Chisel Mortisers

Basic Points on Chisel Mortisers

Chisel mortisers are the type of drilling machine that you may have heard of because they drill 'square holes'.

It's actually not a 'square hole' - it's a square mortise section that's cut by a specially designed chisel. Mortise chisels use an auger drill mounted within the chisel to bore a leading hole. When you press down on a lever, the outer mortise chisel follows and chisels out the remaining corners of the mortise, leaving you with a 'square hole'. You then cut enough holes to match the desired tenon size and you have a strong, well-formed mortise and tenon joint.

Chisel mortisers vary by size. A smaller benchtop size is suitable for smaller mortise and tenon joints, whereas a larger pedestal-mounted chisel mortiser will handle larger mortises, up to 3/4" in size.