Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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50 of 51 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Head and shoulders above the other bench top mortisers!!!, April 15, 2006
I can not rave enough about Amazon's service or the Powermatic 701 Mortising Machine.
I ordered this machine on March 15 and the web site reflected a new product that was on backorder.
Amazon's web site also told me the machine would be shipped and delivered between April 20 and May 8th. It arrived on the 14th of April in excellent condition.
The price with one of Amazon's special sale days, the supersavor shipping, and no sales tax made this machine very very competitive with the $200-$300 priced machines.
Six stars for Amazon.com!!!
This is one massive bench top machine. I use to own a Jet, which was a nice servicable little machine for the price, but it was very basic with a very basic table made of MDF.
I debated between the higher end Delta, the General Tilting Table Mortiser, and the Powermatic 701. I went with the Powermatic as I do not make slat back chairs and therefore did not need to have the tilting feature.
The Powermatic 701, while not made in the USA, is made in Taiwan. The workmanship is very good. The motor runs smoothly and the guides for raising the head and moving the table operate smoothly.
Speaking of the motor, it is 3/4 horsepower compared to the 1/2 horsepower that powers the others.
This machine did not bog down in any wood I have been able to test since receiving it.
The spacer fitting for the chisel and auger is a nice touch as is the round tool rest attached to the back of the machine for your other chisels. It comes with a polishing hone already attached, too!
It does require a metric hex wrench and 10mm metric wrench(and it would be nice if Powermatic would provide them with the machine)but most do-it-your-selfers usually have a set of metric and imperial wrenches, anyway.
If there is a nit to pick, the paint finish was so-so. It does not matter to me as I bought the machine to make mortises, and this machine does that with a vengence!
I also like the ability to open the one piece cowl all the way in order to install the chisel and auger. Much more access area than the General or the Delta. The Powermatic uses a magnet to hold the cowl closed. The cowl opens like the hood on a Corvette; You have lots of room to access the chuck and make your adjustments.
Runout on the chuck was almost non-existent, exceeding anything needed for wordworking.
The machine has a solid feel and does not move due to its almost 90+ pounds of cast Iron and steel.
The handle is reversible to the left side of the machine for southpaws.
The fence hold-down is reversible for larger boards.
The table rollers are a great addition which allows you to keep the board firmly against the fence, but immediately move it right or left to keep cutting your mortise.
(Rockler sells a similar MDF setup for the Jet Mortiser, but it is not as nice nor is it cheap!)
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29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Exceeded Expectations, July 13, 2006
I ordered the PM701 after reading several tool reviews. I was starting a project that requires a lot of mortising and I didn't look forward to digging them out by hand, so I decided to invest in a benchtop mortiser and based on the reviews I decided to spend the extra dollars for the Powermatic. I was not disappointed! The machine arrived on time and setup was easy because the directions were straight forward. I had a set of chisels/bits from a Delta mortising jig (for use on a drill press) and I also had the 3mm and 10mm hex head wrenches that are required for setup. I knew that I needed them from reading other evals on Amazon.com. I set off on my mortising adventure and upon completion of all that drilling I was apprehensive if the tenons were going to fit. I couldn't have been more pleased. Every one of the 12 mortises accepted the tenons with a snug, but not too tight fit. There were single row 1/2 inch wide mortises and double row 1/2 inch wide mortises(used to make 1 inch wide mortises). They all fit perfectly which attests to the accuracy of the machine's setup and ease of use, as this was a first time use by an intermediate skilled woodworker. I made the tenon's using my router and a home made jig that I use for dadoes.
I think I will eventually invest in a set of Powermatic mortising bits as they are larger, but the PM701 directions tell you how to use the smaller chisels/bits and they worked fine. I believe I made the right choice in selecting the PM701 and I actually look forward to another mortising project with the confidence that I have a machine that can do the job.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Does what it's suppose to do, February 4, 2007
I bought this machine after trying out a full floor standing model and was a little apprehensive.
But this benchtop machine has been fantastic. Alot of machine just to drill square holes...............
It came well packaged. I did note one side of the plastic tool rest was chipped off. Not a big deal for me.
Takes about 5 minutes to get set up out of the box. I bought the Lee Valley chisel and bit set (which I highly recommend). Squaring the chisel to the fence takes about 5 seconds. The fence was machined nearly perfect.
Next, this is the part that potential buyers will need to note. The hold down on this machine (as opposed to the Jet, Delta, Fisch, Griz etc) has the horizontal wheeled support. This support holds the workpiece securely against the fence and allows you to easily push the wood to the right or left without worrying about getting "out of square". For me, that's worth the extra cost. Of course, if you were planning on buying a mortiser and getting an after-market X-Y vise, the horizontal supports will not matter. I submit, you don't need an aftermarket device as the hold-downs on this machine work great.
My machine (with the Lee Valley Chisels) worked perfect right out of the box. The mortises were clean and easy to cut.
I gave it 5 stars. It easily drills square holes, like it's designed to.
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