Do you prefer smoking or non-smoking? Motor speed is an important consideration when you choose a mortiser.
SMOKING AND BURNING are normal, according to the owner's manuals of fast-speed mortisers. These machines are hard on chisel sets because they generate a lot of heat while mortising. When they get too hot, the chisel and auger turn blue and lose their temper (inset). Slow-speed machines are much less likely to ruin chisel sets. Fast-speed machines are noisy and nerve-wracking to operate, but they cut mortises with less effort than slow-speed versions.		A LONGER HANDLE makes mortising easier. The extra leverage gained by slipping a 20-in. length of pipe over the hand lever helps most when cutting 1/2-in. mortises with slow-speed machines because they require more effort than their fast-speed counterparts. Slow-speed machines are also more likely to stall while cutting, so high motor amperage (min. 5 amps.) is important, especially when you lengthen the handle.

At less than $250, benchtop mortisers are a bargain. Even so, you can spend a lot less for machine mortising, or you can spend a lot more.
CONSIDER AN ATTACHMENT for your drill press. It's inexpensive (less than $40) and works well enough if you only need to mortise occasionally. However, your drill press wasn't designed for mortising. The head isn't rigid enough and the short handles don't give you much leverage. In hard use the tables flex considerably.		INDUSTRIAL-QUALITY mortising machines have large capacity and adjustable tables. Instead of cheaply made hold-downs held by a setscrew, they use a massive plate, threaded like a vise, to wedge the workpiece firmly in place. Although it costs $650, our testers loved this Powermatic model #719, which weighs in at 188 lbs.

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Benchtop Mortisers • Important Features • Important Features (continued) Recommendations • Editors' Choice & Best Buys

Tools & Materials: Tool Test • Benchtop Mortisers • August 2000 © 2000 American Woodworker Magazine®