James Williams 007
10-19-2008, 8:14 PM
I purchased a SC mortiser and thought I'd do a review and compare it to some of the others I've had my hands on. The things that I like about the SC are the larger than normal base with extensions, the wide open doors to the chuck, the ratcheting handle and, the roller clamps on the table. Now let me dissect my praise a little. While the table is larger than most it's not a lot gigger than the Delta which has plenty of cast iron table surface and weight. I found that on both machines that you need to clamp or bolt them down or they tip forward. And the extension wings are a nice plus but I could make some in a few minutes for the other mortisers. The big plus for the SC's table are the slots that hold the bearing clamps. While I like the two doors that open to access the chuck I didn’t like that they were plastic and the screw knob that holds them closed is a pain sometimes. I actually fixed this by epoxying a magnet on either door. The Delta has a nice metal door with a magnet in it already. So the one plus that the SC has over the rest of the mortisers in it's price range is the roller bearings on the table. Some things that bothered me about the SC are the plastic components. The stabilizer cylinder or piston is plastic and this is a piece that will take some stress over time. I was turned off by the fence lock that is a really flimmsy plastic lever also. I would have liked to see a metal handle quick release on the hold down and the depth stop like on the Delta, on the SC you have to get the allen wrench out when you want to adjust these and when your doing alot of mortises this is a pain. So far I have compared the SC to the Delta and that is because I don't think the jet comes close to these two. The jet has a much smaller MDF table and it cost more so it is out already. I like the SC but they could have added a few cheap improvments to make it a real stand out. I have already talked to the guys at SC (I needed a washer that was not included) and they were really nice and I have been very impressed with all their other products. I can't say which mortiser is the clear winner but the delta seems to have better components but it's missing the roller bearing clamps. I hope this helps someone.