Powermatic 1791263K Model 719A Hollow Chisel Mortiser

by Powermatic

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Serious craftspeople looking for a dedicated shop machine should consider the Powermatic hollow chisel mortiser. This tool features heavy-duty cast-iron construction, and its 1-horsepower motor turns 1,725 rpm, supplying plenty of power--we made 1/2-inch cuts in a few choice hardwoods with no problem at all. The sliding table rides smooth and sure with depth and length stops and front-mounted hand wheels for linear and cross adjustments. Rack-and-pinion gearing raises and lowers the entire motor head and feeds the mortiser solidly into work. We like the removable, see-through plates for easy access to the chuck and find the lock knob for securing the chisel convenient. --Tim Block

Product Details

Product Manual [665kb PDF]

• Shipping Weight: 282 pounds
• Shipping: This item can only be shipped to the 48 contiguous states. We regret it cannot be shipped to APO/FPO, Hawaii, Alaska, or Puerto Rico.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B00005OQMC
• California residents: Click here for Proposition 65 warning.
• Item model number: 1791263K
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #461,902 in Home Improvement (See Top 100 in Home Improvement)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

72 of 72 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No holes about it...this tool is amazing, December 1, 2001

By 

LHG (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Powermatic 1791263K Model 719A Hollow Chisel Mortiser (Tools & Home Improvement)

To be honest, this wasn't my first choice for a mortising machine. I had originally chosen the smaller benchtop versions but after a good 'test drive' at my local dealer I knew this was the one for me.

My first impression was that this machine is just too big for me and my shop, however, after trying the benchtop versions I realized that this Powermatic was just the size I needed. The key difference between the benchtop units and the Powermatic is Powermatic decided to make the table that holds the material mobile/adjustable. The idea is to clamp the piece of stock you wish to mortise in the vise and just turn the fluid handles that operate the moveable vise, thereby creating a very negotiable mortising procedure. You just move the appropriate handle to move the stock on an X or Y axis (never having to remove the stock from the vise) and mortise your holes where necessary. It is extremely fast and very smooth to operate, increasing production time and accuracy while never having to constantly move the piece by hand or adjust fences with the benchtop models.
I found the 1 h.p. motor to be tenacious with the hardest of material and the bits supplied with the unit were very sharp and have kept their edge even after repetitive uses in differing materials. The only thing I found to be a hinderance was the low height of the machine table. I found sitting in a folding chair while mortising was much more comfortable especially after standing for an hour bent over watching where I was plunging my mortising bit(I have since elevated the cabintet 12" to accomodate for my height).

Overall, I would recommend this unit to everyone, even the casual user because of the ease of set up, power of the machine, adjustable plunge arm, depth stop features, and simple use of this compared to the bench top units.

The price is a little tough to handle but after numerous jobs, I see that this Powermatic unit has saved me both time and set up costs due to its moveable mortising table.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A lot of Money for a great mortiser, November 7, 2003

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Powermatic 1791263K Model 719A Hollow Chisel Mortiser (Tools & Home Improvement)

This tool is very well designed, well built, heavy and expensive. After struggling for years with drill press attachments and being completely unmoved by the universally flimsy benchtop mortisers, I started looking for an EASY way out of a difficult problem - cutting mortises. I do not like to spend lots of money on single function tools (Ever count how many things you can do with a cheap router). Well a mortiser is a mortiser and that's all it will be. The problem I faced was, I constantly make mortise and tenon joints and find myself dreading the mortise. For me, mortises are the hard part of a mortise and tennon joint, and the ONLY EASY way to make them is with a GOOD mortiser.

As mentioned above, the powermatic mortiser is extremely well designed - full of adjustments, excellent ergonomics, lots of travel in the table and power head, inserts for multiple chisel diameters (accommodates all other brands), there are no flimsey parts, the best base (with integral storage) of any tool I've seen.

The fit and finish are tremendous as one expects when buying powermatic. The tool comes 98% complete and is aligned and ready to use right out of the box (after cleanup - the tool is completely coated in oil for rust protection). All sliding dovetailed ways have adjustable wear strips to ensure a tight fit for decades.

Over two hundred pounds is a bit much however mortisers are supposed to be designed to exert very large forces to thrust the knife into the workpiece so extra heft is welcome.

The tool is not cheap. In fact it is a beefed up drill press with some extra features and less functionality. As expensive as it is, it does a tremendous job. It cuts through woods effortlessly where drill press attachments have never inspired me with confidence. It can be setup up with workpiece and table stops to "mass produce" multiple identical parts - great for making legs for sets of chairs etc. 16 inches of table travel is phenominal - I used to use a cross sliding vice on my drill press with 6 inches of travel (and no hard stops).

The decision boiled down to this for me: Find an easier way to make mortises or use different joints. I do not have unlimited time to make furniture, but I want to build furniture with mortise and tennon joinery. Bench top mortisers and drill press attachments are perfect for RARE, OCCASIONAL use on SMALL mortises (no larger than 3/8"). The Powermatic 719A does for mortise and tennon joints what the biscuit jointer does for joining table top boards - fast, clean and reliable results.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I thought the Delta 14-651 Mortiser would do the job...oops!, July 8, 2004

By 

Bob Feeser "MillCrafters.com" (Springfield, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Powermatic 1791263K Model 719A Hollow Chisel Mortiser (Tools & Home Improvement)

Think of the engineering behind the task. You are taking a square chisel, and not slamming it into some wood with a mallet, but rather taking a long slow plunge. Plunging hardwoods like oak, cherry, maple etc. makes you think it is actually a near impossible task. It is helped because the bit in the center is drilling the core, making it easier for the chisel to scrape the walls down. This process is really a challenge for a drill press with a mortising attachment. Some say it could eventually waste a drill presses bearings. Ok so I stepped up to the plate and bought the Delta 16-541. It appeared to be the best out of the smaller dedicated mortisers, and it does do a nice job. That is as long as you are not doing mortises on anything larger than 4 inches. If your making doors, you need to convert the machine with a base spacer, which takes time, adjustment, and disables the adjuster on the fence. If you are an occasional Mortiser, that will suffice. The range of motion on the Delta is only a little over 3 inches. The 1/2hp motor is adequate, but the bit/motor jammed on me twice in a single project. I had to take the bit apart, clean, realign, and reinstall. I also had to be careful to manually keep the wood tight up against the fence. (No clamp)
All of this takes me to the fullest appreciation of the Powermatic and why I ordered the 719A. The fence has a large quick holding clamp, that assures you that your work is going to stay in a perfect line against the fence. The entire table moves left to right with a 16 inch range, and 4 1/2 inch range front to back by using the large wheels on the front. You simply crank with one hand, and plunge with the other. That is efficiency. If you are using a 1/2" bit, and want to make a 1" mortise, you can use the other wheel, move it back a half inch and finish the run. The Powermatic sports a 1 HP motor, twice that of the Delta, therefore it accepts bits up to 1 inch. So you can even make 1" mortises in a single pass. If you look at the very long plunge handle, you can see that it would be easy to create a lot of leverage.
I was concerned about the board capacity in size, so I called Powermatic. The rep measured the distance between the chuck, and the TOP of the fence, and it measured 9 inches. Add to that the 4 inch height of the fence, and you can see that this is a machine with a large capacity. It also has a plunge range of motion of 8 or 9 inches according to the rep. You can see that the Powermatic will handle most any size board. Using the large control wheel, moving the fence front to back, with a range of 4 1/2 inches, means you could put a mortise in the center of an 8" thick beam. Simply put, you don't need to disassemble anything for a full range of sizes. If you are doing repetitive runs, there is a built in adjustable stop on the right side. With a 282 pound shipping weight, you can put in a good size board, clamp it in, and not worry about it tilting onto the floor.
A last few considerations; It is shipped in two boxes, and one of them is 240 pounds. So my advice is to pay the twenty five dollars extra (current rate) for lift gate service. That way you don't have someone waiting in the truck while you offload the crate from a high bed truck. If you are unloading alone, your back is worth more than that.
The only downside is that the purchase does not include any chisel and bit sets. They are extra. Although I can see why Powermatic would do it that way, considering that Deltas bits, and several others fit the machine as well. That way you can get it for a more competitive price, and add the chisels only as you need them. I asked if the Delta chisels were as good as the Powermatics, and the rep professionally did not make an assertion, but I got from the tone of his voice that they were not. In all fairness Delta has two levels of chisels, at two different price points. Their professional bits are highly rated.
This Powermatic is a great commercial/industrial grade piece of equipment, that should give you a lifetime of service. The efficiency created with the unit will more than pay for itself. A foot activated automatic Mortiser is even more efficient, but you can only justify that level of price tag if you are mortising all day for a living. This Powermatic 719A fills the bill perfectly for a wood working professional, and the serious enthusiast. Highly recommended.