Big Mortiser

[Brian]

I wear hearing protection but i don't want to encourage the neighbors to complain, and I like to work until the wee hours.

Those machines are awesome! You were considering one for a while?

[Chris Hall]

Have long been considering one...

[Rob]

Not sure on availability or price, however I have heard good things about the Maka SM7

[Brian]

They're awesome, but I don't think that they can actually do holes for square pegs, only rectangles since the cutter needs a little room to move, but wow do they make a nice looking mortise!

I've been really searching, I may just hold off until I can get something I really want instead of settling, not sure.

I should probably just keep banging them out by hand and focus on getting a jointer.

[Chris Hall]

Not sure on availability or price, however I have heard good things about the Maka SM7

Availability: one of the rarer models from Maka

Price: depends upon condition of course. Rebuilding a worn head on any Maka is an involved task and can be expensive. Tooling for these type of mortisers is no longer produced in Germany, so you have to settle for Italian tooling (which may or may not fit, depending on the model), and the tooling is expensive. Figure $250~300 per tool. Sharpening of the tools is not a home-shop job unless you have the correct grinding machine, and a lot of sharpening shops, by all accounts, cannot sharpen these types of tool well.

With every type of mortiser there is a trade off. Assuming you have a Maka (any model) in perfect working condition with sharp tooling, no machine cuts a square-corner mortise faster or more cleanly. However, if you want a square peg mortise, you cannot do it with the Maka. If the mortise is of unusual configuration you will need to buy expensive custom tooling, or if the mortise is deeper than 5", you are out of luck.

[Chris Hall]

They're awesome, but I don't think that they can actually do holes for square pegs, only rectangles since the cutter needs a little room to move, but wow do they make a nice looking mortise!

I've been really searching, I may just hold off until I can get something I really want instead of settling, not sure.

I should probably just keep banging them out by hand and focus on getting a jointer.

Makes more sense to get a jointer before a mortiser if you ask me.

[Brian]

I'll keep at the jointer first then, after all that is something that I would use constantly and is a real time saver.

If I can manage to sit in my hands every time I see a sexy new hand plane I may actually be able to afford a jointer haha.

[Chris Hall]

Just for reference, the Tokiwa Servo-SE costs a bit over $16,000

[Brian]

Sounds about right, it looks like an incredible machine.

It may actually be the best solution once I'm capable of it, it doesn't look like it consumes a lot of space.