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This is heavy well made mortiser. Instructions are not real clear, but understandable. Nice fence, I wonder about the reliablility of the depth adjustment tho. They are larger and round to prevent damage. I bought the shop fox after returning 2 delta mortisers that had broken gear teeth.
Comes with only one chisel. This product has a better design for lift teeth. I was mortising after about 15 minutes of assembly. I would recommend this product over the delta garbage any day It is a litte heavy, supposedly 95 lbs, but I was able to lift it to the bench top without much trouble and I am a small man.
I was somewhat leery of going to a 3450 rpm machine, because of the higher potential to create more heat and destroy the bit, but proper setup and clearance seems to be the key to avoiding this problem. 3/8" for the Jet) was what attracted me to the Shop Fox. I received it yesterday, and spent a couple of hours assembling it and making some test mortises. $247 including shipping is hard to beat.2) Beefier than either of the above mentioned machines. It won't affect its function, but a half inch bow isn't pretty.4) Plastic electrical switch and capacitor housing was loose. Motor housing badly sprayed.3) Depth Stop rod arrived bent out of the box. The substantial, adjustable handle offers more mechanical force advantage over my Jet.3) 3/4 HP motor running at 3450rpm, vs 1/2 HP 1725rpm on the above-mentioned competitors.4) 6 1/2"+ capacity from bit to column (fence removed) 4" with fence in place. Dual columns.
Hold-down comes with 3 rods of multiple lengths to suit the capacity you need.6) Fence has a micro adjustment.Cons:Most of the cons can be attributed to poor quality control.1) Casting are fairly rough, although the machined portions of them are fine.2) The spray painting job leaves something to be desired. Weighs 87 lbs assembled. This gives it a stiff feel, and is reminiscent of so many cheap power tools that I could name here, but won't.Overall I am quite happy with this machine so far. 5) 8 1/2" Height capacity--unlimited if the head is swiveled to the edge of the bench.
The high speed and increased horsepower are a noticeable improvement over my Jet, which I frequently stalled with a 1/2" bit in the same material. The latter can also be increased by re-bolting the fence support block into different predrilled holes. Although the machine was fully functional with the housing as it was, I re-tapped the hole to a larger size and replaced the screw. I own high quality mortise chisels, and my experiments with the 3/4" chisel in white oak were very satisfactory.
Overall however, the manual is pretty good for a Chinese manufacture.7) Cord, although sufficient in length is sheathed in plastic instead of rubber. The motor runs smoothly and very quiet. If these relatively minor issues are resolved, it would easily deserve a full five star rating. This was the biggest annoyance for me.
10 minutes extra assembly work.5) Fence fine adjustment screw hole not perpendicular to the adjustment stop bracket, i.e., hole drilled and tapped at an angle less/more than 90 degrees. The promise of a beefier machine with a 1/2" chuck (vs. More iron in the casting. I bought this machine to replace my JBM-5 Jet Mortiser.
The fence and base are much more substantial than the Jet. Because of the greater capacity, I can finally purchase a 1" bit instead of the much more painstaking approach I used to use, drilling 4 1/2" holes to accomplish the same thing.Because of the above mentioned quality control issues, I give 4 stars only to this machine. Below follows my list of pros and cons.Pros:1) First and foremost, this machine offers great value in a mortiser. Doesn't affect functionality, but again, smacks of lousy quality control.6) Owners manual completely forgets to mention attaching tool and accessory holder, which one can install based on seeing the photograph on the front of the owners manual.
This made-in-China mortiser is a lower cost option than its Taiwan-made competitors such as Jet and Delta. Mediocre quality. I recommend it as a substantial step up from the above-mentioned benchtop mortisers if you have need of 3/4" or 1" mortising, or routinely work with thick or wide stock. One of the two phillips head machine screws failed to tighten, I realized that it had been overtightened and stripped.
Got it two hours ago and it is already packed up for return. Got all the pieces cleaned up and pulled the mortiser out to find that the fan cover was dented a 1/2" in and 4" inches across and with some force because it was embedded in the fan itself 3/16". Opened the box to find greasy lubricant saturating everything. Bought this model simply for price, 3/4 HP and reviews that it was a good model. When it arrived the box was practically falling off of it. Did not even get to hear it run, want my money back. It was poorly packaged and looked like it endured a gruelling journey straight from China.
I would not recommend this product as far as the company's honesty is concerned. I am happy with the tool that I bought but there are some parts that were supposed to be included in my order and to this day I have not received them. The shipping slip stated that the rest of the items would be shipped at a later date at no added shipping cost but have not received anything more from them. The product I purchased was a Shop Fox w1671 3/4 HP Heavy-Duty Mortising Machine. Missing are 2 chisel bushing item #13 and there were supposed to be 3 cutters ,I received only a 1/2 inch cutter.
for UPS so more than likely it was dropped along the way. This machine should have sent by truck as it is obviously too heavy (approx 100 lbs). I am not rating the shipping, I am rating the machine. So far this is all I have done so the rating on this machine could go up or down in future updates. When I received this machine from UPS the base was broken in two, and the guard on top of the motor was bent in so far that the motor wouldn't turn. I called Shop Fox and they promptly sent me replacement parts. However, you may consider buying this from your local woodworking store, even though it may cost more just to avoid the hassle. After I replaced the broken parts I made a couple of test mortars.
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