# Mortising Machine



## BowlBit (Nov 2, 2009)

I have decided to build the WoodSmith Mortising Machine. Since I have several old routers laying around and collecting saw dust, I think that this will be a good use of my time. Laying out the hardware, will again, be the most time consuming. There are a goodly amount of curves, slots and edges that will need routing, a task I truly love. Although the plans call for all plywood for its construction, I plan on substituting some of my leftover hardwood pieces where I can. The design is simple enough and for the number of mortises I make, this seems to be adequate for me. I have never been able to justify the cost of a dedicated mortising machine. 
Although the plans only call for 3/4 birch plywood, I think that I will use 3/4" black phenolic, some Osage orange and a little white oak I have lying in my scrap bin. I thought about plyboo, (which I have a !/2 sheet left over) but I think I will use that for another project. 
I looked at woodgears.ca and his mortiser but I thought it to be more complicated and maybe a little more than I wanted to tackle. I am looking forward to this project, mainly because I can bring another router out of storage and put it to good use.


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## Straightlines (May 15, 2013)

We look forward to your progress on this one. I've seen this and some others that have caught my attention. I need to do some review and comparison between this one and the version done by YouTube's "Shop Built," which is very compact, simple, elegant.


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## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

Sounds like a great project, Dave.

Keep us updated on the progress...


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## Al B Thayer (Jun 2, 2014)

Are you talking about the one on the latest cover? 

Al


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

Assuming it's the same one on the Guild edition, I was all set to build it and then realized it has some limitations...

Doesn't seem to make mortises on an angle, any axis. It also does not accommodate mortises on edge of long boards (if one were to want to use loose tenons).

I had planned on changing the design to accommodate boards on end and angles and lost interest. It would require changing the entire platform design...

Certainly doable but my small jig already does more and I've run out of room in my current small shop.

Not discouraging you...just noting some possible limitations...

Good luck with it...anxious to hear your results...

Nick


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## Al B Thayer (Jun 2, 2014)

I would recomend using something besides drawer slides. I don't think they have enought accuracy or strength. I use a different approach to the machine.

Al


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Al B Thayer said:


> I would recomend using something besides drawer slides. I don't think they have enought accuracy or strength. I use a different approach to the machine.
> 
> Al


I would have to agree Al. Whatever is used for slides should have near zero free play.


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## Al B Thayer (Jun 2, 2014)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> I would have to agree Al. Whatever is used for slides should have near zero free play.


But I like the design. It's taken the antiquated mortise drill and replaced it with a router. Plus XYZ.

Al


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## paduke (Mar 28, 2010)

Al B Thayer said:


> I would recomend using something besides drawer slides. I don't think they have enought accuracy or strength. I use a different approach to the machine.
> 
> Al


As a tinkerer I am intriqued by the design but like you all am wondering how much slap is in a drawer slide


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## nsecrist (Jan 13, 2015)

Hi - Can you tell me which Woodsmith Mortising Machine you are referring to?

Can you post a link of what this machine looks like?

Thanks


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## Gaffboat (Mar 11, 2012)

nsecrist said:


> Hi - Can you tell me which Woodsmith Mortising Machine you are referring to?
> 
> Can you post a link of what this machine looks like?
> 
> Thanks


Here ya' go:


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## BowlBit (Nov 2, 2009)

Yes


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## BowlBit (Nov 2, 2009)

*Slides*



Cherryville Chuck said:


> I would have to agree Al. Whatever is used for slides should have near zero free play.


Over the years, I have found Haefele Accuride slides to be extremely well made. Very tight tolerances and because there will be limited vertical pressure on the bearings, I think they will be alright. 
Did contemplate using triple sliding dovetails, but they will eventually wear and end up with play. But hey thanks for the concern.


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## Al B Thayer (Jun 2, 2014)

BowlBit said:


> Over the years, I have found Haefele Accuride slides to be extremely well made. Very tight tolerances and because there will be limited vertical pressure on the bearings, I think they will be alright.
> Did contemplate using triple sliding dovetails, but they will eventually wear and end up with play. But hey thanks for the concern.


I have a machine that slides on t slot material. In 5 years of pretty good use there is no ware that effects the slop in the machine. This is a misnomer that you will need ball bearings. The aluminum material is so smooth a waxed board never wares out. 

I would also be more worried about the little screws that hold the slides in place. You may want to do like we do and dado a shallow slot for the slides to rest in. That will hold the pressed metal in place and give it a lot more strength. You can view a picture of the slides we use in my profile. Greg Paolini made a believer out of me on the slides. 

I like the plan and will be looking forward to hearing from you how well it works. 

Al


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## Straightlines (May 15, 2013)

*Free copy of Woodsmith issue at woodsmith.com*



nsecrist said:


> Hi - Can you tell me which Woodsmith Mortising Machine you are referring to?
> 
> Can you post a link of what this machine looks like?
> 
> Thanks


Navigate over to Woodsmith's web page and if you sign up for their daily email tips, I have seen that they make that Guild issue available for free.

Like Nickp noted, while this is a very nice build, it unfortunately has limited application due to the vertically oriented line of action. A horizontal build with angular tilt would open up WAY more fun. That said, there are a lot of nice ideas in this design and execution which have obvious applications in other schemes and other jigs/machines. BTW, I have read many accounts that are very supportive of the use of high-quality drawer slides, and I seem to remember one such view coming from Greg Paolini.

I've looked at a lot router lift/table designs, and hands-down I have to say that our very own Al Thayer's design takes the Grand Prize IMHO. The things that make it so dang good are that it has a proven, extremely robust frame and slide system, AND it can be used in both the horizontal and vertical positions. With a small tweak or 2, one can easily add a X-Y table jig to it and you would have a total router solution. His design can be found YouTube under his name; due to the T-slot materials, this promises a very speedy and easy build. :sold:


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## Al B Thayer (Jun 2, 2014)

Well thanks for saying so Bradley. 

Al


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## BowlBit (Nov 2, 2009)

Al B Thayer said:


> I have a machine that slides on t slot material. In 5 years of pretty good use there is no ware that effects the slop in the machine. This is a misnomer that you will need ball bearings. The aluminum material is so smooth a waxed board never wares out.
> 
> I would also be more worried about the little screws that hold the slides in place. You may want to do like we do and dado a shallow slot for the slides to rest in. That will hold the pressed metal in place and give it a lot more strength. You can view a picture of the slides we use in my profile. Greg Paolini made a believer out of me on the slides.
> 
> ...


Al, thanks for the input. I really like the use of the miter slides. I have doodled some mods on paper and think I have found a way to make them work. Also, I would love to incorporate a horizontal mortising machine, but will have to wait and see if I have the room. Right now, doesn't look promising, but you never know. Anyway, thanks again, and I also enjoyed your you tube videos.


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## woodie26 (May 31, 2009)

Al,
Where's the picture of the slides you used?
Thanks


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## Al B Thayer (Jun 2, 2014)

woodie26 said:


> Al,
> Where's the picture of the slides you used?
> Thanks


I'd love to post one here but it's not my thread and posting pics on this forum is tantamount to sticking an ice pic in your ear. 

Slide over to my profile.

To the OP. I'm looking forward to seeing your mortise machine. Did you buy a plan or is the mag write up enough to build it by?

Al


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## nsecrist (Jan 13, 2015)

*Anxious to see how it turns out*

I will be following this thread to see how your machine turns out.

I may want to build one also - depending on how you like yours.


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## BowlBit (Nov 2, 2009)

Al, after much hemming and hawing, redraws and and mods, I have come to the conclusion that a horizontal mortising machine will actually be much better than the vertical one in the WoodSmith mag. You were spot on. My shop is small, having one machine dedicated to a singular task is impractical, but a horizontal unit would be a lot more flexible, especially having both x and y axis ability. While I was all gung-ho for the vertical unit, it only took watching your video 2 or 3 times for me to realize the benefits of going horizontal. I hate to disappoint those who wished to see my build, but I will be going horizontal. Thanks all.


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## iminmyshop (Apr 25, 2015)

What would you suggest as an alternative to drawer slides that would still keep costs reasonable?
Thanks


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## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

iminmyshop said:


> What would you suggest as an alternative to drawer slides that would still keep costs reasonable?
> Thanks


Welcome to the forum. :smile:


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## Al B Thayer (Jun 2, 2014)

iminmyshop said:


> What would you suggest as an alternative to drawer slides that would still keep costs reasonable?
> Thanks


Problem with this design is the slides can't really be replaced. The design is requiring the slides to also hold the machine together along with the sliding motion. They have taken an old somewhat out dated mortising machine and modernized a few of the aspects we don't like. Replaced the slow rough cutting chisel with a router and the lousy table with hook clamps for a sliding table. Making a hybred out of a old style.

The slides are mounted vertically and play a duel role. 

For me there is too much slop in drawer slides for this application. I like the looks of the machine built for the Mag. But also think it's a tougher build than the one I use.

Al


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## PhilBa (Sep 25, 2014)

Does a mortiser really need sophisticated slides? It seems to me that the range of motion needed is on the order of a couple of inches. Maybe nothing more than a miter track and a little paste wax is needed. I can pretty easily use a miter gauge to push a big piece of wood across my table saw with a reasonable good degree of accuracy. Also, adding Z to the table makes it a lot more complex. Why not make the router mount do Z and just have the table do X and Y?


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## Straightlines (May 15, 2013)

One last noteworthy horizontal slot-mortiser design/build can be found on Shop Built's YT channel. His approach uses drawer slides/TV cabinet door slides, but I think one could easily substitute T-slot and key strips made from cheapo LDPE cutting boards or UHMW (if you've got money to burn) and end up with superb action along with longevity and simplicity in the construction.

His (Ryan's) design and 3-video construction series is one of the best I've seen -- very well thought out and he explains his thinking process -- so there are a number of gold nuggets that can be incorporated into our efforts.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

"One last noteworthy horizontal slot-mortiser design/build can be found on Shop Built's YT channel"

Maybe post a link?.


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## Straightlines (May 15, 2013)

DaninVan said:


> "One last noteworthy horizontal slot-mortiser design/build can be found on Shop Built's YT channel"
> 
> Maybe post a link?.


I'm happy to that, but I thought links were not permitted. Can someone more knowledgeable than I please clarify Forum policy on this?

Here's 




And here's 



.

Hopefully these will work and I won't get in trouble for linky naughtiness.


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