Mortiser

A benchtop mortiser will make cutting mortises as easy as making holes with a drill press.  Perfect mortise and tenon joints depend on straight, square mortises with consistently flat walls. A dedicated benchtop mortiser allows you to pound out such mortises by the dozen with virtually zero setup even in a small woodshop.

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  How to Make a Handy Homemade Spacer for Your Mortising Chisel

  Rather than using a dime as a spacer between your chisel and drill bit, a simple kitchen magnet can be a handy solution.

  
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  Shaker Dresser Project

  A modernized version of an American classic, this maple Shaker-style dresser combines old world design with modern techniques.

  
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  General’s International 75-040 M1 Hollow Chisel Mortiser Operates Smoothly and Provides Workpiece Support

  General’s International 5/8″ Hollow Chisel Mortiser has a gas head-cylinder for smoother stroke control and a nice extending table for mortising support.

  
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  Shop Fox W1671 Benchtop Mortiser Has Large Motor for Mortising Power

  Shop Fox’s W1671 Benchtop mortiser comes with a larger motor and is highly adjustable, all at a lower price tag than other similar mortisers.

  
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  Steel City 25200 Benchtop Mortiser Has an Extension Table and Warped but Tall Cast Fence

  Steel City’s 25200 Benchtop Mortiser comes with a unique expandable table for large workpieces and a tall, but slightly warped, cast fence.

  
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  Benchtop Mortiser Review: Shop Fox Is Best of the Top Seven Mortise Cutters

  Our expert, Chris Marshall, tested the top seven bench top mortisers on the market, checking their features and seeking out the best bargain.

  
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  Delta 14-651 Benchtop Mortiser Features Easy Headstock Auger Drill Bit Chuck

  Delta’s 14-651 Benchtop Mortiser includes a ratcheting handle and headstock panel making set-up easy and the machine is easy to use overall.

  
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  Benchtop Mortiser Chisel Sharpening with Sandpaper, Rockler Woodworking and Veritas Sharpening Tools

  Making sure your mortiser’s chisel is sharp is key to preventing clogging and friction, and expert Chris Marshall has developed an easy method for making sharpening easy.

  
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  Craftsman 21907 Benchtop Mortiser Tough Auger Bit Installation, but Good Riser Block and Feed Handle

  Craftsman’s 21907 Benchtop Mortiser comes with a few nice features including left-hand conversion, but overall setup is too much hassle.

  
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  General International 75-050T M1 Benchtop Mortiser Has a Versatile Headstock

  With a tilting and rotating head, the General International 75-050T M1 Benchtop Mortiser adds a lot of versatility to your standard mortising tool.

  
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  Powermatic 701 Benchtop Mortiser Features Workpiece Holddown and Chisel Spacer

  Powermatic’s 701 benchtop mortiser has a solid two knob workpiece holddown system and chisel spacing system that earn high marks at a high price.

  
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  JET Tools JBM-5 Benchtop Mortiser Has a Good Depth Stop, But Clumsy Chisel Changing

  JET’s JBM-5 Benchtop Mortiser has some great features like ratcheting depth and fence settings, but its small table and clumsy chisel changing let it down.

  
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  Sound to Earth | The Story of Weber Mandolins and Guitars Straight From the Shop in Montana

  This past summer, I went out to Bozeman, Montana, for a reunion of acoustic musician friends. My cousin Tom “Mandotom” Murphy hosted the get-together. Tom showed us his new, beautiful maple octave mandolin which was custom-built by the luthiers at a shop about 45 minutes from his place. Sound to Earth is owned by Bruce [...]