Side by Side Comparison of: Powermatic vs Delta

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.

First piece of shop equipment bought in many years. It will replace my current mortise machine. Easy to assemble parts. It is a heavy piece for it's size. Base appears to be very stable. Not the most expensive mortise machine, but at the top end for similar machines in this price range. When I was in woodworking machine I sold many of these. It will be used extensively in my furniture making hobby.

All looks well upon assembly. Yet to use it. Packaging was good; arrived in perfect condition. Bits appear to need lapping; factory grinding not as smooth as could be.Not impressed with location of bit rack at the back where mounting surface is not milled flat: not especially convenient for access. I'll mount it on the wall.

Arrived very well packaged and in perfect condition. Very little assembly required, and everything worked as it should first time around. I will admit, I owned one of these several years ago, and never had a problem with it. So, I was really only worried about it getting here in one piece. I use it in hard and soft wood, mostly with the 1/2" chisel. I rarely need to go deeper than about 3/4", so I can't say how it would do beyond that. If I needed to do alot of deep mortises in hardwood, I would probably buy a floor model like the Powermatic. I think this mortiser is probably the best of the benchtop models in value and performance.

This machine has been built to last. It comes with a heavy cast iron base and a cast column. The lever is strong and long enough to apply the proper pressure without tiring. The tool runs quietly and is vibration free. The motor has ample hp to do the job.The chisels were sharp and with a 3/8" chisel installed it went through red oak with very little effort. My first mortises in red oak table legs came out perfect. I highly recommend this unit. Some people complain about problems with Delta machines. If you have a problem call Delta and tell them what it is and they will always help and send you replacement parts. I've never been refused! Some complain to Amazon when all they have to do is make that call to Delta's customer service dept

What a great tool and a great deal. (...)Bad news. It arrived broken. The cast iron yoke that held the motor to the spindle shaft was cracked in half.Good news. Amazon replaced by air shipping me a new one in just a matter of days plus paid for the return shipping of the broken one (78lbs!).Tool review. Set up is pretty straight forward with clear instructions in manual. It comes coated with a heavy layer of oil so be prepared to do some cleaning. Good news is that zero rust was on the machine. I liked spring loaded handle in that I could quickly reposition it for each new mortise cut. It comes with five decent drill/chisels that should last for a very long time if kept sharp.This machine is heavy at 78lbs, which is what you want when cutting a mortise. Without bolting it down I have not had a problem with it wobbling during cuts. I did some test cuts starting with the smallest chisel set and worked my way up to the largest set (1/2 inch), only on the largest set did I feel the motor bog down just a small amount. But for me this was not an issue because I am not in the production business but use this solely for hobby purposes.Bottom line: Great machine. And kudos to Amazon for their fast service!

This is an excellent mortiser. I decided to buy it over the slightly less expensive competing mortisers (e.g., Delta MM300) because I read complaints regarding fence and hold-down inadequacies. I've never used one of these other machines, so I can't confirm that their fences are bad. But I can tell you that the fence on this model is excellent. Solid, accurate, and easy to position and lock into position.Assembling the mortiser was pretty easy, with one exception. There is a hydraulic cylinder (kind of like what keeps storm doors from slamming closed) that connects to the power head and the base, which helps to raise the power head. The documentation says to raise the head all the way up so that you can install the hydraulic cylinder. Well, with the head all the way up, the cylinder arm is still approx. 1/2" too long to install. I ended up compressing the cylinder with a Quick Grip bar clamp in order to install the cylinder (it has too much internal pressure to compress by hand). Other than this annoyance, set-up was simple.Great mortiser. Pay the extra...and buy this machine. You won't be sorry!

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.

I bought this because my father-in-law has one. I had no experience using it so I write this from an amature perspective. Assembly was a piece of cake. I had read several reviews about difficulty getting the shock arm installed, but I had no issue getting in on. My only issue was installing the bit due to the chuck head moving during tightening. The chuck key has a very long pin and it makes putting pressure on a very smoothly rotating chuck difficult while holding the bit with the other. Would be nice if there were a chuck brake to hold it in position while installing a bit. I have a project that will require about 100+ 1 1/2" long mortises (porch railing). Each will be 1/2" wide so that is the bit I started With. Fence setup was easy and the hold down is very stable. I did about 15 mortises before the bit began to clog and stopped the machines motor. I removed the bit and cleared the wood that caused the clog. Reinstalling the bit only two more mortises were cut before it clogged again. This time I lubricated the bit before reinstall and that seemed to help as I completed what I currently needed to accomplish. For now I will assume I was the cause of the issue and not the machine and will update this review if it continues to be an issue. Overall the machine does an outstanding job of producing repeatable quality mortises and definitely expedited what I was attempting. Machine is heavy, solid and does not move around even when the board was 6' long! I give this Delta 14-651 four stars out of five due to the bit clogging and the 1/2 HP motor (I think 3/4HP would definitely made this machine a rockstar! Glad I got it and highly recommend.

Received my Delta 14-651 Mortiser on Saturday, 4-17....ordered it on 4-11-09. Not to bad for free delivery. Box was missing a banding strap and had a couple of perforation to the box. But the machine inside was fine. After reading the instructions, ( which i usually don,t do) I had it put togeter in about 1/2 hr. I took other peoples advice n took the time to bolt it to my work bench. It is firmly attached and had no trouble mortising a 2 inch stock...cut from both side to elimnate tear-out. A inch on each side, I must say, it took more leverage than i thought, but worked fine. I did take the time to sharpen the 3/8" mortiser before use. Got a cone sharpener from Rockler. It came with a handle for the cones, but after awhile, I chucked it in the drill. Finished the outside of the mortise with a 800 grit wet stone. Took care on the milling marks, but not quite the mirror finish that a 5000 grit stone does. But, your not gonna see the inside of the mortise. I pleased the way the Delta cut the holes, beat a hand chisel in my estimation. Got 20 more holes to do in this project alone. Having a sore thumb, I used a quick clamp to hold the work tight to the fence, the Delta hold down worked for retracting the drill n mortise chisel...with a lil tug. Glad I sharpened them up. I can see where I might be using the extension....was wondering; if after its installed, can I just leave it on all the time. Not sure, as im kinda new at doing mortise with a machine. Being used on my bench table, I,ll have to wrestle it to a storage spot, try making a table on wheels for it. Just a thought. So, im glad I bought the Delta Mortiser, seems up to the job. Free shipping helped too. Shipping and use of the mortiser has been a smooth deal so far....

I would recommend the Delta 14-651 mortiser and would buy it again. I was able to complete the setup and adjustments fairly quickly and with a little practice could cut good mortises even in red and white oak with the starter chisels provided. The owners manual is not very instructive and glosses over some important adjustments. You will have to figure out your own methods to attach the hydraulic cylinder and to loosen the sliding of the head against the column. My mortiser arrived with the head adjusted so tightly that, even with no cutting involved, it took all my strength just to lower it on the column. You will need your own 6mm allen wrench and will have to experiment as the manual is vague on this point.My main problem was with delivery. I opted for Amazon's free delivery and the product arrived on a Friday as promised. But the box delivered by UPS was badly beat-up and marked with caution tape. It had a suspicious metallic rattle. On opening, I found that the box had been dropped from height at some point and that the 1/4 inch cast metal of the mortiser head on the left side was fatally cracked through, leaving a loose gib piece to bang around inside the box. I contacted Amazon for a damage-based return and was routed to a hard-to-understand, fast-talking overseas operator. During a very long phone call, I agreed to accept a replacement unit only if I could receive free 2-day shipping. The broken unit was picked up by UPS on Monday and the replacement unit delivered as promised by FedEx on Tuesday. The replacement unit was in an obviously newer box with a much less violent history. I would warn Amazon buyers to be wary of delivery problems.

At $200 ($250 minus $50 Amazon credit) this tool is quite affordable for what it is. The chisels are better than most I've seen and on par with the ones from Jet. They are reasonably stiff, but you do have to be careful about them bending in slightly towards the center of the mortise, especially in harder woods like maple. Assembly and setup is easy, although my did come with a small section broken out of the base like others have said. I didn't bother to return it, however, as it didn't affect the function of the unit. The fence is not as nice as some other brands because it doesn't move squarely with the bit, so you have to be careful when you change it. Also there is not provision to clamp or hold your work up against the fence like the Steel City unit has. Even with the adjustable guides on column the gas shock seems under powered. The tool holder on the back is pretty much worthless; I took mine back off almost immediately. I have not tried the riser block, but I wonder why they didn't just build the extra capacity into the tool rather than having this add on. Overall I'd buy this tool again if I needed one and think most serious hobbyist users will find it to be a good enough tool. Professionals might wish to step up to the floor mounted units.

It really comes down to two machines in this class the Delta and the General. The General has a better table and can be bought in a tilting model but given that it was almost a couple hundred more plus truck freight I went with the Delta given Amazon's low price and free shipping.After several years of reviews of this machine taking about broken machines you think Delta would take note however that appears not to be the case. Mine was shipped to me in two days with no major visable damage to the shipping container. I assembled it and proceded to start using it when I noticed a small hairline crack at the base of the column. That and one of the fence holddowns was stripped. Not wanting to return it I called Delta and they are shipping all the needed parts. Basically I think it come down to poor quality control from Delta.Now on to the machine. As I said there are only two machines to consider in this class and this machine is rock solid and the table is solid cast. The number of improvements that could be made without greatly increasing the cost is limited and most of them are minor. I think most of Delta's effort should go into QC. After tha, here are my minor complaints. (Making it more like the General)1 and 2 are really the same issue. Both swiveling the head and adding the extension are a pain. I think a little creative engineering here and this would be a great improvement.3) An add on vice with side to side movement would be a great add on even as an additional cost.4) The depth stop is very poor.But the basic thing is, that for the price this is the best machine in it's class.

Everyone who is looking at this machine knows that there are three machines to choose from in this range: This one, the Delta MM300, and the Jet. Yes, there is the Shop Fox and several others, but they don't really count. I looked at the other two, but did not get a chance to see the 14-651 except in pictures. But, it looked like a better machine and the reviews were better, so I splurged. Now, you should realize that we are only talking 20% more for this machine and for that you get a far nicer machine than the other two. The table is cast iron and solid, not the wood table of the other machines. The fence is larger and adjusts with a knob rather than just sliding manually. The riser is standard, not an option. A large door opens all of the way around the chuck, not just on the side, making it easier to install bits. In general, the machine feels more substantial than either of the other two machines. I think it was well worth the difference. It also came almost completely assembled, not in a zillion parts.My only objections is that they don't include a clamp for the fence. I've found I have to clamp stock down or the bit rotation may shift it a bit. I also think the plastic tool tray is badly positioned behind the machine, making it deeper than it needs to be. My machine came with the gib set very tight and I had to loosen it to more easily move the head.What I don't understand is why Delta or Jet do not make another model slightly more expensive with a true X/Y table and clamp. It seems a logical next model. I would gladly pay another $100 for those features.

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!

I am sure that it is a great machine...put the one that I received was a mess rust all over the machine an the metal strap that holds the the fence was broken they need to look over the machines before they are shipped..it took several hours of repairing but now is fine

Looks very sturdy, but really isn't. One of the screws that hold the unit to the table is near-stripped and I'll have to fix that. The whole thing flexes too much under pressure, and lots of pressure is required to make a mortise. Also, the glide surfaces on the vertical bar are very crude and grind away. A tiny bit of actual care would create nice smooth surfaces.

I purchased the Delta mortising machine specifically to build three screen doors 48' x 98" using cypress 5/4 lumber. On the first unit I received the dust cover was bent up (the thin metal cover over the gear). I notified Amazon of the problem, which I considered very insignificant, and asked them to send me a replacement part and I would change it out. Before I knew it a new machine showed up and I was asked to return the first machine. I was very surprised that Amazon would react that fast. I returned the first machine and upon setting up the replacement machine (I was adding the extension base since the mortice I was planning to use the machine for was 5' wide) I noticed a fine crack going across the cast iron base. While not yet broken, I notified Amazon and was asked to return the machine, which I did. Incidentally, both of the machines I received were boxed in Styrofoam, but only a 3/4 inch padding was on the bottom and had been broken by the weight of the machine. Apparently the second machine had been dropped, which accounted for the crack in the base.At my request (rather than give me a credit) the second machine was replaced by a third. It arrived with the original box (like the ones the first two machines had arrived in) wrapped in Styrofoam and placed within another box. It arrived in very good shape.I set up the third machine and started building my screen doors. I used the 1/2 inch mortice 2 1/2' deep. While it took a fairly large amount o pressure to start the mortise, I found the machine worked very well. However, after about 6 mortises the stabilizer (the pressurized cylinder which keeps the machine in the up/open position) quit working and I had to use one hand to open the machine or hold the chisel up and another hand to put the work piece under the chisel. I continued until I got all the amortizes for one door complete before quitting for the day. I don't want to return the machine but would like to order another stabilizer arm. I plan to check the warranty and see if a replacement stabilizer can be obtained.In spite of my problems, I am still reasonably happy with the machine. Once I penetrated the wood with the chisel it seemed to cutfairly easy and the cut was reasonably smooth. Only minor manual cleaning of the sidewalls with a chisel. The bottom of the mortise was a little more difficult as the bottom was not cut cleanly and lots of wood remained probably due to the long grain of the cypress I was using.

Even though I read through many of the reviews having a broken fence upon delivery, many others did not mention this so I figured I would take a chance since it is fairly reasonably priced. When I got the machine, the fence was cracked in half like many of the other reviews mentioned (styrofoam it is packed in is way too thin). Amazon did a great job trying to fix the issue giving me several options to resolve it. Return, sending me a replacement, or an $80 credit. I researched how much a replacement fence would be and it is not an option since they don't really make them anymore. I ended up making my own fence out of a piece of oak and taking the $80. It took about 4 hours but I was able to use all the parts that were attached to the fence and it functions pretty much the same as the metal version. The machine itself worked solidly considering I was cutting 1/2 inch holes in oak. So, after going through the reviews, it seems there is a pretty decent chance you could end up with the same problem. If you have the ability and time to make a fence on your own, the price is pretty good. Just prepare yourself for that possibility.

Just purchased the Delta 14-651 mortiser from Amazon. Shipping was exceptionally quick, however the packing material was in bad shape when I opened the box. Once degreased and assembled I found that the head would not travel smoothly along the column - it would jamb in some areas and move easily in others. After some investigation I found out that the rack (the long straight gear on the column) was very poorly machined. After about an hour and a half of work with a mill file I was able to even out the teeth and widen/deepen the notches on the rack. The mortiser now moves smoothly on the column.I'm happy with the mortiser now that the movement has been "fixed", but beware of poor quality in the rack and gear system.

I have one that I've used a few times and I'm waiting for parts. The part that broke ( pull handle hub) has had its number changed (possible engineering change) and is on backorder (everyone else broke theirs, too).The chisel set is fine and is made very well. The problem is in the design of the pull handle and the depth stop. The pull handle hub is connected to a round shaft by a roll pin that takes the brunt of the down force. The depth stop is an allen wrench configurated bar that hits against the top of the frame. When the stop hits the top of the frame, force is directed to the hub and roll pin and eventually both will break.If you get one, don't use the depth stop. Instead, mark the desired depth on the chisel with a piece of tape and let the depth stop move freely.

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.....

It's about what I expected for the money I spent (also all I could afford to put in it too). Same old Chinese garbage mill work.But, I am a mech engineer. I can take a pos and make a sweet machine out of it. Which is what I will be doing in my spare time. The chisels are crap. You will need to properly grind the cutting edges of the drill, then polish the flute sides smooth. The chisels, hmmm, pretty bad. Rough sanded, dented and the cutting edges are very burred. I spent 3 hours just getting one chisel set to cut smooth and eject chips.Out of the box, you will get very ragged cuts, if you can even get them to cut. The gibs and ways are terrible, so forget about the lift spring pushing the head back up.In summary; if you have skills in tweaking machinery, the machine itself is a good one for the money. If you don't want to hassle with making good chisels out of bad ones, buy a decent set of chisels. One of my favorite hobbies is making a better mouse trap so this one is perfect for me.

I have had my Delta Mortiser for about three years and I am sorry that I bought it almost from day one. The on/off switch went bad then the handle broke at the hub assembly and the quarter inch bits snap almost imediately. Delta wants fifty two dollars for replacement the quarter inch bits each. They will not sell just the bit itself, you have to buy the chisel too. Ever since Black and Decker bought Delta their quality and ethics have turn me completely off. Buy beware.

I rated it 2 stars because of the quality contorl from the factory. I had to return two damaged machines to finally get a good one. After the second unit that had a cracked casted yoke assembly, Amazon removed thwe item from their site and had the vendor investigate the problem. The problem was not with the shipper. The package was not damaged. It had to packed up already damaged.I have to compliment Amazon for working this out and being very responsive. I finally got an undamaged mortiser yesterday and after the short assemby and a single test it does perform as expected.The actual mortiser is very well made and is easy to use.

After reading the existing reviews of this product I expected a real quality mortiser. My experience has been anything but good. The first problem I had is serious enough that I would never buy the tool again. The handle that lowers the bit onto the woodpiece is made of incredibly poor steel. I'm not that strong and I broke all the cog teeth on the handle while depressing it into a piece of oak after using it for only a couple of days. Amazon.com was super helpful in getting me another replacement tool. However, this new tool still had a poorly fitting cog wheel and in addition it had another problem. The set screw that tightens the bit would not screw in tight enough to keep the square cutting knife from turning. I used all my might to tighen the screw, but the bit still turns(I was using a 1/2 in. mortise bit). So, the second tool was even worse. I live in fear that the cog on the handle will break again and the bit slipping makes my mortises crooked. It's too bad Delta would let these 2 parts(and they are critical parts) ruin what would otherwise be a very solid well built mortiser.

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.

Used for 1 hour. Motor has shorted. Nobody answers tech service line at Delta. Cost to buy new motor is more than entire new unit. Never again with Delta!

Have owned it for about a month now. Have mortised a total of 6 holes. Hydraulic assist snapped. Collar guide for drill bit has pulled out. Project clamp snapped after the second use. Between the entire stand and base being made from pot metal, not even steel nor any form of quality control, I cannot in good conscience recommend another Delta product.

Total junk; do not purchase. Like most mortisers, motor head is design to travel up and down the column on a sliding dovetail; but the machining and assembly is so far out of tolerance that I can barely move the motor. First, the stop pin that limits the upward travel snapped off due to the force I needed to lift the head and then bolts that attach the lever arm to the motor head sheared and half and the arm fell off within a couple of months of use. With the machine completely locked up, I sent it to a local Delta service center for repair. They have had the tool for over 6 months and cannot repair it or work with Delta to resolve the issue. I have tried personally to contact Delta with no response.

Fence cannot be aligned to be straight with bit and front platform so mortise is not parallel to edge of wood. Alsoplastic handles on fence tightener screws are flimsy. Defective manufacturing.

The drill bits were not ready be used out of the box. If I didn't have diamond files I would have had to purchase them. The chisel part was very dull and had to be sharpened as well, the first board I tried to mortise blew out. Not very helpful. Once I get them sharpened, which I hope I can, I will try again. Right now is just sitting on my shop bench!!!

I needed a mortising machine for a project and, after a lot of research, finally decided on this Delta machine. When it arrived, the area where the head unit attaches to the column had two big cracks, just like other users seemed to have described here. Poor design is my best guess for the cracks and I sadly had to return it. Because of that defect and other quality issues that other reviewers seems to have written, I decided not to risk another problem and get a refund. I'll either order my #2 mortising machine choice (Grizzly G0645) or just give up and do my mortises by hand.By the way, the item description says this machine has a 5 year warranty, but the box says 2 years.