Mortising Kit for drill press

[Steve L.]

Has anyone tried using the mortising kit AC6005 with the ridgid drill press?? If so, did you like the results??

I have used one and it work's good, but it can be a lot of work to set it up. You will need to make modes. I do not thing anyony did very mush testing before hand! I use a big lots drill press and it is not the problem! Make sure when you set it up that you end up in the very center of the board!! This will save you a lot of heart acks later. Make sure all boards are dry and the same thickness +- .0010 good luck it will look very good in the end!

[daveferg]

Personally, I'd either consider a benchtop mortiser or a good set of forstner bits and chisels. I just gave away the mortising set that came with my Jet drill press. Not only was it a pain, but it wouldn't stay aligned.

[Dave Arbuckle]

Dave, how did you find someone to take it?

Dave
got one to get rid of myself...

[daveferg]

Dave---had a woodworking friend come for a visit. Think I caught him at a weak moment after he looked at my new built-in cabinet (linen closet). He looked at that and began to think I knew what I was talking about---little does he know He even want to pay me for it, but I didn't have the heart

[MikeR]

Are the mortising attachments for a drill press really that bad. I am fairly new to woodworking. I have a drill press and was planning to buy a mortise attachment. Can someone please explain what the differences are between a dedicated mortiser and a drill press with a mortising attachment. Is it really worth the couple hundred bucks for the dedicated machine. Thanks!

[Dave Arbuckle]

Mike, Dave and I (honest, I ain't referring to myself twice) both have the same model drillpress. Maybe others are better.

I found mounting and demounting the attachment to be a significant pain in the neck (among other things, the chuck had to be removed and reinstalled each time). Aligning the fence of the attachment was another pain.

Look at the length of the handle on a mortiser, then on a drill press, there's a huge difference. Drill press doesn't need that much leverage, it doesn't normally ram a chisel through wood.

Everyone's mileage varies though. What I find to be an intolerable pain, others may find a minor annoyance. Kind of like the "worth" part of your question, because I know there are many who think I'm insane for my mortise and tenon solution, a Leigh FMT for $800...

Dave

[ba-doyn]

Dave,

Can you give me a better idea about the Leigh FMT? How exactly does it work? I've seen photos but I'm not too sure how it functions. Also, do you think it's easy to set up and is it better than a dedicated mortiser?

Thanks,
Michael

[Dave Arbuckle]

Michael, I'll start another topic about FMT, so as not to walk away with Steve's.

Dave

[ba-doyn]

Whoops. Good idea. Sorry Steve.

Michael