On Fri, 26 Nov 2004 19:34:44 -0500, Adam Diehl
wrote:

Hey group,

I am looking to purchase either a drill press and mortising kit or a
dedicated mortiser to help me out with my furniture-making ambitions. I
initially thought that the drill press and mortising kit would be the
way to go because it would be more versatile. Since I have a limited
tool-buying budget (If I still hope to buy lumber anyways), I thought it
would be a nice, cost-effective compromise. However, I have heard that
the mortising kit/drill press combo isn't entirely satisfactory for
cutting mortises on a regular basis. I've heard that the dedicated
mortiser (as one might guess) is more user-friendly and does a better
job overall. That said, I have a couple questions for the group:

1) What do you use your drill presses for in your shop? My reason for
initially leaning towards the drill press/mortise kit combination is, as
I mentioned, because of the ability to also use the drill press as a
drill press. However, the only uses I can come up with are to cut plugs
and possibly for spinning sanding drums (which, I'm told, is another job
they're not ideally suited for). I don't think I'd do either on a
regular basis.

A drill press is very useful in the shop. You'll use it more than you
had imagined.

2) If you've used a mortising kit, what were your impressions of the
quality of the job it did and its usability?

I have the Delta mortising attachment. It takes time to set it up and
get it adjusted, then when in use there is no drill press for other
uses. The attachment is usable.

3) Considering the price of a delta bench-top drill press plus mortising
kit is about equal to the delta bench-top dedicated mortiser (including
4 bits and a few other handy gewgaws), which would you go for in my
position? Keep in mind that I already have a good hand-held drill that's
worked just fine for making holes up to this point. (I can even make the
holes end up passably straight most of the time!)

Basically you need both. Since you really need a mortiser get that
now, then save up for a floor-model drill press. At any rate, buy
the highest quality you can find. Good mortising bits are not cheap.

I guess the main thing I'm trying to assess is the real utility of
having a drill press, and whether it outweighs the advantages of going
for the dedicated mortiser. At this point I am leaning towards the
mortiser unless I hear some great reason to have a drill press instead.
Thank you all for your help!

Regards,
Adam Diehl