Plans N O Ww w w . p l a n s n o w . c o m

®

THANK YOU!You have successfully downloaded your FREE PlansNOW.com Tool Review.

>> Clear printer memory. If you are unable to print this document, turn off your printer for atleast 15 seconds and try again.>> Get advanced printer help. Visit Adobe Support for instructions in troubleshootingcommon printer problems. www.adobe.com/support/techdocs/150d6.htm

Tips for Trouble-Free Printing

Contact Us. Have a question about PlansNOW? We want to hear from you!E-mail: >planman@augusthome.com Phone: > 1-800-333-5441 (Mon-Fri 8-5 Central time)

For plans that require unique or hard-to-find hardware and accessories,we may have a kit available for purchase.

Need Hardware? Woodsmith Project Supplies 1-800-444-7527

Craftsman Furniture PlansBuild the same distinctive fea-tures from the early1900s.

Bedroom Furniture PlansBeds, dressers, armoires,cribs, cradles, and more!

Workbench PlansSound woodworking starts witha solid workbench.

Shop Jigs & TechniquesGet the most from your toolswith easy-to-build shop jigs.

>>Go to Page 1

>>Get our Members Newsletter and save 20% at PlansNOW.com

Gazebo & Arbor PlansMake outdoor living moreenjoyable this summer!

Outdoor Furniture PlansEasy-to-build projects using aminimum of power tools.

Playhouse & Shed PlansEverything you'll need for akid's summer entertainment.

Get our Members Newsletter and save 20% at PlansNOW.com

Home Improvement PlansSave hundreds of dollars inremodeling when you DIY.

SAVE 20%

From Workench Magazine page 1 of 8 © 2003 August Home PublishingOne copy permitted for personal use. Other copies prohibited.

Benchtop mortising machines are more affordable than ever.Butcan these mini-sized machines handle the full-size job of cuttingmortises? We tested 8 popular models to find out.

Plans N O Ww w w . p l a n s n o w . c o m

®

Mortising MachinesMortising MachinesJuly 2003WorkbenchTool Test:

TOOLS & TECHNIQUES SERIES

Eight Popular Models Square Off!

From Workench Magazine page 2 of 8 © 2003 August Home PublishingOne copy permitted for personal use. Other copies prohibited.

Amortise and tenon joint is one of the more chal-lenging joints a woodworker can aspire to.That’slargely due to the formidable task of cutting an

accurate mortise.Benchtop mortising machines (illustratedat right) have the singular purpose of performing that task.

The difficulty of that job becomes apparent when youconsider the mechanics of machine mortising.A specialauger bit nests inside of a four-sided, hollow chisel.Theauger bit bores a hole like any other drill bit. But fol-lowing just behind the point of the auger bit are the fourcutting edges of the hollow chisel.Their job is to removethe stock around the hole and render a round holesquare. If you imagine making four simultaneous, full-depth cuts with 1/2" chisels, you get a better sense of whatthese tools are expected to do.

Our testing of these tools revealed some surprisingtruths.Among them are that horsepower and bit speedare secondary to precise tolerances and smooth opera-tion when it comes to how these tools perform. (See theSidebar on page 4 for more on this). We also found thatmany of these tools required a “break-in”period beforethey realized their full potential.

Our testing procedures are explained in more detailbelow,and the results of those tests can be seen in the tableon page 8 along with our final recommendations. Ourimpressions of the individual tools and their respectivestrengths and weaknesses are on the pages in between.

FFoorr aa mmoorrttiissiinngg mmaacchhiinnee ttoo ccuutt aaccccuurraatteellyy aanndd wwiitthhoouutt tthhee cchhiisseell bbiinnddiinngg iinn tthheewwoorrkkppiieeccee,, tthhee ffeennccee aanndd ttaabbllee mmuusstt bbee ffllaatt aanndd ssqquuaarree ttoo oonnee aannootthheerr.. OOuurr ffiirrsstt sstteepp,,tthheenn,, wwaass ttoo mmeeaassuurree eeaacchh ooff tthhoossee ffaaccttoorrss ((sseeee PPhhoottooss bbeellooww)).. FFuurrtthheerrmmoorree,, tthhee hheeaaddmmuusstt ttrraavveell iinn aa ppeerrffeeccttllyy ssttrraaiigghhtt lliinnee,, wwhhiicchh wwee tteesstteedd wwiitthh aa ddiiaall ccaalliippeerr aanndd aammaacchhiinneedd sstteeeell rroodd ((sseeee PPhhoottoo oonn ppaaggee 11)).. TThhee aacciidd tteesstt,, tthhoouugghh,, wwaass ttoo ccuutt ddoozzeennssooff mmoorrttiisseess wwiitthh eeaacchh mmaacchhiinnee ttoo ddeetteerrmmiinnee hhooww tthhoossee ffaaccttoorrss iinnfflluueenncceedd ppeerrffoorrmmaanncceeaanndd ttoo sseeee hhooww wweellll tthhee mmaacchhiinneess mmaaiinnttaaiinneedd aann eexxaacctt sseettuupp..

{ Tables and fences were allinspected for flatness using astraightedge and feeler gauge.

HOW WE TESTED

{ The angle between eachtable and fence was checkedwith squares and a feeler gauge.

} When cutting mortises, accuracy,user effort, ease of setup, and hold-down effectiveness were all consid-ered in each tool’s final report card.

From Workench Magazine page 3 of 8 © 2003 August Home PublishingOne copy permitted for personal use. Other copies prohibited.

1

Delta’s model 14-651 mor-tising machine set the stan-dard for this category bydelivering both top-notchperformance and user-friendly features. So many

other tools in this test seemedto require us to compromise onone or the other.(As an aside,it’sour considered opinion thatperformance far outweighs

bells and whistles.) It’sanother huge feather inDelta’s cap that this all-

inclusive mortiser is alsoavailable at a very

reasonable price.On the sub-

ject of perfor-mance, there was

only one other tool in this testthat cut as effortlessly as this one (theWoodtek 1-hp machine). Frankly,we were surprised by how mucheffort many of these tools required —there seemed little benefit to usingthem at all.And while that did causesome disappointment, it also resulted

in us having areal appreciationfor a tool such asthis one thatindeed made mor-tising seem like aviable operation.

The excellent performance of thismachine can no doubt be attributedentirely to its outstanding construc-tion. The fence and table are bothmachined dead flat (the cast table isautomatically superior to the MDFtables common on other machines).And our head travel test revealedonly the most negligible variance.

Besides its superior performanceand construction, this tool also boaststhe best set-up and convenience fea-tures (a few of which are shown inthe Photos below).

Most notable among those fea-tures is a rack-and-pinion, micro-adjustable fence.This is one of onlytwo machines in the test with sucha feature (the other being the Fisch)and Delta’s design is far more accu-rate and easier to use.

Interestingly enough, this is thelast tool we tested from this group.That seemed quite appropriate whenwe recognized that,had we been ableto harvest the best characteristics of allthe other machines and blend theminto one,this is the tool that would’veresulted.The real news,though,is thatall this can be had for a considerablylower price than you might expect.

> Securing the chisel andtightening the chuck aredone with the same tool onthis mortising machine.

{TDelta’s 14-651 has all thebest features, including apinion-type lever that adjustsquickly and without tools.

At a Glance:Delta Industrial 14-651Price: $237Motor: 1/2-hpSpindle Speed: 1,725Chuck Capacity: 3/8"Chisel Capacity: 1/2"Max. Stroke: 5"Head Space: 93/8"Throat Space: 33/4"Warranty: 2 years

Virtues: Superior perfor-mance and outstanding features.Vices: None.Verdict: The undisputed best choice on all accounts.

www.DeltaWoodworking.com800-438-2486

{ TTThe micro-adjustable fence and tool-free settings make setup fast, accurate, and secure.Installing the riser block gives this machine thelargest throat capacity in the bunch.

2 3

RiserBlock

From Workench Magazine page 4 of 8 © 2003 August Home PublishingOne copy permitted for personal use. Other copies prohibited.

Woodtek doesn’t build a fancy mor-tising machine,but it certainly camethrough with a capable one in this 1-hp model.And we’ll take capableover fancy any day when it comes towhat makes a valuable mortiser.

What impressed us most aboutthe Woodtek is how it made cuttinga mortise seem almost effortless. Infact, we found ourselves double-checking subsequent machines tosee if the difficulty we were havingrelative to the Woodtek was due toan improper setup on our part.

Turns out the Woodtek is justthat much better than most othermachines. Sharp chisels, dull chisels,cheap chisels, expensive chisels —it just didn’t seem to matter. This 1-hp behemoth powered throughmortises with equal, and remarkable,ease.But the additional horsepowerdoesn’t fully explain the superiorperformance, especially consideringthat the only other machine thatmatched this one in ease of cuttingwas the 1/2-hp Delta Industrial.

What this tool lacks are the user-friendly features that can be foundon many other machines. Forinstance, every adjustment requires atool of some sort. In fact, all told,

three different tools areneeded to setup this machinefrom scratch.We also foundthat we preferred the pinion-adjusting lever over Woodtek’stwo-position lever (Fig. 1).

Additionally, the fence andtable are somewhat crude com-pared to the Delta and Generalmachines. This in itself is notthat bad. Most of the machineslacked the high-quality componentsof the Delta and General.Given therelatively high price of this machine,however, we did see thatas a disadvantage.

But again,we haveto defer to thisbenchtop mortiser’sflawless perfor-mance and considerit a good choice for anyhome shop.

The burning question is whetheryou can justify the higher price ofthis somewhat plain machine ver-sus the moderate price of the DeltaIndustrial mortiser. Our answer tothat is that the Woodtek’s perfor-mance is certainly worth the price,but we still can’t help but wonderwhy no bells and whistles.

{ TTThe two-position, screw-secured lever of the Woodteklacks the convenience of the pinion-type levers.

Woodtek 900-881At a Glance:Price: $350Motor: 1-hpSpindle Speed: 1,725Chuck Capacity: 1/2"Chisel Capacity: 1"Max. Stroke: 51/4"Head Space: 9"Throat Space: 33/4"Warranty: 1 year

Virtues: Top-flight perfor-mance and large capacity.Vices: Lacks features.Verdict: A bit pricey, but the performance is there.

www.Woodworker.com800-645-9292

RPM & HorsepowerPPoowweerr aanndd ssppeeeedd,, wwhhiillee ggeenneerraallllyy ffaavvoorraabbllee iinn ccuuttttiinngg ttoooollss,,ddiidd nnoott aaffffeecctt mmoorrttiissiinngg mmaacchhiinneess iinn tthhee mmaannnneerr wwee eexxppeecctteedd..

HHoorrsseeppoowweerr,, ffoorr iinnssttaannccee,, hhaadd lliittttllee bbeeaarriinngg oonn hhooww eeffffeecc--ttiivveellyy tthheessee ttoooollss ccuutt.. IInnaaddeeqquuaattee hhoorrsseeppoowweerr wwoouulldd rreessuulltt

iinn tthhee bbiitt ssttaalllliinngg,, wwhhiicchh wwee ssaaww oonnllyy rraarreellyy.. AAllssoo,, iiff hhoorrssee--ppoowweerr wweerree aa ddeecciiddiinngg ffaaccttoorr,, wwee wwoouullddnn’’tt eexxppeecctt ttoo sseeee tthhee

½½--hhpp DDeellttaa mmaattcchh tthhee ppeerrffoorrmmaannccee ooff tthhee 11--hhpp WWooooddtteekk..AAss ttoo bbiitt ssppeeeedd,, ccoonnvveennttiioonnaall wwiissddoomm ssaayyss tthhaatt ffaasstteerr iiss bbeetttteerr..

TThhee tthheeoorryy iiss tthhaatt aa ffaasstteerr ssppiinnnniinngg bbiitt wwiillll ccuutt cclleeaanneerr aanndd cclleeaarrffaasstteerr,, lleeaavviinngg lleessss wwoorrkk ffoorr tthhee hhoollllooww cchhiisseell.. OOuurr eexxppeerriieennccee rraannccoonnttrraarryy ttoo tthhaatt.. WWee ffoouunndd tthhaatt tthhee sslloowweerr ttuurrnniinngg mmaacchhiinneess ccuuttaanndd cclleeaarreedd jjuusstt ffiinnee aanndd wweerree lleessss ssuusscceeppttiibbllee ttoo tthhee bbuurrnniinnggtthhaatt ccaann ssccaarr aa wwoorrkkppiieeccee aanndd sshhoorrtteenn tthhee bbiitt lliiffee..

1

From Workench Magazine page 5 of 8 © 2003 August Home PublishingOne copy permitted for personal use. Other copies prohibited.

General’s model 75-050mortiser is a paragon ofuser-friendly design, solidconstruction, and top-rateperformance — followinga brief “break-in” period,that is.

In fact,this was the first ofseveral machines we saw that

became increasingly easier touse with each subsequent mor-

tise. At first, the herculeaneffort it took to cut a mor-

tise with this machinecaused us some con-

cern.But as test-ing progressed,

the machine

became much more fluid and requiredus to lean into it with much less effort.After about a dozen mortises,we feltlike the performance and the requiredoperator effort had caught up to theoutstanding construction and worth-while features of the tool.

An example of the stellar con-struction is this machine’s cast iron,precision-machined bed, which weconsider a significant advantage overa bed made from MDF. Testingshowed that the bed is dead flat andperfectly square to the beefy castiron fence.Another noteworthy fea-ture on the bed is a scale that aidswith centering the stock under thechisel and bit.

The fence, besides being sturdyand flat,has a couple of other excep-tional features.First is the fact that itruns on dual guide rails, which go along way toward ensuring it’s alwayssquare and also offers two points forsecuring the fence once it’s posi-tioned.The face of the fence is fur-ther enhanced by two deep notchesthat allow the stock hold-down to belowered much further than many ofthe other tools in this test (Fig. 1).That makes it possible to mortisemuch smaller stock without the needto shim the stock off the table.

Another big plus for this machineis its user-friendliness. This is theonly machine in the group that

doesn’t require any tools beyond thechuck key to change the setup (Fig.2).A unique depth stop system lim-its both the upward and downwardtravel of the head (Fig. 3).Being ableto set the upward travel helps elim-inate unnecessarily long pull strokeswhen mortising thin stock.

Our only complaint, and it’s asmall one, is the lever adjustment(Fig. 4).We found the pinion style tobe more versatile and easier to adjustthan this type.

Nonetheless, this became one ofour favorite machines in the group.And even with its relatively highprice tag and requisite “break-in,”we wouldn’t hesitate to recommendusing this mortiser in any shop.

{ TTGeneral’s unique stop systemallows you to customize thestroke length to the job.

General International

{ TTThe General is the onlymachine in the bunch with atool-free chisel lock.

{ TTWith only two positions tochoose from, this lever oftenisn’t set at an optimum position.

{ TTA flat table,sturdy fence, aface clamp,and a beefyhold-downoffer excellentsetup andstock control.

At a Glance:Price: $299Motor: 1/2-hpSpindle Speed: 1,720Chuck Capacity: 1/2"Chisel Capacity: 5/8"Max. Stroke: 6"Head Space: 81/2"Throat Space: 3"Warranty: 2 years

Virtues: Loaded with features.Above average performance.Vices: Two-position lever.Verdict: Break this one in and you’ll have a great machine.

www.General.ca524-326-1161

1

2 3 44

From Workench Magazine page 6 of 8 © 2003 August Home PublishingOne copy permitted for personal use. Other copies prohibited.

At first blush,this machine has a lot ofunique and promising features.Amongthem are a micro-adjustable fence anda twin-column design,which is sup-posed to give the machine improvedstability and accuracy (Fig. 1).

Unfortunately,we found that cut-ting a 1/2" mortise with this machinedemanded gargantuan effort.A thor-

ough inspection of thesetup,a different (thoughsame-sized) chisel andbit set, and more thanadequate break-in timeyielded only negligibleimprovement.

What did make thismachine more usable wastrading out the 1/2" mortis-ing set for a 3/8" set. Perhapsthat is enough.

Given the relativelylow price of thismachine and thenumber of agree-able features on thistool, it could make anacceptable choice for smallermortising applications.

>TTTOne nice feature of the Fischis a micro-adjustable fence. Notealso the dual-column design.

>TWhile moststock hold-downs requirea wrench totighten, Jetbuilt a thumblever into theirhold-down.

At a Glance:Price: $199Motor: 1/2-hpSpindle Speed: 1,725Chuck Capacity: 3/8"Chisel Capacity: 1/2"Max. Stroke: 43/4"Head Space: 7"Throat Space: 31/2"Warranty: 2 years

Virtues: Solid performance, top-flight features.Vices: Requires some muscle.Verdict: The best mortiser you can buy for under $200.

www.JetTools.com800-274-6848

At a Glance:Price: $185Motor: 3/4-hpSpindle Speed: 1,725Chuck Capacity: 1/2"Chisel Capacity: 1/2"Max. Stroke: 5"Head Space: 65/8"Throat Space: 23/4"Warranty: 2 years

Virtues: A few nice features.Vices: Requires enormous effort to cut 1/2" mortises.Verdict: Low price, possibly an option for light use.

www.Fisch-Tools.com724-663-9072

Jet JBM-5

Fisch BTM-99

1

Although not the most inexpensivetool in this test, we are convincedthat Jet’s JBM-5 is the best mortis-ing machine to be had for under$200. Thus, we honor it with ourTop Value award.

What really differentiates this toolfrom the similarly-priced and -sizedmortising machines in this groupare its features.

Securing the chisel requires ascrewdriver and the chuck takes theusual key, but every other adjust-ment on this machine is tool-free(Fig.1).We found that the fewer toolswe had to keep track of in order to

change fence,depth stop, andhold-down set-tings, the morewe enjoyedusing a tool.Andgiven the verynarrow marginsof performance

differences between somany of these mortis-ing machines, it becamea significant measure of oursatisfaction with a tool.

Convenience notwith-standing, a mortiser is onlyas good as its mortises.Andon that count, this is a verygood machine. From thefirst cut, this impressedus as a solidly-built,smooth-runningmachine.

Nonetheless, itdid require adecent amount of muscleto cut a 1/2" mortise.But like so manyother machines, this one benefittedfrom a short “break-in”and eventu-ally became quite easy to operate.

All in all, Jet’s JBM-5 is a com-plete-package mortising machinewith great set-up features and a verycompetitive price.

1

Although Craftsman ratesthis tool with a capacityof up to 3/4" mortises, thismachine, in our experi-ence, is best suited to chis-els no larger than 3/8".

In testing the Craftsmanwith the standard 1/2"chisel and bit set,we found

the tool to have a propensityfor stalling under the load.Also, the amount of operator

effort necessary to makethese cuts was well

beyond what weconsidered accept-able when com-pared to other

machines in this test.This tool also required a

a fair amount of fine-tuning toremove slop between the head andthe column before we were able tostart mortising.

We did notice some improve-ment following about 10 break-incuts and were ultimately able tomortise quite effectively with the3/8" chisel and bit that were includedwith the machine.

Clearly,we aren’t able to give thistool our wholehearted recommen-dation, but the price is competitiveand the machine does have a fewworthwhile features. Among themare onboard tool storage and a scaleprinted on the bed (Fig 1.).

Craftsman 21906

Bridgewood HM-11

<T C Craftsman’s MDF table features a printed scale that“zeroes-out” under the bit center.This aids in accurate spacing ofthe mortises in the workpiece.

At a Glance:Price: $199Motor: 1/2-hpSpindle Speed: 1,725Chuck Capacity: 3/8"Chisel Capacity: 3/4"Max. Stroke: 41/8"Head Space: 71/4"Throat Space: 31/2"Warranty: 1 year

Virtues: Moderate price. A few nice features.Vices: Sub-par performance.Verdict: Limited ability, but notout of the question for light work.

www.Craftsman.com800-549-4505

At a Glance:Price: $229Motor: 1/2-hpSpindle Speed: 3,400Chuck Capacity: 3/8"Chisel Capacity: 5/8"Max. Stroke: 43/4"Head Space: 83/4"Throat Space: 31/2"Warranty: 1 year

Virtues: Adequate perfor-mance and some nice features.Vices: Overpriced.Verdict: Capable but costly. Look for this one on sale.

www.WilkeMachinery.com717-764-5000

Showing up as the last toolin the article probably doesn’t look too good forthe Bridgewood, which isunfortunate. It’s actually nota bad machine. In fact,we’dcharacterize it as a no-frills,no-fuss mortiser that per-forms as well as many oth-ers. Unfortunately, weexpected more in light ofthe price tag attached tothis machine.

On the up side, thismachine performs satisfactorily

once you get accustomedto the higher bit speed,

and it does have acouple of the fea-tures that wequickly came to

appreciate throughout our testing.First is the pinion style lever.Anotheris the large, removable panel thatallows access to the chuck.This is oneof several similarities this machinebears to both Woodtek benchtopmortisers (the 1-hp model on page 4and the 1/2-hp machine that can beseen on the Workbench website). Infact, this is virtually a twin to thesmaller Woodtek machine,right downto the instruction manual.

Nonetheless, at just a few dollarsless than the Delta Industrial mor-tiser, this one lacks the ease of oper-ation and the substantive featuresthat make the Delta such a bargain.For that matter, this one doesn’t evencome with any chisels as part of thepurchase price. So factor in another$45 to $75 for that expense.

Ultimately, this is a capablemachine that’s overpriced and under-equipped.But if you should happento find it at a deeply-discounted saleprice, you’d never regret buying it.

1

From Workench Magazine page 7 of 8 © 2003 August Home PublishingOne copy permitted for personal use. Other copies prohibited.

Tool Table Flatness Fence Flatness Table/Fence Side Deflection Front Deflection

Delta Industrial 14-651 NV .002 NV .002 .002

Woodtek 900-881 NV .007 .010 .006 .004

General International 75-050 M1 NV .002 NV .004 .004

Jet JBM-5 NV .003 .017 .003 .005

Fisch BTM-99 NV .004 .014 .002 .004

Craftsman 21906 NV .005 .019 .012 .003

Bridgewood HM-11 NV .004 NV .004 .006

Multico PM16 NV NV NV .004 .002

Multico’s Multi-Purpose MortiserIInn lliigghhtt ooff tthhee pprreemmiiuumm pprriiccee ooff MMuullttiiccoo’’ss PPMM1166,, wweeddeecciiddeedd ttoo ccoonnssiiddeerr iitt sseeppaarraatteellyy ffrroomm tthhee mmoorree mmooddeerr--aatteellyy--pprriicceedd mmaacchhiinneess iinn oouurr tteesstt.. TThhiiss cclleeaarrllyy iissnn’’tt aa ttoooollffoorr tthhee mmaasssseess,, bbuutt wwee ddiidd wwaanntt ttoo ooffffeerr ssoommee iinnssiigghhtt iinnttoojjuusstt wwhhaatt $$665500 ccoouulldd ggeett yyoouu iinn aa bbeenncchhttoopp mmoorrttiisseerr..

FFoorr ssttaarrtteerrss,, iitt wwiillll ggeett yyoouu oonnee ooff tthhee mmoosstt ccoommppaacctt,, lliigghhttwweeiigghhtt,,ssoolliiddllyy--bbuuiilltt mmoorrttiisseerrss aavvaaiillaabbllee.. TThhee ffiitt aanndd ffiinniisshh ooff tthhiiss mmaacchhiinnee aarreeiimmmmaaccuullaattee.. TThhee ccoommppoonneennttss,, ffrroomm tthhee aalluummiinnuumm hhoolldd--ddoowwnn ttoo tthhee sstteeeelllleevveerr,, aarree mmeettiiccuulloouussllyy mmaacchhiinneedd.. NNoott ssuurrpprriissiinnggllyy,, tthhee ppeerrffoorrmmaannccee oofftthhiiss mmaacchhiinnee iiss aallssoo sstteellllaarr.. PPlluunnggiinngg iinnttoo mmoorrttiisseess iiss fflluuiidd aanndd eeffffoorrttlleessss,,ssoo mmuucchh ssoo tthhaatt tthhee hhiigghh ssppiinnddllee ssppeeeedd ooff tthhiiss mmaacchhiinnee ddiidd nnoott ccrreeaatteetthhee bbuurrnniinngg tthhaatt ppllaagguueess mmoosstt hhiigghh--ssppeeeedd mmaacchhiinneess..

BBeeyyoonndd bbeeiinngg aa ssuuppeerriioorr mmoorrttiisseerr,, tthhiiss mmaacchhiinnee ddoouubblleessaass aa ppaassssaabbllee ddrriillll pprreessss wwhheenn yyoouu iinnssttaallll tthhee ddrriillll cchhuucckk aannddaarrbboorr aasssseemmbbllyy tthhaatt ccoommeess wwiitthh iitt..

NNoonneetthheelleessss,, wwee aarree aa ffrruuggaall bbuunncchh,, ssoo iitt’’ss ddiiffffiiccuullttffoorr uuss ttoo rreeccoommmmeenndd aa mmaacchhiinnee tthhiiss ccoossttllyy.. BBuutt ffoorr tthheewwooooddwwoorrkkeerr wwhhoo hhaass iitt aallll,, tthhiiss wwoouulldd bbee aa ggoooodd cchhooiiccee..

At a Glance:Price: $649Motor: 3/4-hpSpindle Speed: 3,450Chuck Capacity: 3/8"Chisel Capacity: 3/4"Max. Stroke: 45/8"Head Space: 63/8"Throat Space: 41/2"Warranty: 1 year

Virtues: Excellent fit and finish. Top-rate performance.Vices: Very expensive.Verdict: If money is no object,this is a solid investment.

www.GarretWade.com800-221-2942

Final RecommendationsTop Value

MORTISING MACHINE RATINGS

Editor’s ChoiceJET JBM-5GGeettttiinngg tthhiiss mmuucchhmmaacchhiinnee ffoorr uunnddeerr$$220000 aallmmoosstt ffeeeellss lliikkeesstteeaalliinngg.. BBuutt wwee aassssuurreeyyoouu tthhaatt tthhee pprriiccee aanndd tthhee ppeerrffoorrmmaannccee ooff tthhiiss mmaacchhiinnee aarree eennttiirreellyy aabboovveebbooaarrdd..

DELTA 14-651DDeellttaa’’ss IInndduussttrriiaall mmoorrttiissiinnggmmaacchhiinnee iinncclluuddeess tthhee bbeessttffeeaattuurreess,, ttoopp--rraattee ppeerrffoorr--mmaannccee,, aanndd aa llooww pprriicceetthhaatt bbeelliieess iittss pprreemmiiuumm ccoonnssttrruuccttiioonn..TThheerree''ss jjuusstt nnoo bbeetttteerr,, mmoorree ccoomm--pplleettee bbeenncchhttoopp mmoorrttiisseerr ttoo bbee hhaadd..

Numbers indicate greatest variation in inches. NV = no measurable variation. Head travel variation indicated as front/side deflection.

From Workench Magazine page 8 of 8 © 2003 August Home PublishingOne copy permitted for personal use. Other copies prohibited.