Advice sought on ways to stop a chisel jamming in wood when using a machine morticer

Technically the work you are doing is too big for the machine but that is what happens in DIY all the time. Improvise some larger capacity holddown clamp for the workpiece.

Bob

Out comes my heavy duty G clamps then. A bit time consuming, but if thats what it takes.

Gray,

Out of interest, do you have the auger 'sticking' slightly out of the end of 'chisel' to take most the waste away before the chisel 'slices' the sides?

Cash

Tried rubbing some candle wax into the outside of the of the chisel?

gray formulated on Friday :

To help prevent a saw sticking in moist wood, you rub a candle down the sides of the saw. Might the same thing help with your chisel?

Can you drill a smaller hole with i.e. a spade bit to provide some clearance, and see if that helps?

Thomas Prufer

I'd have thought _you_ would recommend WD-40... :-)

Good chisels (these are sadly impossible to find in the popular small machine fittings)

Sharp augers (work on them with a diamond stone)

Most of all, accurate depth adjustment of chisel relative to auger. Use the "nickel trick".

Remove chisel and auger. Take a 5p piece. Place it under the shoulder of the chisel and fit the chisel to the machine, such that it's a little proud (downwards) of usual. Fit the auger, pushing it lightly into place against the chisel before tightening. Slacken the chisel, remove the 5p and push the chisel fully home before re-tightening.

You now have 5p thickness worth of clearance between chisel and auger, which is about right. Maybe increase it in green timber.

The wax will come off and stop the subsequent glue from sticking properly.

Bob