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Stop dry humping the slot. Mortiser abuser.

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Stop dry humping the slot. Mortiser abuser.

#1

Maurice

How many times have you seen a hollow chisel and augur black and blue from overheating ?
How many so called experts tell you to polish the outside of the chisel ? 
How many times do you grit your teeth as the smoke and sound of squealing bare metal leaves you cringing ?
And they told you never use lubricant didn't they ? 
Well they are full of sh1t. 
Never ever polish the outside of the chisel.
All you do is ruin the correct ground relief and increase friction. 
Now I got a massive bollocking as an apprentice for burning a chisel by the old mill hand. He gave me the oil can and said simply this. Start the machine then a quick squirt in the top. Don't worry about the oil getting in the mortise, the auger will keep pulling it up and the waste will stop it going in the mortise. As soon as it starts  squealing, a few more drops to keep it lubed.
That's why his chisels were always bright and clean. The oil stopped heat and gum build up. Heat is the killer. Your chisels and augers will stay sharp far longer with a bit of lube. I use Castrol full synthetic 5w30.
The detergents keep the chisel and augur bright and clean. 
Nothing is worse than bare metal on bare metal at 1500 rpm. 
Compressor oil is to light. Regular motor oil works fine. 
When the augur is lubed it runs smooth and quiet. Makes the machine a delight to use.
I leave the door open and the pump can at hand. Airflow also helps. 
Sometimes I will hold a vac hose against the chisel as I cut to pull the waste out and cool the chisel on hard timbers. Every bit helps.
When I'm finished  another squirt to wet the whole chisel and keep it rust free. Quick start and stop to distribute the oil. 
No worries. 
If your mortising really hard timber a little oil at the auger tip DOES help reduce friction without leaving residue on the mortise faces outside. So chill out. It's all good.
Some guys use candle wax but it doesn't last very long. 
The other critical factor is feed rate. Go easy. Some guys think they are drilling holes in the road. Ends first, work to the middle. 
Half steps last. Waste slot always facing towards you to minimise choking and easy waste extraction. 20240918-095907.jpg

Re: Stop dry humping the slot. Mortiser abuser.

#2

Thanks for those tips, Maurice. I'll give oil a try next time.

I have a 100 yr old flat belt driven mortiser made by Wysong and Miles in Greensboro, North Carolina, USA. It is small but a good size for my garage shop. Built in 1921 it was used in a window and door shop until the mid 1990's. All babbitt bearings. The guy I bought it from said he made a lot of windows with it. He suggested a squirt of oil, too, but I've never tried it.

Here's my little mortiser.
https://youtube.com/shorts/7DWTQX0Xn28

Re: Stop dry humping the slot. Mortiser abuser.

Edited #3

Maurice

Gary Radice wrote:

Thanks for those tips, Maurice. I'll give oil a try next time.

I have a 100 yr old flat belt driven mortiser made by Wysong and Miles in Greensboro, North Carolina, USA. It is small but a good size for my garage shop. Built in 1921 it was used in a window and door shop until the mid 1990's. All babbitt bearings. The guy I bought it from said he made a lot of windows with it. He suggested a squirt of oil, too, but I've never tried it.

Here's my little mortiser.
https://youtube.com/shorts/7DWTQX0Xn28

Good for you. I'll check out your machine in a minute. It's amazing how few people know about or can accept using oil. You will thank yourself. I've never used a Miles and Wysong. Cool. Mortisers are 😎 cool.
Nobody listens to the old boys who used to run these machines all the time. Sadly most of them have passed on. Mill hands were tough. It's a tough job humping timber all day. They were a breed apart from the bench hands. I liked them.

Added later 01 min 43 s:

Yeah. Real old school kit. Nice resto.

Re: Stop dry humping the slot. Mortiser abuser.

#4

admin

>Yeah. Real old school kit. Nice resto.

Agree. It looks (and sounds) brand new.

Re: Stop dry humping the slot. Mortiser abuser.

#5

The Wysong and Miles mortiser comes with a story.

It was for sale locally by the mill shop along with a few other nice machines. It hadn't been used in a long time and was covered with dust. The original foot treadle was missing and replaced by a hunk of oak. The flat belt was torn. But it was otherwise intact and the price was only $125. (USD). After I bought it the guy who had operated it came over to talk with me and tell me about using it. He also said, "by the way, you might need these," and handed me a cigar box full of chisels and bits. About $1,000 worth if you bought them new today.

I got the machine home and took it completely apart for cleaning and restoring. I replaced some newer bolts with more original square head bolts. Replaced the belt. When it came time to do something about the treadle, I called up a company called Central Machinery which was owned by a retired shop manager for Wysong and Miles. W&M hadn't made mortisers for decades but this guy kept them running with both old stock parts and newly machined replacements. I asked him if by any chance he had a cast iron treadle for a Model #272 mortiser (last made in the 1920's). He said, "I'm not sure. Let me look in the back." He came on line a few moments later and said, "No, sorry, I don't have that one." I told him that was OK, I knew it was a long shot. He then said, "I don't have the treadle, but I do have the pattern it was made from. Would you like me to cast you a new one?" I was briefly stunned, but then said, "Sure!" I didn't even ask the cost. A few weeks later I had a brand new treadle from a 100 year old pattern.

He also sent me the original bill of sale for mortiser when it was first sold in 1922, with all of the parts numbered on the shop drawing of the machine.

Here is a better video I made just after I finished the restoration.

https://youtu.be/0A2LeE_8Dvg

Re: Stop dry humping the slot. Mortiser abuser.

#6

Maurice

That's a story worth telling. 
Some old machines have so much character. They talk to you. You can sense the presence of the guys that used to run them. 
I got my Multico for a song. Needed a complete strip down and new motor bearings. Only one chisel and collar. Needed the work clamp re threaded. 
Ex trade school machine. Totally different vibe but works fine now. 
It looked so sad and neglected when I got it.
But for $500 ? A new equivalent would be at least 7k. 
You can create huge amounts of added value with a mortiser. I love em.

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