After working in the Valley for a couple of weeks, I decided to spend some of my harder than I thought earned money to get a mortising machine. I settled on the DELTA 14-651 because of its Amazon reviews and price point ($289). I would’ve loved to get the Powermatic, but that would’ve taken another year to justify ($480).
I rationalized that with all of the mortises that I’ll need for the dining room table, that this additional expense will pay itself off on this one project when you figure all of the time I’ll save not dulling my Narex chisels. It was a lot heavier than I expected. I used to have a cheap Chicago mortiser, but it wouldn’t cut butter. It was rather late in the evening when I started assembly, so I was a little tired and the directions were just unclear enough to confuse me for a bit. I got it all put together and working and cut a nice little mortise in a piece of scrap walnut. Other than the fence and bit weren’t square to each other, it worked pretty well. Once I get up and running with it, I’ll post a more thorough review in the proper location.
I’ve been waiting a long time to get a mortising machine, but with the potential for a lot of pegged picture frames and the table w/ six chairs coming down the pike, I thought it made sense. Luckily, I have a microwave stand out in the garage that I will be able to attach it to as a dedicated station.
Wish me luck!
-- You can't control the wind, but you can trim your sails
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