Mortising question with router table
#13
Thank you John,

Here in my city, we have few woodworkers or high end builders/restoration contractors. I’m the main shop guy along with my colleague that is an excellent furniture maker as well as a builder. We are trying to promote ourselves in this way and do build types that no one else in town are even attempting. I have designed 8 entry doors ( including an arch top dutch) that compliment the historical area we live in and we have gone through the process of having them passed via engineering for the city. Historical building is a beast! So we are doing it right along with cope and stick, thru tenon wood windows with linseed glaze. There are a couple other good woodworking shops in town and we are sitting ourselves apart from them. 1 does entry doors via rail and stile shaper cutters backed up with doweling. Hence, why I am telling you all this. At this point we have these 8 and more to come that have their paperwork and business is starting to take off. It would be much better if we could bring the price down by shaving a few hours off the hand work in mortising without loosing the integrity of “our” style. I looked at the Griz horizontal slot mortiser ascwell as the Felder (insane price) and a few more. The Griz is $500 less than the Fessy 700 domino, just not sure about these brands. 2-3 doors would clearly cover the cost, I just don’t want to be figuring it out again in 6 mos.

I was considering the up cut spiral 1/2” bit in router tabler to produce 1” thick tenons in 1 3/4” door and minimal hand chiseling. The horizontal is sounding like a better option at this point.

Thanks again
Jody
good to have a good woman that has my back.
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#14
(10-17-2018, 06:32 PM)jerk151 Wrote: Thank you John,

Here in my city, we have few woodworkers or high end builders/restoration contractors. I’m the main shop guy along with my colleague that is an excellent furniture maker as well as a builder. We are trying to promote ourselves in this way and do build types that no one else in town are even attempting. I have designed 8 entry doors ( including an arch top dutch) that compliment the historical area we live in and we have gone through the process of having them passed via engineering for the city. Historical building is a beast! So we are doing it right along with cope and stick, thru tenon wood windows with linseed glaze. There are a couple other good woodworking shops in town and we are sitting ourselves apart from them. 1 does entry doors via rail and stile shaper cutters backed up with doweling. Hence, why I am telling you all this. At this point we have these 8 and more to come that have their paperwork and business is starting to take off. It would be much better if we could bring the price down by shaving a few hours off the hand work in mortising without loosing the integrity of “our” style. I looked at the Griz horizontal slot mortiser ascwell as the Felder (insane price) and a few more. The Griz is $500 less than the Fessy 700 domino, just not sure about these brands. 2-3 doors would clearly cover the cost, I just don’t want to be figuring it out again in 6 mos.

I was considering the up cut spiral 1/2” bit in router tabler to produce 1” thick tenons in 1 3/4” door and minimal hand chiseling. The horizontal is sounding like a better option at this point.

Thanks again
Jody


Thanks for the background Jody.  If historically true methods are what sets you apart from your competitors then you should consider a floor model chisel mortiser, though I personally loath the things, but I don't have to make historically accurate doors either.  An even better choice would be a chain mortiser.  Either will allow you to produce deep, square shouldered mortises, even through mortises as was used on many windows and some doors, too.  Of course, you would make the rails with integral tenons, as was and still is done.  If being historically close enough is good enough then I'd go with a horizontal mortiser, and the more industrial the better.  It would still allow you to quickly make deep mortises and even trough mortises if round edges are OK, or you could chisel the ends square.   

New machines are always nice, but you can often find old industrial machines that are better for far less.  If you have 3 phase power you are golden for power; if not, a VFD or phase converter will produce 3 phase off single phase input.   I don't know where you are located but, just for fun, here's a chain mortiser on Craigslist in PA for cheap: Link 

Good luck whatever you decide.  Doors have been an enjoyable process for me to learn, and still learning, to design and build.  For being as large as they are, the tolerances you have to work to are pretty small.  I've never tried building windows, but they must be a good challenge, too.  

John
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