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  1. #1
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    Default Router or Drill Press with Moritising Bit for making mortises?

    Hi,
    Just after thoughts re pros and cons of making mortises with a router versus a drill press with a mortising bit, both in terms of ease of execution and quality of end result. Thanks, Blue

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  3. #2
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    Default Routing mortises

    I haven't used a drill press and mortising tool but I have just machined 32 mortises with a router, spiral uppercut bit and a home made jig. The two things that were brilliant were repeatability and accuracy. This was essential as I was using loose tenons and needed each one to be exact.
    image.jpg

    I even managed mortises in the ends of the 2 metre long table aprons by mounting the jig on the top of a cupboard

  4. #3
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    Default

    Lappa's home made jig is ideally suited for loose tenons and its accuracy is dependent on how much time you are willing to invest in its manufacture.If you want to use this and cut tenons on the joining timber you need an additional jig, or a proprietary mortise and tenon jig. These produce rounded tenons that may or may not suit your application and again their accuracy depends on the manufacture and setting up procedures.A mortising attachment on a drill press produces very fast mortises but their accuracy is dependent upon how RIGID you can get all the components. Generally a hobby drill press has no chance. And you still have to cut the tenons, but this method produces a more traditional joint.Personally I use a drill press attachment (I have a Brobo Waldown drill that can just cope) for my mortises but if I ever decide to make through mortise and tenon joints I'll be constructing jigs like Lappa's.There are alternatives to M&T joints that may be suitable, it depends upon the required cosmetic effect, load type it will be subject to and the investment in tooling you are willing to outlay. Domino joints, dowelled joints, biscuit joints and pocket hole joints all do the same job but each one has limitations and no one method is "best" if you take into account strength in various planes, time to produce and cost of required equipment.Is there a specific project you have in mind?

  5. #4
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    Default

    I'm with Lappa on this Bluewren. If you take the trouble to build a jig (plenty of information/designs on the internet) you will never regret it. The accuracy that can be achieved and the speed of cutting the mortises makes the build effort worthwhile. Depending on the equipment you already have available your tooling investment could be as little as the cost of some suitable router bits, a base plate and a set of template guides.

    Some of the big benefits of using loose tenon joinery is that all your components are cut to finished length, you don't have to allow for a tenon in the length, and twin tenons are very easy to achieve when required. It is even possible to use the loose tenon method without a jig using pins or bearings on the router base as a guide and some appropriately clamped stop blocks - a bit fiddly to set up each one individually though.

    If you have a router table and thicknesser making tenon stock, using the appropriate half round bits, in long lengths to cut to the required length is easy. To cut the mortices either straight or spiral solid carbide bits are best.

    Cheers,
    David

  6. #5
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    Jan 2015
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    New Zealand
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Lappa View Post
    I haven't used a drill press and mortising tool but I have just machined 32 mortises with a router, spiral uppercut bit and a home made jig. The two things that were brilliant were repeatability and accuracy. This was essential as I was using loose tenons and needed each one to be exact.
    image.jpg

    I even managed mortises in the ends of the 2 metre long table aprons by mounting the jig on the top of a cupboard
    Thats pretty cool. Do you have or can you point me to a set of plans for that jig? I have to make a table for my wife and I can see that being a big help especially if I can preform a long length of tenon stock to cut down to shorter tenons first as suggested by aldav.

  7. #6
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    Jan 2014
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    Sydney Upper North Shore
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    Default Mortise jig plans

    It's by Dan Phalen. Plans are available at:

    www.crestonwood.com/mjigplans.php

    I made a couple of mods. as my table legs were 100x100mm

    I made my tenon stock from old tallowwood and jarrah floor boards. Tough as nails
    Last edited by Lappa; 24th August 2015 at 09:26 PM. Reason: Additional material

  8. #7
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    Default

    Drill presses make awful morticers. There's way too much pressure on the quill for starters, and way too little leverage available from the short handles.

    A (proper) hollow chisel morticer has heavy & strong head castings for the chisel and a long, low geared handle to force the chisel into the workpiece. This pressure could be up to half a ton or more! A drill press just isn't up to this.

    Routers can do an excellent job of both mortices and tenons when properly set up (i.e. templates).
    Sycophant to nobody!

  9. #8
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Ratbag View Post
    Drill presses make awful morticers. There's way too much pressure on the quill for starters, and way too little leverage available from the short handles.

    A (proper) hollow chisel morticer has heavy & strong head castings for the chisel and a long, low geared handle to force the chisel into the workpiece. This pressure could be up to half a ton or more! A drill press just isn't up to this.

    Routers can do an excellent job of both mortices and tenons when properly set up (i.e. templates).
    Lappa,

    Ratbag is correct. Drill presses make awful morticers.

    I have a dedicated hollow chisel morticer as well as I use templates and a router. Just depends on the job at hand.

    My morticer has been modified to have a 6" cross slide vise incorporated.

    It allows me to create this type of mortice. The tenon was created using a router and a guide.
    The mortice in the bed head post is 500mm long and 55mm deep. It took about 10mins to cut that mortice and that included setup time.
    The one in the bed end is only only 300mm long and 55mm deep.
    Otherwise I would be making some rather large templates for a one off job.

    I also have a tenoning jig for my router table.

    Bed head.jpgBed end.jpg

    BTW this it my morticer


    01092015205[1].jpg01092015206[1].jpg

  10. #9
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    Jan 2014
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by The Bleeder View Post
    Lappa,

    Ratbag is correct. Drill presses make awful morticers.

    I have a dedicated hollow chisel morticer as well as I use templates and a router. Just depends on the job at hand.

    My morticer has been modified to have a 6" cross slide vise incorporated.

    It allows me to create this type of mortice. The tenon was created using a router and a guide.
    The mortice in the bed head post is 500mm long and 55mm deep. It took about 10mins to cut that mortice and that included setup time.
    The one in the bed end is only only 300mm long and 55mm deep.
    Otherwise I would be making some rather large templates for a one off job.

    I also have a tenoning jig for my router table.

    Bed head.jpgBed end.jpg

    BTW this it my morticer


    01092015205[1].jpg01092015206[1].jpg
    The Bleeder,
    I think your getting me confused with the original poster - Bluewren. I don't use drill presses for mortises.

    Cheers

  11. #10
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    Apr 2006
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    Hobart
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    Default

    Hi Bluewren

    Excellent advice above.

    Triton used to give you a DVD with their tables and that had an excellent section on cutting mortices with a router on their table, and also cutting the tenons using either the saw table or the router table. Set up was a little more finicky than they suggested, but once tuned it worked quite well, especially if you were cutting heaps of mortices.

    Their suggestion to round the sides of tennons, rather than squaring the sides of mortices is a good one.

    Presume that video is now on the web, somewhere, but have no idea where to look.

    It might give you some ideas on building a jig - or hepl you to choose welll between available designs.

    Good Luck


    Graeme

    PS: My Triton table was bought in 1983, so the ideas have been around for a long time.

  12. #11
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    Default Triton Heritage videos

    Youtube site for all the Triton heritage videos

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XZ3...bIl9NIbrmQTFrt


    Cheers

  13. #12
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    Jan 2015
    Location
    New Zealand
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    48

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Lappa View Post
    It's by Dan Phalen. Plans are available at:

    www.crestonwood.com/mjigplans.php

    I made a couple of mods. as my table legs were 100x100mm

    I made my tenon stock from old tallowwood and jarrah floor boards. Tough as nails
    Thanks Lappa, downloading right now along with the Sketchup 8 plans. I also have some Old Jarrah decking that I have been saving for just such a job. I love it when a plan comes together.

  14. #13
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Perth W.A
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    720

    Default

    A couple of years ago I built my own horizontal router using an old bench grinder stand and bought a morticing attachment from Machinery house.
    I use a heavy duty router and fitted with an upcut solid tungsten cutter.
    being horizontal means you can cut mortices in the ends of rails of unlimted length (within reason !)
    I can cut mortices in the hardest timbers in just a few seconds.

    The morticing attachment cost $250 and I already had everything else needed to build the machine.

    I just thickness my own tenons and round the edges with a hand plane,although would use a router table if I was making a large quantity.

    I wouldn't recommend cutting mortices in a drill press personally.

  15. #14
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by mark david View Post
    A couple of years ago I built my own horizontal router using an old bench grinder stand and bought a morticing attachment from Machinery house.
    I use a heavy duty router and fitted with an upcut solid tungsten cutter.
    being horizontal means you can cut mortices in the ends of rails of unlimted length (within reason !)
    I can cut mortices in the hardest timbers in just a few seconds.

    The morticing attachment cost $250 and I already had everything else needed to build the machine.

    I just thickness my own tenons and round the edges with a hand plane,although would use a router table if I was making a large quantity.

    I wouldn't recommend cutting mortices in a drill press personally.
    Do you have any photos of the router assembly and the mortise attachment?

    TIA

  16. #15
    Join Date
    Apr 2001
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    Perth
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    I designed and built a morticing jig for a router about 20 years ago. Very recently I refurbished it (as I have 34 mortice-and-tenon joints in Jarrah to make, and I would rather not chop out this many with chisels as I do want my elbows to survive!).

    The router-plus-upcut 1/4" bit makes a powerful combination here. especially if the router has effective chip removal, as the Elu I use does. This is a point-and-shoot "machine".

    I snapped a few quick photos this evening to post here. They are not the best since they were taken around my car, which shares the double garage. Hopefully they will make some sense. If they interest anyone, I will take more detailed photos this weekend.



    Basically, the workpiece is clamped into the morticing machine and is held there by two clamps. The router runs along the top of the piece, balanced on a flat top, and held securely in position along the side. Adjustment laterally is made by the fence, which has micro adjustment, and depth of cut is of course adjusted on the router. Mortice length is controlled with stop blocks.



    Above: the router fence is held inside a groove in the external wooden runner. This locks the router in position. The router sits between two stop blocks.



    Above: At each end of the machine is a vise. This will side forward and backward with the external rest for the router. The gap under the router is where the workpiece goes, and it held against the near wall by the front and rear vises.



    Here is a better view of the outside rest and clamp. There is one at the near end and another at the far end.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek
    Visit www.inthewoodshop.com for tutorials on constructing handtools, handtool reviews, and my trials and tribulations with furniture builds.

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