Mortise Bit Recommendations

[WoodWrangler]

Earlier in the summer I purchased one of the Delta mortising machines. It came with some chisel bits, but I doubt they are that great.

Does anyone know if these chisel bits are good -- or what is a better quality one of he market?

 

[toolferone]

There are 2 brands I know about. The first is "Fisch" and the other is "Clico" Clico is very expensive, Fisch might have 2 different qualities so check to make sure. The ones that come with it are made in China. If you take the time to tune them up they do alright for a little while.

 

[DavidF]

I recently used the delta mortising attachment for my drill press and that came with probably the same quality of bit. They worked ok, but the sides of the mortise are not very smooth; certainly good enough, but not ever having ever used a stationary mortiser, not sure if the results are any better with better bits or a fixed machine.

 

[Ozzie-x]

Delta has been furnishing the off-shore bits with their mortising equipment for about the past 10 years. They're OK, but won't hold up from heavy use. As Tom mentioned, the Fisch and Clico are good bits that are readily available from several sources. Delta used to carry mortising bits that were "Made in Austria" and those were very good bits, and the Austrian bits used to pretty much be the "top of the line" in the industry - not sure if Delta still offers those. I've also seen Rigid mortising bits, not sure of the quality but they're fairly inexpensive. Another option is to dig around and find some of the older Delta-Rockwell bits. Those are good bits and what I have in the shop and using on the newer Delta dedicated mortiser. The shanks are the same size as the current mortising equipment mfgr'd by Delta, which brings up a good point... If you try substituting some of the other mfgrs for use on the Delta, make sure the shank diameter on the chisels will fit the machine and the drill bit lengths will work with the machine. For instance, I think the Powermatic chisel shanks are a different diameter. I also remember problems in the past with the drill bit length and having to cut them off some. Hope this helps.:icon_thum

 

[mshel]

What about the Forrest City bits. If price is any inclination of quality, the must be first class. Right up there with the Clico. FYI, I purchased a Clico from Toolferone and had to cut about 1" off the bit length to fit in my Delta Mortiser.

MIke

 

[Bernhard]

If the mortise slot is not too deep, I had good luck using endmills. Double fluted HSS endmills designed for milling aluminum work great and can be bought fairly cheap in all sizes (ebay). Only drawback is their lengths, they tend to be a bit short.

Bernhard

 

[ashley_phil]

go to http://www.morriswoodtool.com/ they are the industry leader in bits. my experience with their bits are good. I couldn't use their chisel with my pos harbor freight mortiser but their drill bit was awesome in conjunction with the harbor freight chisel. i would recommend you order the bit only and use it with your chisel. also the 15 grinding stone from rockler is something i think is a wise buy but i haven't bought it yet.

i cut appox (70) with the harbor freight chisel. i found if you go slow it's best because of the heat build up. i would do (5) and then let it cool over for a minute. i did break one HF chisel because of the heat build-up. getting a replacement for the pos would take a new thread to explain. but a lot of these mortisers take different dia. chisel shanks so check around when you order or buy new chisels. I couldn't use my morris wood tool chisel because the HF takes a larger chisel shank. my plan is to cut the shank off of my broken chisel and make an insert so i can use the morris wood chisel.

that's my 2 cents.

 

[timsparents]

Jeremy - I've used several brands, including Delta. I can't really speak to compare different brands. One thing I can add is that I regularly clean the chisels and the bits with pitch remover and then use dri coat to provide better fresh cutting surfaces. Also I've recently purchased a special sharpening tool for the chisels. It's circular, and will either go into a drill press or into the hand tool that comes with the sharpening bit. If you want more info on this let me know. When you come pick up the finger bit (assuming you still intend to) I can show you this item. I think it will sharpen the chisels well and prolong the life of the whole operation. Also, head is the main enemy here, so how you position the chisel in reference to the mortise matters. I can demonstrate this more easily than I can describe it, but essentially you want the dust and chips exiting the chisel on the side towards the holes already drilled.
Roger

 

[WoodWrangler]

Thanks for all the great feedback. I've been reading on the different bits some of you posted. I haven't made a decision yet, but I am going to pick up something soon.