Benchtop Mortiser, 3/4" Chisel, 5-1/2" Stroke, 115/230V 1Ph (Model PM701)

I have had a Powermatic model 66 table saw for nearly ten years, and it has been rock solid. Based on that experience and the reviews of others, when it came time to buy a mortising machine I assumed the tool would be built like a tank and last for generations. I can't speak to the last, but it is solidly constructed. This is the first mortising machine I have owned, and I have only used one other which was an industrial floor model machine at a school. The order arrived earlier than promised, and the packaging was in excellent condition. The tool and all its parts were in great condition, and it was very easy to set up. I checked the backstop and it was square to the table. I bolted it down to a rolling table so I could bring it out when I needed to. When I ordered the 701, the description of the item included "free open stand", so I was kind of expecting to receive a stand with it. I did not, and when I called Amazon they told me it was not included. I had printed out the page just in case I needed it, and while I was on hold as they checked with the manufacturer and I was transferred to another agent the web page was edited and the "free open stand" listed was removed. Guess what- the second customer service agent says "I don't see anything about a free stand". I told them I had printed it out and offered to fax it to them, at first they were hanging tough, then they said I could get a discount on a stand if I wanted to order one, then they just gave me a credit for the regular cost of a stand! Thank you Amazon! That was more than I expected them to do, and it makes me feel like telling others how good they were. Back to the mortiser- the motor is 3/4 horsepower, and it is heavy. As beefy as the column is, I was surprised to see it flex every time I turned on the power, but it didn't seem to affect the normal use of the tool. I got my chisel and bit sets the day after this arrived, so I wasted no time in sharpening them further so I could test it out (these chisels need to be very sharp for them to work well). I had trouble getting it set up right, because I thought the bit and chisel sets were either 8" or 9", mine was 8-3/8" so I added the chuck extension and things didn't fit right- the chisel to bit clearance was too great. The manual is not much help here, I went online and found that the normal range is 1/8" to 3/16" (I had nearly 1/2"), so I figured out that I did't need the chuck extension after all. Once that was back off, setup was a snap and I was cutting mortises. Again, the manual didn't spare much energy on describing normal operation, so back online I went to learn that I wasn't supposed to overlap cuts, but space them apart leaving bridges of wood, and coming back and removing them, in order to avoid the chisel being pushed to one side by an unbalanced cut. I have read that the hold down on this tool is not as bad as the competition, but still not as good as more expensive models. I found that in order to be able to shift the wood after the first cut, there had to be a little play between the hold down and the wood, and the front roller blocks and the wood- I ended up having to use pressure from my hands to keep the work aligned as I plunged into and removed the mortising chisel. Maybe with practice this will become easier, but after my first job entailing about 30 mortises I was still experiencing the same. I love owning and using quality tools, and this is a quality tool. It does what it is designed to do and it does it well. It has the lower RPM that many new design mortisers have in order to keep the drill and chisel sets from burning, and it has a bigger motor to keep it from bogging down at those speeds. If you need to make angled mortise and tenon joints, go for one of the bigger models at five times the price, but don't waste your time going cheaper than this, you'll only be disappointed. P.S.: I bought the Grizzly tenon jig to go with this, I wrote a review already on it- basically, it works but there must be an easier way to make consistent tenons that hopefully is less time consuming (and the instruction manual for that is awful). I didn't have time to make my own tenoning jig, but I'm not completely happy with that one.

It just arrived today and I put it through a trail run. I ordered the Powermatic 1791096 Premium 4pc. Mortise & Chisel Set with it. The bench mortiser was packaged well but the box hadn't been banged around, it looked like it came right off the shelf. I didn't expect any damage. Delivery was great, the guys brought into my garage. The box weighs 94lbs (I weighed it!) For those who care, it's made in Taiwan. Set up was pretty easy, instructions clear and straightforward. It only required a 10mm wrench and a 3mm Allen key (not included). I installed a 1/4" mortise bit and ran a test on a piece of pine. The motor is very quiet but there's a noise just after it stops spinning. I'm guessing it's the magnetic starter disengaging. It required more pressure than I expected but I've never run a mortiser before. The handle is "L" shaped at the end and not the stick configuration in the photo. It was easy to control. The up and down movement was very smooth but a little tight, regardless how I set the gibs. I'm not complaining though. The fence moved easily and the wheels that keep the work tight to the fence operated smoothly. The hold down was not as good. It required some wiggling to get it to move up and down and once you tightened it down it applied more pressure to the workpiece requiring me to go back and ease some of the pressure. I had to set the hold down a bit loose so it wouldn't clamp the piece down when tightened. It's probably a bit out of square but I didn't check that. Squaring the chisel to the fence was a bit of a hassle. You have to lower the arm and keep it there to make the adjustment. The bit installation process requires you to set the chisel first, then the auger bit, then reset the chisel for proper clearance of the auger bit. I had to hold the handle down with my hip for the final squaring. Some sort of lockdown for this step would have been nice. On the down side, the stop is made out of plastic. Something this heavy that allows you to apply a lot of downward force should have a metal stop. I would have paid the extra $10 or so for this. The parts and chisel holder is also made of plastic and has only two slots for 3/4" chisels. The set I bought had four 3/4" chisels, made by PM. You'd think the company would have allowed for their chisels to have a place to go. The holder is molded plastic so there's no drilling out the holes without weakening the piece. I plan on making a metal holder soon. The bits I was less pleased with but I'll review them with the product. Overall it seems like a well made machine except for the plastic. Since I ordered this the price has jumped $66.00. That might have taken me to something else as it was a stretch to pay $374.

Powermatic did live up to its performance when set up properly. Makes mortifying so much easier and accurate than tools.