# Harbor freight(cental machine) Mortiser



## Mlong (Feb 8, 2009)

I've always wanted a mortising machine but being on a limited budget I wanted to ask if any of you have ever used/owned this tool. I don't plan on using it to mass produce but want something a little faster than chiseling. I'm sure the quality is not that of Powermatic/Jet/Delta but if it works maybe even with a little modification could it be useful?
Thanks


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## PurpLev (May 30, 2008)

I've never bought a HF product, but from what I heard - if it has any moving parts (and a motor most definitely) it's prob. not worth getting from HF for reason of poor quality.

Even tools that I do not use on a daily basis, I still want them to operate/function properly, and not have to waste my time fiddling with them, sending them back for replacement, getting them fixed….

just my $0.02


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## craftsman on the lake (Dec 27, 2008)

I've got a second bandsaw that seems to work but not for fussy stuff. I ordered three 4" grinders (I'm also a welder) for a very low price. I burned each one out 20 minutes each one after the other in one afternoon.

They make cheap stuff but if it's a hammer it will hit. If it's got moving parts it will probably break. From what I understand, anyone who has all but a good mortiser are very frustrated. I don't own one myself.


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## northwoodsman (Feb 22, 2008)

Woodcraft has the Steel City on sale still for $269.99. The reviews that I have seen rate it as one of the top benchtop models if not the top one. I would spend the extra $110 and go for the best rather than gamble. I believe it comes with chisels as well. PurpLev hit the nail on the head.


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## gbvinc (Aug 6, 2007)

I have used one from HF for a few years . While it works & I have done quite a bit with it, I would advise you to save your pennies for another month and purchase a higher quality tool with a better fence, etc. The dollar difference between a HF mortiser and a better quality one is not that great in the larger scheme of things. It is kind of like guitars… a cheap one still plays, but a decent one is so much sweeter to play!

I just haven't gotten around to upgrading from this tool yet, but I will.


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## oldwoodman (Feb 4, 2009)

I would not buy any tools from Harbor Freight. Let me share an anecdote.

Three years ago my son and I helped a friend put a new roof on his house. (We were getting paid.) My friend told us where to go to work, my son and I set up our air compressor, hooked up our Senco staplers and went to work.

As I was roofing one side of his garage I could hear my friend working on the other side. He would fasten a shingle or two, and then I would hear a lot of pounding. This went on for a while. Finally, my curiosity got the better of me. I walked up to the ridge and watched what he was doing. He was using a Harbor Freight coil nailer, and had to hammer down about half of the nails because they were not going in all the way or were going in crooked. I had brought an extra Senco stapler, had plenty of staples and told him to use my stapler. He would get a lot more work done if he did. He said he would give it a try.

After getting him set up I went back to work on my side of the garage roof. The pounding ceased. All I heard were the ususal sounds of fastening shingles to the roof deck. After a while I went back up to the ridge and inquired how he liked the tool. All he could say was, "Wow." He could hardly believe how much better a good tool worked. He was working twice as fast as before.

A good tool pays for itself in very short order and will last for years, if not for a lifetime, if properly taken care of.


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## boyneskibum (Nov 24, 2008)

Thanks to craigslist, I just off loaded my harbor freight mortiser. Stick with the chisels, incorporate your router, buy a quality mortiser, any of those options will save you the headache of being stuck with the HF mortiser. The tool is poorly built, the handles are a pain to use (several bloodied knuckles), the fence and the chisel are NEVER square (that's a bad thing when you are anal retentive like me), and you'll wreck more then you'll produce.

*Oldwoodman, I had a HF brad nailer that never seemed to work quite right, same problem as with your friends coil nailer, I bought a Senco and have never looked back!


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## brianinpa (Mar 16, 2008)

You get what you pay for. I won't ever buy a power tool from HF, but some of their non-precision hand tools are great for the price you pay.


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## Mlong (Feb 8, 2009)

Thanks,
Just what I was looking for. Honest opinions. I had never bought any electric power from the HF but did buy a coil roofing nailer to help me put down 35 sq of shingles and never had any problem with it. I'll save for a better quality.


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## rtb (Mar 26, 2008)

I buy a bit of stuff from HF but never power tools. I do but nails for my nailers though and haven't had a problem yet, of course that doesn't include the framer or roofing nailer. In the quantities that they are sold in I'm not about to take a chance. Use use up and throwaway after use items they are pretty good but if you find an item that is an unbelivable bargain stay away.


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## Blake (Oct 17, 2007)

Just hold out until a used one comes along. It is well worth it if you are building furniture, even a small bench-top model is a nice luxury. I have a small benchtop delta and I love it even though it only gets occasional use. The HF model is not worth it.


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## lcurrent (Dec 15, 2007)

Harbour Freight I bought a 23 guage nailer 19.95 beats 300.00 for a name brand 
and i use it for all kinds of tacking moulding etc. i can buy 15 an still be ok

23 Gauge Air Pin Nailer 94708-0VGA oops Now 24.99


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## 8iowa (Feb 7, 2008)

Last year I purchased a lot of tools from a local widow. There was a Harbour Freight Mortiser there that had never been used. After looking it over carefully, I was glad to leave it behind, even though I could have had it cheap.


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## kwhit190211 (Feb 13, 2008)

I have been a buyer of HF hand tools for years, ( non powered). I was always leary at first, but I was proved wrong after I tried them for a bit. It depends on what you buy there, you have to check it out. 
I recently wanted to get a porta band, so I got the one from HF. I bought it then took it home to check it out. It all depended on one thing for me. What was the wheels & tires made out of. I looked & took it back, plastic on both counts. 
I did buy a couple of welders from them, they were both ok & I have had no troubles from them yet. I have a sawdust vac from them that has been in steady use for over 10 years, now. It's like every thing else that you buy, you just have to check it out, good. 
So you all know, I buy other brands as well, I don't put my eggs all in one basket, is the saying. And, HF is only a small part of my huge collection of tools that I have been collecting for over 47 years. I'm 61 now.


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## jeh412 (Feb 27, 2009)

I've never heard anything good about HF's mortiser. I do have a lot of HF screwdrivers and some assorted other hand tools. Those have been good. I've had a HF dust collector for several years and like it a lot. I replaced the cloth bags with a large cartridge filter and heavy plastic bags.


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

I'm with jeh412 about the DC. I got mine in a deal with my TS. Replaced the bags (nets) with those from Highland Woodworking. Never looked back. Quiet sucker, and sure made a difference with the good bags.
Bill


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## 33706 (Mar 5, 2008)

Why not buy the Delta mortising attachment for your drill press? Bound to be cheaper than any mortiser on the market, unless you need a dedicated machine.


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## skydog (Jun 22, 2008)

I have the very same machine - given to me after one use. It's not even worth free…


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## varnerrants (Jan 15, 2016)

Posting on a long-dead thread...

Long ago (10+ years?) I thought 'I'm doing a massive project with 172 mortises, I need a machine!' and was on a very tight budget. I figured 'how bad could it be?' I was making 3 twin beds, of my own design, and it still stands as my most-ambitious, and finest project to this day.

I purchased the HF mortiser, and it became a project to make it functional enough to be able to complete the aforementioned project. It's a terrible product. The fence isn't worth it's weight in scrap. The issues people have mentioned with getting the chisel perpendicular to the table, the bad handles, the knobs, the cheap chisels & drills, all of these are things I've dealt with.

IF you ever buy one of these machines, go into it expecting this:

You will need to make your own table & fence. You will need to make the table adjustable or take your time shimming it into square with the chisel. Once you do this, the machine will suddenly become quite useable. You will need to produce your own hold-down system. I found one online that uses in-line skate wheels as the bearing and clamp, and it's _amazing_. My table has t-slots. my fence has a t-slot for stop blocks.

You will need to buy new chisels. You will break the drills in the stock 5/16" one within minutes of trying it out. A high-quality chisel in this low-quality machine can still do magic.

I just pulled my mortiser out last night, first time in nearly 10 years. and within minutes of getting it out, I had it setup and was cutting properly. This was only possible because of the hours of time I put into making the machine workable in the past. If I was going to get a mortiser now, I'd save my drink money for a few months and get a better model.

As it is, I've got the damn thing working, so it stays.


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

First mistake? Mention the name..Harbor Freight...and you WILL see ALL of the Haters come out...

Next time I go in there, I'll take a look and see IF they still sell one...

BTW: Have had and USED their 5 speed bench top Drill Press for over the last 10 years....just used it this morning with a Veritas 3/8" Tapered Plug cutter...still no complaints, other than having to replace the old OEM belt a few years ago..

Yes, you can get what you pay for...and laugh all the way to the bank..while the Haters are "crying"...LOL


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## Knockonit (Nov 5, 2017)

lol, chinese store nay sayers, all things have issues, a lot come from HF, but can say i've had one of the mortisers for a dozen or more years, and yeah it took some fiddling to get it to do what i wanted, your mileage may differ, but it works for, me, new fence, needed one bigger to hold down on the return of the plunge, while its not a ''big name';' unit, i didn't pay big name price and since it sets 95% of the time, i'm willing to talk in tongues before i get it to function as i need. 
and yeah, i have some festools too, so not a tool snob or cheap guy, buy what i need and make it work or move it out. 
good luck with what ever one purchases, many times i've discovered its operator error and those that don't understnad want to blame tool. okay give it to me, 
rj in az


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## OzarkJim (8 mo ago)

Harbor Freight does have its place. Something like an Anvil without moving parts is usually ok. Tools that you will likely only use once on a light duty project are most likely ok. But anything that you will either use often or need something that is for heavy duty use probably not. 

And things like rubber gloves and such MIGHT be ok and worth trying (IE: cheap so if they don't work out not much lost). 

I did buy a wet tile saw once for a one time use in a bathroom remodel. It was cheap plastic but did the job and saved me several hundred compared to having someone else do the job for me! 

On the other hand I bought a socket wrench once from them and it had PLASTIC gears inside of it!!!!!! Didn't last long on tough bolts!!!

Basically, it is hit or miss at HF and you just have to make a judgement call.


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

Last 2 CRAFTSMAN 1/2" ratchets I have had....had Nylon gears inside....BFD.

A few years back, when I was building the front porch deck, and needed a hammer drill....went to H-F and bought their "Warrior" brand hammer drill. Not only did it help build that porch deck, it also build the back porch's entry steps and gate....then My Grandson was change over his huge back patio into a "Man Cave" ...by adding the 3 outer walls underneath the patio roof....He "borrowed" that hammer drill as well.....drilled the anchor bolt holes for the walls. All of them. Drill is still going strong....

I'll wave on my way to the bank at all the H-F Haters...while trying to keep a straight face.....LOL

BTW: Do NOT buy their Blue sanding belts, ever.....all they seem to do is shred...Buy the red ones.


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## bruc101 (Sep 13, 2008)

Back in the early 90's when HF stores seemed to be no where around and had to order from California. I bought one of their 42 inch lathes for less than cheap. That lathe has turned 100's of table legs, spindles and island legs and still going strong and I still use it sometimes. All I ever did to the lathe was put a new belt and switch on it.

About 5 years ago I bought one of their 36 inch lathes and had to return it due to the fan on the motor coming apart. HF replaced it with no questions asked. It too has turned several hundred table legs and is still working like new.

I bought one of their 12 sliding compound miter saws. Did some fine tuning to it and it cut as good as my Dewalt and Ryobi saws. The fence broke on it after the warranty was out on it. I called them and they said bring it back and they would work out something with me. Took it back, they looked at it and said we'll give you a new one if you purchased a 2 year warranty, $49.00. No hesitation on my part. Did some tuning on it and it's still my go to miter saw.


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