# Great Mortiser - Wow, makes square holes!



## ellen35

Excellent review! Thank you for being so thorough and complete.


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## alba

Great Review.


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## JerryBerry

Very nice review. I appreciate it!


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## b2rtch

Thank you for this excellent review


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## tburks

Thanks to all for the comments. Deke, my workshop is actually a 2 car garage where I park 2 vehicles every night so all my tools have to be stowed away and portable. The base you see the mortiser on is actually a Husky X Horse folding saw horse. I bought this about a year ago and have been greatly pleased. It folds flat and stores easily. It claims to support up to 750 lbs but I've probably never put more than about a 100 lbs on it and it is incredibly stable. I should probably do a separate review on this item as I love it and will probably buy a 2nd. It's been used as a temporary stand for my planer, CMS, benchtop drill press, and ridgid belt/spindle sander at times. They cost $29. at Home Depot and are worth every penny.


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## TThomas

thanks for the review…I have been looking at getting one and your review may have me look at the craftsman….thank again.


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## Florida_Jim

I've had this mortiser for a few years now. Your review was great.


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## teejk

terry it sounds like the Craftsman is very similar on all counts to the Delta (no surprise there since I think they all come from the same factory). If you find yourself using it a lot (and I think you will), I would suggest a bigger bench that would allow you to clamp pieces of scrap 2×4s ripped to the exact height of the mortiser's table but placed a foot or more away on each side. I have found that with only two hands, supporting the workpiece on that little table while operating the handle is frustrating. so the "props" make it much easier.


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## TechRedneck

I've had this machine for about two years. Don't use it a lot but it is there when I need it, did not cost a lot, works every time and the chisels are still sharp. I use a lot of oak.

I agree that Craftsman is not always top of the line, however don't dismiss a tool like this that is solid, works great yet costs less (when you get them on sale). I would have to drive a couple hours to get to the nearest WoodCraft store. Delivery charges for larger and heaver machines are expensive and you have to be there waiting for delivery. With Sears, you can order on line and pick it up on your time schedule.

When I stopped at WoodCraft I had a look at the others and to be honest… The Craftsman is just as good or better and costs less.

Let's face it, most of us are weekend woodworkers. We would all love to get the best machines and tools that money can buy, however sometimes we have to do a cost/benefit analysis. Some Sears tools are just crap and some are fairly solid and reliable. Most of the larger machines will work great with a little time and effort to tune them up properly. I have a Craftsman table saw and jointer and replaced the stock belts with link belts and swapped out the stock blades with better ones. When the chisels can no longer be sharpened on the mortiser, I'll replace them with top of the line ones.


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## Wilt191

Really great reviews. Thank you for the time and effort in giving us some really good information.


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## tburks

TechRedneck, I couldn't agree more. The Craftsman tools I have chosen carefully have proven to be dependable and very functional tools. Other times I have totally passed on Craftsman options because they were obviously not up to my standards. I have a mix of brands in my shop and I have not found a single brand where I would be happy to choose all of my tools from their line. That's why research is so important. I consider user reviews to be my best resource when evaluating a tool purchase. Again thanks for all of your feedback.


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