Q: Hollow Chisel Mortiser - noisy bits in chisels?

[patrick conroy]

Picked up the Delta MM300 for a hunnert bucks as part of Lowe's Delta clearance. Never had one of these before. The bits "sing" pretty loudly as they spin in their chisels. Not so loud or not a screech that would signal a binding or a problem. But a louder "scraping" sound than I'd have expected.

I know that's pretty subjective. But I finally saw a Woodworking at Home segment where he fires up his mortiser and I think mine are louder than his.

Do they quiet down over time? Is it more a case of using the inexpensive Delta bits that ship with the machine? As an experiment, I varied the amount of bit exposed beyond the chisel from

0" to 1/4" (IIRC the manual says a 1/16 - 3/16" exposure) and didn't hear a difference.

Also - the instructions are pretty vague about how much of the bit tip protrudes below the chisel corners. Again I think the manual says 1/16-3/16" "depending on the wood."

Can someone lend some guidance on how they set up their hollow chisel mortisers?

[Dave jackson]

[Woodcrafter]

Mine have a similar melody. I found you also have to experiment a little with the distance the drill bit protrudes from the bottom of the hollow chisel. Use some scrap wood to experiement, and when you find the depth that gives the best results, write it down in a notebook along with the wood type and keep it handy.

The machines can be a bit fiddly to set up, but once you have done so, they are very handy.

-- Regards,

Dean Bielanowski Editor, Online Tool Reviews

50 woodworking product reviews online!

------------------------------------------------------------ Latest 6 Reviews:

- Bessey K-Body Clamps

- HyLoft Overhead Storage System

- Lumber Wizard Metal Detector

- Pocket Hole Drilling Jig Project Book

- Kreg Universal Bench Klamp

- GRR-Ripper System & MJ Splitter

------------------------------------------------------------

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Mine is louder than a drill press, but nothing like a router.

Before you get into this very far, sharpen the chisels and bits. Hone the outside of the chisels, buy conical shaped tool for the inside from Lee Valley. Use a small file for the bits.

Out of the box, mine were a PITA, but after a few minutes with a stone and file, they work OK now. Ed [e-mail]

[Larry Jaques]

On Tue, 31 Aug 2004 23:58:23 GMT, "Dave jackson" calmly ranted:

That makes a really good juice which makes the glue fail to stick in that mortise, too.

I put paste wax on the bit and chisel before use, wait for it to dry, buff it off, and install them. Much quieter with no danger of glue failure.

----------------------------------------- Jack Kevorkian for Congressional physician!

Wondrous Website Design =================================================

[patrick conroy]

Thanks - I did invest in the Lee Valley cones. Honed the 1/2" chisel, installed it and made one square hole before the pin holding the handle to the shaft sheared off. :( Oh well, the Delta Service center is near work so I dropped it off today.

[<daveandfritzi]

[charlie b]

Polish the outside of the chisel and stone the bit - helps quite a bit.

The Forty Cent Method for setting the gap between the chisel and the bit -

b

[Morris Dovey]

Good page! Thanks for the link.

[patrick conroy]

I printed that page off and taped it to the wall.