Side by Side Comparison of: Powermatic vs WMH Tool Group vs Rockler Woodworking and Hardware

Incredible product. Clamp is a bit awkward sometimes but I just use one-handed bar clamps.

Finally a very easy and fast way to cut tenons works great.

Excellent tool was as advertised delivered on time well pleased.

Product as described, delivered on time.

Best of the group, also the most expensive

Powermatic really made this one right. From the moment one opens the box it's obvious that this jig is first class.Packaging is great and includes all he tools required to assemble the jig.Fit and finish of the jig is first rate, with high quality parts....it looks and feels great, (ergonomics are spot on). The thing just exudes quality.Only thing I had to do, that wasn't included in the instructions, was remove the miter slot bar washers, but I have a 1940 Delta Unisaw so no biggie.No more laying out Tenons, just select the mortise size, by using a chisel of the same width and then use the same stock that you're going to cut the tenon into and you're ready to cut!Even though I have a couple of different table saw jigs in the past couple of years I have been using my Incra router system & Freud Tenon bit along with a sliding router table feed to cut all my tenons. My router system produces very precise tenons, but no more precise than the Powematic Tenon Jig.Now I can cut tenons in about 1/10 the time it use to take me and they are just about prefect.....Hesitated to purchase this jig because of the price, the picture does not do it justice, and if I had been able to handle the jig there would have been no hesitation.Would be surprised if anyone is disappointed with this jig....

It's night and day vs. my bosch router + chisel to square. I knocked out 6 3" x 1/2" x 3x4" mortises very quickly with fantastic results. The rotating wheel clamps do allow pretty easy movement of the workpiece. I purchased the Grizzly japanese bits (only on their site, I believe).My only complaint is when doing a tall piece (3 1/4" in my case), it can at times tilt forward some unless you hold it well to the rail. Maybe I have the top lockdown too loose while drilling, I left it loose enough to slide the workpiece left & right. The front wheels are short, so they don't provide any tilt resistance.Compared to a router, this tools is much cleaner and does not generate all the fine dust a router does. It's basically an auger drill.

Did a lot of research before I picked this unit.It came faster than expected, a day early than forecasted with snowstorms in our area at the time.It arrived in great shape via UPS.I took my time cleaned all the oil off with mineral spirits and got familiar with all the components.I stoned down all the sharp edges and working surfaces before reassembling the unit and reassembling, I do that with all my tools.I had bought some really cheap mortise chisels a long time ago from a big box store. I touched them up a little and made a mortise hole in some red oak. Did a good job, much faster than chopping by hand. I think I could do better with surface finish in my holes with a little more tuning. Setting up the mortise chisel and auger was very easy for this first time user of a mortise machine!It will take me a little bit to get this machine tweaked but that is to be expected. The only two cons are the storage unit on top for the chisels. It's a safety hazard, eventually your going to run your wrists and hands over razor sharp tools. I'm going to fabricate a separate holder for my chisels well away from the machine. The second issue is the 60 degree diamond cone for sharpening the inside of the chisel. For one it's too coarse, then its permanently fixed into the unit. There are a lot better ways to sharpen these bits.Maybe I'm obsessive but I like my tools to be surgically sharp, that means coarse, medium, fine and then a polish hone to make the cutting edges a mirror finish. I will buy after market sharpening cones to get what I want and make my own polisher.Other than that a great machine in my opinion, everything works smoothly and it's very well thought out and designed. I think they try to give you what they can while trying to be competitive. How one reviewer broke the rack is beyond my understanding, this thing is built like a tank.

Works well didn't expect anything else from Powermatic

Good product, but I'd definitely suggest getting the Powermatic bits. (Of course, they're way too expensive, but compared to the Delta bits, for example, they're way superior.)

Worked beautiful right of the box. Easy set up of chisels and depth settings and hold down works great. Love the cast steel very stable. No negative comments.

I've put substantial work on this mortiser ( with chisels from 1/4" to 1") in hardwood. This 3/4 hp machine takes it all with ease. Only with the 1" chisel I had to go a little slower, as 1" in hardwood is really pushing it. When I bought the mahine I was a little concerned because some people mentioned gear problems in their reviews. I don't know if Powermatic improved this machine, but I have no gear problems at all. Machine works fine since day one. In my opinion this is the best benchtop mortiser thats currently out there. If I had to use 1" chisels often I would probably get a large heavy duty machine, but 99% of my projects need 1/4" to 3/4" chisels so this mortizer is perfect.

Nice tool. heavy and sturdy. I use it often

outstanding works as advertise

No problem--good deal

The Powermatic 1791264k Model 719T Tilt Table Mortising machine, works excellent and it is a very good equipment. I have no regret in purchasing this machine.

Excellent tool , it came in two boxes and it was an easy set up. The mortiser performed flawlessly. We'll made and accurate.

First of all, I'm an old-school, professional furnituremaker. I'm pretty fast with a drill press and a couple Sorby mortising chisels.This mortiser is exquisite. For the money it's a huge leap forward in my shop, easily slated to pay for itself within a month. The table's movement, after backing off the factory squeeze on the dovetail gibs a bit, is butter. The side travel end stops could be stronger and easier to get at but they're head and shoulders ahead of the General International mortiser I looked over recently.The thing will mortise a 10" tall (wide) piece!Many details are thoughtfully and successfully worked out, and this tool has come a long way since my furnituremaking friend's Powermatic was made (maybe 10 years old). Clear and easy access to the chuck, excellent quick release part clamp, excellent adjustable pull handle, excellent moving table.Thanks for reading this. If you're on the fence and shopping for a mortiser, buy this one yesterday. You will love it and it will move your work forward.

Expensive but easy to set set and get going. Clamping is a bit awkward and should be re-visited by Powermatic engineering folks..

The tenoning jig body is heavy, large, and well machined. Extruded handles are conveniently positioned on body. The screws are stainless steel.Assembly was straightforward following the “Operating Instructions and Parts Manual”. A metric hex key wrench set was included.The magnified angle indicator was offset, so it was not accurate. It’s more accurate to use square to set workstop. In my opinion, the workstop is too short for most routine tenoning.The clamp locking lever bar is undersized for the clamping assembly. The clamp has a swing arm (knuckle), making it more versatile for different sized workpieces. The clamp pad is made of good quality rubber, but it’s too soft.Therefore, it requires several screw rotations tighten the soft clamp pad securely against workpiece. (Leaves a black ring on the workpiece.) The clamp bar bends considerably at the point when the workpiece does not move against the fence and the workstop. Because of the clamp knuckle, it’s a three-hand job securing the workpiece against the fence. The clamp assembly was over engineered and doesn’t function for what it was designed…simply holding the workpiece so it does not move.I tested the jig using 2-3/8 wide flat sawn white oak. Although I really tightened the clamp on the workpiece, the blade pushed (rotated) the workpiece slightly. Therefore, the cuts were not square using a new Forrest blade. I fabricated a sliding block and attached it to the fence, sandwiching the workpiece tightly between sliding block and workstop. This prevents any workpiece movement and makes it easier to clamp the workpieces against the fence. I‘m replacing the workstop with a longer one.The “Micro Adjust System”, did not function as designed, carefully following the instructions. Tightening the fence locking level knob did not prevent the fence from moving freely. The insert (PMTJ-80) was not thick enough to grab the guide rod. So I called Powermatic customer service to confirm my problem. Unfortunately, it was an unpleasant experience. Although, the service rep implied I could not follow simple instructions, he did not have a clue how the Micro Adjust System functioned. He read the Instruction Manual to me. He put me on hold for almost 15 minutes. When he returned, it sounded as if he a jig in front of him. He finally agreed I had a problem after he figured out how it worked, and then he told me to return the jig to Amazon.The replacement jig arrived three days after requesting it from Amazon . The Micro Adjust System functioned properly on replacement jig. I noticed the serial number on the replacement jig was higher. So I don’t know if Powermatic modified the insert on later jigs or if my first jig insert was just defective.Overall, the jig is a dramatic improvement over the cast iron jigs, but it should be for the price. I have made 23 doors with the jig without any issues using my fabricated sliding block. When I find the right bar clamp, I will replace the current one. It a shame to spend over $300 for a jig, and then have to modify to get a 100 percent out of it.

I've coveted this mortiser for a long time. It's definitely top of the home workshop end. I've used the Delta, which is a good bit cheaper, and is built a good bit cheaper. Having now examined both, I can say you get the additional value in the Powermatic for the money you spend. Things like the depth stop, the tracked fence, the capacitor motor, the reversible mount, accomodating a variety of chisel/bit sets, and the WEIGHT. This sucker is solid.I have not cut any mortises yet so will comment on a couple items of concern so far. First is: The box arrived destroyed. I think UPS kicked it down ten flights of stairs. The only thing holding the box together was the one remaining strap, none of the tape survived. If that second strap had gone, everything would have spilled out on the UPS distro center floor. Viewing this carnage, I unboxed the mortiser with fear and trembling. I know UPS *SUCKS* at taking responsibility so I really didn't want to deal with that. I pulled aside the cardboard and looked in. The mortiser is packaged in a fully molded styrofoam container, clamshell style, with mating top and bottom halves. The styrofoam was also significantly damaged and you could tell that it had crushed in several directions on its way down, and when it landed at the bottom of, the stairs. But I think it did its job like a bicycle helmet, it sacrificed itself for its cargo. So far the mortiser seems to be undamaged. Be advised: if you are one who is going to be bothered by having your item delivered in a basket, maybe you should shop locally.The other comment for now is: Powermatic really smeared this thing with grease. The only sliding surfaces, the gib, are lightly oiled, but the rack that the lowering gear engages is covered in thick grease. It's as if they think it is protected from sawdust or something. I would much rather have it arrive non-goopy and be instructed to use a dry silicone spray. As it is, after about three mortises, it's going to be a big grease-sawdust muck back there that I'll have to scoop out with a screwdriver. I'll probably wipe down the gib also, and give it the same treatment.I have a set of Shop Fox chisels and was glad to see the 701 will accomodate long or short shank drills, and chisels of either 5/8 or 3/4 inch diameter. The Shop Fox fit once I swapped in the 3/4" chisel holder and installed the chuck extender for the short shanks.I'll edit this once I get a chance to use it, which I'm looking forward to!

There is at least one thing I would change. The hold-down fork does not release - it seems to bind on the staff, so I am constantly having to pry it up with a screwdriver.

Fantastic machine,packaged well, assembly was very quick and easy and instructions are precise and easy to understand. The table is perfectly flat and the fence is perfectly square to the table. No tools required to make adjustments such as setting the depth stop, positioning hold downs or moving fence in and out. One word of caution, when loosening the gib screws which are tightened for shipping purposes the gib plate will slide out completely its a bit difficult getting it back in.

This is a very nice mortiser and works well. However, there is a triangular metal piece that acts both as a spacer and holds the head steady as it goes up and down the shaft. It fits at about the location of the long pull handle in the picture. This falls out frequently. The first time this happened, we didn't notice it was gone and the piece fell behind the stand and out of sight. After expending some effort to determine why the head was not aligning and was quite loose, we called customer support who quickly determined the problem. He was even quite patient while we searched (and found) the errant piece. It reinserts generally well and easily, but requires regular attention. This item could, and should be redesigned. We have a few powermatic tools which we find pricy but sound.

powermatic 3/4 horsepower bench mortiser works fine. I find it to spin free too long after the after power is turned off'.

I've had this mortiser just over two weeks now. Amazon listed it as "used" for $398. I decided to buy it versus a new one because it was sold directly by Amazon, not an affiliate, and I've had great customer service from them in the past when there were issues. This also saved me about $80.It arrived in the factory shipping box sandwiched in its styrofoam casing and plastic. It looked like it was factory packed. I don't know if it was a floor/demo model or not but everything was packed tightly and secured and for all intents and purposes, was brand new. I ordered this with Powermatic's set of four chisels which were shipped separately.I had debated between the Powermatic and the Delta and decided on the Powermatic because of the more powerful motor (3/4 hp vs. 1/2 hp) and I like the roller guide feature. I also like the ability to switch the motor wiring to 220 volts and that it was a heavier machine. I haven't converted to 220 volts yet but plan to in the future after I get a 200 V plug and longer power cord. I will call customer service to confirm the wiring configuration first as mentioned by a previous reviewer.I cut more than 30 1/2" mortises in Hawaiian koa and walnut without any issues. What I didn't care for is release for the hold down mechanism. After cutting the mortises, you have to wiggle the hold down clamp off your stock. What I decided to do was to buy a spring from my local hardware store with a larger i.d. than the width of the threaded rod on the hold down mechanism. I wound up buying a 7/8" o.d. spring and cut it to size. The smaller springs that were left over can be used on smaller stock without having to turn the hold down fingers upside down. The spring helps lift the hold down clamp easier than without it most of the time but you may still have times when you'll need to wiggle the clamp a little to loosen it. When trying to wiggle the hold down clamp off the stock, I nicked myself a few times on the chisel. They are very sharp so be careful or buy stock in Neosporin and band-aids.The other thing I plan to do is get some green felt adhesive, cut it to size, and stick it under the hold down fingers to protect the wood when clamping.Another plus is that the Powermatic uses a capacitor motor. I don't know if it's a capacitor "start" or "run" but the benefits are supposed to be added torque.What was very helpful to me was watching the YouTube video on the PM701. [...] You can go to YouTube and search "Powermatic PM701 Benchtop Mortising Machine". There are a few Powematic mortising videos for you to view.Wood magazine (Feb.'12) also rated the Powermatic tied for first with a General brand mortiser. [...] If it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me.I had no problems setting up the chisels and squaring them. The procedure is pretty straight forward.Overall I'm happy with the Powermatic and would recommend it if you can spring for the extra cost or buy a good used one off Craigslist. Remember that the Delta comes with four chisels. The Powermatic doesn't so that will be an added expense.

Overall I'm very please with this mortiser. It's a piece of equipment I've longed for years... not nessesarily this exact unit, but a dedicated mortiser.I prefer the mortisers that are foot pedal actuated rather than by hand, but I don't think many manufacturers make them like this anymore. Also, I think this machine could use some more toolless features. You need no less than three wrenches (23mm, 14mm, 12mm), a Allen wrench, flat screwdriver and a #2 Phillips screwdriver to make all the adjustments on this machine. This is the primary reason for 4-stars. Other gripes include the low table height (which I addressed with a tall mobile base) and the fact it comes with no chisels/bits. When you do buy chisels/bits, get the Powermatic brand. These are longer in length than other manufacturers and work better with this machine. They are also top quality manufactured in Japan.This unit is very heavy, which is a good thing. The stand is light enough one man can easily lift it, but the upper machine part is 250#s. I had to unbolt the motor and vertical arm from the base and lift them onto the stand separately for assembly.Overall, I look forward to many years of use from this mortiser.

I ordered this machine to mortise 1/2" square holes for a custom handrail with metal balusters, customer did not want to use base shoes. I have punched over 420 holes in solid Hickory with relative ease with this machine. I would really like if the tilting table went further than 35*, I had to modify the table (cut a wedge) to get to 40* for my rake rail. I also had to drill and tap new holes for the hold down clamp to accept a wider board. Not a big deal but the next size up machine (720HD) I could not locate anywhere as it may be discontinued. This is a great machine and I would recommend paying for the premium chisels, and keep them sharp as you go.

This is a well built machine. The one problem I found is it needs a handle stop. The handle travels to far back.

I bought this machine because my Jet JBM-5 benchtop mortiser wasn't up to the task of cutting 1/2" through mortises in two inches of white oak, despite bolting it to the benchtop and using sharp chisels and even, finally, pre-drilling on my drill press. I gave it to a friend who is happy with it cutting 1/4" and 3/8" mortises in mahogany and cherry.The Powermatic has twice the horsepower and a longer lever arm, a much more secure workpiece hold-down, wheels to move the work in and out and sideways, and built-in stops. The table tilts for angled mortises, but I haven't had occasion to try that yet. I experimented with it during set-up; movement is smooth, but the table is very heavy, and for accuracy I'd use something like a Wixey angle gauge rather than rely on the scale on the machine.This machine is made in Taiwan, to the standards Powermatic is known for; fit and finish quality are high, the handwheels move the table smoothly, the motor is powerful, and it makes accurate mortises. The stops could be a little sturdier. My only real complaint is that the stand is too low even though it's raised slightly by the mobile base, makes me stoop (I'm 5'-9"). The table is 32.5" from the floor with the mobile base; it needs to be 36" high for accurate, comfortable work.It wasn't adequately packed for shipping, and arrived with a dented stand. Since it wasn't too bad, I hammered it out rather than call the shipper back. I love the machine but I deducted 3/4 of a star for making me stoop and 1/4 for not packing it better, though I'd probably give it 4.5 if I could.

I'm building a woodworking shop, and because just about everything these days is made overseas with MUCH lower quality standards, I look for good condition, "Made in USA", used equipment before purchasing new Chinese-made inferior quality crap. I was unable to find a mortiser that I liked used, so I began my search for new products.The Powermatic was the only mortiser that I really liked and it had three 5-star reviews on Amazon. I agree with all of the other reviews as far as the accuracy, and ease of use. Where I disagree (giving it 4 stars) is the hardware. The table moves back and forward and side to side. These movements are lockable with theaded thumbscrews. As with anything made in China and Taiwan, the hardware is junk. If I tighten the thumbscrews all the way (just before the cheap tab starts to bend), I can still easily move the table. I also feel that the lock screw for the hollow chisel will eventually wear and lose its holding power. This is just my feeling, however, so I did not rate the item based on that.If you cannot tell already, I am NOT a fan of the nonsense "it's a world economy." It really isn't a world economy as far as I'm concerned when the countries that are taking the work from the US are paying their citizens $0.50/hour AND they pollute like it's going out of style. The US, because we have regulations, cannot use slave labor and manufacturers have to be responsible, which costs money. Granted, it's not perfect here, but these crap countries that are taking our work have little to no regulations, which is why they can produce stuff so cheap.That said, I am reluctant to give good reviews for anything made in crap counties. However, aside from the hardware, this unit really is a decent unit. I know it's designed in the US, but usually the manufacturing process overseas results in degraded quality. For the most part, I haven't found that here. I've only had the unit for 4 weeks, and the motor is made in Taiwan, so I'm guessing it's not going to last too long, but for now there are no problems, so I'm not rating it on that.Anyway, to sum up, not a bad product considering it's made in a crap country. I'd still, however, pay double for a model that's made in the USA.

Received my newly purchased PM-TJ tenoning jig from Powermatic on April 6, 2017. One of the setup instructions required the tenoning face plate to lay flush with the saw blade in order to zero out the jig. This is very critical in as much all accurate cut measurements are depended on it.However, my jig had a 1/16 gap between the blade and the jig’s face which would raise havoc with any accurate measurement. I called Powermatic’s technical group for any recommend solutions. Per the technician, if the measurement from the raised blade to the left miter is more than 5.70 inches than the jig will not work. Mine was 5.75 inches. He suggested that I use filler spacing to equal the gap during any cutting.That seemed to me to be a very awkward and confusing solution to the problem. So I decided to remove the face plated from the body and insert large washers which brought the plate flushed with the blade thus ensuring an accurate zero.My rating is predicated on three factors. The first is that nowhere in the operating instructions or any write-ups did they mention the 5.7 inch limiting factor. The second is that a better solution for correcting the problem, such as the washers, should have been known and offered by the technician. The third is if the company was aware of the 5.70 limiting factor they should have disclosed it and provided some form of adjustment mechanism.The rating as given is predicated is based upon the engineering of the jig (minus the gap problem). The rating may change after using the jig for a period of time…or not.

I am a fairly new woodworker and needed this to make some mortises. Upon delivery the plastic button was popped out and would not go back into its socket do to the location of the wires. I eventually got it half in...Also, I could not get the handle to sit anywhere but awkward. Probably could be adjusted in some way, but I could not figure it out.Besides the button, build quality is good. Also, probably from me not reading the description thoroughly, but this does not come with any bits like shown in the picture as I had thought.All in all, for the money I feel I could have gotten a better product.

This bench mortiser is again a Powermatic success. Top quality, ease of use .Only question is how due you keep the Aluminium Squib from falling out???????

My PM 701 arrived on Monday of Thanksgiving week. The machine is heavy and solid, but I was astonished to find that mine was missing a significant number of parts (almost a dozen). How could something this obvious be overlooked in final assembly and packaging? What a disappointment; I wanted to use it the day it arrived, but could not. I called customer service and they promptly shipped out the missing parts. However, it was Thanksgiving week, so the needed parts did not arrive until after the holidays.The cast metal parts are big heavy and well built, but I was a little surprised at the use plastic in some places. The motor makes a loud "clink" sound when the it spins down - I am used to it now.If I worked at Powermatic and I were in charge of this machine I would completely redesign the work piece hold down mechanism. It is difficult to use - somebody MUST have a better design than this. Also, I'd fire a few people in quality control.To be fair, this machine makes decent mortises, but given my experience with this Powermatic product (condition on arrival, useability), I bought my new drill press from another manufacturer - same with my new band saw.

I bought a 701 mortiser and immediately re-rewired it for 230-V operation exactly per the schematic on the back of the manual. I am an Electrical Engineer and have done it on my Model 66 and my Model 89 Jointer. When I plugged it in and ran it, the motor and controls smoked. Upon investigation, there is a small decal on the back of the inside of the control head cover, and the diagram on the decal is different from the schematic on the manual!! I have called Amazon.com and they are replacing the unit, but if you're going to re-wire for 230V, call PM for confirmation from them that the decal on the unit is correct, because obviously the schematic in the manual is wrong!

This feels like a very solid machine for the price, and I'm sure it would work great for 1/2" mortises. Unfortunately, it is not capable of 3/4" mortises in hardwood, despite the claims of the spec sheet and tech support reps. Teeth repeatedly broke off the cast iron pinion gear and the aluminum rack deformed after just a few plunges with a 3/4" chisel in walnut, maple, or ash. I used a new, high quality Japanese 3/4" chisel from Lee Valley and followed the directions carefully. With the first plunge, it was obvious the machine was being pushed to its limits. It felt spongey under the load required to advance the chisel into the wood. The first pinon gear broke after about a dozen 1" deep plunges into walnut and maple. I was able to rotate the pinion to engage fresh teeth and try again, and it broke again. Then one more rotation, and the remaining teeth broke. The aluminum rack was also severely deformed. Powermatic assured me that the machine was capable of these mortises, and sent me a new pinion gear and rack. The new pinion broke three times as well. I sharpened the chisel and tried varying the gap between the auger and chisel, to no avail.I talked with Powermatic again, describing the situation carefully. I was advised to plunge "as quickly as possible", and sent a third rack and pinion set. Taking their advice, I brought the handle down as quickly as I could. The pinion broke on the second plunge. Finally, Powermatic asked me to take the machine to an authorized service center (an hour's drive) along with my chisel so they could inspect it. The folks at the authorized service center said that my chisel was fine and my technique was fine - the problem was a low quality cast iron pinion gear and the ALUMINUM(!?!) rack. They actually kind of mocked me for thinking that there was any way this machine could handle a 3/4" mortise. When I told them that both the Powermatic spec sheet and tech support guys say it can, they were incredulous.My repeated calls to Powermatic over an 8 week period were very frustrating. It's nice that you can actually talk to real people in Tennessee, and they were quick to send replacement parts under warranty. But they were slow to return calls, condescending, and repeatedly insisted that the machine was fine and I must be doing something wrong. They never did acknowledge that there might be a real problem (though they did acknowledge that they had never tried using a 3/4" chisel!). In the end, I asked them to simply acknowledge that there might be an issue and look into it, try it themselves, and consider revising the machine's spec sheet to 1/2" capacity. I was told that this request would not be considered. I asked to speak with someone in engineering and this request was denied. I asked to speak to a supervisor, and was told he/she would be notified of my request. But I never received a call from the supervisor. I followed up with one final call, with the same null result.This is my first experience with Powermatic. I'm sad to say that it will probably be my last.Amazon was amazing. After hearing my story, they happily agreed to accept a return of the machine for a full refund, and arranged a convenient freight pickup at no charge.

Within one day of receiving delivery and after having made several 1/2" wide, 1 1/2" deep mortises in a 2x4 piece of redwood, the hub holding the operating handle cracked causing a portion of the hub and the handle to fall off. The hub failure occurred while plunging about 1/2"deep into the redwood board. Prior the socket breaking, the machine function well and easily and accurately made several mortises. Unfortunately, without a way to attach the handle the machine is unusable.

I ordered this item approx 10 days ago via Free Super Shipping and received it today. The staples holding the box together on the side were pulled out from the cardboard, the packing straps had cut into the cardboard...I still wasn't worried, pulled it out, put it up on a table to start degreasing it and waxing the top and noticed it wobbled somewhat. It is hard to make cast iron that far out of true, so I looked at the base, looked around the back and the cast iron base at both T-slots was cracked all the way through the metal. Amazon is starting to process the replacement, I am hopeful it is not a repeat issue. It appears to be a solid piece of equipment, for the few minutes I looked at it. I did not realize until receiving that the bit tray is plastic-not a problem but caught me off guard. I can do a better rating when I get one that is not broken, until then 2 stars is me being kind.....Update:OK, I received the replacement-the tool tray was smashed to pieces and the set screw for the sharpener was missing. Further inspection showed marks on adjustment knobs, marks on the paint, etc. There is NO way this is a brand new piece of equipment. I have talked to approx. a dozen customer service reps and had a couple of very helpful people, most not so, especially overseas call centers-horrible customer service! Most recently I was told that they were going to ship the replacement pieces for the broken one, then later receive an email from the fullfilment center that they do not stock these and to go contact the manufacturer myself and order/pay for the pieces myself...FOR A SUPPOSEDLY BRAND NEW PIECE OF EQUIPMENT. One guy says he is going to make it right and you agree to a course of action then someone else changes that to something not acceptable to any right-minded person and drops you an email. I have spent HOURS AND HOURS ON THE PHONE TO CLEAR UP THEIR OWN INTERNAL MISTAKES. If you have a choice, go to a real store where there is some accountability, clearly there is not much here. Still not resolved.....

Cheaply made, China garbage. Buy a Rich Line mortiser. Rich Line American made in Wiscosin. It is a router mortiser. Vertical.

Very poor quality on stops and adjusting knobs. Tiwan machine. Jet/Powermatic service is the pits. Forget trying to get warranty replacements.Rude call center. Shop elsewhere. I have several Jet and Powermatic machines that work well. This mortiser has suffered cost cutting until it itsjunk. Avoid!

The handle broke on the first use! The attachment piece is cast (and not machined) so I am not very surprised that it broke.Aside from this, the machine is pretty nice but due to this damage, I would not recommend buying this.

It is hard to set up. It does not drill clear tenons. You still have to chisel them out. The metal of the handle broke after only a few uses so I need a pipe wrench to use it. Finally I put it into a corner and went back to a forschner bit and chisel which is quicker and makes much better tenons. I hate looking at it and feel stupid for spending $400 for a pain in the neck paper weight, dust collector.

I bought this machine after looking at several other bench top mortisers. I bought it for a specific propose but I have concluded it has a fatal flaw which makes it useless to me. First I'll start with the good stuff. It has a lot better clamps and adjustments then other machines you can get in its class. It also has decent horsepower. It did not bog at all even with very hard wood. It would probably be fine for softer wood applications however for what I was using it for it just didn't hack it. I was working with Ipe which is a pretty hard wood. The problem is the gear that is that controls the up and down motion is attached to it's grooved shank with a very small tooth. The rest of the machine is built like a rock but it really doesn't matter since this tooth will easily shear if you try to use the machine with moderate force. I have done this twice already in just a few minutes of use. If you have a lighter application than I do it might work OK for you. However I still feel this is a design flaw so I must rate the machine accordingly. In my view wood working tools should be rock solid and it fact most are. This is first shop tool I have had this much trouble with. My saws, drill press, planer and other equipment all work fine even with exotic hardwoods.