Powermatic Mortiser Fence Adjuster?

10/29/18, 3:03 PM #1

Tony - Memphis
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Powermatic Mortiser Fence Adjuster?

Tony - Memphis

I have a Powermatic 701 bench top mortiser. I've always struggled with the fence adjustment. It is way too coarse. I tried a couple of things that helped, but haven't taken the time to come up with something more permanent. Anybody done anything to theirs to make it easier to make "fine" adjustments? I'm working on some ideas. Seems like I saw something in a woodworking mag or perhaps online for this mortiser, but I can't remember.

I mounted an indicator on a magnetic base - that helps you see what youve done, but doesn't give you any added control of the movement. Thought about a magnetic based screw adjustment stop or something. Still thinking...shims help - tape, paper, etc.

Re: Powermatic Mortiser Fence Adjuster?

10/29/18, 11:23 PM #2

William Duffield
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Re: Powermatic Mortiser Fence Adjuster?

William Duffield

Replace the fence with a machinist's cross slide vise.

Re: Powermatic Mortiser Fence Adjuster?

10/30/18, 1:03 PM #3

Tony - Memphis
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Re: Powermatic Mortiser Fence Adjuster?

Tony - Memphis

Yeah, I've seen that idea (for drill press too). Might be a good, albeit expensive, option. That would fix something else I noticed last night - the fence wobbles. It is not fixed and can be locked at an angle to the chisel.

Re: Powermatic Mortiser Fence Adjuster?

10/30/18, 1:28 PM #4

Bill Tindall, E.TN.
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Indeed

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

"Might be a good, albeit expensive, option"

I bought an import vice for this application and it was useless. What would work could cost as much as the mortise machine.

Over the years I accumulated a folder of plastic and aluminum pieces of various thickness. I used them as shims, as needed. Plastic packaging is a good source of shim stock.

Re: Powermatic Mortiser Fence Adjuster?

10/31/18, 2:30 PM #5

Kneale Brownson
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Re: Guess I was lucky

Kneale Brownson

My relatively inexpensive cross slide machinist vice works just fine with my benchtop mortiser. I see Grizzly sells one that's similar.

- - -

I’m a fairly spry 82-year-old who had been a reader/participant at WoodCentral since the demise of Badger Pond. I started visiting BP to learn something about finish for a project I’d completed and became hooked on internet forums as a way of increasing my knowledge about all sorts of topics. I have been a moderator for a couple other forums on subjects I enjoy. My interest in woodworking began in the early 1970’s when my wife and I had contractors add to our house near Traverse City, MI, and I ended up doing the trim work to reduce mounting costs. I had no tools. I bought a P-C skilsaw, hammer, screwdrivers and one of those wooden miter boxes with a backsaw. I made trim for windows and doors from one-by lumber and started my woodworking career. At the same time, I started a 50-year career as a ski instructor. I got onto the night shift at a mental hospital so I could ski days, and spent my 30s and 40s with that schedule. I eventually replaced the PC-upside-down-in-a-board with a real table saw and began the purchase of enough equipment to fill a jam-packed 40-foot shipping container we used after we sold our property in Michigan. The ski instructing had taken us to Colorado and we were spending too much on maintaining utilities for two homes. A couple years ago, the dozen years spent at 10,000 feet of elevation was making my body produce too many red blood cells, so we had to leave my “forever” home in the mountains and we moved back to Michigan. Now I have to find myself a shop space for all those tools in the container.

Re: Powermatic Mortiser Fence Adjuster?

11/1/18, 3:34 PM #6

William Duffield
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Re: Guess I was lucky

William Duffield

You're not lucky, you just did your research.

Of course, the first thing that needs to be done is to ask a machinist to show you how to adjust the ways to get rid of play without freezing it up. That's basic.

The other issue is controls placement. If mounted to a drill press, it can be used as is by mounting it at 45° angles to the post. Mounting it to a typical mortising machine, however, is not so convenient. It is much more convenient to use if one of the controls is moved to the other end of the vise. This requires drilling and tapping two holes, and some disassembly and reassembly. There are many places on the web that will show you how to do this. The first useful one I found this morning is here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=islEwgRbTQ4

You can go even further with a follow-up modification:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_4i6rYVvUY&frags=pl%2Cwn

The Grizzly version (only thing I ever bought from them) sells for $65. There are several others, including Harbor Freight and Amazon who sell them.

Powermatic Mortiser Fence Adjuster?

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