benchtop mortiser

[Bill Carey]

Going to be purchasing a benchtop mortiser and am looking for recommendations, comments about the one you have, which is the one you wish you had, etc. Does the step up from 1/2hp to 3/4hp really make a difference? (I'll be making mainly craftsman style furniture. When I finish these stupid boxes) Do you ever use the ability to turn the machine 180 degrees to do off bench mortising? What are the best chisels IYHO? Budget wise I have no problem with the Powermatic 3/4hp or other "high end" machines. I've read reviews that put the Powermatic at the top, and reviews that put the Shop Fox at the top. Much more interested in you opinions. Even if that includes alternate ideas regarding different machines, like a horizontal router. Drop your wisdom on me.

[Michael Koons]

Bill,

I have the PM benchtop unit and am very happy with it. I know you'll get a lot of advice from others here about alternative methods and I know they'll all be valid. But the mortiser fit my workflow and style very well. Prior to me owning it, mortises were a lot more time intensive.

I'd say it's not the most precise tool I own as my slider and Nova drill press are more precise. But with good marking and measuring, it's been very good. Repeatability is very easy for me. Build quality for me has been very good and I've had no issues. I make sure my chisels are always sharp.

I have not done off bench mortising so can't help there.

[Jim Becker]

I had the Jet and it was a perfectly nice machine for what it was intended to do. I only sold it because I wasn't actually using it and another local woodworker is enjoying it now. On the subject of chisels, it's important to understand that setting up the chisel/drill properly is the "secret sauce" to these machines performing well. The drill bit MUST be doing the work as no matter how sharp you have the square chisels, they are only supposed to be removing that last little bit of material that the drill bit doesn't cover. There should never be a need to force the tool to create the square hole.

[Bill Carey]

Jim - the jet was 1/2hp yes?

[Rod Sheridan]

1/2 HP is more than adequate for a bench top machine.

I have the GI model which is no longer available.

Look for one with adjustable dovetail ways, a good hold down and vise.

I recommend the LV premium chisel set, remember to set the bit/chisel gap properly and you'll be just fine.

I also build mostly A&C furniture from QS white oak............Regards, Rod.

[Dick Mahany]

I had the Shop Fox 3/4 HP 3450 RPM, double column, swiveling head bench top mortiser for several years. I really liked the actuating handle and it had plenty of power for what I was doing which were typically 1/4" - 1/2" mortises in quarter sawn white oak for craftsman style furniture. I never used the rotating column feature. The chisels that I really liked were the Japanese made premium chisels from Grizzly. They worked very well and were a definite upgrade from the stock chisels, yet more economical than the European made chisels.

I disliked the fence because it was too tall for many of the legs and rails that I was working with and I had to add blocks of wood to the bottom of the hold down clamp to retain the work. That was a constant inconvenience. Other than that the tool worked as intended and I sold it when I down sized because it was a such a specialized tool that I was rarely using any more.

[Randall J Cox]

I have the Jet, bought it used a couple of years ago from someone who never used it. Came with like new chisels, works great, cut a bunch of mortises in 2" white oak recently, I was amazed how well it worked and how easy it was. I'm sure it was due to the very sharp chisels and after reading lots of articles on their use in general, I was very careful it setting it up. All in all, very pleased. I echo what Jim Becker said, tools must be sharp and set up right... Good luck. Randy

[Mike Cutler]

Going to be purchasing a benchtop mortiser and am looking for recommendations, comments about the one you have, which is the one you wish you had, etc.

I have the Delta 14-651. At the time, one of them had a tilting head, I think Shop Fox or the General, and I wish I had one with a tilting head on more than one occasion.
Does the step up from 1/2hp to 3/4hp really make a difference? (I'll be making mainly craftsman style furniture. When I finish these stupid boxes)
Yes, and no. Mortising takes power to run the bigger chisels, but if you don't have an equal increase in the strength of the machine frame, you might break the machine. My Delta is 1/2HP and it struggles in hardwoods with the 1/2" chisel, and yes, the chisel is sharp.
Do you ever use the ability to turn the machine 180 degrees to do off bench mortising?
My machine has not been on the OEM base for over a decade for exactly this reason, and to add an x-y sliding vise.
What are the best chisels IYHO? Budget wise I have no problem with the Powermatic 3/4hp or other "high end" machines.
I guess Clico's are, or were among the higher grades, but it's really all in the sharpening and honing of the chisel and the drill bit. They have to be wicked sharp, both of them. A poorer quality sharp chisel, is much better than a higher quality dull chisel.
I've read reviews that put the Powermatic at the top, and reviews that put the Shop Fox at the top. Much more interested in you opinions. Even if that includes alternate ideas regarding different machines, like a horizontal router. Drop your wisdom on me.
A chain mortise came up on Craigslist here in New England a few weeks back for not much more than a used Powermatic floor mortiser. It took all of my self control not to buy it that day


Bill
If you have the room. a tilting head floor mortise would be a better alternative. The floor model Powermatic also has an X-Y sliding table. I promise you that you will not have a benchtop mortiser long, or do many mortises, before you're searching the internet to modify it to accept an X-Y vise. and gain more clearance under the chisel.;)

[Jim Becker]

Jim - the jet was 1/2hp yes?
I think, but I sold it a few years ago.

[Tom M King]

Star-M bits are good bits. Lee Valley sells them as their "Premium" bits, or something like that, but they are available from other places too.

[Patrick Kane]

I must be in the minority, but i had a PM 719 for a hot minute, and cant imagine dealing with something less than that. Maybe you only expect to do 1/4" mortises,and im sure the benchtop would be adequate for that size. The floorstanding powermatic was fine for 3/8 or 1/2", but anything more was clearly asking too much. I dont find light duty HCMs to be particularly fast, easy,or efficient. A router and a sharp chisel will give you cleaner results in about the same amount of time. Ignorantly, i envisioned the 719 to be like Brian's Maka. It is anything but that.

[Bill Carey]

....Ignorantly, i envisioned the 719 to be like Brian's Maka. It is anything but that.

Patrick - here's a pic of a Maka that sold 6 months ago for 1,000 bucks. No way. It's all yours. Restoring old tools is not my thing by any stretch. Anyway, appreciate the comment, but I'm pretty sure you are in the minority. I don't support the family doing this, so a machine like that (or even the 719) is probably overkill for what I have in mind. Of course, when I pop for the PM 701 - which is the way I'm leaning at the moment - if I find that you're right, I'll pm you with a pre-packaged "told ya so". But I sincerely hope you're wrong. :cool:
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[Mike Cutler]

Bill

To hopefully give you confidence in a bench top mortar:
Only because you asked did I veer off on a tangent, and bring up a heavier duty machine.
To put things in the proper perspective, I have done 100's and 100's of mortises with my Benchtop, Delta 14-651 through the years. I've put mortises in Cherry, Jatoba, Wenge, Padauk, Ash, Hickory, and other species I probably don't remember. All done with the OEM chisels that came with the machine. I still have the OEM chisels, and they're wicked sharp. Only the 1/4" chisel has replaced.
The PM-701 is a beautiful machine that will do an excellent job. You might still want to consider a tilting head mortiser only because Mission and Arts and Craft style furniture incorporate a 6 degree mortise for some of the M&T work, but that can easily be overcome with a jig.
An X-Y vise takes the bench top mortiser to a different level and it is a modification you should seriously consider. There are many, many, you tube videos, and articles, on how to accomplish the mod.
I do not regret buying my Delta 14-651 for a single minute.
I don't believe you'll regret buying a bench top mortiser either.
Make sure you get a diamond plate and honing cone that matches those chisels. You'll also need some slip stones for the drill bit. Also consider dust extraction. Clearing the waste from the chisel/bit as it plunges makes everything a lot easier.

[Tom M King]

I had a job come up that I needed two more mortisers for, so I bought one of each of these (1/2hp link at bottom of linked page) Woodtek mortisers. Woodworkers Supply is reasonably close to me, and I've had good luck with their store brand, Woodtek machines before. They're also great to deal with for parts over the phone. If you set up a Pro account, it comes with a worthwhile discount on everything.

I actually like the 1hp one a lot. I chose it over the Powermatic at the time, with both in front of me in the store. The small one requires allen wrenches to adjust almost everything on it, but was fine for my purpose of really small mortises.

In addition to the cone kit for sharpening the chisel, and bit, I keep an X-fine diamond paddle close at hand, and hit the outside of the chisel once in a while in long runs. The chisel can develop a burr after a lot of use, and makes it much more difficult to withdraw it out of the mortise.

I can get the Star-M sets a lot sharper than regular sets, and this is one of those jobs where sharp helps a lot.

The Star-M chisel and bit sets come with long drill bit shanks, so they can be customized to different machines. It's nice to have the bits exactly the right length, so they can be seated all the way home in the chuck, with no risk of getting pushed up into the chisel with obvious bad consequences that can happen more often than you might think.

https://woodworker.com/1hp-bench-top-mortiser-120230v-mssu-138-224.asp

The Powermatic used to come with a clamp against the fence like the 1hp Woodtek has. They did away with it in favor of the rollers. I like having the clamp for precise positioning, but you have to be careful because it has so much power that it can push the main fence back out of position. I'm pretty sure that's why Powermatic did away with it, but with a light touch on the wheel (take the crank handle off) it's good to have.

[Julie Moriarty]

Bill, I've have the PM 701 for 4-5 years. It's a very well-made tool but I don't use it that much. It's not what I expected. When drilling a long mortise you have to finagle it along by alternately easing the hold down, sliding the wood and bringing the hold down back down. It's probably me but I find if the hold down isn't snug, the chisel bit is harder to pull back out. The rollers aren't all that much help in sliding the wood along either. But don't put a lot of stock into what I say other than it's a very well-made machine. I just don't like fighting the wood along.

[Mike Cutler]

When drilling a long mortise you have to finagle it along by alternately easing the hold down, sliding the wood and bringing the hold down back down. It's probably me but I find if the hold down isn't snug, the chisel bit is harder to pull back out.

Julie
An inexpensive Harbor Freight, or Grizzly, X-Y vise will virtually eliminate this issue for you. Mine used to be through bolted to the OEM base, but eventually I needed more depth under the chisel, so now it's on a home made maple pedestal.
I think all of the bench tops have this issue.

[Ben Zara]

Rikon and Baleigh make a benchtop one with an xyz table.

[Jim Dwight]

I have a Jet benchtop with a 1/2 up motor. I Barnhart used it a lot. It works but it needs a clamp to hold the work. The mortises are not super smooth but I think they work fine. A XY table would be nice but I have it on a flip top base with my lunchbox planner. I am very space challenged and will probably buy a domino XL.

[Mitchell Ristine]

Bit of a hijack here. Sorry. There's 14-650 on CL by me for $150.00 (including the bits). Assuming the bits are dull and the machine is in reasonable condition, I would think $150.00 is a good buy?

[Art Mann]

I sold a perfectly good Steel City machine and have regretted it ever since. It was a better than average table top unit. Steel City is not in business any more but if you happen to see a good used one, I recommend you buy it.

[Tom M King]

A slide fit under the hold down works fine, along with the clamp to add a little pressure. Of course, none of that is as good as an XYZ table like the big stationary machines have, but it works fine.

Another thing I like about the 1hp Woodtek is the shape of the handle that has where you put your hand at a right angle to the lever.

[Van Huskey]

If you really want a benchtop and can find a General 75-075 buy it!

If you move up and consider something like the Powermatic 719T also take a look at the Baleigh floor standers, I haven't seen them in person but they both look impressive on paper for the money.

Something else that has not been mentioned is in general low speed mortisers are preferred over high speed ones.

[ChrisA Edwards]

I'm building plantation shutters for about 11 windows in my house and I think when those are done, I'll probably have the same amount to do again.

I decided to mortise the shutter frame and was considering a bench top mortiser and was leaning towards the Powermatic 701. The styles on most of the shutter frames are around 65" long,

After seeing a remote friend's PM719, the action of the X-Y vise sold me on the PM719.

Once the work piece is clamped, just sliding the table left or right, to make the next cut was the best feature. I could see how this could be done with a vise, but you'd probably have to turn the vise handle 10-15 times to reposition for the next cut, whereas it's about a 1/4 turn on the PM719. Most of my mortises were around 2"=3" so that would have been a lot of cranking assuming the vise had that much travel.

If cut 1/2" x 2"D x 2-3" mortises with ease. With the volume,I had to do and possibly still have to, I'm very pleased with the machine.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oekP1PkCGGU

[Bill Carey]

great responses kids - thanks.

x-y table: seems unanimous that it is a great thing to have. Both benchtops that come with this are 1/2hp. A drawback.
No one seems to use the ability to rotate the column and do off bench mortises.
The Shopfox 3/4 has some pretty alarming reviews. It's out of the running.
The PM 701 is still leading the pack.
Does anyone have experience with this: Baleigh MC1000 (https://www.toolfetch.com/baileigh-industrial-mc-1000-110v-heavy-duty-square-chisel-mortiser-1-4-to-1-chisel-capacity-includes-stand-and-one-chisel.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cse&utm_term=BA-MC-1000&gclid=CjwKCAiAmO3gBRBBEiwA8d0Q4st1cTeiJPABVcVU6Cqh VBwAUgfxsyjquxluXVW4C-8myKtSxxutmhoCaloQAvD_BwE). It's only a couple hundred more than the 701.
Had a conversation with a client in CA and turns out he does ww also, and has a MLCS horizontal router table (https://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/smarthtml/pages/horizontal_router_table.html) that he swears by, and does a lot of loose tenon work. It's 300 bucks, and it's not like I don't have any extra routers. Maybe a possibility. Offers a lot of extra possibilities besides mortises. But again, crappy reviews.

I've set a decision deadline of xmas morning, otherwise I'll noodle this to death and never pull the trigger. Seems like the 701, unless someone says the MC1000 is great.

Thanks for all the responses. Nothing on CL in my area, sadly.

[Dan Baginski]

I have the jet bench top. I got a great deal on it used, with a bunch of chisels. I get more accurate results using the mortising attachment on my Inca tablesaw. If you’re just cutting a few mortises then it’s fine. If you’re doing a lot, a well set up router may yield better results. I have to clean up the inside of the mortise with a chisel afterwards, after using the jet.

[Kevin Beitz]

For the people that don't know Grizzly and shop Fox is the same company...

[ChrisA Edwards]

I have the MLCS Premium Horizontal Router setup, new, in a box unopened. I bought it with the plan that I would do my mortises with that, but then I bought the PM719.

Want to make me an offer on it.... I bought the Premium Horizontal Router Kit

[Rod Sheridan]

great responses kids - thanks.

. Both benchtops that come with this are 1/2hp. A drawback.
.

Thanks for all the responses. Nothing on CL in my area, sadly.

Hi, not sure why you would think 1/2HP is a drawback when that's far more power than is required by 1 3/4" auger bit?

I've had mine for 16 years, making mortices in white oak, works great.............Regards, Rod.

[Van Huskey]

Had a conversation with a client in CA and turns out he does ww also, and has a MLCS horizontal router table (https://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/smarthtml/pages/horizontal_router_table.html) that he swears by, and does a lot of loose tenon work.


There likely would have been a lot of discussion about other options had you not said you were mainly going to be doing Craftsman furniture. Most people use traditional mortise and tenons for Craftsman stuff.

[Frederick Skelly]

I looked closely at every brand out there when I bought mine 2 years ago. Went to stores and tried out several. Read a TON about what to look for. I figured that cutting a mortise puts a fair bit of strain on the lever arm, the bits and the motor. So this was not a tool I wanted to cut corners on. I decided on the 3/4 hp Powermatic (PM701). It is rock solid. It cuts any mortise I ask of it and does so easily. For me, it was $500 well spent.

As the saying goes, "they'll pry it from my cold dead hands."

Fred

[Bill Carey]

I looked closely at every brand out there when I bought mine 2 years ago. Went to stores and tried out several. Read a TON about what to look for. I figured that cutting a mortise puts a fair bit of strain on the lever arm, the bits and the motor. So this was not a tool I wanted to cut corners on. I decided on the 3/4 hp Powermatic (PM701). It is rock solid. It cuts any mortise I ask of it and does so easily. For me, it was $500 well spent.

As the saying goes, "they'll pry it from my cold dead hands."

Fred

Hey Fred - I was hung up on the column of the 701 not rotating for off the bench mortises. But in reading the manual, seems there are 4 bolts to remove, rotate the column 180 and reinstall the 4 bolts. I'm gonna confirm that with PM tomorrow and if correct I'll buy it. (have you tried this?) Like you, I've spent a couple of days not answering calls from clients while I researched this. Even made a spreadsheet. Quite the rabbit hole, huh?

[Frederick Skelly]

Yes it is Bill. IIRC, it does turn 180 but I havent had a need for that yet.
Let us know what you end up buying!
Fred

[Bill Carey]

The PM701 is at the top of the list, but I just found that Baieigh is offering a 15% discount from today until Jan 1. That puts the MC 1000 at about 100 bucks more than the PM701. Anyone have any experieionce with Baileigh in general? With the MC 1000 in particular? It's a floor model, 1 hp, tilting table, tilting head, x-y table, 1" capacity, etc. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[ChrisA Edwards]

I'd have that Baileigh in a nano second......

[Van Huskey]

The PM701 is at the top of the list, but I just found that Baieigh is offering a 15% discount from today until Jan 1. That puts the MC 1000 at about 100 bucks more than the PM701. Anyone have any experieionce with Baileigh in general? With the MC 1000 in particular? It's a floor model, 1 hp, tilting table, tilting head, x-y table, 1" capacity, etc. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

First, if you are buying from Baliegh directly check the shipping, they tend not to be cheap, Elite metal sells their stuff with free shipping and the prices are generally better, but unlikely with a sale. Baliegh is a fairly well-respected importer of Asian metal fab equipment that has gotten into woodworking machines. A handful of people here (including Keith) bought some when they first started selling wwing machines and gave SMC members a nice discount, everyone seemed happy. There are a couple of their machines that are "unique" and in my radar for my new shop and based in what I have seen over the past 5 years I am not afraid to order them. You could probably gauge the quality of their CS by looking at forums that deal with metal fab.

[Ronald Blue]

I don't know if you are interested in or up to a road trip Bill but here is a couple links to what might be a good deal. They are close together. Both on the Metro East part of St Louis on the Illinois side. Just sharing them because I thought they might be of interest to you.

stlouis.craigslist.org/tls/d/delta-hollow-chisel-mortisernew-in/6768537650.html

stlouis.craigslist.org/tls/d/powermatic-bench-top-mortiser-pm701/6765873035.html

[Greg Parrish]

Looks like a nice machine. Southern tool has it for $755 plus shipping. May be worth calling them for a freight quote to see if it’s less in total than Elite’s $939.


First, if you are buying from Baliegh directly check the shipping, they tend not to be cheap, Elite metal sells their stuff with free shipping and the prices are generally better, but unlikely with a sale. Baliegh is a fairly well-respected importer of Asian metal fab equipment that has gotten into woodworking machines. A handful of people here (including Keith) bought some when they first started selling wwing machines and gave SMC members a nice discount, everyone seemed happy. There are a couple of their machines that are "unique" and in my radar for my new shop and based in what I have seen over the past 5 years I am not afraid to order them. You could probably gauge the quality of their CS by looking at forums that deal with metal fab.

[andy bessette]

Powermatic mortise chisels seem superior to all others I've seen.

[Frederick Skelly]

Powermatic mortise chisels seem superior to all others I've seen.

I have the PM chisels and like them a lot.

Lee Valley also has a nice set that has received good comments. Link (http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/page.aspx?p=53252&cat=1,180,42240,53317)

[Bill Carey]

Well, the die is cast. I'm the proud owner of a Baileigh MC 1000. Total cost = 723.05. Have to call them Wed to confirm, since in order to tell the web page I was going to pick it up I had to enter their address as the shipping address. Weird. Since it's only a 3 1/2 to 4 hour drive to Manitowac, I'll go pick it up, provided they will help load it in the vehicle. Weight is 265 lbs. 2 boxes about 2' square. Piece of cake. Worse come to worst, it won't be the first tool I unpack in the parking lot to get it in the van. In discussion with the LOML, after agreeing it was a good idea, she asked for the Stickley book by Lang, paged thru it until she found several things she liked, and asked which one had the most mortises! :eek: I have a new assignment looks like.

[Greg Parrish]

Nice. Congrats Bill!

[Frederick Skelly]

Congratulations Bill! Please consider posting a brief review after you get her home and set up. I don't recall seeing anything here about that machine.
Fref

[Bill Carey]

Congratulations Bill! Please consider posting a brief review after you get her home and set up. I don't recall seeing anything here about that machine.
Fref

I will. Won't pick it up till the first week in Jan. But I'll document the assembly and first usage. Should be fun.

[ChrisA Edwards]

Excellent....

[Brian Holcombe]

Powermatic mortise chisels seem superior to all others I've seen.

Have you tried Nakahashi?

[andy bessette]

Have you tried Nakahashi?

No, I haven't. Are they superior to PM?

[Brian Holcombe]

No, I haven't. Are they superior to PM?

I haven’t tried the PM chisels but Nakahashi are excellent.

[Tom M King]

The Nakahashi, and Star-M brands are the same, only sold under the different brand names depending on where they're sold.

They're sold as the "Premium" line by Lee Valley, Woodworkers Supply, and others. If sharpened with the diamond cones sold by LV, and the burr taken by an x-fine diamond paddle, you dare not touch the edge to see how sharp it is. They're all I buy, even for a small job.

There is another good type, made in the UK, but they're not that easy to come by, and I forget the name. Jack uses them.

[Brian Holcombe]

Tom, those are probably ‘Harima’ sold in the UK which are actually Nakahashi as well, with a 13/16” shank.

Careful tuning of the auger and polishing of the chisel make it a very easy tool to work with. I polish the exterior with a Nakayama Asagi (8k) and it zips through ash/oak and is not terribly difficult heading into maple.

[Tom M King]

I do similar before a chisel goes into the machine, but in the middle of long runs, I'll occasionally hit the outside of the chisel with the x-fine paddle without taking it off the machine (kept flat of course). I made the mistake of touching one once to see if it was sharp after such touching up. It was.

[Joe Calhoon]

I like the Nakahashi as well. I have bought them from Lee Valley and Advance Machinery in the U.K. for metric sizes. They are easy to keep sharp with the cones and files Lee Valley sells. I had some original Wadkin and Greenlee chisels that came with the Wadkin DM and like the Japanese ones better.

I don’t get as clean a mortise pocket as Brian’s pictures show because I am fighting incorrect bushing sizes for the Japanese chisels. Need to get some custom made.

I had a benchtop mortiser for odd jobs and found it pretty useless. Bought a used Wadkin DM for not much more than the bench top cost and it’s about 100 times better. I would say a bench top with a XY table would be an improvement over what I had.

[Michael Costa]

I'll take one for Xmas if one of you rich woodworkers would care to be my secret santa.

[Bill Carey]

Well, as I said I bought the Baileigh - just not the floor model. I got the bench top model (https://www.baileigh.com/bench-top-mortiser-mc-625) for 400 bucks delivered (delivery was 75). Several reasons for my change of heart: 15% discount; having never used a mortiser I couldn't pop for an expensive tool until I know more about it and what I really like or dislike about using it; I wanted to stay with Baileigh because if I do move up to a floor model, it will be the Baileigh and I wanted to see what the build quality was; if I move up I can always CL the one I just got; it has an x-y table and seems to have a robust clamping system; and the unit can be unbolted and reversed. It got delivered a bit ago. I'll take some pics and let you know what my initial impressions are.

[ChrisA Edwards]

With the XY axis and a good clamp, I don't think the bench top unit gives up anything, other than a little flexibility of where you can position it for doing long pieces.

My PM719 is floor standing, but actually sits quite low. I find myself sitting on a rolling mechanics stool, holding my dust collection hose with my left hand and pulling the drilling lever with the other. None of this would be easy standing up and I'm only 5' 7".

The bench top model will allow you to mount/clamp it at a move convenient height.

Had I seen this unit, I probably would have save myself $1K and gone with it rather than the PM719.

[Bill Carey]

The MC 625 mortiser was well packed and lubed. No rust. And, importantly, fully assembled.
399731 399732

But several cosmetic issues, one from a piece rubbing on the frame, mostly paint issues.
399730 399733

This one scared me until I put 3 different straight edges on the table and found it as flat as I could determine. Still............
399734

The head travels firmly up and down, the clamp is extremely strong, the x-y table moves smoothly and is tight. At first there was a lot of side to side slop in the forward and back table (y table?) and I was getting ready to call Baileigh. But I noticed three set screws right below the table and these tightened up the travel very nicely. Too bad they are not documented anywhere. See, I learned something already.
399735

Strangely, there is no serial number on it. But they sent me a spiffy hat.
399736 399737

The 3/8" chisel that comes with was chucked without any touch up and produced a couple of mortises with ease. The unit runs extraordinarily quiet. Barely a hum. I found no perceptible run out with the bit chucked, and the bit and the chisel were easy to set and stayed solidly set. The one major draw back is that the clamp has 3 sets of holes in the table so you can reposition the clamp to accommodate pieces of different widths, but the clamp is held with 2 bolts that can be hard to reach and a pain in the ass to reposition. The depth stop seems a bit flimsy but we'll see how it goes. It has left and right hand stops that seem to work fine, and are removable. The documentation is crap as usual. It's heavy - 110 lbs so it's probably going to stay right were it is. All in all I'm pretty happy with it out of the gate, but we'll see how it holds up. Being as massive as it is I have high hopes that it will last a while. And for $325 it seems like a very good deal. FYI, I think today is the last day of the 15% off everything Baileigh sale.

[Bill Carey]

And the fence was square to the table.
399738

[Frederick Skelly]

Very cool Bill. Enjoy your new baby!
Fred

[Mike Cutler]

That's a nice looking machine Bill
I really like that X-Y vise base!!! That's cool.:cool:
I'd be interested to get your impressions of it, once you've had a chance to really "put the wood to it".

[Bill Carey]

So I've made 40 or so mortises with this Baileigh benchtop machine and am very pleased with it. It's heavy and solid. All the mortises so far have been in QSWO and it has not bogged down at all from lack of power. It did get jammed - wood in the chisel - when I was too aggressive, but other than that one time it has performed great. The x-y table is fantastic: moves very smoothly and precisely, and the x table stays put while the table moves laterally. I've never used a mortise machine before but I'm extraordinarily glad I paid attention to you folks and got one with the x-y table. The depth stops are pretty cheesy. They are plastic rings that get tightened on a rod and limit the movement of a small metal bracket attached to the head. (red circles in one of the pics) Changing and setting the bit and the chisel are pretty easy. Plenty of room to get to the chuck. Wish the chisel was held in by something other than an allen screw and I may replace it with something that does not require a tool to adjust.

Speaking of tools, the is no tool rest or storage system, so I put a magnet on the base and that keeps the chuck key and the allen wrench solidly attached and ready. The up and down movement of the head assembly is smooth and easy, and returns to the top with some force. The handle is ok - it's a handle, ya know? The angled clamp is very solid, and locks the work piece down securely. Have not had any piece rise up with the chisel yet. But moving the clamp head is a pain in the butt. One of the pictures shows how the bolts are hidden below the cast of the clamp, and is kinda hard to get to. To avoid having to move it too often I made a 3/4" spacer with magnets mortised into the back of it that gives me a bit more versatility and I don't need to move the clamp head as much. But there are 3 positions that the head can be bolted at and gives you a fairly wide platform.

In the pile of wood there are some thru mortises that came out better than I thought they would. Required a bit of clean up but not much. It came with 1 3/8" chisel which was pretty sharp and cut nicely out of the box. All in all, for 340 bucks I think it's a real keeper, and a great addition to the shop.401230401231401232401233401234

[Kyle Fries]

I have a Baileigh MC-1000. I took it off of the base and mounted it to my bench. I have being using it more and more recently. The one change I have made is to remove the stop rods and replace them with 3/8"-16 threaded rod. The stop collars were never good at locking down on the rod and moved if I hit them too hard. I did buy my machine as refurbished. The X-Y base/table is very usefull. It is important to get good quality chisels. Not too mention the cheaper ones are a different size and do not fit my collet. I find that the Powermatic chisels (about $50 each) are a good fit and seem to be working well. I just did a bunch of ash mortises this weekend.

[Mike Cutler]

Bill

I'm glad everything is working out. It's always nice when a tool, or machine, lives up to expectations. For through mortises, you're going to need a backing piece to prevent "blowout'. Another way is to flip it over and maintain the same reference face,to finish the mortise from the other side
I really like the X-Y table on that unit. :cool:

[Tom M King]

Looks like a good buy!