Delta Mortiser advice

[Jeff Cord]

I'm in the process of tuning a Delta 14-650 mortiser.
It's been sitting in my father's garage for about 8 years without any use.

It's in good condition (other than a bit of light rust on the bits) but today when I tried to run the head down to see how it moved it was really hard to move down, then up.

So my question is should it be hard to move? If not should I clean and lube the parts that rub against each other (it looks like the head moves along dovetails). If so what grease should I use?

There's nothing in the manual that describes any adjustment or other cleaning/lubricating.
thanks,
Jeff

[John Bush]

Hi Jeff,
I,ve had this machine for 12+ years and it has worked well for its size. The adjustment for the gib(?) is on the right side of the column. Loosen the two hex bolts holding the brass gib plate and adjust the play and tightness of the head with the two screws on the side of the head. Lube it up a bit and fiddle with it until it feels "just right". When you retighten the gib screws it will over tighten the gib-that's where the fiddlin' part comes in. You shouldn't need to dissasemble it, and you may want to WD-40 the gib first to see if it needs adjusting at all.

Iv'e made hundreds of mortises with mine and the only problem was breaking teeth off the lift/lowering gear. Too much muscle. Easy fix with parts from Delta. I suggest getting the diamond sharpening hones for the bits. It makes a big difference in cut speed and quality. Good luck.

[John Keeton]

Jeff, to clarify, I think John is talking about the set of hones from Rockler. Also, if you will polish the exterior surfaces of the chisels it helps. Don't forget to take a small 3 corner file and touch up the drill bit.