Oh my....

Finally put it together last night.... well, the stand had to be but
the mortiser was basically ready to roll outta the box.

Made some 3/8" mortises. Initially, I was cautious about applying
force to the handle when the chisel made contact with the workpiece
but just a bit more pressure and badabing, badaboom, square holes!
Did a single pass thru 3/4" red oak and a 2" mortise in a 2x4. Oak
took moderate pressure and the 2x4 was almost like buttah.

Bought the 'Powermatic' 1/4, 3/8. and 1/2 chisels from amazon. Funny,
these are marked 'Jet' on the clamping end of the chisel. Now I know
that wilton owns powermatic and jet, but if I bought powermatic, at
least mark them as such so I don't feel like I was somehow ripped
off.

Not that they don't work well, but who knows how well the same chisel
with the word 'powermatic' on it would work?!

D'ohBoy

D'ohBoy wrote:
....
Which one?

--

On Nov 11, 8:22 am, dpb wrote:
D'ohBoy wrote:

...
Which one?

--

Benchtop - 701, 3/4 horse.

D'ohBoy

"D'ohBoy" wrote in message
...
Oh my....

Finally put it together last night.... well, the stand had to be but
the mortiser was basically ready to roll outta the box.

Made some 3/8" mortises. Initially, I was cautious about applying
force to the handle when the chisel made contact with the workpiece
but just a bit more pressure and badabing, badaboom, square holes!
Did a single pass thru 3/4" red oak and a 2" mortise in a 2x4. Oak
took moderate pressure and the 2x4 was almost like buttah.

Something you will want to do. Like any chisel, the mortising chisels will
need to be sharpened. From the factory they give you the results you
witnessed. If you use a sharpening cone up in the center and polish the 4
out side surfaces at the cutting end you will get a dramatic improvement in
cutting ease.



Bought the 'Powermatic' 1/4, 3/8. and 1/2 chisels from amazon. Funny,
these are marked 'Jet' on the clamping end of the chisel. Now I know
that wilton owns powermatic and jet, but if I bought powermatic, at
least mark them as such so I don't feel like I was somehow ripped
off.

Actually Wlater Meier owns Wilton, Powermatic, and Jet


Not that they don't work well, but who knows how well the same chisel
with the word 'powermatic' on it would work?!

More and more sister products are begining to come off the same assembly
line. Regularily they are the same but have different prices.

I wrote:

Not that they don't work well, but who knows how well the same chisel
with the word 'powermatic' on it would work?!

To which Leon responded:

More and more sister products are begining to come off the same assembly
line. Regularily they are the same but have different prices.

To which I respond:

I forgot to put a " ;-) " after indicating that the suggestion that a
different label on the *same* chisel would produce a different result
- as if by the placebo effect ;-) which was intended as a joke...

But your point is well-taken.

D'ohBoy

I keep a block of bees wax under my mortiser, It is surprising how much easier
thing go when I apply it to the chisel once it has warmed up...like one hole.
:-)
__________________
Bill Waller
New Eagle, PA

"Leon" wrote:


More and more sister products are begining to come off the same
assembly line. Regularily they are the same but have different
prices.

Reminds me of one of my interviews after graduation with a lead acid
battery mfg firm.

Was given a plant tour.

There were 6-8 different battery cases on the ass'y line.

They each got a different paint job, but the same guts.

Lew

"D'ohBoy" wrote in message
...
I wrote:

Not that they don't work well, but who knows how well the same chisel
with the word 'powermatic' on it would work?!

To which Leon responded:

More and more sister products are begining to come off the same assembly
line. Regularily they are the same but have different prices.

To which I respond:

I forgot to put a " ;-) " after indicating that the suggestion that a
different label on the *same* chisel would produce a different result
- as if by the placebo effect ;-) which was intended as a joke...

But your point is well-taken.

D'ohBoy


I think I knew you were kidding, but I was serious about you needing to
sharpen the chisels.

D'ohBoy wrote:
On Nov 11, 8:22 am, dpb wrote:
D'ohBoy wrote:

...
Which one?

--

Benchtop - 701, 3/4 horse.
....

Oh, ok...was hoping for "hands-on" for the 719--it's on a "year-end"
sale flyer price, too, that's not _too_ outrageous...

--

On Nov 11, 1:24*pm, "Leon" wrote:
"D'ohBoy" wrote in message

...



I wrote:

Not that they don't work well, but who knows how well the same chisel
with the word 'powermatic' on it would work?!

To which Leon responded:

More and more sister products are begining to come off the same assembly
line. *Regularily they are the same but have different prices.

To which I respond:

I forgot to put a " ;-) " after indicating that the suggestion that a
different label on the *same* chisel would produce a different result
- as if by the placebo effect ;-) *which was intended as a joke...

But your point is well-taken.

D'ohBoy

I think I knew you were kidding, but I was serious about you needing to
sharpen the chisels.

Damn. Sorry for misunderestimating you.

I was hoping someone would give me a little g for it I guess....

But with regard to your original comment, they seem pretty damn sharp
already - seriously - like scary sharp. Are you sure?

D'ohBoy

On Nov 11, 1:40*pm, dpb wrote:
D'ohBoy wrote:
On Nov 11, 8:22 am, dpb wrote:
D'ohBoy wrote:

...
Which one?

--

Benchtop - 701, 3/4 horse.

...

Oh, ok...was hoping for "hands-on" for the 719--it's on a "year-end"
sale flyer price, too, that's not _too_ outrageous...

--

Ummmm.... ~$1200.... not too outrageous if you are a professional but
for a rank amateur like myself I actually was a little put off by
spending $400 on a mortiser....

But it shore is nice! Makes me wonder what I am missing with my Steel
City hybrid saw and Jet DP.



D'ohBoy, who's actually very very happy with his saw and DP. As well
as his new mortiser, which confirms his contention that one can either
spend years developing hand tool skills OR drop a buncha coin on a new
tool which takes no time at all (and $30 payments for the REST OF YOUR
LIFE).

D'ohBoy wrote:
....
Ummmm.... ~$1200.... not too outrageous if you are a professional but
for a rank amateur like myself I actually was a little put off by
spending $400 on a mortiser....
....
I'm not professional (at least wooddorker ; actually I'm farming at
the present having come back after dad passed away) but what woodworking
I presently do is mostly architectural on the old barn or house--
particularly for the barn there are some sizable mortises coming up as I
get to rebuilding the doors that I discovered the 1/2" benchtop wasn't
really up to w/ the first two I did...

What I really, really want is a chain mortiser but haven't found
anything close enough used and not ready for _that_ much of a drop of
the coin... (or should that be ?)

--

"D'ohBoy" wrote in message
...
Snip


But it shore is nice! Makes me wonder what I am missing with my Steel
City hybrid saw and Jet DP.



I know you are happy with your DP, but to make you happier, I have seen 2
and used 1 Powermatic DP. Both were noisey, something that a DP is usually
not.

"D'ohBoy" wrote in message
...
snip

Damn. Sorry for misunderestimating you.

I was hoping someone would give me a little g for it I guess....

But with regard to your original comment, they seem pretty damn sharp
already - seriously - like scary sharp. Are you sure?

Yes. I shapen mine with a Lee Valley mortiser cone then remove the burr and
polished the outer 4 cutting surfaces to a mirror finish with my Tormak for
less friction.

On Nov 12, 6:32 am, "Leon" wrote:
"D'ohBoy" wrote in message

...
snip

Damn. Sorry for misunderestimating you.

I was hoping someone would give me a little g for it I guess....

But with regard to your original comment, they seem pretty damn sharp
already - seriously - like scary sharp. Are you sure?

Yes. I shapen mine with a Lee Valley mortiser cone then remove the burr and
polished the outer 4 cutting surfaces to a mirror finish with my Tormak for
less friction.

Have the cone that comes with the PM mortiser - how do you use it?
Freehand? Or do you have a jig? Not gonna invest in a Tormek right
now - what are my alternatives for sharpening the outer cutting
surfaces?

It really was pretty easy to do the 3/4" oak. If the chisels will
take more honing, it'll be schweet!

Thanks!

D'ohBoy

"D'ohBoy" wrote in message
...

Have the cone that comes with the PM mortiser - how do you use it?

I chuck it up in my cordless drill and grind at a very slow speed. You
don't want to remove much material, just enough to sharpen the edges again.
You probably do not need to do that this time around but later you will.

You could use the scary sharp method with finw grit sand paper to polish the
chisel edges. Remember you are looking for a mirror finish on the 4 cutting
sides tha make contact with the wood. Typically this is only a short way up
from the bottom of the chisel.




Freehand? Or do you have a jig? Not gonna invest in a Tormek right
now - what are my alternatives for sharpening the outer cutting
surfaces?

I do it all free hand basically. It is not a science so to speak. Just
remember you cut your mortises first and then cut you tenons to fit the
mortises.


It really was pretty easy to do the 3/4" oak.

I thought so too but was really shocked after polishing the chisels,
slightly more effort than just using a drill press. It is important to get
the bit set up with the chisel correctly for maximum ease. I find that
"slightly" deeper than recomended is much much better than slighter
shallower than recomended.

Becareful with the smaller bits as they will tend to break more easily if
they bite of more than they can easily bring back up through the chisel.

If the chisels will
take more honing, it'll be schweet!

Yes! If you don't see your refelection, they can take more honing.

On Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:42:08 -0600, the infamous "Leon"
scrawled the following:


"D'ohBoy" wrote in message
...

Have the cone that comes with the PM mortiser - how do you use it?

I chuck it up in my cordless drill and grind at a very slow speed. You
don't want to remove much material, just enough to sharpen the edges again.
You probably do not need to do that this time around but later you will.

You could use the scary sharp method with finw grit sand paper to polish the
chisel edges. Remember you are looking for a mirror finish on the 4 cutting
sides tha make contact with the wood. Typically this is only a short way up
from the bottom of the chisel.

Yeah, all you want to do on the outside of the chisel is remove the
burr (and get/keep it polished.)



Freehand? Or do you have a jig? Not gonna invest in a Tormek right
now - what are my alternatives for sharpening the outer cutting
surfaces?

(You don't. See above.)


I do it all free hand basically. It is not a science so to speak. Just
remember you cut your mortises first and then cut you tenons to fit the
mortises.


It really was pretty easy to do the 3/4" oak.

I thought so too but was really shocked after polishing the chisels,
slightly more effort than just using a drill press. It is important to get
the bit set up with the chisel correctly for maximum ease. I find that
"slightly" deeper than recomended is much much better than slighter
shallower than recomended.

Yes, interference fits (when the tenon is longer than the mortise) are
to be avoided, both in fine furniture and in whatever it is that _we_
all make.


Becareful with the smaller bits as they will tend to break more easily if
they bite of more than they can easily bring back up through the chisel.

If the chisels will
take more honing, it'll be schweet!

Yes! If you don't see your refelection, they can take more honing.

What, you trying to scare D'boy?

--
You know, in about 40 years, we'll have literally thousands of
OLD LADIES running around with TATTOOS, and Rap Music will be
the Golden Oldies. Now that's SCARY! --Maxine

On Nov 12, 10:13 pm, Larry Jaques
wrote some countering stuff to what On Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:42:08
-0600, the infamous "Leon" scrawled, to which I responded with the
following informational update:


Used my diamond hones (fine/800 grit and extra fine/1200 grit) to put
a mirror polish (or reasonable approximation) on the 3/8 chisel. The
improvement (reduction in required force at the handle to mortise in
3/4" red oak) was only incremental but still significant. I will
polish my 1/2" and 1/4" chisels too.

Thanks for the input!

D'ohBoy, who has long since lost all fear of the furry face in the
mirror

"D'ohBoy" wrote in message
...
On Nov 12, 10:13 pm, Larry Jaques
wrote some countering stuff to what On Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:42:08
-0600, the infamous "Leon" scrawled, to which I responded with the
following informational update:


Used my diamond hones (fine/800 grit and extra fine/1200 grit) to put
a mirror polish (or reasonable approximation) on the 3/8 chisel. The
improvement (reduction in required force at the handle to mortise in
3/4" red oak) was only incremental but still significant. I will
polish my 1/2" and 1/4" chisels too.


It will be more significant when you get into cutting mortises that are
deeper, 2"-3".
One other thing, location of the exit hole side of the chisel is important.
You really dont want the waste falling back down in the previous hole and
being recycled so to speak.

On Nov 13, 8:30 am, "Leon" wrote:
"D'ohBoy" wrote in message

...

On Nov 12, 10:13 pm, Larry Jaques
wrote some countering stuff to what On Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:42:08
-0600, the infamous "Leon" scrawled, to which I responded with the
following informational update:

Used my diamond hones (fine/800 grit and extra fine/1200 grit) to put
a mirror polish (or reasonable approximation) on the 3/8 chisel. The
improvement (reduction in required force at the handle to mortise in
3/4" red oak) was only incremental but still significant. I will
polish my 1/2" and 1/4" chisels too.

It will be more significant when you get into cutting mortises that are
deeper, 2"-3".
One other thing, location of the exit hole side of the chisel is important.
You really dont want the waste falling back down in the previous hole and
being recycled so to speak.

Huh? IIRC, according to the lit that came with the tool, the 'exit
hole' as you call it - IMO a rather unfortunate usage, BTW ;-) - is
supposed to be aligned with the prior hole.

Oh yeah, two negatives have arisen now that the honeymoon glow of new
tool ownership has faded: both the chuck key and the fitting that
attaches the arm to the axle driving the rack and pinion fit *very*
poorly with a level of slop that is annoying on the arm and downright
marginal on the chuck key.

And that damn spring loaded ejector piston at the end of the chuck key
is going to have a very limited continuing life span. I have *never*
left a chuck key in the chuck and fired up a tool...

Full review, pix of my minor mods to the stand to come at
lumberjocks.com under my moniker (sans the apostrophe as they don't
accept special characters).

D'ohBoy

"D'ohBoy" wrote in message
...
snip


Huh? IIRC, according to the lit that came with the tool, the 'exit
hole' as you call it - IMO a rather unfortunate usage, BTW ;-) - is
supposed to be aligned with the prior hole.

That is fine, you dont want debris exiting in the dirrection that you are
going. IIRC mine is set to exit on the back side.



Oh yeah, two negatives have arisen now that the honeymoon glow of new
tool ownership has faded: both the chuck key and the fitting that
attaches the arm to the axle driving the rack and pinion fit *very*
poorly with a level of slop that is annoying on the arm and downright
marginal on the chuck key.

I have dealt with keys and chucks like that. In many cases the method of
insuring hte key pops out when you let go is part of the problem. Also a
method that works for me is to always grab the key so that you are lifting
the key into the teeth of the chuck when tightening or loosening. Some
times you thumb needs to be on top, some times on bottom.

On Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:27:58 -0800 (PST), the infamous "D'ohBoy"
scrawled the following:

On Nov 12, 10:13 pm, Larry Jaques
wrote some countering stuff to what On Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:42:08
-0600, the infamous "Leon" scrawled, to which I responded with the
following informational update:


Used my diamond hones (fine/800 grit and extra fine/1200 grit) to put
a mirror polish (or reasonable approximation) on the 3/8 chisel. The
improvement (reduction in required force at the handle to mortise in
3/4" red oak) was only incremental but still significant. I will
polish my 1/2" and 1/4" chisels too.

Bueno. I polish and Johnson's paste wax goes on. I don't know how
much it helps the woodworking, but at minimum, it keeps the rust at
bay.


Thanks for the input!

Jewelcome.


D'ohBoy, who has long since lost all fear of the furry face in the
mirror

You could have warned _us_, though.

--
You know, in about 40 years, we'll have literally thousands of
OLD LADIES running around with TATTOOS, and Rap Music will be
the Golden Oldies. Now that's SCARY! --Maxine