Powermatic Benchtop Mortiser, Model PM701

Hey Don
Good review

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon

Good review alright. Too bad i don’t have rom for one. Guess I’ll stick to my chisels.

-- Debt is nothing more than the 21st Century's form of slavery.

You purchased a great deal and a great mortiser. I have the same mortiser and paid $375 for it about a year ago and did not get a stand or mortising bits. in as few words as possible I can say that i really do like my Powermatic mortiser. Previously I had a Delta mortiser and it also was shipped to me broken. It was am OK machine but not nearly the quality of the Powermatic.

-- Each and Every step of any project should be considered your masterpiece if you want the finished product to reflect the quality of your work. Greg Little

I have used this mortiser before and it was sweet

-- kosta brownsville brooklyn my home

Don, this is a nice review and it sounds as if you have a quality tool to work with. I have always enjoyed hearing customer service stories like this.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

Hi Don

Thank you for a great review. This is the mortiser I was planning on buying. I am going to bolt the machine down and adjusting the fence does not bother me. I think the pluses out way the minuses. You got a great deal and it is nice to hear that Woodcraft has good customer service.

God Bless
tom

-- Mc Bridge Cabinets, Iowa

Great review don – thank you! I was waiting for this one.

I am curious why none of the mortiser machines come with a self centering gauge/marking that will help you position/align the part for precise center mortising… not like such rulers are not available.

-- When in doubt - There is no doubt - Go the safer route.

And I’m assuming you’re changing or have changed the handle already…

-- "That which has in itself the greatest use, possesses the greatest beauty." - Unknown Shaker

Don,
Two things:
1. When I was researching this machine some time ago, I read a review that explained you can put the handle in about 10 different positions. I would expect with that kind of flexibility, all bases would be covered.
2. Reviews usually run the gamut. For a good to excellent tool there are usually many positive reviews, some in the middle and maybe one or two negative. I saw one such negative review at Amazon.com and just want to bring it to your attention in the event there is any credence to it. The reviewer mentions a critical gear tooth in the mechanism that he found to be of inferior/insuffiicent strength when it comes to mortising harder woods. You might just want to check it out to assess your own machine. Good luck Buddy!
Amazon

-- And on the eighth day God was back in His woodworking shop!

Thanks Lenny, So far this machine has plenty of power, and seems to go through hard wood very easy with out having to bare down on the handle. I would think any machine would have a problem if it is pushed hard through hard wood. I was mortising out some red oak with a 1/2 inch bit and it did fine as long as I eased it into it

As far as the handle….it has 100’s of different positions you can set it at…and left or right. But the way the handle is shaped now it still “Hugs” the machine very tight. If you put the handle straight up and down (Left or right side) like most machines are….it hits the base about two inches before it bottoms out. For now since it is a base/stand….I will just leave the handle toward the back. Once the warranty runs out…or if it gets to be to big of a problem…I will heat up the handle with my torches and bend it the way I want it.

Granted ninety percent of all your mortising jobs will be taller than two inches…but for those few times you are mortising a thin piece or boring all the way through for a through joint…it will not work.

After I did my review I went back and read the directions again to see if I missed something…and I found that they recommend using “Extra long” Bits and not standard bits…and if you do use the standard bits…they give you a chuck extension. But the extension is only 1/2 long…so you still have the same problem.

-- Don S.E. OK

One more thing…Do not get me wrong, if any of you think I do not like the machine…I really do like it so far and would highly recommend it to anyone. But I also wanted to do a “Fair” review for those who might be thinking of buying this machine…and point out the few things about it I did not like or may be a problem for some.

No machine is perfect…and all have their little “Quirks” that we may find annoying. This machine has tons more power than my Steel City and goes down through hard wood much easier….But I did like the handle on the old S/C better and the fence was tighter when I was adjusting it.

I also read a negative review about how the hydraulic ram that helps hold up the machine and keeps it from dropping into your work gave out after a couple of years…and he said Powermatic would not stand behind it (Duh…after two years ??) They told him that the ram was not intended to hold up the weight like that and that he should have used the depth stop to lock the head in the up position. FYI…this is not in the directions so if you do buy the machine I would recomend this…of course common sense would say the same thing.

-- Don S.E. OK

Don, excellent, in depth review, thanks for taking the time to share your findings with us.
Congrats on such a fine tool and for your good cs with Woodcraft.

-- "You get what you inspect, not what you expect"

”he should have used the depth stop to lock the head in the up position.” If they knew that , then it should have been in the Operators manual and not left up to “common sense” as we all know that ”common sense isn’t very common”-Mark Twain

-- You know you're getting old when you know the difference between you're (you are) and your (belonging to you) AND how to use them in a sentence .

Enjoy you luck DOG you deserve it!!!!!!!!!!!Blkcherry

LOL…thanks blackcherry.

-- Don S.E. OK

hey don,
that is funny. Woodcraft is really good about fixing mistakes. I paid $300 for my steel city 1 1/2 hp dc. after the 2 months of waiting they gave me the jds (priced at 370) as an even trade.

the owner almost gave me a 1 1/2 hp jet with a canister. I didn’t want to take it. the jet was $400 more expensive. The woodcraft in buffalo just opened. I want them to do well, so they stay here.

I actually wanted the jds system in the first place. however, the steel city went on sale, and I went with the steel city- mainly to save $70. So it worked out better than I planed.

All the employees know me as the “dust collector guy”. LOL. I joke with them if they are going to change my name on the mailing flyer to “the dust collector guy”. I like going to woodcraft more than rockler now. the service is great at both places….. but i’m just a mile away from woodcraft…... really convienent when I’m in the middle of building and realize I need something.

-- Sean Buffalo, New York