I had one of those attachments:
, for one of these:
I did get it to work, but it's really embarrassing when the thing pulls the chuck out of the morse taper (if the bit gets stuck), and goodness knows what it does to the quill gearing. The clamp-down system is pretty pants too, and making slots involves a lot of careful resetting.
Stay well away.
Instead... I bought
a nice bench morticer from Axminster for (then) well under 200 quid. It's really handy, and doubles as a (rather limited) drill press, which comes into its own when there's a lot of repetitive work to do.
The newer version (linked to) has a number of improvements, e.g. the wheel for the carriage, but the cross slides make setup and use really easy. Once you have the mortice position marked out (or a story stick), it's very quick to define the ends of the mortice then get a nice clean straight line.
I think the chisel is twisted very, very slightly by the rotation of the auger, as I've been very careful in the past to set it square to the fence, only to get very slight steps in the side of the mortice. So I set it
ever-so-slightly anti-clockwise now (looking down), and it seems to cut well. That said, rough mortice sides don't show and probably give a stronger joint.
I've never yet got a clean exit when through-mortising though. I think you really couldn't use one on fine work, unless you cut from the finish side towards the tenon shoulders, and even then I'd be tempted to work round with a sharp marking knife first. Tips on this would be welcome here!
I find you need strong-suck extraction close to the chisel, to clear chips - if you can arrange that (I use an Earlex vacuum usually), it works well, even in softwood. Otherwise expect jamming, overheating, etc.
Get a
sharpening kit: having a razor edge to the chisel makes an enormous difference (but don't let it brush the back of your hand when setting-up - DAMHIK!), and I use Liberon machine lubricating wax often, to reduce chips clogging the thing up. I see there's a diamond cone available too now, but I'd guess it's too coarse and to agressive. The kit cutter works really well with a gobbet of Trefolex cutting compound to help it.
Also, the cheap chisels I have (Axminster and Clarke) are quite roughly machined. Prep new chisels by taking a diamond file to the slots, so chips don't catch on the way out. I found it makes a big difference - if the chips clear well the chisel doesn't overheat and lose its edge.
On that score, too much vertical clearance of the auger is as bad as not enough, as chips can get into the gap and jam it. I find a 2p coin is about perfect for setting the gap (softwood + 3/8" or 1/2" chisels), so have one drilled and tied onto the pillar! Your mileage will vary, especially with different woods.
I've replaced all the Bristol Levers with Allen bolts though - the levers look smart but usually get in the way, and you can tighten down the bolts better. The slide end stops aren't very elegant but they do work. The metal of those chrome-plated bars is quite soft though - smooth/flatten the bolt-ends for the stops so they don't dig into those bars.
I have the riser block kit. It stays on the machine usually and really helps when morticing (otherwise the depth isn't really enough for window frames + a sacrificial piece underneath). Mine wasn't square though, top+bottom, and I have to shim it with kitchen foil. You need a good selection of spanners to fit it though, as access is awkward - taking the sliding table off temporarily helps a bit but doesn't solve the problem. You really need two people to do the job, as the column is quite heavy and unbalanced, and you have to fiddle at least the back two bolts into place whilst somehow keeping it from falling over.
Also the thing attracts rust. It's always well coated with Liberon wax between uses, but if I forget to cover it with a bin liner, there's usually a flash-rust coating when I come back to it. I think it's the cheap Chinese steel, but it's not a problem in use - the slideways are really well greased, so they're OK.
Glue some 80-grit sandpaper to the clamp (works for any morticer, I'd guess). It grips the stock really well then, without leaving marks. Also the table clamp bolts are 12mm, not 13mm - why???
Those two plastic covers for the auger chuck are a real PITA though - completely pointless as far as I can see. I took mine off and have kept them to inflict on the next owner in due course!
E.
(Sorry way too much info - I should probably change my on-line name to Rambling Sid Rumpo, 'cept I can't do Kenneth WIlliams.)
