New to me mortiser

[Robert Hayward]

Picked up a Powermatic 719A Saturday. The date on the motor is 2000/12 and the machine appears to be new. I do not see any evidence of it having ever been used. Including the six chisels that came with it. The factory protective grease is still evident in a lot of places. Even came with a chisel sharpening kit. The sharpener needs a brace to turn it, made way before cordless drills and diamond coated cones we have today.

Even came with a nice Shop Fox mobile base. The rubber treads on the wheels are shot though. Have already ordered new wheels for it.

150 miles round trip on a Saturday afternoon but well worth the trip to me. I have been looking for a mortiser for over a year. Even had one of the benchtop ones in my cart when Powermatic had their 10% sale a month or so ago but was too much money for the limited amount of times I will use it.

[Rod Sheridan]

Looks really nice Robert, I’m sure you’ll be happy with it once you hone the chisels and auger bits, just remember the dime trick for setting bit/chisel clearance.

I use my hollow chisel mortiser frequently

Regards, Rod

[Edward Weber]

Looks great Robert, it looks like it just sat for 20+ years. I'm sure you got it for a good price, congrats.

The one thing I can say is that the handle on the work-piece clamp would drive me nuts.
My Grizzly has a small handwheel for there, it would take me a while to get used to that.
https://www.grizzly.com/products/gri...-w-stand/g0448

[Ken Fitzgerald]

That's a heck of a score, Robert! Congratulations!

[Robert Hayward]

Ed, a hand wheel is nice on a clamping vise. However, this one takes about 2/3 of a turn to tighten or loosen. About 2/3 of a turn and the threads are disengaged so the vise can be opened or closed simply by sliding. Then another 2/3 of a turn to engage the threads again. Pretty neat feature that I have not had on a clamp vise prior. Back when I was shopping I looked at the Grizzly offerings and I liked what I saw, just more money than I wanted to spend.

Rod, what is the dime trick? Have never used a power mortiser before. The chisels and augers appear to be really sharp out of the box. Should I still get one of those diamond cones and hone the chisels before use? Should I polish the exterior of the chisels, like we do for the backs of bench chisels? Cannot imagine using the sharpener that came with the machine. The tool has a tapered square tang for use with a hand brace and appears as though it would not produce a very fine edge.

[Edward Weber]

Ed, a hand wheel is nice on a clamping vise. However, this one takes about 2/3 of a turn to tighten or loosen. About 2/3 of a turn and the threads are disengaged so the vise can be opened or closed simply by sliding. Then another 2/3 of a turn to engage the threads again. Pretty neat feature that I have not had on a clamp vise prior. Back when I was shopping I looked at the Grizzly offerings and I liked what I saw, just more money than I wanted to spend.

Rod, what is the dime trick? Have never used a power mortiser before. The chisels and augers appear to be really sharp out of the box. Should I still get one of those diamond cones and hone the chisels before use? Should I polish the exterior of the chisels, like we do for the backs of bench chisels? Cannot imagine using the sharpener that came with the machine. The tool has a tapered square tang for use with a hand brace and appears as though it would not produce a very fine edge.

I didn't know it was a "quick-Vise" that makes things different.
I bought my Griz a several years ago, I was surprised at how much the price increased since I got mine. Looks like $75- $100 per year

As to your other questions, yes.
Hone the outside just like you would flatten the back of a bench chisel. Slick, smooth and polished make for smoother operations. The little cone sharpeners are nice and keep all four faces ground evenly.
I'm guessing the dime trick has something to do with how far the auger protrudes from the chisel but I'll let others explain.
I just go by feel.

[STUART Robertson]

The "dime trick" is clearance to allow the waste to clear as it cuts.

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi Robert, insert the chisel into the mortiser and place a dime between the shoulder of the chisel and the mortiser, lock the chisel in place.

Put the auger bit into the chisel, bottom it out and tighten the drill chuck.

Remove the dime and push the chisel all the way up, this leaves a dime thickness gap between the auger bit and the chisel.

I hone the inside of the chisel with a Lee Valley hone made for those chisels and hone the outside on a water stone.

Regards, Rod

[Robert Hayward]

Thank you for that 10 cent information. Never having used a power mortiser before I did not know the auger needed to extend past the chisel. I would have flushed it.

I see numerous diamond cone sharpeners available. How do I know what bevel/angle matches my chisels? Or are they all the same?

[Robert Hayward]

The one thing I can say is that the handle on the work-piece clamp would drive me nuts.

I would have been happy with the original floppy clamp handle if you had not told me how your Grizzly was made.

It was a fun afternoon project anyway and cost less than $20 for the handwheel and crank handle. I had everything else needed on hand. Had to bore the handle to fit the clamp screw shaft. Did that using the wood lathe and a setup similar to how we use a jam chuck for bowls. Drilled and tapped the hand wheel and clamp screw shaft for two set screws. One going into the clamp screw shaft. Also had to drill and tap for the handwheel handle.

It is much nicer to use now, thanks for the suggestion.

[William Hodge]

I see numerous diamond cone sharpeners available. How do I know what bevel/angle matches my chisels? Or are they all the same?

The chisel bevel angles vary quite a bit. I buy assorted cone shape stones that go into a drill. I change the angle on them by spinning them in a drill against a grinding wheel. My chisels go from 1/4" to 1", from various manufacturers. When the angle inside the chisel is right and smooth, the chips feed better, and don't burn.

[Mike Walsh]

Nice pick up, I have the same machine and it works great. Also echo the recommendation for the Lee Valley cone sharpeners, they work ver well

[Edward Weber]

I would have been happy with the original floppy clamp handle if you had not told me how your Grizzly was made.

It was a fun afternoon project anyway and cost less than $20 for the handwheel and crank handle. I had everything else needed on hand. Had to bore the handle to fit the clamp screw shaft. Did that using the wood lathe and a setup similar to how we use a jam chuck for bowls. Drilled and tapped the hand wheel and clamp screw shaft for two set screws. One going into the clamp screw shaft. Also had to drill and tap for the handwheel handle.

It is much nicer to use now, thanks for the suggestion.

I've had a couple of machines with the flop style handle, just not a fan.
Looks good

[Robert Hayward]

I took a chance on getting the correct cone angle with a set of cone sharpeners on Amazon. Free delivery next day and free return if needed. Lucked out and got the correct cone to fit the chisels the mortiser came with.

Looked at the Lee Valley offerings before ordering and saw two different sets listed and was not sure which set would fit my chisels so went with Amazon with the free return.

Sharpened, honed and polished the 1/4" chisel and did a test on Honduran mahogany first then hard maple. Smooth and easy on both woods with the softer mahogany being a little easier than the maple.

[Cameron Wood]

The angle of the hone is not critical, IMO. I put them in the drill press and apply the chisel by hand- easy to see what's happening.