Woodpeckers MORTY - loose tenon router jig

[RFGuy]

For anyone who has enough money to buy a Festool Domino, but that doesn't want to, Woodpeckers has come out with the MORTY. For $500 plus a router you can now make loose tenon joints more slowly than with a Festool Domino.

https://www.woodpeck.com/morty-loose-tenon-jig.html

MORTY.jpg (94.86 KiB) Viewed 4040 times

[Hobbyman2]

thats different! works almost like a panta router , I see they have some competition on their line of tools from China Tools ? https://www.banggood.com/buy/china-wood ... tools.html

[thedovetailjoint]

Yep, that pretty much sums it up, @FRGuy

[reible]

One thing I did find interesting is the exposed joint via their "MORTY-TENON-STOCK".

The Festool domino version 500 does 4,5,6,8, and 10 but not the 12 or 14, for that you have to go to the 700 where the stock machine does 8, 10,12, and 14. There are also depth concentrations with just how deep you can go with morty. It also appears there is only a tight fit and no loose fit so locations all have to be right on. Or at least I didn't see that feature on morty.

Morty comes with a 1/4" bit but you can get the whole set for an additional for $220 now or after at $245 later so I would have some serious questions as to the value with out this set. With just the 1/4" bit you can't do the whole range of cuts, so at the very least you would be very limited in what you can cut as it comes. To be fair the base domino has to go to the kit to get the rest of the cutters, a jump from base costs but more then like what I would do if I were buying one.

Ed

[RFGuy]

Yeah, not trying to talk anyone into or out of this product, but it does appear to be of limited value (from my perspective). If you are fortunate enough to already have all of the router bits and a good router, then MORTY would ONLY be an incremental cost of $500. As Ed mentioned a full set of router bits is well over $200. By the time you factor this in, this product isn't much cheaper than a Domino (DF500). I say this because when I bought mine, Festool started throwing in all of the cutters (for free) with the purchase of the DF500. By the way, Woodpeckers allows you to make looser mortises by the flip down stops, i.e. just having more than one. They show it in the video. Just my opinion, but I am not a fan of exposed joinery when it comes to the Domino profile, i.e. seeing an exposed oval doesn't get me excited. Other joinery types are far more decorative for exposed joinery (IMHO). I don't have the larger Domino (DF700), but it can cut some pretty deep mortises. Not sure how easy it will be to recreate this with MORTY though...might need some very specialized router bits to do it. I still think the Domino wins out against this product, though I could see some very specialized cases where MORTY is a good companion to have and use with a Domino (for those with $$$ to burn).

[DLB]

I don't have either Festool Domino and would not buy this either, both 'solutions' are pretty pricey for a joint I don't use often and already know how to make. I do understand the attraction for the Domino in a higher volume operation, it is very fast and clean and the parts fit. Morty evidently works on the combination of imperial router bits, unknown bushings, and a custom template to form metric mortises. Why? Seems much simpler to use imperial value mortises or, if you must, metric router bits. Then you can make your 'floating tenon mortises' the same way you make any other mortises. I understand this even less if you make you own floating tenons or tenon stock. Just my two cents worth.

By the way, Woodpeckers allows you to make looser mortises by the flip down stops, i.e. just having more than one. They show it in the video.

I saw this too. So the stock also moves while you are cutting the mortise? I wonder what 'standard' sizes it will cut without repositioning the stock.

- David

[RFGuy]

A little more info on MORTY in Woodpeckers Deep Dive today. Maybe I am biased, but boy do those mortises look pretty ragged (tear out) around about 13:08 into the video...

[DLB]

A little more info on MORTY in Woodpeckers Deep Dive today. Maybe I am biased, but boy do those mortises look pretty ragged (tear out) around about 13:08 into the video...

I agree. But are you saying that a Festool Domino would do a better job with respect to tear out on a penetrating mortise like this? Or are you saying that you don't love this joinery style? (I don't typically go for the exposed end-grain look myself, but I know it is popular in various designs and creates some interesting contrasts.)

- David

[RFGuy]

I agree. But are you saying that a Festool Domino would do a better job with respect to tear out on a penetrating mortise like this? Or are you saying that you don't love this joinery style? (I don't typically go for the exposed end-grain look myself, but I know it is popular in various designs and creates some interesting contrasts.)

- David

Thanks David. I don't honestly know for sure because I haven't tried any through mortises with the Domino. However, in freezing the video in a few sections where he shows these mortises (before assembly) it looks to me like he had severe tearout on both sides of the mortise. The Domino has absolutely no tearout on the cherry that I have used it on so far, but this is just the top of the mortise. In the Woodpecker video, I see tearout on top and bottom of the mortise, or at least it looks that way to me. A little hard to tell because he keeps moving it around and there are no close ups showing it before assembly.

[jsburger]

Correct me if I am wrong but tear out is a function of the router bit. The Morty itself has nothing to do with the tear out.