General Hollow Chisel Mortiser!

Brent Dowell

Administrator
Staff member
Messages
16,540
Location
Reno NV
Well, I made up my mind on how to cut my mortises and decided to get a dedicated benchtop mortising machine. After looking at all of the options, I went with the general for a few reasons.

1) Tilting head
2) Fence
3) Clamping mechanism
4) Slow Speed
5) Ratings

I probably could have gotten a very fine machine for about 1/2 the price, but I figured why not get the general? I actually got it from a local tool store. Price was the same as online and tax was cheaper than having it shipped!

attachment.php


attachment.php
 

Attachments

  • ghcm_01.jpg
    ghcm_01.jpg
    73.4 KB · Views: 66
  • ghcm_02.jpg
    ghcm_02.jpg
    35.4 KB · Views: 65
Looks great Brent. I'm sure it's a fine one. I looked at that one when I was looking. I've got the steel city mortiser and when I've used it it's done fine. I got a deal from a guy that upgraded to a floor model.
 
Good choice Brent. Congrats. I had decided that was the BT Mortiser to have before I switched gears and went with the Mortise Pal. The 17-050 always seems to get the nod in the reviews. The Lee Valley and Fuller chisels get good reviews too.
 
Congrats on the new toy. From what I've read, than one seems to be the top benchtop mortiser out there. :thumb: You're gonna love being able to drill square holes. :D
 
Congratulations Brent you gotta let us know how it performs. That looks like one sweet machine. Wish you well with it. Sure will make mortises easier.

Can a few of you that have other machines chime in here for an idiot like me.

I notice many guys have bought the good old harbor freight machine. I can see the better table etc setup but there is significant more dollars at stake here between General or others in its category and the unit Harbor Freight sells.

So Don, I think you got a HF whats the big difference. I aint ever used or been up close to one of these when its working.

Dont get me wrong from pure specs and looks of table and brand name i would buy the same one Brent has but i am thinking right now you got a guy like Glenn and he gets by with a mortise pal, i made my last set of mortises with a forstner bit and chisel, ok there is a lot more time and work involved in the latter two cleaning up. Help me out I am here to learn.:):thumb:
 
I notice many guys have bought the good old harbor freight machine.

Rob,

From my research, I think they all are pretty much capable of punching square holes. A lot of the success of how they work depend upon setting up the machine properly, sharpening the chisels right, sharpening the bits, etc...

Where the big differences come in are the ways that they hold the stock to the table, how the piece is clamped to the fence, how the fence moves, i.e. does it stay square to the bit if you move the fence forward and back, length of the lever that you use to move the drill head up and down...

From the reviews I read, speed and horsepower weren't necessarily the big factors in how the holes were punched.

Heres a link to the FWW article on it.. FWW Benchtop Mortisers
 
So Don, I think you got a HF whats the big difference.
Yes Rob, I have the Harbort Freight mortiser and it has done a great job. I cut a bunch of mortises on the chairs (80) and am almost done with the tables (only 16 there and it has done a fine job. I think that the Jet, Delta and HF mosels require a lot more care in the setup but the results are the same, square holes..:D:rofl::rofl::rofl:
 
Thanks Don and Brent (pm replied).

One view a friend of mine thats a contractor has about tools say such as a SCMS he has two machines. One he uses for mass jobsite work like say cutting flooring. The other for good work that stays in his shop.

He buys the cheapest machine for the jobsite and works it to death. Then tosses it into the garbage bin and amortises the cost over the jobs. This way he dont get worked up about it being abused.

Another school of thought that comes to mind is you cant do good work with poor tools, here i think of poor drills that are either underpowered or off center at the chuck. What i have noticed from my experiences being involved in the shopping center construction industry is that there was no hard and fast rule. Some pros had the good tools and others the cheap tools. They still got the job done i guess some with less frustration than others.

Sorry for the Hijack Brent was not intended but this recovering tool junkie is trying to get a balance.:D:rofl:
 
Rob, the thing to keep in mind about morticers is that they are a very basic machine, one part hold the chisel and the other part turn the bit. that said ones like Brent has will simplyfy the setup and the tilt head is a very nice feature that I could have used on the chair backs. In the end though I doubt if many would utilise the tilting head. The built in clamping is also a nice feature but i already had a nice vice to use with mine so I was able to save money on that account. If I had the extra $$ I would have opted for one like Brent but in the end they both make square holes.
 
Top