I thought I would provide an update now that I have finished these chairs and my results with the mortiser. After honing the 1/2" bit, the drilling was easy in the Cypress, once I figured out that I still have to put some downward pressure to get it started. It worked like a charm and is now firmly in my thoughts going forward with mortises. I was previously using a router, but with the angled mortise that was required with these chairs, opted to buy the mortiser (I used a matching wedge under the workpiece to achieve the angled mortise). I love the square edges and the lack of having to square up the mortise, as well as the ease of alignment.