Slot Mortiser or what?

[Never Enough Money]

I'm curious....

I got a glimpse of a shop made tool recently. I think, but am definitely not sure, that it's called a slot mortiser. I have a bench top hollow chisel mortiser -- this tool is not that.

Let me describe it.

The guy built a waist high table. Mounted a motor under it which drives a pulley which drive and axle which has a drill chuck in it. The drill chuck had a long bit in it -- I've been told it's an arbor bit which cuts in _and_ sideways.

Now along side the table were some bars whch ran vertically and horizonally in both x and y. A small platform was somehow mounted in the bars. The platform holds the wood to be mortised. The table goes into the drill and then slides left right with respect to the bit.

I DAGS and found a router based device at

but it doesn't look the same.

I will be able to view it next Tuesday night but my curiousity is killing me. I hope one of you might be able to help before next Tuesday.

[bridger]

that sounds like a slot mortiser.

this one is powered by a router motor rather than a belt and pulley system.

do you own or can borrow a digital camera? please take pictures and post them to the news group alt.binaries.pictures.woodworking.

[charlie b]

Horizontal Boring Machine/Mortiser Third and fourth image in this page. This one's on the end of the Robland X31's jointer/planer cutter head which is chain driven by a 3HP TEFC motor.

Add this slick jig and you can cut mortises at various angles. That's real handy if you're doing chairs.

Cutting mortises in both parts and then using a "loose tenon" to hold them together is much less risky than the tradiional mortise and tenon - the length of the part that would normaly have the tenon is the actual "visible length" rather than the "visible length" PLUS the length of the tenons on each end.

The "loose tenon" can be made from what would other- wise be scraps - and harder than the parts being joined if you'd like. You can make up a few feet of the needed "loose tenon" and cut off what you need. Make it too loose and it's no big deal - make another WITHOUT affecting the expensive parts that show.

If you want to use a router to make loose tenon mortises check out this one. (all one line so watch the line wrap)

Handy this loose tenon thing.

charlie b

[Unisaw A100]

That sounds like an end mill.

UA100

[AAvK]

I 2nd the motion. I'd like to see it because it is home made, like a couple of lathes that were shown in ABPW recently. Get some good details and angles and post @ 640x480 please.

Alex

[Pat Barber]

There have been a number of plans in ShopSmith and ShopNotes for very similar "jigs"... They are normally a fairly complicated goat rodeo from the stand point of operation.

Most are "router based" and require a lifetime of screwing around trying to duplicate the jig....

there are several more....

[bridger]

they seem to work OK for me.

generally I'll run them in the router or the mill drill. I like the 4 tooth spiral ones. nice clean cut. not cheap though.

[Never Enough Money]

Update:

I did not get a photo -- feel kinda funny asking the cabinet maker if I can take pictures of his tools. However, I did get a much better look.... He uses a piece of machinery from INCA -- a small table that would move in three dimensions. I searched for a few minutes on the web but did not find it. He said he bought if from Garrett-Wade "or someplace like that" years ago.

Once you see the table, the rest is easy to imagine.

I'll still try to get a photo. BTW, I went to alt.binaries.pictures.woodworking and it wasn't obviuos how I get pictures there. Any hints? I'm using Google to get there.