What tools to buy first?

[JoeyLowe]

Probably been addressed many times, but I'll give it ago again.  Given the choice between buying a chain mortiser, a beam planner or a beam saw, what would you buy first and why?

[beetle]

Joey,

Although I am using all hand tools on my frame, if I had chose to go with power tools and was faced with the choice of only one for now, I would go with the mortiser first. I feel you will need a good cross cut hand saw anyway, therefore, you could easily get by with that until you were ready to acquire a beam saw.

Do you have your chisels?

I would definitely recommend the Big Al layout tool that has been discussed in other posts. A little on the pricey side, but well worth the expense.

What species will you be working?

[Jim_Rogers]

I'd like to say that what you buy depends on what you intend to create.
If you're going to build barns, sheds, and other outbuildings there isn't a need for every timber to be planed, so I'd go with the chain mortiser.
If you're going to build houses then I'd go with a beam planer.
The reason I say this is because of the story I heard at the timber framing school in Maine.
On the first day of my course, after the classroom session, we walked down to the workshop and started looking at inspecting timbers.
These timbers were all full dimensions (7x12, 8x8, and such), planned all four sides and with good 90° corners, that is 90° from face to face.
A fellow student asked: "what's up with the smooth timbers?"
The teacher told us a story about having built many houses in Maine for years and years, all with rough sawn timbers. After several years of living in the house, the woman of the house, would come to him and complain that she couldn't seem to keep the house/frame looking clean.
The reason she couldn't keep the house looking clean is that the rough surface of the timbers or course surface of the timbers would collect household dust. And no matter how hard she tried to clean out these dust particles from the surface of the timbers that she could reach, they won't seem to be clean. And of course there were all the timbers of the frame that she couldn't easily reach with her vacuum cleaner.
So, after having so many people complain to him about this, he decided that all "houses" should be made out of "planed" timbers.
In his course he teaches how to use planed timbers.
They are great to work with as they are very smooth and it's very easy to draw your layout lines on them. The faces are usually very true to 90° to each other. And if there is a bump where a knot has swollen up, you can easily bring it back to being flat with a hand plane.

As my sawmill doesn't put out planed timbers, and I was planning on building barns, sheds and out building to start with, in order to learn the craft of timber framing.
I took another course where we learned how to deal with out of square timbers and still cut true joinery. That is the square rule method of timber framing.

This is my personal opinion but I would recommend that everyone learn this method of laying out and cutting joints. And that every joint should be "housed", whether it's in a barn, shed, outbuilding or house.
A housed joint looks better and sometimes is stronger as the timber has a shelf to sit on and this helps support a horizontal timber.

You can purchase a chain mortiser for around $1500 or more, you can get a boring machine and a few bits for around $250. When you use a chain mortiser you have to "clean up" the mortise created with a chisel. When you use a boring machine you have to "clean up" the mortise created, also.
We use boring machines here at my sawmill yard, during timber framing learning workshops and when doing for sale projects. They are nice and quite, not as dusty, and do about the same job. No electricity needed and this could mean a lot when working "on site". And the bits are fairly easy to keep sharp. Who's going to sharpen your chain mortiser chain? How much will that cost? What is the turn around time? Do you know how much an extra chain costs? You'll need to have one if you want to keep working while you send your chain out to be correctly and professionally sharpened.
There are more behind the scenes things to consider when buying a piece of equipment.
An extra sharp bit only cost about $25 to $35 or so.

How many more timber frames are you going to cut?
You can always sell either one when you're done with the current frame you're planning.


If you want a chain mortiser then buy one. But there are also alternatives.

You can always hand plane a beam, with a regular plane. And you only need to plane the sides of the beam that will show to the inside of the building.

If you use square rule joinery you don't need to worry about a face being truly 90° to the next face. It doesn't matter, it's just for looks.

Good luck with your project, and research.

[JoeyLowe]

Wonderful ideas here!  Regarding boring machines for $250.00, where are those deals found and how do you search for them?  I have a little power planner that cuts a patch about 3 inches wide and I've been practising on beams cleaning them up with hand planes.  I'm not opposed to buying good tools only if I have too.  As for what I'm building, initially it is the shop/gallery and I do want planned beams.  Later as I develop more experience, I expect to build houses.

[Jim_Rogers]

Joey:
Check out the forum's For Sale section.
Look for Timber Framing tools for sale.
I don't have the link right handy but you should be able to contact the seller there, you know him.
Jim Rogers

[Clovis]

Here is a good old post.

Jim I was going to buy a new chain mortiser for my project. Probably the only timber frame I will be doing, so I was going to sell it afterwards. I did not know that you had to clean up after using a chain mortiser. I figured I would sell it later and likely loose half my money. With a boring mchine I would likely break even.

My question is, have you changed your opinion in the last 3-4 years since this post? When it comes to sharpening chainsaws I can't tell the difference from a new chain to the one I have sharpened by hand. Is a chain mortiser the same as a chainsaw when it comes to filing a chain? I've drilled a few holes before so I kinda have an idea of the amount of clean out for a boring machine, whats involved with a chain mortiser?

Thanks in advance Jim.

[Jim_Rogers]

My question is, have you changed your opinion in the last 3-4 years since this post?

No, I haven't.

Is a chain mortiser the same as a chainsaw when it comes to filing a chain?

No the chain on a chain mortiser is different then the chain on a chain saw bar.

Some years after this post, and some years ago, I got a job where I had to hollow out a couple of beams for a carpenter to go around an LVL beam. We tried doing it with just a boring machine and it was taking forever and it was very difficult. So, I went out a purchased a chain mortiser, to finish the job quickly and easily.

Over the years I had two students come here to my workshops, and bring with them their chain mortiser machines. They brought them to show us the machines and to use them to help cut some joints.

I asked the first guy what all the handles on the machine did, and he said he didn't use one of the handles and didn't understand what it did or how to use it.
I asked the second guy what all the handles on his machine did, and he said he didn't use one of the handles and didn't understand what it did or how to use it.
And you know what, they were two different handles. So I learned from one guy what one handle did, and what the other handle did from the other guy.

When I got my machine, it came with an instruction book. I read that book, completely from cover to cover, to truly understand how each handle worked and how to completely use the machine to it's fullest potential, something I have never regretted.

We did make at least one improvement on the machine, but we can discuss that later.

Since the purchase of my machine, I have not sharpened the chain, yet. I have not replaced it either. We have used it to do one frame here in my yard. And we have used it on a couple of other jobs. I'm not sure exactly how dull it is, as it seems to work ok and makes big chips when it cuts.

Back to the chains.
Here is a close up of the chain and an electric chain saw bar. I have other chain saws on hand but this one was the closest and easiest to place next to the chain mortiser bar for comparison.



You can see the cutter on the chain mortiser bar, and that they are not at an angle, they are filed, if you file it, straight across.
There is a small file holding tool that comes with the machine, when you buy it new, and I have yet to use it. And I don't fully understand how it works, at this time.
I thought, some of the links, have a cutter on each outside edge, but the picture really doesn't show that. But if they do then these would have to be each filed the same number of strokes at the same time.

I've drilled a few holes before so I kinda have an idea of the amount of clean out for a boring machine, whats involved with a chain mortiser?
Thanks in advance Jim.

Well, first of all when we layout a mortise, we always scribe the perimeter of mortise with a knife. This prevents the chain mortiser or the boring machine bit from chipping out the surface of the timber beyond the mortise.

As some of the mortiser alignment bars are a ways away from the bar, we extend the pencil lines out so that we can align the bar edges with the mortise cut lines.
In the above picture you can see that there is a little yellow bar on the machine base behind the chain. The chain's surface is in line with the end of this yellow bar. This is one of the alignment bars on the machine. The other side of the chain didn't have an alignment mark on this bar, so using a straight edge we extended the back side of the bar down to this yellow bar and scratched a line into the paint on the bar.
Now when we use the alignment bar we can see what the front surface will cut and the back surface will cut.
After we have scored the mortise perimeter and we have placed the mortiser onto the timber, which is usually sitting on a set of pony saw horses, so that we can stand over it and look straight down. We slide the mortiser left and right to align the white alignment bar to the end line of the mortise.
Once it's aligned and clamped to the timber we set the depth stop so that the bottom of the bar is just a little beyond the bottom of the mortise. So that the straight sides of the bar cut the straight sides of the mortise.
If you set the depth so that the end of the bar is the bottom of the mortise; then you'll have to do more bottom of the mortise clean up as the bottom of the mortise will be rounded like the tip of the mortiser bar. Not the easiest thing to do with a deep mortise.

After we have the depth stop set we, then start the machine and do a test "touch". We just touch the timber with the chain spinning to see if the surface is aligned with the knife line. And adjust to insure it is not too wide or two narrow. Once that is set we plunge the bar in full depth, under power in and out.
Once you do that you swivel the head on click to the left and plunge in and out again, under power both in and out. This makes your mortise longer. Then if it still needs to be longer you swivel the head to the next click (last click) and plunge in again, under power in and out.
At the end of the third plunge you release the power trigger, and swivel the head back to the first stop. Then under power you plunge again and this time while the bar is at full depth, you swivel the head and do a "sweeping cut". This helps to clean up any of the mounds left at the bottom of the mortise.

Without changing any of the settings, you then flip on of the handles (mentioned above) and the entire carriage slides back to the back position. Then you do all three plunges again and a sweeping cut, to widen your mortise (if your layout requires it). This way you do six plunges before you un-clamp your machine and move it sideways down your timber. Or crank the handles and move it back to widen your mortise.

So the clean up maybe the sides of your mortise, if they don't line up with the knife lines. The ends of your mortise if you don't cut right up to your line.
And the bottom of your mortise, if it isn't deep enough.

Probably more information than you wanted but that's it.

Jim Rogers   

[Dave Shepard]

Is that for a Makita mortiser Jim? The Mafell a friend of mine has works a little differently, I don't recall any levers.


Dave

[Jim_Rogers]

Yes, Mikata.

[witterbound]

A couple of used makita chain mortisers have sold for over $900 on ebay recently.  I bought my chain mortiser first.  I decided I didn't have the patience for a boring machine, which meant that if I bought a boring machine first, I'd then also be buying a chain mortiser.  Next I bought the beam saw. Then I bought the aftermarket base.  It really saves time on the 6x6's but if you're going to have to plane your timbers, my hunch is that the larger planer might save you more time, and give you a better result that using your 3" planer.

[Clovis]

Thanks again Jim. I had no clue that a chain mortiser was so different from a chainsaw. It still does not look that hard to sharpen though. I'm still leaning towards the power tool but I'm also going to look for a boring machine. If I find one first I will likely go with it.

By the way, excellent information and it's never to much.   Clovis

[routestep]

I have a ProTool chain mortiser. I'm not good with pictures so but I'll give you some numbers. I'll try posting pitures later.

Cost $3400 out of the box. Since it uses 220vac power you have to cut the German plug off and put a four prog one on. Buy them at Lowes, etc. And have a power source which costs more if you don't. I use a generator with 220v.

Chain $400 per. I bought a second one because they go dull and you can't sharpen them at home unless your in the business (I can sharpen a chainsaw blade, or a hand saw somewhat). Cost can vary to sharpen - $12 to $20 then add postage, maybe a short delay.

There is no clamping the machine to the beam, just a simple fence that presses up to the wood like some hand planes or electric routers might have. The fence is held in place by a squeeze fitting that can slip if your not carefull. Don't get WD40 on it. Like Jim stated, you have to sight down the chain to align it with the intended mortise. Do a trial by touching the wood. When ready you plung down to the depth of the mortise, the end of the mortise is cut pretty precise. As the bar and chain is rotated 90 degress to the Makita, there is no scallop bottom per se. The sides at the bottom of the mortise have a rounded edge, so go a little deep, chamfer the tenon, or chisel square.

The chain will cut the sides of a mortise ok, a little fuzz but might not be up and down straight. I think this is true with any machine that rests on wood. The base of the mortiser is small IMO. Wood as it dries out developes a rise in the middle or a subsiding near the edges. This allows the base to rock, so you have to either plane the wood flat or slip wedging material in the base. Of course knots or out of square sawing could also happen. The one bubble level built in to the machine is orientated the wrong way for our use. A line level can be taped on to the base though. The side that a brace will push against when the bent is set up is ok as long as you place the mortiser well. No chiseling required. My machine will cut a 1 7/8 hole, so I don't have to move the cutter as in a Makita to get the right width, just down the length of the beam to get the desired mortise length. You can also buy a 11/2 inch bar and chain.

The machine takes grease in a screw-off fitting. I use some JD grease and you give the fitting cap a half turn every so often to get the grease where it needs to go. The chain and bar takes a squirt of WD40.

Its a good machine but for the money I would have thought the fence could be a bit better.

I have a boring machine. I bought it years ago for about $120. It had a 1 1/8 and I bought a 1 15/16 drill bit that fit. I have to wedge it in place and do a lot of chiseling to develop a mortise. But it does leave a flat bottom. I overlap the holes. I use it all the time for small mortises. No electricity and no noise. No dust problems either. I also use it on very deep mortises. My chain mortiser goes about six inches so the beam drill will finish jobs. Low cost, easy to sharpen no noise and no dust.

[Clovis]

HMMMMM?