Shopsmith Forums

Hi
Lay the chisel flat on the table put the drill chuck on and mount the sharpening stone in the drill chuck. Raise the table so that the stone, when advanced with quill, will enter the chisel and touch the chisel equally on all sides. Run the machine at low speeds and advance the quill and hone the chisels. The corners of the chisels can then be filed by hand using a fine file that will get into the corners. I use a drill press vise to hold the chisel square.
Bill V

furniturebypete wrote:Well I cannot watch videos at work, but I did watch that video some months ago, when I originally attempted to set up the mortiser. The dime trick is to have a dime's width space between the bit and the chisel, right? I did purchase a sharpening stone with my chisel and bit, but I'm not really sure how to go about using it- any advice? Also, even with the dime trick, I was hearing some unsavory sounds when I turned the shop smith on, like the bit was in some way making contact with the chisel. Is that normal, or should that have been a red flag that I was doing something wrong?

If the bit is not perfectly centered(or bent), it will rub against the inside of the chisel. some rubbing is to be expected, but not excessive. Everything must be aligned. If the chisel holder is cocked on the quill, alignment is impossible. The chisel holder is held by the quill, the bit by the chuck. Check the bit and chisel holder and chisel and quill for burrs.

furniturebypete wrote:Well I cannot watch videos at work, but I did watch that video some months ago, when I originally attempted to set up the mortiser. The dime trick is to have a dime's width space between the bit and the chisel, right? I did purchase a sharpening stone with my chisel and bit, but I'm not really sure how to go about using it- any advice? Also, even with the dime trick, I was hearing some unsavory sounds when I turned the shop smith on, like the bit was in some way making contact with the chisel. Is that normal, or should that have been a red flag that I was doing something wrong?

Here is a link to the sharpening procedure for the chisels and bits. http://www.shopsmith.com/academy/sharpe ... ingchisels

Hey everyone, I tried it out again yesterday and it worked perfectly. I think the big game changer was the support under the table- I cut a 2x4 and placed it directly under the table and it allowed me to really apply pressure on the quill handle, and I found that once the chisel started to dig it was pretty easy to keep it moving. So thanks everyone, especially Pennview (I think that was your handle) for the great advice- you saved me from wasting money on a dedicated mortiser!

I believe it was Lee Valley, who sells a conical shaped dressing/sharpening bit to "cut" the proper angle to your square hollow mortising chisels. Works light years better than any "Dremel" or similar conical grinding bit. The one I have is carbide tool steel, and "cuts" the metal to a razor sharp edge. Using that, plus assuring proper clearance should make a HUGE difference. Hardly any bargain edge tools are sharp outa the box, unless it's a high end tool.(Sorby, Lee Valley, etc..) I have a junky dedicated mortising tool I bought at a traveling tool sale. It was pitiful in performance outa the box. But after a good set-up, and re-dressing the chisel, it works great! Good luck with it, you'll use it all the time once it's set up. jimsjinx

JPG40504 wrote:Sharp chisel. Sharp bit. Sharp chisel. Sharp bit. Sharp.......

Hm, was that a sharp retort?

is there only one bit involved?

Every time I look at the title of this thread I find my answer is different. My favorite tool is always the last one I used that gave me a satisfactory result. Saturday it was my band saw which assisted me numerous times as I was reswawing materials for a shelving project in my wife's new sewing room. Sunday it was my hand held drill as I installed a handrail on the basement stairs. Today a nut driver as I finished a downspout install on the new shop. Tomorrow it will likely be the Power Pro as I mill wood to repair the garage door which had a little accident last week. Yes every day I seem to have a new favorite tool. Fjimp