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I was out nothing in the trade. Plenty of power for all mortises. Takes all the mortis bits in my shop (long short and bushing sizes). Made for a great buying experience. Certainly beats tying up my drill press and a lot easer to use.Amazon.com replaced the first mortiser (broken base) with no hastle what so ever.
I contacted PowerMatic directly and they were helpful and sent out new base and fence. The PM701 Bench Mortiser arrived with severe rusting and pitting on the base. Didn't appear to be any protective oil on the machined surface. I haven't set up the machine yet to evaluate its performance, but I am hopeful, after a very disappointing beginning. Perhaps this was a returned or demo item.
The price of this unit, delivered to your door from Amazon, is a fantastic deal. The existing clamp is good, but does not hold the piece absolutely solid. Other than that, well worth the price. In my opinion, there is never much you can say about Powermatic tools other than good things. This is most noticed when extracting the mortising bit from a very hard piece of wood.
They just work; are extemely accurate and well built, and are just plain fun to use. I put it to work staight away cutting through some really hard Black Oak cutting 1/2" by 3" deep mortises. It performed excellently without any trouble at all. I did add a quick clamp though to help stabilize the work piece.
Customer Service for WMH tool group is quite bad. I went to the web site to just buy the part so I could start using the machine and shipping for a cigar sized item is $19.95. I'm no expert at mortising, but this looks like a good item when functioning properly. I purchased the tool in February, 2007 but didn't get around to setting it up until October. I contacted WMH technical support and the representative told me the part doesn't hold up the motor so this was normal. The manual suggests otherwise. As for the machine, I enjoy the weight and consideration of its design. The Chinese characters on the part mentioned above do suggest that it is foreign manufactured and the quality of manufacturing is in question.
The tool arrived without any problem as has been my experience with Amazon, but letting the tool sit caused the oil to leak out of a hydraulic piston (Part number 701-178) that holds the motor upright. Shipping is more than the part. There could be other gotcha's but it seems like a good machine. Needless to say this is very disappointing.
The stock hold down will adjust from flush on the table to the maximum stock height, so even narrow pieces can be clamped down.3. This got me a solid cast iron table and fence, adjustible roller guides for holding the stock against the fence, right or left hand operation, a large access door for the chuck, a 3/4 hp motor, an included diamond hone, and (a serious consideration) a brand that would be easy to resell if I decided I didn't like or need it.Surprises: 1. It is possible to reverse the column to work off the edge of the base, but in that case you would have no choice but to secure it to a fairly large, stout benchtop.I would certainly make the same choice again. Perhaps most importantly, it easily cut square mortises for me in white oak with little effort - right out of the box.No Surprise, typical of Powermatic machines:1.
The finish work on the machine is typical of all Powermatic tools produced these last 30 years or so - poor. This method requires relatively little force on the handle, keeps the bit cool, and makes it easy for the waste to clear the chisel.About that handle: It is stout and long enough for plenty of leverage. The paint appears to have been done with a spray can outdoors on a windy day. The diamond hone is attached to the top of the frame so I don't lose it.6.
Oddly, I bought the one machine they did not have set up on display - the Powermatic PM701 - based on past experience with Powermatic machines, and the reviews on this site.The Powermatic was $100 more than the others, give or take. And I bore down only a 1/4 to 1/2 inch at a time. After the first plunge, I take only about half the width of the bit at a time. I get the occasional squeal from the bit when a chip gets caught, of course, but not much even of that.7.
The tool holder is quite useful, not just a flimsy little attachment like those on some others.5. Powermatic lets you choose which side you want it on. All machined surfaces and all gears are clean and smooth in operation.2. Although there are plenty of plastic pieces, nothing seems to be fragile.Mortises in white oak, with little effort. Virturally no assembly. When I have a mirror polish on the flat faces, I give it a few turns on the diamond hone. The castings are left pretty rough except for the table and fence faces, which are excellent. Although common sense and the manual both suggest bolting it down for use, I find it plenty stable just sitting on top of my workbench.
All fittings and hardware appear to be designed for long term use. Yes, but let me explain. I was able to look at Delta, Jet, Shopfox, and Steel City side by side for comparison. Both the hold down clamp and the rollers have two separate locking devices that let you choose to clamp firmly against the stock, for maximum precision, or with a bit of play, for easier movement of stock through the machine.4. First, although an occasional Amazon customer, I avoided all potential problems with shipping, backorder, and freight damage by the simple expedient of buying locally. The machine is surprisingly quiet. I can detect no play in the column during operation. I could be wrong, but I don't think anyone else does.The machine is very stiff.
I do not even try the bit without sharpening first. You take it out of the box, install the handle, adjust the three jib bolts (and yes,as noted by others, an included 3mm hex key would have been welcome), install the bit and it is ready.2. There may have been a time when Powermatic made nicely finished machines, but it must have been before my time. It took but 15 seconds with a file to clean it, but even so.3. The piece which holds the handle in place had a casting burr sharp enough to cut someone.
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