"Joe Tylicki" wrote in message
news
Just purchased the Powermatic 701 Benchtop Mortiser along with a Delta
1/2" Austrian made chisel/bit set. Had a few issues testing it out and I
wanted to see what was normal as well as some recommendations.

1.) How much noise should you hear from the bit inside the chisel when
you first power the machine up? I put in the chuck extension and I can
still only grab a small portion of the drill bit with the chuck and I'm
worried I might have runnout because of it, creating the noise inside the
chisel. It's not a loud noise but up to the point the bit hits the wood
there is a bit of screeching. When it contacts the wood that stops.

The bit tends to SQUEEEEEEEEELLLLL does it? ;~) Normal. Mine does it, a
Delta and so does Norms. However if you spray a bit of TopCote or a
similar dry lubricant on the spinning bit it will quiet things down for a
short period.



2.) How tight should the chisel fit into the bushing on the machine? I
had to use a block of wood and a hammer to get it on. I'll probably need
a wood dowel and a hammer to get it off.

That does not sound right. Did you loosen all the adjustment screws? Mine
will push up with my finger pushing up on the pointey end.


3.) How hard can you safely bear down when drilling? To get the first
hole into rock maple (my first test in cedar wasn't so bad) required quite
a bit of force.

I do not know of any chisel that does not need to be sharpened, when new,
for optimum performance. LeeValley sells a sharpening cone to take any burs
out of the end of the chisel and then you should polish the 4 bottom sides
near the point to a mirror finish and your effory should deminish greatly.


4.) How much should I try to take off with subsequent holes? Is there
a rule of thumb, such as half the width of the chisel or two thirds?

I personally try to take as much as possible on the remaining plunges taking
care to not leave any small partitions behind. Once the first one is cut
the remainder tend to go easily as long as only 3 sides are cutting into the
wood.


5.) What are the most useful sizes of chisels? I started with the
1/2". They had a lot of 5/16" in stock and some 1/4". I realize it
depends what type of woodworking you do, but I'd still like to know whats
most popular.

It is easy to break the 1/4" bits so I try to work with 3/8" exclusively.
The smaller the bite, the less stress on you and the machine.


6.) What brands of chisel/bits do you recommend? I've read the
Austrian bits are worth the extra money, but maybe only if you use them a
lot. Also, where do you recommend purchasing them?

I am still on my original Delta set.