A Brief Guide To Use And Maintain Mortise Machine
Are you a professional or do-it-yourself woodworker? If you are, then you should really invest in one of the mortising machines if you want to produce high quality work. A mortise machine have proven to be an essential tool for any woodworker who strives to get precise mortises or perhaps utilize mortise joinery substantially in their jobs. These machines are reasonably priced and crafted by several recognized manufacturers.
What is a Mortise Machine?
Basically, a mortise machine is actually a drill press which can be used for drilling square holes. It is utilized almost entirely for joining mortise and tenon. This machine generally has just one speed and in most cases will only take a handful of bits in different sizes. The normal bit sizes consist of 1/4, 3/8, 3/4, 1/2 and 5/16.
This is a specialized woodworking machine which is utilized for cutting rectangular or square recesses or mortises into wood. This is basically electrically powered and function by lowering the actual cutting device onto the material fixed to the work surface, similar to a drill press. The fact is instead of purchasing a specialized mortising machine; several woodworkers purchase or even make unique mortising jigs in order to make use of their drill presses. Basically, the main feature which differentiates this machine from the drill press is actually that it will square the corners of the cut holes. As a result, this machine could likewise be used for cutting square-edged holes in a work piece.
In addition, the square corners and straight sides of the cuts which characterizes a mortise machine will be created by combining two cutting devices; one extremely sharp hollow chisel with four corners and one spinning bit. The bit will work within the chisel having adequate clearance in order to allow the sawdust to release. Once the operator brings down the bit fitting on top of the wood, this will cause the drill bit to enter first and remove the majority of the stock, as a result the chisel would have just a little stock to take out.
There is also a horizontal machine which functions in a very similar manner, with the exception that it will align the cutting edges in a horizontal position. This horizontal type will be especially helpful for cutting mortises with much larger work pieces as well as to drill mortise and tenon pieces.
A chain machine will be much larger and utilizes a cutting chain, similar to that of a chainsaw, in order to cut mortises in larger pieces, generally for constructing timber frame.
Shallow mortises are generally cut to support things like strike plates, hinges and various other decorative and functional inserts in windows and doors. These types of mortises are usually cut deep enough in order to make sure that the hardware is actually flush within the surface of the wood when it’s installed. The deeper mortises can be cut to make mortise and tenon joints. All these joints are created by cutting the mortise in one chunk of wood and then cut another end, which would be the tenon in order for it to fit neatly in the mortise. This joint would then be secured using carpenter’s glue and then clamped together. There are numerous varieties of this kind of joint and all of them will cut easier if you are using a mortise machine.
It is very rare to find a mortise machine being used heavily by hobbyists, so you will not find it in most of their workshops. Generally, a hobbyist will cut the majority of a mortise using a traditional router or drill press and the corners and sides would then be trimmed using regular wood chisels. It is possible to get similar quality mortises to the ones made with the machine, but it would take longer to make. However, when it comes to professional woodworkers who needs to maximize time and money, it would best to get a mortise machine for the workshop
Using mortising machine
A mortising machine is a piece of woodworking tool specially designed to handle a single task of generating squared holes mortises, which can easily receive a tenon and create a sturdy wood joint.
By utilizing a hollow chisel and an auger bit on the inside, a mortising machine can drill out waste material and at the same time shave the edges of the mortise. Typically, the motor in the machine will power the auger and then the person who is operating it will use muscle strength in order to force the chisel in the work piece, normally used when creating a basement drain.
Most of machines operate at 3450 RPM and will cut mortises in a short time. However, the noise coupled with damaging or burning of hollow chisels has influenced manufacturers to develop mortising machines which can operate at fifty percent of that speed.
An important aspect of the cutting process is holding down the work piece to keep it from shifting out of square onto the fence and making it much easier for the chisel to ease out of the wood.
The difference with using a drill press:
Mortising sets are generally obtainable for drill presses and most of these will utilize similar hollow chisel bit device. These are specially designed for the woodworker who hardly ever cut mortises and they are very affordable when compared to the cost of a mortise machine.
Learn about mortise and tenon joints
A mortise and tenon joint can be described as very simple, but strong and has been widely used for centuries by woodworkers all over the world to combine bits of wood, generally if the pieces are cut at a 90° angle. Even though this type of joint can be made in a wide variety, the general practice is to use one end of the wood to insert in the opening of the other. The ending of the first cut is known as the tenon, plus it is often narrowed according to the remaining portion of the wood. The opening inside the second cut is known as the mortise. This type of joint can be glued, wedged or pinned in order to secure it.
This joint can also be combined with many other materials, plus it is the traditional means for blacksmiths and stonemasons. It is possible to use this joint in frame construction or furniture making. The main reason this kind of joint is extremely strong is really because it carries a huge mating section to accommodate glue. Additionally, a wedge could be inserted in the tenon to hold it secure and prevent it from slipping from the mortise.
There are a number of ways that this joint can be created, either as blind, through, haunched, twin and double tenons. To make a through joint, you have to cut the mortise all the way through the wood, so it is possible to see the tenon when it is inserted in the mortise. Wedges or dowels can be used to secure it in this case, but it would be best to insert this after putting the joint together.
For blind tenons, also known as a stump tenon, the mortise will be cut halfway in the wood. As a result, the tenon is not visible once it is inserted, but similar to the through style wedges or dowels can be used as fasteners.
When making doors, a haunched tenon can be used. This is similar to a through tenon, because it would go right through the piece of wood. In addition, it has some similarities to the normal mortise and tenon joint but comes with an additional haunch or shoulder in the tenon. This mortise can be cut in the same way, but it would have an extra break in order to facilitate the haunch. When a haunch is actually cut with similar height and length, this is known as a “square haunch.”
When working with wide timbers, the double tenon would be ideal. This type of joint includes several tenons besides one another and the mortise can cut in order to hold them.
The twin tenon can be used if the rail in the tenon is somewhat broader compared to its depth. This type of joint will have two tenons fastened with a haunch, which is put in a mortise cut in order to hold it together.
Some other types of tenons include:
Tusk tenon, which makes use of a key with wedge-shaped to keep the joint together. Stub tenon is extremely short with a depth which varies based on the wood size. Teasel tenon is actually an expression utilized for a tenon found over a gunstock or jowled post and is generally received by a mortise at the bottom of tie-beams.
Feather tenon is a spherical shouldered built feather or fillet that is glued to a mortise machine or router on both sides of the joint.
Different types of mortise
The mortise is really a hole cut in wood in order to accept a tenon. Some of them include:
Wedged half-dovetail mortise with a back that is larger or taller when compared to the opening or the front. The spot for the wedge will first facilitate the tenon that would be inserted and once the tenon is in place, it will prevent it from falling out. This is at times referred to as “suicide joint”, because it’s a one way trip. Open mortise features just three sides.
Through mortise will pass completely through the wood.
Stub mortise is very shallow with a depth that is cut according to the wood size. In addition, this type of mortise will not go through the wood like the “through mortise”.
In most cases the dimensions of a mortise and tenon joint is associated with the thickness of the wood. It is actually considered a sound practice to portion the tenon in a size that is one-third the width of a rail or perhaps the nearest size possible. A haunch, which is the cut-away section of a sash corner-joint, designed to stop the tenon from loosening, is actually one-third the size of the tenon and also one-sixth of the thickness in its depth. The shoulder which is the leftover two-thirds portion of the rail will help to combat horizontal forces which might twist the tenon out of the mortise, adding to its strength. Additionally, these will also work to conceal blemishes within the hole of the mortise.
Here is a suggestion to cut better mortise:
Typically, a mortise can be cut manually utilizing a mallet and chisel. Nevertheless, because of the accuracy of match up which is needed for the mortise and tenon joint often times this task can be problematic and time-consuming.
Additional tools like a router can be useful for this task, however the router generally requires specific attachments, templates or jigs, plus the router bits will leave curved corners which might have to be squared manually using a chisel. On the other hand, a tenon could be rounded using a rasp in order to get a joint that is equally strong.
In order to cut small size mortises, the regular drill bit may be used. But, to get larger mortises the modern machines use a standard type called Harry Watt square drill bit, where a bit having a Reuleaux triangular cross section will be permitted to “wobble” as it revolves in a square with curved corners. This kind of bit gets rid of everything but the edges of the material being taken out, leaving behind hardly anything to be trimmed with the chisel.
Mortising machine for rectangular or round holes
This machine fall under two classes, the ones that drill square or round holes. The round hole can be made using bits like Jesada (601-818) or tenon bits. But, based on the work to be done most of the drill bits with flat bottom will be suitable for such tasks.
Basically, a mortise machine can drill square holes creating a tighter opening to receive a square tenon. The majority of the machines come with hollow squares which includes spinning drill bits within the cavity to clear out almost all the stock. This bit is actually placed a little underneath the chisel in order to clean out the outlet, as the chisel works around the edges. You should be aware that mortising machines are available as self-powered, free-standing with specialized devices and drill press attachments.
Now, let us take a brief look on two of these devices:
Woodhaven 575 Table Machine
This is considered to be the most dependable and easiest method of doing mortise and tenon tasks. It can be mounted on a table slot and consists of two stops in order to specify the length of the mortise. The stock is clamped inside a jig and passes forward, carefully supported by the jig to make a much straighter line in the bit before it flattens alongside the router plate. Following that the jig will move to the left and right from the stops in order to cut to the length required for the mortise. The fence is able to set at virtually any angle parallel from the edge of the mortising towards a 90º angle at the end. This machine has a size of 115/8 inches x 15 3/4inches, plus it consists of two toggle clamps weighing 500 lbs., which can hold stock that is as much as 1:3/4 inches in width.
Delta Professional Hp
When making square holes, this machine would be perfect for the job. This industrial machine can provide accuracy with the help of a half inch horsepower motor guiding it. Basically, the device head can raised and lowered with a help of rack and pinion and therefore the mortising column head would swing to a 180 degrees angle to carry out off-table jobs. Additionally, there is also a good-sized sixteen and three-quarter inches by thirteen and half inches base made from cast-iron and a two piece fence. There is a chuck key or hex wrench which can help to make chisel and bit changing a lot easier. Generally, most users want to use machines as it is removed from the box and this machine boasts 1/2-, 1/4-, 3/8-, and 5/16 -inch bit and chisel sets which means that you can start working on projects immediately after setting up.
Mortise machine reviews
For the purpose of this article, two reviews will provided for DELTA 14-651 Professional 1/2HP Bench machine.
This first one is based on another user’s experience:
this person said that while he was searching for a good mortise machine, he started checking out the Jet and Grizzly model, which has gotten some great reviews from users, but then decided on the Delta influenced by past experiences with using their transportable 22-580 planer. He thought that the assembling process was not complicated, even though the hydraulic cylinder could be a bit problematic to attach.
But, he stated that for persons who were familiar with the Delta MM300 Shopmaster machine, they would discover that this model is a big step up, because this one is created with the professional operator in mind. It also consists of an adaptable dovetail way within the mortising head, chisel and tool tray, multi-position lever feed and a gas filled head stabilizer.
Here are some of the areas that he believes could get some improvement:
1. The hold down knobs for the fence is made of plastic and will easily strip. Even though the adjuster for the hold down is metal, this also stripped when used for the first time and was difficult to lock down after wards.
2. If you are using riser block this can be difficult to attach initially, so you might lose the opportunity to get the fence locked down on the table. The lock downs must be taken out completely, allowing it and the fence to shift down and up, which made it hard to mortise correctly for a 5″ beam. Keep in mind that if your job does not require a riser block, then you will not come across this problem.
3. It took some amount of trials and errors when trying to insert the chisel bit in order to fixed the chisel parallel on the fence.
This second review for the Delta was written based on personal experience:
Following quite a few attempts to make mortise and tenon joints using a router table, this proved to be less than successful, so the decision was made to get a mortise machine for the shop. The objective was to get a machine that would improve the precision of the joints and needless to say I was not dissatisfied.
Throughout the research, I examined a number of brands and then selected the Delta Mortising Machine because it seemed to have the better value. This machine is built sturdy with an excellent capacity of above four inches, plus it is possible to purchase simple accessories that will help to increase its capacity to almost 2 inches.
An additional appealing feature for this mortise machine is the fact that it provides you with 4 chisel and bit sets and also some tools necessary for setting up the machine to get it ready for you to start your projects. All these accessories easily fit into a rack which connects conveniently to the machine. Whenever you put back the tools in the slots that they belong to, you don’t have to be concerned about finding a tool to make adjustments or even set up the unit.
You will discover that it is fairly easy to use this machine and you will have fun drawing your mortises exactly where you need them and then utilize those lines in order to line up the machine. The adjustable fence feature will help to place the mortise in the spot that you want it to fit. In addition, the task of cutting mortises through both sides will now be easier.
These days, with Delta Mortising Machine as a convenient tool in my workshop, it is now possible to complete projects on time and with better quality. This has proven to be an essential piece of equipment for woodworkers, especially if you have quilt rack jobs to do which require mortises lining up two pieces to form a curve and you want to get accurate joints.
One of the advantages of using this machine is that you will now get joints which are cleaner, much tighter and most significantly, positioned exactly where they are suppose to be.
While, there are many advantages to using this machine, similar to most things you will find a few drawbacks when using. However, as soon as you master the art of using it will become much easier to operate. There’s no doubt that that the chisels which are provided with the machine tend to be marginal, the 1/2″ bit which comes with my device is extremely noisy, perhaps they are not straight, however the 3/8″ is actually quiet.
This machine is built heavy and powerful with a robust base made from cast iron, much like the entire support framework. It will cut graciously into Red Oak. Even though, you will find some issues with this model, just as some other brands, you will get the job done with a Delta.
