jbm-5 benchtop mortiser???

[keith ouellette]

Do any of you have experience with the

jet jbm-5 benchtop mortiser?

And:

How useful do you find a mortiser to be. the few mortises I've done I used my plunge router for. Is a mortiser much better?

[Ryan Baker]

I have one. It works great. No complaints at all. The table could be larger, but that can be said of all the benchtop models. I got mine for a really good price too.

I think a mortiser is worth every penny, and I would take it any day over using a plunge router (but that is an issue of personal preference).

Is there something specific you want to know about?

[jerry nazard]

Keith,

I have one that I purchased on sale + $50 Jet coupon. Just could not pass up the deal. As Ryan mentioned, the table could be larger, plus the fence and holdown adjustments could be a bit more refined. The chisels that came with my machine turned out nice after sharpening. I am using the machine quite a bit more than I had imagined. That being said, if I were paying full street price for a machine, I would look closely at the Powermatic and Steel City before buying the Jet.

-Jerry

[Curt Harms]

I have one, haven't had a project for it really. There are various sites around the web documenting how to adapt a vise for mortiser use. The vise works much better than the factory setup IMO.

[keith ouellette]

I bought it and I love it. I used it to make some mortises on some rocking chairs I'm working on. I'll put up a picture of the mortiser as soon as the batteries start to charge