# Should I keep or return my DELTA 17-924 Mortising kit



## bclarknc (Feb 28, 2012)

So I was at Lowes tonight, actually looking for a very large socket I needed to work on a guy's truck I'm fixing, but I always have to look in the woodworking sections in hopes that something good is on sale or clearance. Well I found this one for $45+ my 10% off coupon which brought it down to roughly $40. I was pretty excited about the find, then reading the directions realized it won't fit my hybrid drill press, it's the one pictured where you add your own drill. Thinking I would look at getting a benchtop drill press so I could use this kit, I started looking at various reviews on this kit. A lot of them weren't very good so now I'm trying to decide if I should keep it or return it and just make them with my plunge router. I have no experience with mortise and tenon's but am very anxious to get started learning.

You can find the one I'm referring to here:
Amazon.com: DELTA 17-924 Mortising Attachment with 1/4 Inch, 5/16 Inch, 3/8 Inch, and 1/2 Inch Chisel and Bit Sets: Home Improvement


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## Woodshaper67 (Jan 13, 2012)

The one thing about reviews is the people that like the things they buy more than likly will not right a review.Mine is the next step down from your it did not have the chisels with it is the only difference.I have a Craftsman drill press which I don't use any of the collars mine fits without the collars.Do you have a drill press now?


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## bclarknc (Feb 28, 2012)

Woodshaper67 said:


> The one thing about reviews is the people that like the things they buy more than likly will not right a review.Mine is the next step down from your it did not have the chisels with it is the only difference.I have a Craftsman drill press which I don't use any of the collars mine fits without the collars.Do you have a drill press now?


I do not have a drill press, just the type shown in the picture in my first post. I was thinking that if that one didn't work I would probably keep my eye out for a small one I can afford, which won't be a lot.

I agree with you about the reviews. I have not done many, positive or negative and have been telling myself I really need to since I rely on them so much for purchasing.


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## Bradleytavares (Feb 25, 2012)

I went through the same decision making process regarding the same Delta accessorie. Through a number of conversations with woodworkers it came to light that a regular drill press will work in the short run but it's bearings wont handle the down pressure required to accomplish a mortice in hardwood. I saw a Delta dedicated mortice machine on sale so I bought it. Boy was I happy! The tool works by drilling out the center of a square and the chisle corners are forced through the wood to achieve a square opening. Now that I own the dedicated morticer I understand the down pressure issue. It takes a lot of pressure to perform the cut so if you can afford a single purpose tool you should buy it. As usual, a multi purpose tool does a lot of operations but none of them as well as a dedicated tool. Whatever your decision, enjoy your time working with wood. I've spent most of my life in saw dust and hope you receive as much pleasure as from it as I do.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Brett

They work very well I have two of them ,the Delta and the Grizzly the Grizzly is little bit better than the Delta.it comes with more bits and more collars to fit more brands of drill press's

The key for me was to make a longer handle to take on the hardwoods easy..

Just one more way to use the tool,I'm not real big fan of the round dowel pins But I'm a fan of the square dowel pins that you can make easy and use the tool to put in the square holes...

If I want something to move I put it on a round pin if I want it Not to move I put it on a square pin  or to say pin it with a square pin.

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## bclarknc (Feb 28, 2012)

@Bradleytavares...I'd love a dedicated mortising machine, but it's just out of reach right now. I was a custom cabinet make for a while and did some framing/trim work along with making some small pieces, so I do get a lot of fulfillment out of woodworking. I went on to major in photojournalism and now work at a paper, but the woodworking has been a part I have been missing out of my life and now am trying to get set up to do some furniture and art projects. So getting back in, money's an issue, anyone who knows about the journalism industry knows we don't always live comfortably, but I do love photojournalism, notice I didn't say my place of employment 

@Bobj3...That's a big help, thanks for sharing that info with me. Any way you can email me those pics at full size? 

Thanks again guys. I think I'll hold on to it, can't beat the price at $40, even if I use it a little and resell it I think I could get that out of it.


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## Garyk (Dec 29, 2011)

Brett,
You need to take a hard look at your need for making mortise & tendon joints. Only you can decide if it is worth the cost to you. I have had a dedicated Delta mortise machine for about 15 years. During that time I have used it maybe 5 or 6 times. There are other ways to make the joint without dedicated equipment. You got a good price for what you bought IF you use it enough to justify $40. But like you said, now you need a drill press just to use what you bought. That changes the bargain price a good bit.


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## Tommyt654 (Apr 5, 2009)

I bought one as well at Lowes several months ago and took it back, I had it mounted to a Delta full size DP and its ,well quite frankly junk when it comes to mortising compared to a dedicated mortising machine. I recently got hold of a nice Craftsman Mortiser for $60 more than what you paid for that cast iron piece from Lowes and it will run circles around the old attachment type in a heart beat. The key to these tools however IMO is having the sharpest possible chisels to use. You can get a set of sharpening cones from Lee Valley for around $9 and they helped immensly as well as a newer set of chisels vs what they sell you in the kit. I'd return it and just shop around, something will turn up on CL and you'll never regret a dedicated machine, but mine doesn't get as much use as I thought it would and mortices are easy to make with a router as well. Just my 2 cents


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Brett

I think all wood workers go down the mortising trail with square ones and round end ones some like the square shoulder type and some don't ,I'm a fan of the floating type and some don't but you will need a drill press for wood working anyway and now you have a way to put in square ones ,it's true you can buy a dedicated tool for that job but why it's one of the items that you will just do now and than, it's like having a power hand saw or table saw they both will do the same job just fine just like your new mortising tool and if you want square holes you now can do it easy or you get out your chisel and hammer.

I have had my sets for a long (many years) and have not needed to sharpen them yet so to say the bottom line keep it you will be glad you did down the road just for that one job that you want to do I'm sure 

Here's the going price for it so to say you got a deal, don't blow it off.
Amazon.com: DELTA 17-924 Mortising Attachment with 1/4 Inch, 5/16 Inch, 3/8 Inch, and 1/2 Inch Chisel and Bit Sets: Home Improvement

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## MEBCWD (Jan 14, 2012)

Hi Brett,

I agree with Mr Jigs, I have the same set you bought and don't use it often but when I want to use it I have it. 

You did get a good price on it!

Work safe, Have fun, Cut some wood,
Mike


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## bclarknc (Feb 28, 2012)

I think I agree with the last two post's. While I think I may not use this every time for mortise and tenon's, in the end surely I can take advantage enough times for it to be worth $40. Had I bought it at full price, I would take it back, but I can live with it collecting dust for as cheap as it was.


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## alan23 (Jan 3, 2012)

Hi everyone I thought this would be a good site to look at since I do so much with the router and the router table.I have a mortising attachment for my delta drillpress but I don't use it very much.I use a router to do all my mortising and there is no better way to do it.I use a dw625 by hand with the fence and the other stays in the router table.I use a solid carbide up cut bit to remove the chips hooked up to the shop vac.There is no interupted cut and the walls inside the mortise are smooth.I just under cut the tennons on the corners to match the radious on the mortise.


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## bclarknc (Feb 28, 2012)

alan23 said:


> Hi everyone I thought this would be a good site to look at since I do so much with the router and the router table.I have a mortising attachment for my delta drillpress but I don't use it very much.I use a router to do all my mortising and there is no better way to do it.I use a dw625 by hand with the fence and the other stays in the router table.I use a solid carbide up cut bit to remove the chips hooked up to the shop vac.There is no interupted cut and the walls inside the mortise are smooth.I just under cut the tennons on the corners to match the radious on the mortise.


I need to learn to do them on the router too.


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## Richard Carter (Feb 11, 2012)

*I Just Bought And Used One - Worked Well*

Here is the review I just today put up on Amazon for this kit I just bought and used:

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5.0 out of 5 stars Works Well With Reservations, March 9, 2012

By 
rcarter - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: DELTA 17-924 Mortising Attachment with 1/4 Inch, 5/16 Inch, 3/8 Inch, and 1/2 Inch Chisel and Bit Sets (Tools & Home Improvement)

As others have commented, for under a hundred dollars you have a satisfactory mortiser, and without much hassle. I would recommend this kit to anyone who is mechanically-inclined and first does their homework. I was able to use this to bore 24 - 1/2" square x 3/4" deep mortices in heart cherry on a non-Delta drill press without any problem. However, be aware of a couple of serious limitations:

1) The "U" mortise bit holder only has 4-1/2" inside clearance from the quill clamp (top) to the mortise bit clamp (bottom). Measure your drill press from the top of the stop ring at the bottom of the quill, to the bottom of the chuck, and importantly, with that chuck extended to tighten around a 1/8" bit. This is what has to fit into 4-1/2" on this "U" bit holder, the key part of this accessory kit. I could only use the 1/2" mortise bit, because with the chuck extended so far down to wrap around the smallest 1/4" mortise bit, there is not room for it within the "U", at least on my drill press. Fortunately, in my project, for which I bought a used $65 x 3/4 HP x 12 speed x 5/8" chuck drill press, the 1/2" mortise was OK (much bigger augur bit), so I could use this kit without any appreciable down time.

2) You must have a drill press which will allow you to use quite low speed; I ran mine at 600 rpm, and it did not burn up the mortise bit. At 1200 rpm, it instantly heated up, which is a possible explanation for why commentators may be upset about burning their bits. It's mostly about providing enough steady downward force pushing into the wood to create the "square hole." The drill bit inside is really important for clearing out chips and thus keeping the bit cooler. Only use at much-reduced speeds. Be sure you pay attention on keeping the 1/32" clearance between the augur and the mortise bit holder, too!

3) The HP on the drill press is therefore pretty much immaterial. What you do need is a robust travel on the drill press, as depending on your wood, you may like me be putting considerable force onto the crank to get the mortise bit plowed through the wood. If there is a little sideways slop/runout in the travel, it is OK, as once you have initially pronged into the wood carefully with the square bit, the wood prevents the square bit from wandering.

4) The hold-downs are pretty useless if you have any decent width stile, such as a door. The fence is a lifesaver though (I clamped mine to the drill press, as the provided holes didn't fit), and both the fence and mortise bit holder are well-made iron castings, making this a great "old school" solid accessory, the likes of which Delta originally established their brand following.

5) Other reviewers complained about the setup time. Not a problem at all for me, I couldn't see it being an issue, certainly not a show-stopper at all. However, if you buy a used drill press (make sure it fits!), you could dedicate it to mortising, and you would have the best solution.

6) The kit comes with the ability to clamp around four different sizes of quills. I tried this kit on my Delta 32" radial drill press (an older one, not the Delta 11-090 as advertised), and what do you know, it would not fit, ZIP. "The good thing about standards is there are so many of them," even from the same manufacturer who has made this accessory kit for its drill presses. ** WHY do they do this? ** Delta: "WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?" Unless you have a metal lathe, you would need to go to a machine shop and have a set of shims made if your drill press does not match the four sized quills this kit is intended for. Fortunately, three sets are provided in the kit as models. 
===================

That is a good comment about drill presses not having the heft for the downward pressure. Buy a used heavy drill press and you can't go wrong, if you are not doing that much mortising. I can see the rationale about getting a dedicated mortiser, though.


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## Tommyt654 (Apr 5, 2009)

Not to mention Amazon's overinflated prices


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