Mortice chisel problems - help please.....

UKworkshop.co.uk

Help Support UKworkshop.co.uk:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
A

Anonymous

Guest
Hi

Have recently taken delivery of my first mortice machine (fox 1hp job), but really can't get the thing to work for me.

The drill bit keeps sliding out of the chisel, even though the chuck is done up tightly. My only thought is that there isn't enough clearance inside the chisel to clear the shavings, these are building up and the drill is driving itself out.

any advice would be most welcome

thanks
 
gg1,

A shot in the dark here, but have you provided enough clearance between the auger and the chisel? The only other thing I can think is sometimes chucks can benefit from being tightened all round, rather than just via one of the holes with the chuck key. Might also be worth lubricating the bit too? All these suggestions coming from someone without a mortiser, btw! :wink:

Cheers, Alf
 
I agree with Alf's recommendations. I find that the drill needs to be set lower in comparison to the chisel than the manufacturers recommend.
Also, make sure the slot in the chisel through which the waste is removed is facing the side in the direction from which you're working, so that the chippings can fall into the mortice.
If the chuck is done up tight all round, it's pretty weird that the drill is coming out! Give all these things a go and let us know how you get on.

A
 
Thanks for the advice chaps, will give it a go tomorrow and report back

Guy
 
A tip for setting the correct depth of the auger in relation to the chisel:

1) find out what sort of auger you're using - 1 or 2 spur (it makes a slight difference)
2) with the pointy bits of the auger and chisel together (rest them on some wood, cos they're sharp), move the 2 up to the morticer and wedge a coin between the chisel and its housing (2p coin for 2 spur auger, 1p coin for 1 spur auger).
3) loosely lock the chisel in place
4) lock the auger in the chuck in that position (as advised, use all the chuck holes)
5) release the chisel, remove the coin, and move the chisel up to be fully housed in its hole.

And that, my friends, is the perfect recipe for getting your auger bit sticking out the bottom of the chisel by the right amount :)

Aragorn's advice on the direction of the chip escape route is spot on
 
Alfs suggestion about tightening all the holes in the chuck is spot on.
I've been a toolmaker all my working life & doing this makes sure the chuck runs true.
Tightening only one makes the drill run slightly off centre.
The bit should always be set slightly below the hollow chisel.
 
Tried things out today (didn't see the advice about the 2p piece in time though...), and had more luck.

Tightening the chuck seemed to work, as did the lubricant so thanks for that.

It did go wrong a few times, but much better than yesterday - it does seem to be the chippings getting wedged inside and the auger jacks itself out.

I also tried lots of auger/chisel spacing, but found nothing in particular which worked all the time, but will give the 2p a go....

Thanks again for the help.
 
I haven't had this problem myself in the old days when I used to use a morticer (!) but if the chips were getting stuck with me, I'd probably take smaller plunges, bringing the chisel up to let the waste clear before going in deeper. Once the first initial hole is made, subsequent cuts should be easier, with the next cut overlapping the previous by around half.
If you "nibble" away at it like that, it shouldn't cause any problems. If it does continue to, it might be worth getting on to the supplier/manufacturer as there may be a fault with the chuck.

A
 
Back
Top