Customer Reviews

Powermatic 1791263K Model 719A Hollow Chisel Mortiser

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

This is one piece of serious, well-engineered machinery.
It is packaged in two separate boxes. The lower cabinet portion is in one box and entire mortise/table assembly is in another. You will need some help unloading the upper portion because it is quite heavy. The cabinet is well constructed and provides valuable storage space.

Now, for the assembly.
Note: Most likely, you will NOT need assembly instructions.
The assembly take about 20 minutes and consists of the following:
1) Attach the mortise machine to the cabinet (4 bolts, 1 per corner. (Less than 10 minutes)
2) Attach Operating handle. It screws on. (less than 3 minutes)
3) Attach wheel handles to the table adjustment hand-wheels. They screw on. (3 minutes)
4) Attach the quick-release hold-down vise to the table. 2 cap screws/3 minutes.
5) Attach the sacrificial pressed fiberboard to the table. (2 screws/2 minutes.
Everything fit perfectly. I spent more time putting the HTC mobile base together that putting this together.

Observations:
1) The Table movement and adjustment is very smooth.
2) They don't tell you anywhere, but the operating handle is attached with a spline drive that is held in place with a spring assembly that allows very-quick/no-tool-required adjustments of the operating handle. This is very convenient.
3) The hold down clamp is fantastic. It operates with a quick release much like the woodworkers quick-release table vises. You can slide the clamp into contact with the material. Then as you begin cranking the handle to constrain the material, the threads engage and your material is very securely held in place. Turn the handle about 1/3 turn and it releases the material and enables you to pull the clamp out of the way without engaging the threads. (This is typically the weakest portion of the portable mortise machines. This one is outstanding)
4) All the Stops (table stops, depth stops, work stop) are very intuitive and easy to use.
5) The bits are very good and very sharp. I can not comment on the long-term durability. However, with a little care and occasional sharpening, they should provide a long service life.
6) The 1 HP motor is very smooth and powerful.

I'm a hobbyist woodworker who started with the drill press attachment. (I regret that purchase) Then I moved up to a JET table top mortise machine. (Muuuuch better, however, I never was satisfied with the hold down ability, and I really wanted to be able to do larger mortises.) I bought this machine and it's SOLID.
I give it additional 5 BONUS STARS for elegant simplicity and effective functionality.
If your thinking about buying one of these just do it, you won't regret it. If I needed another one of these, I would buy it and never think about anything less.

I purchased this machine about six months ago and now feel qualified to comment, based upon use. The machine is all that it appears to be. I have used it to hollow out mortises on about 16 table legs with absolutely no complaints. If I could improve any one feature, it would be to add more spring in the pull down bar, but it does function properly as is. I also purchased the 3/8" mortising chisel/bit and have not had any problems with it either. The machine has plenty of power, but if your not patient, you probably could fracture the chisel.

I thought I could get away with cutting 3/8 inch mortises with a 12 inch drill press + attachment. Forget it!! You can barely make a dent in the Brazilian cherry-wood I was trying to mortise. The attachment slipped off the drill press!! And I tightened it all i could!!

If you have any inkling of trying the same, don't! Spend the money now and save yourself the heartache later. The Powermatic is the ultimate in mortising machinery. And I do mean machinery. It is rock solid, large (but a perfect fit in any workshop), and looks like it will last a lifetime. It cuts through the densest of hardwoods like a hot knife through butter. No stalling, no burning, no binding. Ever. The table top adjustment mechanisms on this machine are excellent. You never have to remove the clamped stock from the table. Precision is guranteed. Powermatic, you have done an excellent job in creating this fine piece of machinery. Believe me. Buy this machine if you need to do reliable, repetitive mortising in dense hardwoods. Nothing else will do. Ive tried the rest, and Powermatic is by far the BEST!

This machine cuts straight mortises very well. However, if you are like most woodworkers you will have to cut angled mortises eventually. This machine will not do it.
So, now when I have to cut an angled mortise I have to make a Jig for it. A royal pain..
I wish I'd spent some more time researching. I probably would have bought a machine that does angled mortises as well.

I unpacked my Powermatic Mortiser and had it up and running in about half an hour. My former tool was a bargain basement type mortiser. Not bad, but hard to set up and get consistent results. I heard the stories about drill press adapters and decided not to go there even though Jet had supplied one with my drill press as a freebie. It's still in the box. Here are three things I would recommend Powermatic attend to.

1. A threaded rod with nuts on the left/right table would make setting the length of the mortise easier and more accurate. I used this scheme on my homemade version.

2. Larger threads on the set screws for the stops would be some added insurance over the long haul.

3. I use a dial indicator to set up some of my machines. I can "dial in" a setting with less fuss and more accuracy. For the heck of it, I put the dial indicator on the bed of the Powermatic mortiser. Over the length of the left/right travel, it had about 0.015" inches run-out. That means for a two-inch mortise there would be less than 0.002" error over its length. For machine tools, 0.015" would be unacceptable. I was surprised to see that much in an x-y table. For woodworking, I wouldn't worry about it. I mention it only to let the Powermatic boys know we're watching you.

Outside of my nit picking, this is one solid, well-made tool. Considering how rapidly and accurately it turns out work, it will be quite a money saver in the long run.

21-Apr-2005
After a few dozen mortises the position of the mortise starts to wander. The dial indicator showed quite a bit of slop in the vertical gibs. A few minutes of adjusting and a shot of aerosol grease and all is well. I check it from time to time but have yet to adjust it again. The bar that holds the left/right stops needed a bit of tightening at the ends. The stops themselves hold pretty well if you're careful not to whack them too hard when you move the bed. I found some parts in my junk box to make a stop for forward/backward motion. This improves the accuracy when making mortises that are wider than the hollow chisel. This might be a good thing to add to future versions.

Consistent light pressure on the clamp works best. Over tightening causes the location of the clamp to wander a bit and the flexture in the workpiece can affect accuracy. A more robust attachment for the clamp would be a good improvement.

Helpful tip: For mortises that show, i.e., not covered by a shoulder or have the tenon protruding from the mortise, score the cross grain edge of the mortise before using the Mortiser. Removing the drill from the hollow chisel and setting up your stops makes the Mortiser into a layout tool for the exact locations of the mortise. Make a shallow mark at either end of the stops. Connect the dots with a knife or chisel to eliminate crushed fibers at ends of the mortise. On through mortises start from the "show" side. Stop short of having the hollow chisel go all the way through. Only let the drill break through the back surface and trim with a chisel. A backup piece will not prevent the chisel from tearing out with brittle woods like oak. Flipping the workpiece and cutting from the reverse side often results in a bent mortise. Better to cut deep from the one direction and trim.

Another helpful tip: One of the complaints about hollow chisel mortisers is how the drill sometimes makes a hole wider than the hollow chisel. This leaves an unsightly circular bite along the edge of the mortise. A simple solution to this is to CAREFULLY file the circumference of the business end of the drill until it is smaller than the width of the hollow chisel. Mount the drill on blocks and check with a dial indicator to keep the filing concentric. The slightly smaller drill removes less material, but the difference in force necessary to push the hollow chisel is insignificant. If the drill is slightly out of round, not to worry. It's the hollow chisel that makes the final cut.

A huge and heavy piece of well made machinery. I upgraded from the Delta which was very serviceable. That said, there is absolutley no comparison. My next Morris Chair will be a breeze!

Simple to assemble with virtually no tweeking needed. Can't really comment on the quality of the assembly instructions as I did not need them.

No regrets even though this is only a hobby for me and not a job. Great tool.

A lot of praise has been heaped on this machine in previous reviews, so I will stick to my personal experience and try not to duplicate other views already stated.

I run joinery shop and needed a machine that could work all day everyday if required. I was initially in the market for a large chain/chisel machine, but didn't have enough 00000's after the numbers in my bank account. I was advised by a credible source that this machine would suit my requirements, and this has been the case. It does the work asked of it with ease, and it is quiet. I have so many machines that are noisy beasts, It is a welcome change to work in relative peace for once.

The Powermatic has already paid for itself in the last two jobs, having done over 300 mortises.

In spite of this, I do think that the machine could be improved in a couple of very minor ways:

1. The length stops are locked using small grub screws with a thin sheet metal strip for purchase, which is way too flimsy. A more substantial handle on the screws would be good, and also access to these screws is a little restricted.

2. The magnetic controls are mounted on the RHS of the base, which is too low for convenient use, and is tricky to get to in emergency, because my right hand is occupied on the pull handle. I have retro-fitted mine, so that the buttons are now mounted high, and on the lhs, so the I can easily turn the machine off, while still holding on to the lowering arm. Some will say that the switch is mounted where it is so that it can be knee bumped, but I am very tall, and I cannot do this easily.

That's it for the downsides, and they really aren't big issues.

I am a fairly harsh critic when it comes to machinery, so I have given the machine 4 stars, because it is not perfect, but I have yet to use any machine that I couldn't improve with a little bit of thought.

All up, I am very happy with the machine, and given the choice again, I would definitely go with the Powermatic.