Side by Side Comparison of: PORTER-CABLE vs Makita

awesome tool, works great

If you do timber framing....you are going to want to get this. Easy to use. Read the instructions. There are a few YouTube videos that demo this tool.

Well worth it very happy as I usually am with most makita products

A classic tool. Baddassed and skookum. Very cool. Super cool.

Good unit well made didn't realize was 120 volt though as we are 240 volt here in this country australia.

[...]Recently purchased the Makita 7104L chain mortiser. Read through the directions, decided they didn't make much sense and went ahead and figured it out on my own. Tool works very well for straight mortises, not sure if it can mortise at an angle to the work piece, as in making stairs.I estimated that it would have taken a few guys the entire day to accomplish what we were able to do in a couple of hours.

Great product. Cuts square holes quickly and cleanly. Use some custom jigs and let your imagination run wild. There are some great tricks you can use to safely cut holes in round timbers, even though it is not recommended by the manufacturer. For what it is, I feel that the tool could be a bit more affordable, but it saves me time and in the long run money. Also, watch out sometimes it has a tendency to pull itself in and get somewhat locked in in the down position . When that happens you need to loosen up the base with the lever that locks the clamp.... however , the lever is right under the trigger, so unlocking it will drive the lever into the trigger and turn the machine on. Make sure to unplug it if you find yourself in the situation before trying to unlock the lever. Moving the trigger to the other side of the handle could solve this potentially devastating situation.

Couple of minor issues including really crappy manual and some learning curve, so expect to burn a few pieces before you get going.The wing nut for the depth stop is crap and if the machine digs it can knock it loose so careful what you are mortising over. Also the little handle for dialing the head in and out couldn't be any smaller. my advice is leave yourself a little room and go back and clean up with a chisel. the teeth don't give a precise cut at least in oak.Other than that it is great

I have owned the same Makita mortiser for close to 20 years. While I no longer use it daily, I did for a long time, I still use it for some applications, and it's length of service is testament to it's durability. I'll outline a few distinctions, attributes and draw-backs:* The Makita mortiser's chain cuts parallel to the grain of the timber. Multiple positions are required to cut a typical mortise (1 1/2" to 2") due to the machine's relatively narrow bar.* Chain tensioning requires loosening a nut, making the adjustment, and re-tightening the nut. Since this adjustment needs to be done frequently, especially with new chains, the time it takes can be a bit much. The same is true of most chain cutting tools.* The mortiser cuts in three positions by torquing the bar to the left. When three plunges are complete, the operator can "sweep" the bar to the left at full depth, thus removing the ridges left between plunges. However, the mortise is never flat on the bottom (due to the radius of the sweep), so mortise depth needs to be adjusted to be sure the tenon doesn't interfere.* The depth stop is a part of the casting: a rod with depth stop passes through the hole in the casting. This little bit of casting is prone to breakage: the majority of older mortisers I've seen (including my own) have had to have this welded back on (or go without a depth stop). Breakage often occurs when cutting the second half of a through mortise: once the chain can grab on to the hole in the wood, hold on tight or you'll break the casting.* The machine has a spring loaded clamping mechanism to secure it to the timber. Capacity is limited, and the jaws of the clamp can scar soft wood if unprotected. It's tricky getting the tension just right: too tight and you'll scar the timber and throw the bar out of square from the mortise; too loose and the machine can jump around, which is potentially dangerous.I no longer use this mortiser daily, as several years ago I purchased a Mafell mortiser. The Mafell is by far the more productive machine: I can complete a mortise in less than 1/4 the time. But at a cost of $3,000+, it can be difficult to justify a Mafell unless you're cutting frames every day. The Mafell's chain cuts perpendicular to the grain, pulling the machine toward the fence, so no clamping mechanism is necessary. The Mafell's standard bar and chainset cuts 1 9/16" (40 mm) mortise: one pass and you're done.I'll never give up my Makita, as there are certain instances when it can do what the Mafell can't. Cutting slots, and leaving super clean cheeks is much easier with the Makita. All in all, it's a durable, quality machine that's changed little over the years.Chris Koehn <[...]>