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Mortise Pal Review

Quick and easy floating mortises

by Lorenz Prem
published on February 28 2010 6:41 pm

I was looking for a heavy duty mortising machine for my shop when I ran across the Mortise Pal in one of the trade magazines.

The jig seemed too good to be true. A relatively cheap tool that does the job of the more expensive Festool domino mortiser and heavy stationary mortisers.

Setup and Use

The video from the manufacturer's website has all the details you need to know about making cuts. I have found the claims made in the video to be accurate and true.

Accuracy

To cut to the chase; the jig is dead on accurate, every time. It's easy to set up and align. Best of all, it's also easy to mark the center of a mortise on the stock. You only need two lines instead of the four I use for my hollow chisel mortiser.

In my shop the Mortise Pal has replaced the tenoning jig for my table saw and the hollow chisel mortiser. It's just so much faster to use than the router pal. My design work also became easier to do. The tenons are gone, and there is no shoulder cuts to be made. The jig eliminates a lot of cuts and measuring, all of which are sources of error.

Build Quality

The mortise pall is made from metal. With an appropriate level of care the tool will last a lifetime. A little oil once and a while keeps the parts moving smoothly.

Fine dust can get into the screw threads making the adjustment rod hard to turn. A good cleaning removes the problem.

It's good to see a manufacturer going for quality over price for a change. All this metal makes the mortise pal more expensive, but it will the last pal you'll have to buy.

Speed

The bottom line is that the Mortise Pal is the fastest way of creating quality joinery on a small scale. It will cut a single mortise as fast and accurate as a full scale dedicated mortiser. The mortise pal a no-brainer for hobby shops, considering the price. On production runs the stationary slot mortiser are the better choice.

Summary

The Mortise Pal is one of the rare products that make a significant impact on the way you work.

About the Author
"Lorenz is the founder of Hingmy. When he is not reviewing power tools or improving the site, he is building things in his workshop or playing hockey."
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