Help, can't get mu Mortice machine to cut

Don Baer

Moderator
Staff member
I picked up a mortiser today, put it together and so far all it is is a glorified drill press. I set it up per the instructions but alas assoon as the square bit touchs the wood that as far as I can go..:(
I know I'm doing something wrong but just can't firgure it out.
 
When I used Larrys the instructions said to slide the chisle up to about hte thickness of a nickle (can use one as a thickness guage) from being all the way up and tighten the set for the chisle. then push the drill bit tight to the chisle and tighten. then losen the chistle and push it the rest of the way up and tighten. That setting worked for red oak.
 
sounds familiar, but i don't use a nickel (my wife raids my change pockets). i usually set the chisel all the way up, then lower the drill bit so that the wings are about 1/8" below the tips of the chisel.
 
i had my doubts at first too don, and i was surprised that it went through the white oak that used for my furniture (once i got it through my head that it works by hogging out the waste just before it squares the hole). i always call it the machine that does the most unnatural act in woodworking, it drills a square hole.:D my dad had to see me do it 3 times before i finally broke down and told him how it's done... :rofl::rofl::rofl:
 
Until you said that it worked on pine I was thinking that your depth gauge as screwed up.
Never had the problem with mine. I set it up according to the book and it works in all substrates.
 
i just remembered the depth gauge, make sure it's not set. if it's set, it would go nicely through pine, if it were thick, and not so good if his oak was thinner than the pine.
 
Don,

I just bought a General International mortiser a month ago or so. I found sharpening the inside of the chisel, honing the outside of the chisel and having the bit extend about 1/16-1/8 below the chisel, it worked as advertised when mortising cherry.
 
The only thing I can add at this point is a thought: Maybe the drill bit picked up a little chip of wood and started spinning it? I've seen that happen with all sorts of drill bits - bradpoints, Forstners, spade bits, auger bits. When it happens, the drill bit can't drill any more until the chip is cleared.

If the drill bit can't drill, the chisel can't punch the mortise, either.
 
I dont know how a mortiser works, I only use my drill press for mortising with the attachment, but its important to make sure you have the right speed set(I change the belts on top) up or as Ive noticed I cant go through or get alot of burning.
 
Don, make sure the square chisel is good and sharp, and as others have said, the drill bit part needs to be hitting the wood a little bit before the chisel does. The drill starts removing material, then the square chisel chops the sides square and pushes the trimmings into the drill bit, which removes the waste from the chisel. The chisel needs to be sharp to do this.

If you're using the factory HF mortising chisels, I'll bet you an In-N-Out Double Double they could use sharpening. Here's what I use on mine.
 
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