Thread: Chisel Mortiser or drill press?

The first time you use a chisel mortiser attachment on a drill press, you will immediately realise why should have bought a mortiser.

On the other hand, maybe just try using old school mortise chisels and make them by hand. With good chisels, it's not that hard. I sold my mortiser (a PowerMatic PM-701) and bought Lie-Nielsen mortise chisels instead.

Thanks, Mark

Hello Stewart 59,
I have just bought a new heavy duty drill press so that I can drill,sand, mortise and plane. Like most tools a dedicated mortiser probably does that function marginally better but it is not multi purpose. I would suggest as a hobbyist that you look seriously at a pedestal drill press because of the multi function. That is why in the end I went that way. Hope that helps. John M.

Originally Posted by markharrison

The first time you use a chisel mortiser attachment on a drill press, you will immediately realise why should have bought a mortiser.

On the other hand, maybe just try using old school mortise chisels and make them by hand. With good chisels, it's not that hard. I sold my mortiser (a PowerMatic PM-701) and bought Lie-Nielsen mortise chisels instead.

Mark
Do you drill the mortise first and then finish with the mortise chisels, or cut the whole mortise with the chisel?
Thanks
Stewart

The whole mortise is cut with the chisels. Some folks drill a hole in the middle of the mortise first but I've never felt the need.

The trick is to buy real mortise chisels.

Your final decision is probably going to have as much to do with the amount of room you have in your workshop and budget as anything else.
I have a decent strong drill press that does a good job of mortising with my mortice drill attachment.
Very little cleaning up of the hole needs to be done once I have set up the machine.
A dedicated mortiser as Mark H says is better but only if you do a lot of them ( which I don't ) and can afford one.

Stewie

How many mortices are you going to cut over the next, say, 12 months?

How many holes are you going to drill?

The chisel morticer is going to cost you $300 and you still won't be able to drill holes.

To me a morticer is a specialist bit of gear, I would have to have a real need to even consider it - and if I had that real need I would want something better than the $300 device.

my 2c - you don't get much for 2c these days

Buy yourself a good drill press and a couple of good mortice chisels, the attachments for drill press are rubbish and you will never be happy with it, if you have a large number to do, or ongoing work for one go for the dedicated machine, reasonable one will set you back about $1,500.00

Or buy a domino

I use a router to do my mortices, quick and easy Floating tenons and Bobs your uncle

Thanks for all the advice. 6 different opinions! Great stuff. Clearly not so straightforward.

Stewart

Originally Posted by stewart59

Thanks for all the advice. 6 different opinions! Great stuff. Clearly not so straightforward.

Stewart

Make that seven... If you're dead set on buying a machine, buy a slot mortiser like this one at Carbatec.

Cheaper than a Domino and industrial strength.

The problem with all these questions is it depends on information you haven't given in the origional post.

How much space ?
How often ?
What type of project ? will the mortices be through and visible ?
What other equipment have you ? If for example you have a router table it's trivial to round over loose tenons and cut the mortice with a router freehand.

How are you intending to cut your tenons ?

Do you "like" working with hand tools or prefer machines ?

Those questions will narrow your answer down.

A basic bench top mortiser is a very useful tool and I only have the $300 one - a jet! I would never get the mortiser attachment as the kind of pressure you need to exert on the chisel is probably not too good on your drill press - get a machine designed to handle this kind of force.

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