Record RPM75

[wilf1954]

I have just bought a Record RPM75 mortising machine cheap from a friend without any chisels. I haven't owned a mortiser before and am in a bit of a quandry about buying a set of chisels.

I really want to buy a decent set (not £8 for 4 from ebay!) but do not know what make to go for. I have seen some on the web by Sheppach for £12-14 each, does that sound reasonable? I do not expect to use the machine very often but when I do I want decent mortises.

Any ideas of makers and suppliers, I am in the UK.

TIA

 

[Scrit]

I'd say avoid cheap Chinese sets like the plague as they seem to be generally poorly made and won't sharpen at all well. The Japanese chisels sold by APTC and others are more expensive but hold an edge well and have excellent chip ejection.

Scrit

 

[Lord Nibbo]

I had in fact I've still got the Record 75, I binned the record chisels after one or two goes with them.

I bought Draper Expert, I say expert because Draper do two ranges. if you look at THIS advert from diytools .co.uk you will see the Expert range is somewhat more expensive but as Scrit has already pointed out don't even think cheap you will only be buying again else. The size you need are the 13/16th chisel shank. The difference with the Draper against the Record offering is chalk and cheese. The record ones in use rattle rather a lot in fact the noise produced is quite daunting you may think they are trying to destroy themselves, the draper ones run almost silently, and boy do they cut good.

Don't forget you will probably need to saw the drill shank to length as they come too long for most machines.

 

[wilf1954]

Thanks for the advice guys, the Draper Expert chisels look ideal.

 

[paulymarshall]

I had in fact I've still got the Record 75, I binned the record chisels after one or two goes with them..

You say you had, does this infer that the Record 75 is not a lot of cop, I was thinking of getting one myself.

 

[Lord Nibbo]

I had in fact I've still got the Record 75, I binned the record chisels after one or two goes with them..

You say you had, does this infer that the Record 75 is not a lot of cop, I was thinking of getting one myself.

I sort of upgraded to this Sedgwick 571

but before I bought the Sedgwick I did add a better bed on the Record

Take no notice of the chisel not in place proper I only stuck it in to take the pic, sorry for photographic reasons :lol:

But that bed and fence made it 100% better. :lol:

 

[Scrit]

You say you had, does this infer that the Record 75 is not a lot of cop, I was thinking of getting one myself.

As a piece of general advice on morticers I'd say if at all possible go for a machine with a table (or head, which is how some Multicos work) which moves in both the X and Y axes (i.e left to right and in and out) because such a machine will be easier and quicker to use as well as much more accurate and ultimately be a lot less frustrating to work with. The whole point of a decent morticer is repeatability. For example, make a 4-panel door and you'll need to cut 10 mortices, all of the same width, but probably in 3 or 4 lengths. If you can set-up to cut the mortices for the muntins (4 off) just once and then cut them identically the quality of your work will be better and the assembly a lot less frustrating. You can do this with a moving table morticer, but not with a fixed table one. And such machines generally come with that other essential for accurate and repeatable morticing - a decent clamp which grips the work firmly whilst you cut the mortice.

In the past I had a Wolf mortice and drill stand (the grand-daddy of the Record design?) and whilst it worked, it was a very frustrating piece of kit to use. I wouldn't go back there willingly.

Scrit