Bronte's Hawarth, and all powered by the River Aire.

A small correction but worth pointing out that Salts was driven by 4 beam engines powered by 14 boilers... :-D

 

[No skills]

As a couple of members here will confirm I have spent far too much time on ebay tonight :shock: at the risk of upsetting anybody watching them there is another hand morticer listed at the moment and some chisels in another listing. Better the machine goes to a woodworker than the scrappy.

 

[condeesteso]

Mark - the 'transition' is just a wind-up as you know.
Yes, I have a 1" in at the moment and it can force the bed sideways... but my 'technique' (a bit bold calling it that) is left hand on traverse wheel, right pulling down on lever. So a cut, a shift, a cut etc. I have found that progressive cuts along the mortice, close together seems to work, then reverse the blade and go back the other way. And a poker device to remove the chips every so often. Although if I was doing through-mortices I may bore a clearance through the middle first. Haven't got to that yet.

 

[marcros]

I used the same hands on the same components. do you mark out both sides with a knife first? I only used the nastiest softwood but the finish on the far side wasn't very good because it split along the grain. that was 2" thick, done with a full depth cut- far from good practice and the chisel could have been sharper. I may try drilling a hole or two first and see how that works. It was quick though- far quicker than setting up even a handheld router and fence. the only other downside that I have found is when you get a chisel jammed in the wood, it lifts the block from the vice. I think a thicker block underneath would solve it so that it grips in a stronger place in the vice.

 

[finntheshark]

Hello,

I have a reynold Morticer in the garage. By accident.. I moved into a property and the previous owner left a lot of junks that I had to clear out. The only thing I could not move is the morticer. At first I was pretty cheesed off not knowing what it is. I had to search photos using goggle images. Finally found a photo that match to mine. Ahh a morticer !

I am attempting to make some few shutters. My question is.. am I meant to pull the handle down to "slice" a hole like a butter or bounce the handle up and down to "hammer" a hole?

I have a few chisels.. I wonder where would I find some more? or know anyone who can make some?

Thanks
Finn

 

[wizard]

Drill a hole to start off then slice a small bit at a time

 

[marcros]

Hello,

I have a reynold Morticer in the garage. By accident.. I moved into a property and the previous owner left a lot of junks that I had to clear out. The only thing I could not move is the morticer. At first I was pretty cheesed off not knowing what it is. I had to search photos using goggle images. Finally found a photo that match to mine. Ahh a morticer !

I am attempting to make some few shutters. My question is.. am I meant to pull the handle down to "slice" a hole like a butter or bounce the handle up and down to "hammer" a hole?

I have a few chisels.. I wonder where would I find some more? or know anyone who can make some?

Thanks
Finn

ebay. search for solid mortice chisels.

 

[swb58]

I've got a 1/4" chisel that looks like it would fit in the OP machine, if it's of interest to anyone.

 

[condeesteso]

thanks swb, I have a fairly full set already. Sorry been away from the forum for a while but catching up.
I have found the best way to use this is the slicing method above. I've heard these called 'thumpers' but that doesn't work at all well for me. And the usual - well sharpened edge.
I am seriously considering passing mine on to a new home - only because I need the space and don't really use it. I'll have a think and post here soon (for sale I mean all official-like).

 

[Jacob]

....

I am attempting to make some few shutters. My question is.. am I meant to pull the handle down to "slice" a hole like a butter or bounce the handle up and down to "hammer" a hole?...

I'd guess it'd be just the same as using a hand held mortice chisel - first cut a slice as far as you can go easily, perhaps only a few mm, second cut a slice down the face of the first cut, and so on. So each cut removes more wood than the previous one. Work your way along to the end and then turn it round to work back to the other end. Does the chisel turn or do you have to turn the workpiece?

 

[marcros]

if it is the same as my similar looking one, the chisel turns.

 

[swb58]

The one that I've got is sharpened more acutely than the one in the OP, I'd imagine that would have a bearing on on it's capabilities and how it's used. Don't know if it's the correct angle for that type of chisel though.

 

[condeesteso]

Yes, the whole quill assembly rotates 180 degrees to reverse the cut (pic 3 in first post). Jacob's method is the one that works - surprising how quickly you get down to depth, no banging the cutter down at all.
The chisel shown is the only odd one in the 'set' I got - it has shoulders each side then a far lower angle centre cutter. I don't know why it has those shoulders. The rest I have are final approx 30 degrees which is about right for a mortice chisel.

 

[Jacob]

Hand or machine - you don't need to bother about the chippings until you have finished the whole mortice. You just cut through them - they get pushed sideways and some fly out as you work. When the mortice is completely finished a lot of the chippings will drop out easily and those that don't can be loosened with a small chisel. Or if it's through you can drift them out of the far side.