Installing New (to me) Mortising Machine

[Chester]

For the past two evenings I have been dismantling the far right section of my previously “finished” chop saw station. This was a small platform section, immediately to the right of the chop saw and … in between the chopsaw and the radial arm saw table. Remember … these surfaces are flush and the fence on the RAS is aligned with the fence on the chopsaw.

Recently, I stumbled on a Craigslist gem, a little-used Delta power mortising machine. I brought it home and put it on the platform on the chopsaw station where I had always hoped that “a mortising machine would go.” My big concern was … would it fit? It came mounted on a very heavy steel base which was almost as wide as the platform … and … was almost 2” higher than the “flush” masonite platform. I always need time to think before I start hacking things up. So, after 4-weeks, I began. I had two choices:

1- Cut-down the vertical plywood pieces that hold the platform up … or

2- Remove the machine from its steel base and mount it to the wooden platform

After a lot of thought, I chose #2. I removed the machine from the steel base. I turned the steel base over to draw the slots and holes that I would need to cut. The masonite top only needed 2-slots cut and 4-mounting holes drilled (for the pedestal). But the plywood base of the masonite needed 1”wide routed channels below the slots in the masonite.

The end result is a very clean and “flush” installation of the mortising machine. Although the mortising machine’s fence is moveable, its furthest back position is aligned directly with the fences on the chop saw and on the RAS. I still have a couple of “nuts and bolts” to attach to make it final. This pic does not show the slots that are cut for the fence to slide in and adjust its position … but they are there.

My original idea was to have these three machines (more-or-less) in a row. These are all machines that work over long stationary wood. I also wanted to keep the entire 8’ bench, to the left of the chop saw, open … as bench area and for unobstructed placement of long pieces to be cut or mortised. Upon first glance, this might seem crowded but not one of these machines is impairing the use of the other.

I am still conjuring the engineering of a totally removable, full-length, left-side fence for the chop-saw station. It will need to be 8’ long, fairly light, very rigid and be able to attach and lock-down in an accurate position (every time) with a minimum of fuss. It will have an attached tape-measure on its top and some sort of stop-block mechanism for repeated cuts.

Still conjuring …

[mikem]

Looks like a very well thought out design. Should work well for you!