query tool

[pianoman]

Lately I had gotten the "hots" for a bench mortiser.  I have been using a
horizontal router table that I have set up to make mortises in both pieces
of wood and then cutting a blind floating tenon to fit.  The problem with
that set up however is that you wind up with rounded ends which means you
have to round off your tenons too unless you do the hand work with a
chisel.  I guess what really got me wanting the bench mortiser is watching
Norm on the tube.  I started reading the ads and that week came my American
Woodworker mag with a review of test of the same.  Their conclusion was
that the Delta was the Volvo of bench top mortisers.  That did it.  I found
the lowest street price which was with Eagle America and ordered it with a
set of 4 different mortising chisels and bits.  The machine came in about 4
days and couldn't wait to get it home to set up. 
	 First it was very heavy.  It has lots of clean ground cast iron in the
structure and the main gear.  The parts assembled like a charm, about an
hour, and mounted it to my bench.  Wow, it really looks neat too.  I have
been using the 1/4" size so far and the openings come out very clean.  The
slower speed of the Delta means no burning the bit.  Lots of leverage and a
pleasure to use.  The same rule that we use for pianos, Get the best you
can, applies across the board to everything you buy.  I am using it to come
up with new design of music storage furniture to supplement my bench
making.
By the way 3 of my benches sold this month alone which will help
financially, losing a lot of work time for the holidays.

Do any of you use a bench mortiser?  If so what duration of life do the
chisels and drills have?
James Grebe
R.P.T. from St. Louis
pianoman@inlink.com
"I am a better tuner now than  ever  before"