Wolf bench mortiser

[roombacurious]

I came across this cheap bench mortiser on eBay the other day and couldn't resist...

It arrived today complete with three chisels and a sharpening kit. It's rather strange looking by modern standards, it's more like a heavy duty 1/2" drill with a mortising attachment mounted on a stand. It even has a trigger switch on the handle instead of a common button switch. Although it's slightly rusty and needs greased it works just fine and seems pretty accurate.

It's made by Wolf (London) and it's light blue in colour. I've googled it and although there is no specific info on the mortiser I did find that Wolf closed in the 80s and that they used this colour in the 70s! That means that this machine is a least 30 years old, maybe more! Impressive considering its condition.

Has anyone come across one of those in a past life?

 

[Digit]

Yes, thank you. I now cut mortices with a router! :twisted:

Roy.

 

[roombacurious]

Oops! Is it this particular one that is rubbish or are you against mortisers in general? :?

 

[Digit]

The second. I make an exception with some pro jobs, but my personal experience is the cheap end of the scale are very deficient when used on hardwoods.
As body building equipment they are effective, producing muscles like Pop Eye. :lol:

Roy.

 

[roombacurious]

Well, I could certainly do with some of that! :lol:

Yes I did notice it takes quite some pressure on the handle to cut but I thought the chisel was blunt... Now I know why folk advise that using mortising attachments for pillar drills can damage the bearings... :wink:

 

[Digit]

They certainly need fixing down well. Pro jobs often have pull handles of considerable length to make it easier. I made a jig and use a 1/2 in router, nothing to line up, and each mortice the same size.
I made veranda rails along the front of my bungalow, in Oak, and had to cut over 100 mortices, I think I'd have gone back to stamp collecting if I'd had to use a mortiser.

Roy.