Am building a table that utilizes 3/8"w x 4-1/2"lg x 3/4"dp mortises
in the legs to receive tenons from the side rails.

Don't have a dedicated mortise machine and drill press attachments
don't thrill me.

Do have a good 3/8" carbide forstner bit and a decent drill press, so
that is the way it will be done.

Clamped a couple of rails to trap the work piece allowing it to slide
parallel to the mortise centerline and went to work.

Completed the bulk of the stock removal with the forstner bit and
faced the clean up of the side walls.

Someone skilled with a chisel would probably have used that technique,
but chisel work, especially the amount involved, didn't thrill me.

Soooo.... enter the end mill.

Chucked up a 3/8", 4 flute, flat bottom end mill in the drill press,
dropped it into the mortise at the correct depth, and pulled the work
piece so the end mill cleaned up the sides of the mortise.

20 minutes later, the job was done.

As the saying goes, "different horses for different courses".

Lew

Lew Hodgett wrote:
Am building a table that utilizes 3/8"w x 4-1/2"lg x 3/4"dp mortises
in the legs to receive tenons from the side rails.

Don't have a dedicated mortise machine and drill press attachments
don't thrill me.

Do have a good 3/8" carbide forstner bit and a decent drill press, so
that is the way it will be done.

Clamped a couple of rails to trap the work piece allowing it to slide
parallel to the mortise centerline and went to work.

Completed the bulk of the stock removal with the forstner bit and
faced the clean up of the side walls.

Someone skilled with a chisel would probably have used that technique,
but chisel work, especially the amount involved, didn't thrill me.

Soooo.... enter the end mill.

Chucked up a 3/8", 4 flute, flat bottom end mill in the drill press,
dropped it into the mortise at the correct depth, and pulled the work
piece so the end mill cleaned up the sides of the mortise.

20 minutes later, the job was done.

As the saying goes, "different horses for different courses".

Lew


Sounds like an upside down router table. It's fun to work out a way to
do something you need done with what you have to work with.

--
Gerald Ross
Cochran, GA

A conclusion is simply the place where
you got tired of thinking.





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But it's very hard on the bearings of most drill presses, which
aren't designed for sideways pressure. Wouldn't a router have
been a better solution?

Gerald Ross wrote:

Sounds like an upside down router table. It's fun to work out a way to
do something you need done with what you have to work with.

On Wed, 14 Jun 2006 02:26:40 GMT, Lew Hodgett
wrote:

Am building a table that utilizes 3/8"w x 4-1/2"lg x 3/4"dp mortises
in the legs to receive tenons from the side rails.

Don't have a dedicated mortise machine and drill press attachments
don't thrill me.

Do have a good 3/8" carbide forstner bit and a decent drill press, so
that is the way it will be done.

Clamped a couple of rails to trap the work piece allowing it to slide
parallel to the mortise centerline and went to work.

Completed the bulk of the stock removal with the forstner bit and
faced the clean up of the side walls.

Someone skilled with a chisel would probably have used that technique,
but chisel work, especially the amount involved, didn't thrill me.

Soooo.... enter the end mill.

Chucked up a 3/8", 4 flute, flat bottom end mill in the drill press,
dropped it into the mortise at the correct depth, and pulled the work
piece so the end mill cleaned up the sides of the mortise.

20 minutes later, the job was done.

As the saying goes, "different horses for different courses".

Lew

Years ago one could buy a secondary spindle with bearings
that was mounted on the drill press table and driven by the
drill press chuck. Then an X-Y sliding table was mounted on the
base and you had a small cheap milling machine. My Father in Law told
me about them. They were used mainly in WW2 when it was almost
impossible to buy a machine in a small shop. It worked best with a
bench drill press. BTW, a reader tip in FWW a few months back
showed an XY table mounted in a mortising machine.

Mike Berger wrote:
But it's very hard on the bearings of most drill presses, which
aren't designed for sideways pressure. Wouldn't a router have
been a better solution?

The amount of side load placed on the spindle bearings was in the same
order of magnitude as the amount of smell of an ameba fart from 50 ft
in a huricane.

The depth of cut required was only about 1/16" to get a flat face on
the mortise.

Lew

"Lew Hodgett" wrote in message
nk.net...
Mike Berger wrote:
But it's very hard on the bearings of most drill presses, which
aren't designed for sideways pressure. Wouldn't a router have
been a better solution?

The amount of side load placed on the spindle bearings was in the same
order of magnitude as the amount of smell of an ameba fart from 50 ft in a
huricane.

The depth of cut required was only about 1/16" to get a flat face on the
mortise.

Lew

Does an ameba really fart??? :-)

Tim Taylor wrote:


Does an ameba really fart??? :-)

Good question.

I try to stay down wind from all amebasG.

Lew

"Lew Hodgett" wrote in message
link.net...
Tim Taylor wrote:


Does an ameba really fart??? :-)

Good question.

I try to stay down wind from all amebasG.

Lew

Wouldn't UP-wind be safer?
Tom
Maker of Fine Sawdust and Thin Shavings

"NoOne" wrote in message
...

"Lew Hodgett" wrote in message
link.net...
Tim Taylor wrote:


Does an ameba really fart??? :-)

Good question.

I try to stay down wind from all amebasG.

Lew

Wouldn't UP-wind be safer?
Tom
Maker of Fine Sawdust and Thin Shavings

I was thinking that, but wasn't going to say anything cause who knows which
way and how much power ameba farts have?

NoOne wrote:


Wouldn't UP-wind be safer?
Tom
Maker of Fine Sawdust and Thin Shavings

Guess it depends on how you define "Up" & "Down".

I want to get the wind first.

Lew