Small morticer advice

[chaoticbob]

Hi. I'm in the market for a small morticing machine. Being new to this woodworking thing, it's all a bit of a mystery to me at the moment. I've looked at some previous threads on this topic, and gathered that having a sliding table is a big plus, so I'm looking at the Axminster AW16BMST2 (entry level hobby machine) and the Record BM16, which is a similar price. I'm a bit put off the Axi because it takes only 3/4" shank chisels, and from what I can gather these are rather harder to find than 13/16" - so that's my first question - is that likely to be a problem? I believe the Record takes 13/16". Second q. I suppose is whether either of these machines is going to be OK for me - my plan is to make interior doors and also some window frames. I could dig deeper and get something bigger, but the next step up seems to be 200 odd quid more, which would buy some wood!
Regards, Robin.

 

[John15]

Hi Robin,

I have the Axi Hobby model and have had no problem with shank size. It's a fairly lightweight machine and suits me for occasional use, but may not be suitable for the type of work you mention.

John

 

[blackrodd]

I have not bought a morticer for years, but I believe that some models do come with bushes for the 2 usual sizes, not always mentioned in the advertising blurb.
It wouldn't cost a lot to have a bush made anyway, should you see the likelyhood of wearing them out and needing replacements.

Regards Rodders

 

[deema]

A normal exterior door is made with c5/8" mortises that are c4" deep. To do these accurately it's best to use a single cut with a 5/8" chisel. The Morticer needs to be very stiff to stop the chisel from being driven off line causing it to both jamb in the mortise and also cause problems when assembling the door.

For this type of work you really need a floor standing robust machine, a second hand Sedgwick or Multico machine would be deal. These can be picked up for c £400 on various auction sites. The 'nice' bit of these machines is that they will do virtually everything' that you will ever need and if you decide wood work is not for you, you will get your money back when you sell it.

 

[heimlaga]

I would look at this from another perspective......... how much space do you have?

If you have space enough and a strong floor a secondhand floor standing hollow chisel mortiser is the way to go. The more cast iron the better. They cost little more than a new hobby machine so essentially you get a way better machine for only a little more money.
A big secondhand vertical slot mortiser is another option but they are pretty hard to find.

If you have only a little space a hobby sized hollow chisel mortiser would be an alternative but I wouldn't expect it do do everything you want it to do. You may end up cutting some door mortises by hand.
A compact vertical slot mortiser is another good alternative if you can find one secondhand.

If you are very short of space a mortise chisel does the job. It takes a bit of time and it has a learning curve but cutting mortises by hand is totally viable. I made at least three exterrior doors that way before I bought my monster sized hollow chisel mortiser.
I have also heard that some people buy a Festool Domino and use it as a mortiser though they are pretty expensive. I have no experience of that kind of machine.

Then there is a fourth option chosen by the hardy few. There are some 19th century machines called solid chisel mortisers. Essentially they consist of a cast iron frame with a stout mortise chisel moving up and down driven by a pedal or a big lever. They are as outdated as anything ever can be from an industrial point of wiew but this means that high quality machines can be found secondhand for little more than scrap value and sometimes even for free. I have heard that they are perfectly adequate for any kind of hobby use but I have never used one myself.

There is nothing such as a "one size fits all" in woodworking. Choose the option that fits you best. Not the option that fits the advertisers and suppliers.

 

[mickthetree]

Mortices can also be cut with a router. I have quite successfully cut deep mortices with just a worktop bit, but there are dedicated bits for mortising.

If you use a fence and reference off the same face you can achieve very good results. If you were to mortice from either side of the piece then approach from the other side, again referencing off the same face) you would achieve the 4" required. You can create stops to get the mortice ends accurate. This method does require you to round your tenons, or cut the ends square with a chisel, but these are both easily done.

I always use additional support against the work piece to give the base something else to sit on.

You could also use the same setup for creating matching mortices in the ends of the rails for loose tenon joinery.

There are loads of examples of doing this online and on youtube.

HTH

 

[marcros]

A router also has the advantage of moving the machine, rather than the workpiece. This may be significant in a small shop if working in the middle of long pieces, where a lot of space is needed each side.

 

[DennisCA]

Slight hijack but any recommendations for mortising bits with 8mm shanks? I use my router table currently to mortise but I only have straight flute cuters and its less than optimal.

A horizontal slot mortising machine is on my mind someday too, I figure I could build a jig for my table saws sliding table and that way get more functionality out of it. Ahh so many projects and ideas, so little time and money...

 

[rdesign]

i have a morticed and its gathering dust! its a draper hobby grade cost 150 euro has been used once. I use my router and a chisel to clean then up . faster and more accurate in my opinion.

saving up for the domino by festool but if you like traditional joinery then its not for u

regards Richard

 

[Woody2Shoes]

I have the Axi one you mention and I've found it to be perfectly well made and useable - like all tools, you need to avoid being over-ambitious in what you attempt with it. There are several other brands (Record Power, Rutlands etc.) that look remarkably similar - I don't think that finding 3/4" shank replacement chisels in future is likely to be a problem. In the absence of a morticer, I've found that chain-drilling with a drill-press, followed by a bit of hand chiselling, is pretty quick and I've built several sets of casement windows using that method (the most difficult aspect for me is keeping square to the surface and the drilling helps a lot with this). Cheers, W2S

 

[chaoticbob]

Many thanks for all your comments - exactly the kind of advice I was hoping for. Concensus seems to be that these little things aren't really rigid enough for what I want to do. I have space enough in my dungeon workshop for a floor-mounted machine and the floor is solid enough, so I'll be looking around for second hand machine. In the meantime chain drilling and a chisel sounds good - I have a pillar drill with a cross table, so should be able to drill in a straight line!
Thanks again,
Robin

 

[PAC1]

As you have the space the Record BM25 is man enough for most jobs. It comes with bushing to allow for all types of mortice chisel.. I spent months looking for a Sedgewick for c£400 it is a myth for single phase you will be lucky to get one now for £750. Hence I have the Record