Side by Side Comparison of: Shop Fox vs Jet vs Wixey vs PORTER-CABLE

this item is excellenteand the support it's wonderful

Good tool

Good

I use this tool regularly. It is a bit difficult to calibrate---but it is absolutely worth it. The tolerances are excellent. It take a lot of abuse to get it out of calibration. Suggestion is to read the manual carefully at the onset.

I was looking to increase my woodworking shop capability to build furniture with professional mortise and tenon joints. After researching, I purchased a Shop Fox Mortising Machine, and now a Shop Fox Tenoning jig. Both machines are very nice for their prices. They are not ultra high tech nor highly engineered. The SF Mortising Machine seems better engineered and built than the SF tenoning jig. The mortising machine has several nice features, and with a simple modification to the table is rugged and versatile. (I removed the adjustable fence, and screwed a piece of plywood 3/4" x 12" x 18" to the existing table, and held my work down with a 2 x 4 x 18" and two clamps) I like it a lot. The SF Tenoning Jig also works very nicely, but after a lot of adjusting. The SF Tenoning Jig looks so much like all the other jigs in this price range that they may all come from the same assembly line. The Shop Fox is white and has a clamping wheel; The Delta is grey and has a clamping crank; Grissly is Green, Rockler is -- well you get the idea. They all sport very visible machined surfaces, but when you turn the SF over it is simply the corrogated casting -- albeit machined flat -- which is sliding on the table saw. (Maybe the cavities between the machined rubbing surfaces provide space for sawdust.) The SF has levers where some others have knobs. The SF has two vertical push handles where some others have differently shaped or differently placed handles. The SF has a helpful but not too accurate scale and pointer that assist when adjusting left/right movement. The adjustments for the vertical machined surface are crude, but useable. The adjustments for leaning the work back to make an angled tenon are also crude, but useable. The screws to move the carriage (?) closer or farther from the table saw blade work well; and you can loosen a threaded sliding bushing for a "quick release" if you wish. Although I am not sure it was meant to do that. There are no adjustments to square the alignment track/rod with the jig. However, the mounting bolt holes are oversize so after some carefull tightening, tapping and retighting you will be able to exactly aline the jig (and the vertical machined surface that holds the work) parallel with the table saw blade. And, yes some of the small screws require very careful attention to "break free" and some threaded holes may need to be re-tapped to allow easy assembly. In any case, once you get all these little details taken care of, the Shop Fox Tenoning Jig will allow you to cut absolutely perfect tenons time after time, every time. And I like the SF white paint, the levers, and the clamping wheel. All this for under $100. Nice.

Works just like any other similar tenoning jig. All the models like this are pretty much identical. It's heavy and the movement is solid. I don't trust the little sticker for measuring, but that's to be expected.

a very useful machine for not a big price.Most in this price range will not swivel to allow you to make mortises in the end grain of longer pieces.I have used it daily for the last couple weeks and find it to work very well.

Works great! I like the tool caddy, it makes setting up nicer. Like the rotating base, opens up possibilities. Strong motor, doesn't slow down. Easy to use, and my students were able to learn how to use it pretty quickly. I use an extra clamp to hold material to the fence. A reminder, this thing is heavy, 90 lbs!!

Although the assembly instructions were a little vague it went together and performed great. Certainly didn't lack for power and there was no slowly down the spindle. My first (and onyt,so far) mortising job turned out perfect. I expect to get many years of use from this tool.

I purchased after comparing several machines and pouring over reviews on several sites. I've made hundreds of mortises so far - most of them angled (for wedged, through mortises) and I'm extremely happy with my purchase. Note, the table doesn't angle - I did that with an angled jig on the flat table. I was using a Delta drill press mortising jig, but this is so much better. I would say I'm an intermediate level weekend warrior in terms of woodworking experience and ability. I have one car slot of my three car garage dedicated to this hobby. I have a table saw, small planer, joiner, scroll saw, drill press, and now a mortiser. I mention this just to give you an idea of my perspective on the review.I'm so pleased I got the 3/4 horse motor. No problems with 3/8" through hole mortises in cherry or 1/2" mortises in walnut. I was able to stall the motor a couple of times doing 3/4" angled mortises in 2" thick walnut, but the unit fired right back up and kept at it.Note, the mortise bits have to be sharp! If you buy a brand new bit, expect to sharpen it before use or you will not cut holes and just create a bunch of smoke. There are several web sites available that explain how to sharpen your bits and it makes all the difference. This includes the 1/2" bit shipped with the machine.In walnut, using 3/4 and 1/2 inch mortise chisels, I got some smoke, but was able to control it with a bit of practice in terms of force.When the unit arrived, it was undamaged, but I could definitely see how flimsy the packaging was and how the base could be easily cracked if dropped on that corner. I received the unit delivered in a van by a local delivery company with two people, so that may have contributed to my good luck. One person delivery is asking for trouble as it is a 100lb box.Assembly went well, but I did break one of the pot metal collars holding the handle in place when tightening the set screw. This is where a nylon collar would have been a better design, in my opinion. I used the Shop Fox online customer support process and had a new collar in my hand about a week after submitting the request.I also saw several complaints in the reviews about the partical board table, but I didn't have a problem with this. I expect the table to be sacraficial anyway after heavy use, so why invest a bunch of money in this area? Like someone else commented, just change it to oak if you like, but I'll wait until the first table is worn. The rest of the machine is a heavy beast.The hold down worked well, although it would have been nice if it had a knob to adjust it instead of the allen head screw. I may modify it to add a knob as it seemed like I was constantly having to fumble with finding the T-wrench to loosen and tighten it. It also doesn't have a stop fence micro-adjust - not a good one anyway, but once I got it set, it stayed in place.So all in all, I gave it 5 stars - even with the minor issues. It exceeded my expectations for the money I paid, support was good, and I would buy it again.

I purchased this machine after receiving orders for several pieces of mission furniture. I grew tired of trying to cut mortises with my router. I have made several hundred mortises in white oak, cherry and white maple. I am very pleased with the machine.Pros:1. Arrived on time and undamaged.2. Setup and adjustment took only a couple of hours.3. Hold down is exceptional. I have had NO racking problems4. Plenty of power, it doesn't even groan a bit on 3/4 inch mortise 2 inches deep in white oak.5. Dual rods work very smooth.6. Easy to adjust handle, I can always set it for best stroke.Cons:1. Fiber board cutting base is a little cheap. I replaced it with solid red oak.2. The supplied chisel bit was so-so. I purchased a set from lee-valley (the ones from Japan) and they work exceptionally well.3. I would like a micro adjustment on the depth control rod.No question I would buy this machine again. Great value.

This Shop Fox Heavy Duty Mortising Machine is good value. Set-up is straight forward, and it makes square holes, what can I say? I am impressed with the overall quality of the unit. I like the heavy steel columns that support it. I was very happy to find a unit that can handle up to 8 inch tall material without having to swing it to a table edge, which this one has the capability of doing also. I had been looking for a mortise attachment for my drill press, but after using this on my oak project, I am convinced that the drill press would not have held up. I am very happy about my purchase. The price can't be beat for what it does.

You can do mortises in a number of ways, I found this way to be one of the most fun ways to help me build furniture made of mortise and tenon in mission style.

Exceptional machine. It is easy to operate, and turns out great work. Very satisfied.

This is the first and only mortiser that I've ever used. It seems to do everything it's supposed to do, and I've used it on a dozen projects so far. I can see how having a heavier unit with a longer handle might be helpful, and I wish there were an easy way to align the chisel portion of the bit so that it's perfectly square. However, a couple of test punches lets you see any adjustments that are needed. A bigger back fence with a clamping system would be great, but again I think that probably comes with the more expensive units.

Being new to woodworking, I've had to trust the reviews of others in trying to sort out which brand of tools to buy so I hope this helps other newbes. Having been in the construction industry for over 35 years, I had pretty much done it all with the exception of cabinet/furniture making. With that in mind, I decided to take on an ambitious remodel for home including building the cabinetry/vanities for the bathroom and a new bedroom set. After reading more reviews than I can count and taking a trip out to the local HF to look at the Central Machinery Mortiser, I decided to spend the extra money on this one. Within a half hour of receiving it, I had it set up and was drilling my first mortis joint. Assembly literally took minutes to complete since the instructions are clear, concise and easy to understand. The lightweight oil they shipped everything in was easy to wipe off with some mineral spirits and part seemed well fit and finished. The exception to this is the hold down clamp. As others have said, this is pretty much useless. I don't know what modifications the others have made but I pretty much set the clamp aside and used the quick-grip squeeze clamps on each end of the fence to hold the wood in place. These allowed me quick and easy adjustments to the wood as well as being an inexpensive, less time consuming alternative to modifying a piece of metal. The fence itself seemed fine although I can see myself extending it at sometime in the future and the chisel bits that came with the unit were extremely sharp and worked well.

first i must say this is the only mortiser i have used.the machine was easy to set up 10 minutes from box to running. i got a free jet chiesel set with purchase.the first thing i played with was popular cut sweet, next scrap cherry a cake walk(1/4 mortise made) .the only thing i see is seal the base(which is mdf) . i ordered chiesels from lee valley for the dresses project i got this for.saw final word for the average woodworker/weekend warrior a+ machineoh yes as stated before i got free chiesels, free prime delivery fast and well packaged, good price and a stellar toy.if you dont have one put on your bucket list .

It's a good thing I read all the reviews of both the Delta and Jet mortisers. To the guys who bought the Delta and wrote the reviews, thanks for jumping on that grenade. Not only is the Jet less expensive, it is hands down the better tool. Out of the box I was cutting holes in quarter sawn white oak for my version of a spindle bed, (37 spindles in the headboard alone!). It has the feel of a tool that will keep it's place on my benchtop for years to come. I got some good tips from the reviewers too; mounting to a 3\4" piece of plywood, rotating 180 deg. to work on larger pieces, etc. Thanks again guys. P.S. The $5.00 S&H didn't hurt either.

It looks great but the finished item isn't as finely finished as I'd hoped. See other reviews to read more...

While one of the plastic locking handles was snapped off in shipping a call to Shop Fox had a new one delivered within a week. Great service from Shop Fox. I had to shim up the sheet metal guide for the table tilt mechanism so that the slot would line up with the locking bolt.Once the set up and adjustments were complete this has proven to be accurate and easy to use. I've been using this with a dado head on the table saw so I can remove more than 1/8" of material.

I recommend this jig based on the Shop Fox D3246 Tenoning Jig I received from PeachtreeWoodworking Supply Inc.I was hesitant to order based on Mr. Decker's review. The jigs he examined all rocked on the saw table. The jig I received also initially exhibited rocking. Inspection showed rocking was the result of the main lock lever's stud slightly protruding below the base plate and resting on the saw table. Thus, the stud lifted the base plate from the table at one point. Retracting the stud allowed base plate to sit flat on the table and eliminated rocking.The jig is designed for use only on the left side of the blade. There are two sets of guide bar mounting holes in the base plate. The base plate's holes are positioned at about 3-3/4 inches (right tilting saw), and 4-15/16 inches (left tilting saw) from the saw blade edge of the base plate.This jig is now used with a Craftsman 113.299040 10 inch left tilt table saw I purchased in the mid '70s. After positioning the guide bar for my left hand tilting saw, the base plate clears the blade by about 7/16 inch.The Instruction Manual is well written. Safety, adjustment, operations, and partssections are provided. All threads are metric, and five Allen wrenches are supplied.One complaint is the use of plastic for the four black locking levers. Each lever drives a locking bolt or nut via splines (like those on faucet stems). Levers are repositioned on the splines by lifting, rotating, and releasing. For durability, I would prefer metal levers driving hexagonal locking bolts or nuts rather than splines. Plastic locking levers were the only reason for a one star demerit.Examination of images of other (e.g., Delta, Grizzly, Jet, Powermatic, and Rockler) tenoning jig images, shows them all to be very similar in design. My neighbor's ten year old Delta jig is identical except for make, paint color, and a different style wood clamp knob. It appears all makes use plastic locking levers.The unit was ordered in the evening of Nov. 24th. Peachtree shipped the unit via USPS on the 25th and it arrived on the 27th.At about $70 delivered, the Shop Fox was the best value I found on the internet. On eBay, a similar Powermatic jig recently fetched about $425 delivered. I speculate some bidders didn't do their research.

This is a heavy, solid machine with lots of cast iron. It works well, despite a minor problem. The depth stop rod was either slightly bent or its mounting hole was not located properly. After I cut a mortise, the top of the rod bumped against a the machine and I could not raise the chisel out of the hole. Bending the top of the rod slightly solved this problem. Yes, the paint job is not the best, but it is OK. I tried to contact the seller (Factory Authorized Outlet) re shipping and price, but they never replie (not a customer oriented seller, I guess). The manual is generally good about assembly, but leaves out some info that a mortising machine novice might want to know, such as how to attach the head of the machine to its base). The 1/2 chisel that comes with it is not the best, but it provides an opportunity for the buyer to practice using the machine. We'll all need to eventually purchase a set of chisels anyway. It is a good, nicely designed machine despite minor frustrations.

The Shot Fox mortising machine is fast and powerful enough for my needs, but what came in the box did not resemble the images in the instruction manual. I ended up with two leftover pieces after using the exploded diagram in the back of the manual as assembly instructions. Hopefully, the machine doesn't require those leftover parts...

To be clear .. I haven't used this machine yet, but is Is mounted and ready to go. This review is a heads-up for Grizzly and future buyers.My machine was manufactured in April 2011, purchased April 2012. 3/4 HP, 3/4" collet capacity, dual non-adjustable column supports, gas spring, the ability to rotate the machine and price being the major factors considered.Packing was excellent .. arrived in a few days via freight (Fedex Freight only visits here on Tuesdays) along with Grizzly 6" Jointer. Firstly .. be very careful unpacking .. the aluminum fins at the bottom of the motor are virtually un-deburred and may be very sharp. I'll probably use a wire-wheel on a drill motor to mitigate that, when I get time. Such a simple thing should have been done at the motor factory .. there is No excuse, just lack of care and QC.Secondly, albeit minor, still a PITA and unnecessary .. two of the three hold-down rods had miniscule burrs at the ends, preventing insertion. The burrs were generated while machine chamfering the ends. Again, easy enough to mitigate on the 1" belt sander, and again, just lack of care and QC.So far, only one design complaint associated with a major feature .. the gas spring. Depending on the heigth of workpiece, there are three positions for attaching the spring, two on the back, and one on the side. For use in the lowest position, you must remove the position-two ball. Indeed, while this may seem a minor inconvenience, a part that small will certainly be one of the first lost.Here is the biggie. The stop rod was binding quite severely against the column cap due to two factors. The 10mm hole(s) were not machined parallel with the columns .. out by a few degress, and there was alot of debris inside which seemed to be bound around the hole down inside. I verified this using an 8mm diameter Whistler wireless borescope-cam .. and was amazed at the crap I saw down there. The hexagonal stop-rod was only rotatable with great difficulty. Not having an extra long 10mm drill, I used a 3/8" drill, and mitigated the crap collection inside as best I could. I took the column cap off and ground clearance for the stop-rod to pass by with nomimal friction. This is Clearly a lack of due care, and Quality Control, especially considering that this machine has been manufactured for almost ten years.Perhaps I got a Lemon, but Grizzly is a Big Time player, and hopefully will rap some knuckels with their supplier for this machine. The jointer has been flawless .. a different review coming.All in all, minus the discrepancies noted above, for features and value, I would recommend this machine. I have bits from 1/4" up through 3/4" in place .. just wondering what using a 3/4" mortising bit at 3,450 rpm will be like .. probably a real screamer .. but that's on me.

Minimal use thus far but no problems. Shipped without damage, assembled easily, worked as expected. As with any mechanical tool, experience will help. A DVD on tips and tricks would be nice. Planned projects to come.

I originally purchased this mortiser because of reading previous reviews about how much better it is than other brands of this size and type, (the 3/4hp vs. 1/2hp and the ability of the head to swivel around so larger pieces could be mortised), and I have to say I am well pleased with it. Compared to other machines I have used of lesser horsepower this one is a breeze to use and I haven't even sharpened the chisel yet. The setup is easy because of the access doors on both sides.However, the only reason I don't give it 5 stars is because of the same reason given in other reviews. SHIPPING. The package of the first one (UPS) I received was beat up and when I opened the box I noticed the mortiser base was cracked all the way across and thru and thru. When I saw this I immediately got online and went through the return process (about 11:00 am) which was simple and, to Amazon's credit, I received another mortiser the next day. Nice customer service.All in all a great machine for the money (so far) if they could just make the packaging a little better I would have given it a solid 5 stars.

When I received this machine from UPS the base was broken in two, and the guard on top of the motor was bent in so far that the motor wouldn't turn. This machine should have sent by truck as it is obviously too heavy (approx 100 lbs.) for UPS so more than likely it was dropped along the way. I called Shop Fox and they promptly sent me replacement parts. After I replaced the broken parts I made a couple of test mortars. So far this is all I have done so the rating on this machine could go up or down in future updates. I am not rating the shipping, I am rating the machine. However, you may consider buying this from your local woodworking store, even though it may cost more just to avoid the hassle.

The fence does not track parallel, resulting in slightly off-set mortises. That being said, I would not want to exchange it because it is a workhorse for my little shop. I have a set of great chisel/drill bits and value the work I can get done on everything from hard maple to fir.

I purchased this mortiser a few weeks ago and have made many practice mortises and a few real ones in a piece of furniture I am building. I can't speak to the durability of this product, but I can talk about everything else. It came promptly from Amazon, no parts were missing. Setup was simple. I've seen some people complain that the platform isn't parallel to the fence. This is a total non-issue. All you need are a few pieces of paper to act as shims, a t-square, and about 5 minutes... and a phillips head screw driver. I took off the platform, squared it to the fence, and added a few pieces of paper until it was square, then tightened it back down checking again to make sure it was still square. Setting the machine up took about 10 minutes total, then installing and squaring a chisel took about 5 minutes. I am giving this 4 stars because my 1/2 inch chisel just didn't work well at all. I would give 4.5 if I could recognizing that most of what I paid for was the machine and not the chisels, but I would have expected all 3 chisels to have been in top shape. The 1/2 inch kept burning my wood, I increased the auger lead and it worked a lot better but still not great. I'm going to be buying a new 1/2" chisel. The action on the rack and pinion lever was really stiff at first, I added some WD-40 and it got a lot better. Really easy to use, really smooth, I would advise facing the opening in the chisel forward instead of to the side. I am now looking at buying a Jet bandsaw just because I appreciate the quality in my mortiser.

I don't think I can say it much better than most of the other reviewers here, but that's never stopped me before.It's a very well made product, from the mortiser itself, the very sharp chisels that come with it and the chuck key. However, the hold down does leave a bit to be desired. It doesn't give me that sense of confidence at all times as far as whether or not it'll stay put...but it has so far.Personally, other than the hold down, I love this tool! If you're drilling holes and chiseling the waste wood or routing...well if you've got the dough (and in this economy, it's an understandable consideration!), give the Jet a looksee!

I've built several projects with this mortiser over the past year. It has done a great job. The stop mechanism works great, it's sturdy, and the chisels that come with it are plenty sharp. I've built about 4 tables with this machine, and I am currently building a cabinetmaker's bench, which requires me to bore mortises about 3 inches deep. Since I am using poplar for my base it didn't bog down the motor like maple would, however, the base wasn't wide enough to accomodate the large legs. No biggie: Rockler sells an extension table for this model that I am considering buying.I wish they would have included mounting hardware (like my Delta drill press), so that I could mount it without any further trips to the hardware store.

Simply put - this is a good machine for the cost. I'm not the world's most skilled craftsman, but I found the set up and use of the Jet mortiser easy and accurate. I was able to unpack it, set it up, and drill a few test mortises within an hour.Some reviewers have commented that when you are buying a bench-top mortiser you are buying a machine with somewhat limited use. I'm not sure what kind of work that they do, but I find the capacity more than sufficient for any project that I am planning.I also found it easy to align. Right off the bad I made sure that I got a good square alignment and then drilled out a few mortises for each size bit. Whenever I set up the unit, I simply check the alignment against my pre-aligned jig.

I've been using the JBM-5 for about three months now. It's a good machine and does what it is supposed to do (cut square holes). I did a fair amount of research before buying and the JET seemed to get better reviews than the Delta and I would recommend it as well.The only problem I've had is that the unit did have a damaged fan cover out of the box. The dented cover prevented the fan from rotating and thus the motor from turning. I called JET and they were extremely pleasant on the phone and sent the replacement parts right out (standard delivery). Overall I was pleased with their customer service.

with some slight modifications it worked out very well

This Tenoning Jig arrived with some damage and one missing bolt, I needed it now so went to the hardware store and coughed up a buck and a half for a replacement bolt, also one of the two cheapo plastic vertical handles was crushed as it appears someone did not like lifting this hefty package and just dropped it at some point and despite the Styrofoam packaging that cushioned and took most of the impact the handle was crushed by the weight of the cast iron parts so I had to get out the gray tape and do a field expedient repair. A few minutes of degreasing and final assembly and it was time to cut some tenons. Once all that was out of the way it worked fine for the tenons that I had to cut and the busted handle was totally unnecessary to the use of the jig so I just unscrewed it and tossed it aside.Too bad if it had been all there and not busted I would have given it 4 stars as it was about the level of quality I expected to get for the price and from reading reviews.Need to cut some tenons and not to fussy about things being perfect out of the box and taking a chance of shipping damage due to the weight of the box then this jig should work for you.

I haven't had a chance to use it yet because I am going to have to make at least one modification to assemble it--the elongated circular holes in the clutch, in which the hand lever is supposed to fit, are too small. I will have to file the edges in order to enlarge the holes on both the bottom and the top of the clutch to get the handle to go through. I have perused other reviews to see if anyone else had had this problem, but so far I haven't found this exact issue. I ended up with a duplicate set of parts since box 2 of the 2-box shipment didn't arrive the first time and Amazon sent another. I reopened the box, which I had already prepared to ship back to Amazon, and tried the clutch in that box with the handle I had--same problem. Poor quality control.Day 2 Update. I slightly enlarged the hole in the clutch using a Dremel tool grinding stone attachment on my drill press and was able to get the handle through. I have not been able to get the gas spring on to the ball end junctions because of the force required to compress the spring even slightly to line it up. I am 5' 10" and in great shape, but I am going to need my husband to help me when he gets back from a business trip. It is a challenge to compress and hold the spring while also attaching it to the machine. I am curious to see the ergonomics of the mortiser and going to be able to compress the spring with a push of the handle--it was so hard to compress even a quarter inch by hand that I thought the thing was defective.Another annoying issue--the machine is supposed to come with TWO chisel bushings to accept both 5/8" and 3/4" shank chisels, but mine only came with the 5/8" bushing, so I can't even use the 3/4" shank chisel that was included! I was curious as to whether this was just a packing mistake, so I RE-opened the box of parts I had ready to ship back to Amazon and found that it, too, only contained the 5/8" bushing. I have some 5/8" shank chisels I use with my Delta drill press, but, come on. If the company is trying to save a few pennies, at least include the bushing that fits the chisel that comes with the mortise!. I am going to have to call the company today.

Base casting damaged at factory prior to shipping. Left rear corner foot broken off, piece not in the box. Box shows no sign of rough handling.All other pieces seem to be fine.

I gave this piece of crap an ok rating beacuse it actually functions resonably well so far. The metal cast adjustment handles are poor quality and have stripped out, had to purchase metric bolts to replace them and have to use a wrench or socket. With a little more attention to quality this could be a good tool.

I wanted a mortiser that could standup to a lot of usage; based on reviews and power specs, decided on the Shop Fox. Unfortunately, after ordering it, I've never been able to actually use it. The machine is heavy; just as the specs say. Packaging and machine are right at 90 lbs. When the 1st machine arrived, it sat for a week before I could spend time opening and attempting to setup. What I found was the cast iron base was broken in half, and the cowl over the engine fins was dented so much the motor would not have turned over if I had plugged it in. Amazon was quick to send another unit, but when it arrived (Christmas Eve no less), the packaging was in worse shape than the 1st one. Needless to say, the case iron base was broken in multiple pieces. After two tries, I informed Amazon to just take the unit back and cancel the order. For sure, the packaging is not designed to sustain substantial jostling; it is fairly thin styrofoam, certainly not rigid or thick enough. The cardboard carton is not very sturdy either. Again, this is 90 lbs. of equipment. From what I saw of the mortiser, I would say it is well built, appears to be well designed. I rated this a 3 star just for the interaction experience with Amazon. Wish I could actually use it.

Rattles excessively, but it works okay after you fiddle around with it.

Very limited height, table is too small. Otherwise, it is okay. Not a lot to brag about on this one. I'd do an internet search and find a better model.

When I received the mortiser, there were no obvious signs of damage. However, when I opened the box I found the top fan cover was dented in so as to impede the movement of the cooling fan. It was easy to pound back out and there is no paint or structural damage but it should never have left the factory that way. Also,the post that the hold down clamp secures to has a set screw to hold it tight and that was loose from the factory. There is no wrench included to tighten it and it took a while to find one in my collection that was close enough tighten it. Just a pain in the neck. Once I got going, it performed as I would have expected although I will probably get a better set of bits than the ones included.

The tool works well! I am happy with its' ease of use and set up. For a low end mortiser it works very well for the occasional user. The first one I received had a caved in top due to improper packaging. I let Amazon know, and in two days I received a new replacement, at no charge. The staff at Amazon were great - it was very easy to get a new one sent quickly and have UPS pick up the one that was damaged. Thanks, Amazon for your wonderful customer support.

The design was not quite ideal. My saw is an older model Craftsman with a blade that tilts to the left. I did not think through the design of the jig which places my hands ahead of the blade. Not the best position.I was really disappointed in the quality. Assembly was difficult due to paint filling the threads of the holes receiving the machine screws to assemble the jig. A major inconvenience! Made it very easy to crossthread the machine screws during assemblyBut after assembly, i found that the nylon parts used to lock the adjustments immediately failed, leaving no way to secure the adjustments. Left me with the decision of returning the jig,or the inconvenience and expense of finding a quality replacement part to safely use the jig

I have used several brands of tenoning jigs over the years in the wood program where I teach and this one is by far the worst! I purchased two of these jigs and really regret not having done more research! The plastic handles used to lock the various adjustments in place are very flimsy - one has broken after only a couple of months of use. Students must now use a wrench to loosen the bolt that we replaced the broken handle with, which is a pain. Also, you have to use an allen wrench to slide the clamp forward and backward, to accommodate boards of various widths - this could have easily been designed as a a tool-less adjustment. Overall, the design and quality of this jig are very poor - don't buy!

The design is probably okay, but I'm not sure as I didn't get past assembly. As I assembled the machine, the pour quality of construction became apparent. Several plastic components and some key parts were bent or out of alignment.

The handle that you push down on mounts through a pot metal round piece. After 3 cuts, the pot metal crystallized like glass and shattered, making the unit unusable. Liked it up to then.

After two test holes the teeth on the hand lever clutch started to break off. At this point there is only one tooth left on the clutch. If they will replace this part I think I have a pretty good machine on my hands. But at this point I am very disappointed with the quality.

1. The assembly instructions assumed the machine came attached to the cast iron base. They came in different boxes, and I had to figure out how they went together. The instructions were written in 2002, last revised in 2007. Presumably the pieces used to be delivered together.2. The chuck and the holder for the chisel both work very poorly. The chisel routinely pulls out of the holder when I lift it out of the wood, the drill bit not uncommonly comes out of the chuck, even after I have tightened both as tightly as I can.3. Other parts of the machine seem very poorly made.4. The machine works to cut square holes in softwood. I had a great deal of trouble trying to use it in hardwood.(Later addition)I discovered that the problem with the chisel holder was that the hole for the set screw wasn't drilled quite all the way through, so the set screw wasn't actually pressing on the chisel and didn't hold it. I removed the chisel, turned the set screw with considerable force, and forced it through--at which point a couple of small bits of metal dropped out, presumably pieces that had been blocking the hole.I then found that I couldn't get the chisel all the way in, because there was now a bump inside the socket it fitted into, just above the set screw holder. I used my dremel and a miniature drum sander to sand that down, at which point the chisel holder finally worked.I had a phone conversation with technical support and was told that in order to get the chuck to hold the drill bit properly I should tighten the chuck, rotate it a third of the way around to the next hole, tighten again, repeat. That seems to work--but suggests that the chuck is not very well made.I was also told that my unit had shipped with the old instruction manual and the current one mentioned the need to assemble the machine and base, which used to be shipped already assembled. But it turned out, when I checked with him, that there were still other things missing from the current version of instructions.At this point, the machine is usable and useful, but only after I repaired it and followed instructions to compensate for the weakness of the chuck. And I am now able to use the 1/2" chisel in hardwood. So I have raised my rating from one star to two.

The first unit delivered had a large dent in the motor cap. Waiting for replacement.

This is not typical Jet equipment, I have a Jet table saw, lathe and band saw, they are impressive tools. I should have read the small print with the mortiser. the throat is just enough to mortise a 2X4, in hard wood the motor jams because of wood chips, the chuck is too small 5/8ths would have been a better choice and hard to access. I did keep the machine and added a spacer for wider stock. It does work better than my drill press but not much.Rich

I bought the JBM-5 and expected to not have to work at mortises again. Not true. Every new piece of wood means tinkering with the fence (which isn't necessarily square to the bit), the chisel (which will cut your fingers and won't stay in it's chuck) and the depth stop. The fence is too short and chips inevitably fall down between the wood and the fence, forcing the piece out of square. Adding an auxillary fence to won't work because the hold-down reaches over it so it can never be higher than the workpiece. The machine is also under powered and it takes quite a lot of practice to match the insertion speed to prevent binding and burning but still progress through the cut. Also, the cylinder provided to "assist in raising the head" is worthless and pops off if you pull too hard in either direction. Then bed is way too short and the racket it makes after your first cut (bit rubbing or chisel maybe) is devastating. All the adjustable pieces are held together with set screws that work loose constantly. This won't save me nearly as much time as I thought, but at least doesn't tie up the drill press with mortising attachments. You should also invest is a larger chisel. The "free" 1/2" is fine for small jobs, but any good sized project tends to need larger ones and the adjustments to make larger mortises with the 1/2" chisel is not worth it.

I purchased a Delta mortiser first. It's fence was all crooked. So I returned it and bought the jet. The Jet's motor sounded like the bearings were going out and the frame was considerablely flimsier than the Delta. When I attempted to make 3/8" mortise in maple, the head of the Jet mortiser flexed about 1/8". I'm returning the Jet, and I'm going to order the Powermatic.

Waste of time and money.The face plate where the wood is held is way off from front to rear. Making this tool unusable. WASTED too many hours trying to install and configure (if there is anything like that). Jigs are supposed to help and not re-engineered!!!!Waste of time and money. I need full refund along with any shipping charges. Those who produce these junk, should be fined for not considering the time they waste.The product itself feels solid and heavy; but if it does not allow to cut parallel then what is the use of all the features???Just cleaning all the grease too a good hour and then the sketchy instructions.... a nightmare.

I believe most of the tenon jigs presently in the US all share this same problem as they seem to come from the same foundry in China. The problem is that the bases are not milled flat and the jigs rock on the saw table, something one does not want with a tenon jig. I've ordered 2 Grizzly jigs, one Shop Fox and purchased locally a Delta tenon jig. ALL rock on the saw and are warped in the same plane. The Delta jig (4th one) I purchased from a local Western Tool Distributor and when I explained that the 3 previous (Amazon) jigs were warped, we took it out of the box and put in on a brand new Delta saw. He was scratching his head when it rocked also. We measured a front to back warp of .005" and corner to corner .012" warp. All of these jigs are exactly the same right out of the box except for the paint and name...right down to the broken styrofoam corner over the jig backstop in each box. Until this present stock of jigs get thrown in the recycle pile one will be hard pressed to get a well machined jig. As for me, I returned both Grizzly Jigs and the Delta (it was+$40 more with tax than the SF Jig). I needed one for a project and ended up gluing plastic shim stock to the base of the Shop Fox jig so it would not rock.

Piece of junk, expect all of the knobs to break. Alot of play so dont expect accuracy.

Absolute garbage. Pieces broke on day one that were not machined as strong as this company said they were. Needs a better design with micro adjuster as well. Not as convenient as they make it sound. Overall - very poorly built and designed.

The machine was packaged poorley and arrived broken. I returned it for a new one, and it also came dammaged. It was repairable so i didnt bother to return it again. I sent the first machine back to amazon via the pickup they aranged and recieved a confirmation of them recieving the product. then recently recieved a e-mail stating i have only a few days to return the first machine or i will be charged for it. I havnt seen any way to contact them about this matter either via E-mail or phone #. product is a nice product but the service is a little dissorganized.

Bought this model simply for price, 3/4 HP and reviews that it was a good model. Got it two hours ago and it is already packed up for return. When it arrived the box was practically falling off of it. It was poorly packaged and looked like it endured a gruelling journey straight from China. Opened the box to find greasy lubricant saturating everything. Got all the pieces cleaned up and pulled the mortiser out to find that the fan cover was dented a 1/2" in and 4" inches across and with some force because it was embedded in the fan itself 3/16". Did not even get to hear it run, want my money back.

The machine showed up in good condition and the components were square and the assembly seemed to be a decent bench top machine. Two days into owning this machine with no load on the chisel the machine started to smoke. I have a call out to Jet Technical Support who think that it is the capacitor and we will see if that will fix this. The Jet Customer Support was not particularly knowledgeable about this product which made the troubleshooting an issue. Overall I think I got what I paid for and I will need to purchase a larger professional machine because the quality control on these "prosumer" grade tools is just so poor.

I'm a pretty loyal Amazon fan, but I won't be ordering any used power tools again. The first mortiser I received was broken off at the head (it was a Delta). This one looked okay until I got it set up and all it did was make a "whirring" sound. Looking at it more closely, it appeared that it had been dropped and had a significant dent on the top of the head. Think I'm going to stick with really new.

I just received the Jet Mortise machine yesterday. Took it out of the box, assembled it and plugged it in. At first it wouldn't do anything thing but hum a little. I turned the chuck a little, then turned it back on. It made a horrible grinding sound. Closer inspection revealed the fan on the top of the motor was grinding against the housing. Further inspection of the machine showed the bolt holes in the base were not taped square. These bolt holes attach the column to the base. I'm skeptical how square the machine would cut if the manufacturer cannot machine square bolt holes. This is my first Jet tool and it will be my last. I just ordered a Powermatic to replace this junk.