Customer Reviews

DELTA MM300 Shopmaster 1/2 Horsepower Bench Mortising Machine

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you've ever drilled and chiseled mortises by hand you'll love the MM300, it gets the job done, quickly. The Delta is solidly put together with plenty of power for deep mortises. Assembly is simple, no surprises, set up also without a hitch. If the MM300 has a weak spot it would be the fence. It doesn't hold as well at times as I would like for it to, a trait not uncommon in mortisers in this price range. Overall a great little machine for the money, one that I would recommend to anyone.

I just last week received the mortiser, put it together. The instructions were clear, only took a few minutes to assemble. I was surprised at the quality. The quality of Delta products (and Jet) varies wildly. I got a good one, it seems. I punched a dozen holes with each of the chisels in some mahogany scrap I had lying around, all were quite satisfactory. I haven't tried it yet on any of the hard maple or oak I usually work with. I'll report back later if I have any problems. Menards wanted another [money]for their Jet model, without chisels. A set of 5 chisels is [money]. The Jet I checked out in the store wasn't fit for use, sloppy dovetail, sticky slide. Be sure to get the preservative grease off the dovetail and gears, and grease it all before you use it. So far, I'm having fun drilling square holes!

Gary

I've had this mortise machine for a little over a year now. It has worked perfectly giving me square true mortises every time. Setup is quite simple and with a few shop made supports drillling mortises in long rails has never been easier. I've only used the 3/8", 1/4" and 5/16 chisels to date but none of them faltered. Note: pick up a set of conical honing stones from Lee Valley. Sure makes life with a sharp bit simple! Great prodcuct from Delta. Not quite as fancy as the new replacement but works just as well for a few $$ less.

I took a chance and picked up the MM300 for $129 on closeout at one of the Big Box stores. I punched about a dozen 3/8" holes in some scrap pine - and then tried one 1/2" hole. Sheared the pin that holds the lever on, right off.

Had it repaired, under warranty, and had it back in about 10 days. After that - stuck with 3/8" bit and did another two dozen holes in some Mahoghany. For the price I paid, I'm OK with it. But if it was the MM300 for $200, then I'd consider the 651.

In either case - head on over to Lee Valley and pick up their conical hones to touch up the chisels before you use it.

I bought this many years ago and would not recomend it. Spend the extra money on their better one. The quality is poor and it is mostly unusable with zero precision...