Morticing attachment

[techauthorbob]

Hi Guys,

I was wondering about getting a Clarke morticing attachment for my pillar drill 'cos I am still learning chisel skills.

Are they any good?

I will only be using one occasionally, but mainly on oak.

Any help gratefully received.

Bob

 

[Rod]

I’ve no experience of them but I treat Clarke stuff with great suspicion.
If you are only doing a few invest in a S/H Pig Sticker, mortices are not that difficult.
They can also be cut with a router and an easily constructed jig. I use a solid carbide spiral up-cut in mine.

Rod

 

[DaveL]

Unless you have a very well built pillar drill I would give it a miss. I have a Draper mortisor which works OK but the lever for operating it is three times the length of that on my pillar drill, that gives an indecation of the force required to cut mortises.

 

[kirkpoore1]

Bob:

You can probably get away with it for very small mortises--1/4" certainly , maybe up to 3/8". I wouldn't risk bigger than that.

Kirk

 

[techauthorbob]

I have a Clarke pdm125b, 16mm chuck, but I think from these comments it's probably not worth bothering with.


Thanks all!

Bob

 

[9fingers]

I have a Clarke pdm125b, 16mm chuck, but I think from these comments it's probably not worth bothering with.


Thanks all!

Bob

+100%

If you are considering a stand alone morticer there are a relatively recent variants using round column. I'd avoid these if at all possible.
One with a dovetail column are far superior and if you budget will run to it, and X-Y table is very useful when making anything other than single plunge mortices.
As with many tools you get more for your money looking at used machines and for something as simple as a morticer there is not much to go wrong and so the warranty and customer service associated with a new machine is not worth a great deal. Often there will be some chisels bundled in with used machines especially if you can find an executor sale.

hth
Bob

 

[chataigner]

I have a Clarke pdm125b, 16mm chuck, but I think from these comments it's probably not worth bothering with.


Thanks all!

Bob

+100%

If you are considering a stand alone morticer there are a relatively recent variants using round column. I'd avoid these if at all possible.
One with a dovetail column are far superior and if you budget will run to it, and X-Y table is very useful when making anything other than single plunge mortices.
As with many tools you get more for your money looking at used machines and for something as simple as a morticer there is not much to go wrong and so the warranty and customer service associated with a new machine is not worth a great deal. Often there will be some chisels bundled in with used machines especially if you can find an executor sale.

hth
Bob

+1 - I bought cheap and have regretted it. With extensive modifications my little hollow chisel morticer now works quite well, but it was a struggle to overcome problem of play in the guides. For £200 more I could have had a good one that worked well straight out of the box.

 

[wallace]

I bought new and cheapish axminster I think, got rid very quickly. Then bought old and even cheaper and its brilliant. Only problem it weighs 500kg so not for everyone. I think its my only non wadkin machine

 

[RogerS]

The first morticer I bought was a Perform and it was horrible. Then I bought one of Axminsters' trade machines on clearance. Chalk and Cheese. The trade machine was streets ahead. Then I found myself short of funds and realised that it had sat in the workshop for well over a year unused and so I sold it.

I now find myself needing it having to make loads of doors.

But there is another way...this bad boy ...I cheat now and use dominos.

and I managed to get a very good hardly used secondhand machine

 

[podengo]

A pillar drill wont cut mortices without a real struggle, you risk snapping something

 

[AndyP]

Bob, I went the other way and bough a Multico morticer and a drill chuck accessory. I soon found out that the morticer speed was way to fast for most hole drilling applications so I know have a Chinwanese bench drill as well.

 

[9fingers]

Bob, I went the other way and bough a Multico morticer and a drill chuck accessory. I soon found out that the morticer speed was way to fast for most hole drilling applications so I know have a Chinwanese bench drill as well.

That has provoked a thought for those tight for space in the workshop.

A possible compromise would be a 3 phase morticer with drill chuck option and an inverter to alter the speed when drilling. Would need to be a sensorless vector type inverter to get best performance from the drilling function at low speeds but a compact solution and a really rigid quill action compared to so many modern pillar drills. - I read that even the jet pillar drills (and axi clones) are disappointing users

Bob