Shopsmith Forums

Well, since posting and reading about setting up a dedicated Hollow Mortiser, I dug mine out and started getting ready to bore some large square mortises in some bed posts I am currently commissioned to do. Looks like I'll be using my SS as a drill press, and forstener bits to do most of the work. These small mortisers are really just too small! Unless I had a couple dozen small mortise holes to drill on a regular basis,, I think I'd spend the money on something else! Mine works great, on small stuff. But I think doing 1 inch mortises, 4-5 inches long and 2 inches deep in poplar bedposts would burn this poor thing up. So I think using a 1 inch forstener bit on a drill press, outfitted with a table and fence, would be neater and faster. I've never used a router for such large mortise and tenon work, so that lends me to the drill press. One of those shop built 3 axis routers would be nice, but I am under the time gun, so that's not gonna happen! Any tips on large mortise and tenon work would be muy bueno! jimsjinx

Does anyone make floating tenons that size? You wouldn't need to square the corners in that case.

When I built my mission style canopy bed I did all the mortising with spade bits (ugh) and a sharp chisel.

I would be inclined to use the ss with a 1/2 or 3/4" router bit.

All I have is a 1/2" drill chuck(jacobs) for the SS. Do I need a special collet/chuck? These posts are 6 footers, 3.5" square poplar. My son is a journeyman carpenter, and suggested a template and a router with a guide bushing. I was gonna use a forstener bit on the SS as a drill press, and hog out most of the waste, cleaning up with a chisel. Using the fence would give me a nice straight row of holes. jimsjinx

Up late, Beeg? I've been down with a bout of bronchitis today, and can't sleep. I have already been out to the shop a fwe minutes ago, just to stare at my wood! (posts)! I lay in bed sometimes for hours thinking of projects like this one. Hope you are well, and I'm ordering the collet. Which would you buy? the 1/2" or the 1/4"? All my bits, and I have dozens, are 1/4"shafts. I would spring for a good motise bit in 1/2" if it would be better. jimsjinx

Just another opinion here, but you said you're making 1" wide x 4 or 5" long x 2" deep mortises in poplar. Were I doing this using the Shopsmith, I'd go with the forstner bit to remove the bulk of the material. You could then square up the mortises with a chisel or use a handheld router and a pattern bit and template.

Using a template also would help in squaring up the sides and corners of the mortises after drilling with the forstner bit. You could make a template from a piece of 2x4 by cutting an opening in it to match the mortise, clamping the template to the bedpost, and then using the sides of the template to guide the chisel. With a pattern bit and router, you could use a thinner template to clean up the sides or to cut the entire mortises.

You can make a very accurate template by ripping a 2x4 about 12" long on the table saw into three pieces, one of which is exactly the width of your mortise (in this case one inch). Rip about 1 1/8" off the edge of the 2x4, then rip a 1" wide strip, and then crosscut that 1" strip in half. Reassemble the four pieces of wood with glue and clamps so that you have an opening the size of the mortise you want.

I'd expect that sliding a 6' bedpost back and forth while using the Shopsmith as a router for the entire process of cutting the mortises would get tedious rather quickly.

You think like me!!Thanks for the post. It confirms the forstener bit idea for me. I know the poplar is a pleasure to work with a good set of forsteners! It hogs out material easily, and is as accurate as your fence set-up, soooo..... I'm pretty proficient with a sharp chisel, so I think this is the ticket for this job. Can you use metalworking milling bits for wood? Seems they would last indefinately, and they mill a razor sharp mortise in steel. Just curious. jimsjinx

I use two-flute end mills of high speed steel or carbide and they work fine with wood using the Shopsmith or even a router. Enco sells some inexpensive imports as well as U.S. made end mills. Unlike router bits where you can get bits with 1/2" or 1/4" shanks, the shank size of end mills typically is the same size as the cutting portion, but they do sell some from 1/8" to 1/2" with a 3/8" shank. I use a sleeve adapter to mount them in the 1/2" Shopsmith router bit holder. I have a 3/8" collet for a Porter Cable router.

Also, some end mills are not what is called "center cutting," which means you can't plunge them into wood like your typical spiral router bit. They will cut though, just not straight in; you simply have to take shallow passes when cutting a mortise.