14-651 1/2" Mortiser, Gray

First off, I'd like to address the negative reviews of this machine. I wish people would review the tools and not the delivery service or the retailer.Now, about the 14-651. This a beast of a machine. It's heavy, it's got a strong motor and it can drill a lot of square holes. That's what a mortiser is supposed to do, right?Most of this tool is metal. The base is cast iron, unlike some that are part metal, part chipboard etc. As some other reviewers have commented, some of the locking levers are plastic. If you feel the need to go He-man on them, I imagine they might break. But you really don't need to crank them down that much. The important lever (the holddown lever) is metal. The drill bits come packaged individually with plastic caps to protect the tips. They look decently made and come pretty sharp. I'm sure that like most edge tools, a honing would help them perform at their best. But they cut fine out of the box.This is an easy tool to set up. You have to attach the hand lever, the tool holder and degrease the cast iron parts. You don't really need to align anything until you make your cuts. Even though the directions "recommend" bolting the mortiser down, it should be mandatory.Why did it get five stars? Well, all the important parts are metal. It's got a great motor that spins at a reasonable rpm (1725 not 3450 like some of them). It's priced very competively and has a long warranty. Its design isn't lacking anything. Combine that w/ Amazon's free shipping and it's a stellar deal. My home was only 2 shipping days away from the depot so it didn't get a lot of handling. I'm sure that with a longer trip, say five days or more, I can see where the risk of damage might increase. But, if you review this mortiser, please review the tool, not the shipper.

My machine arrived yesterday and everything is as advertised. The machine arrived in good condition and was easy to assemble. Then instructions are a bit sparse but the photographs and text are clear and concise. This unit has plenty of power for mortising oak and maple. The material hold down post was loose, but tightened up with the same hex key that is used to tighten the chisel portion of the bit. The chuck key has the hex wrench built in, and the tool holder has a spot for the chuck key and all the included bits, as well as a few spare slots for the next two bits you purchase. The included bits are sharp. The oversize base is stable and can be mounted to a bench through two holes. This is the biggest base I saw on a bench top mortiser. The 1725 RPM, ½ hp motor is another reason I purchase this unit. The low speed keeps the bit from burning in hardwood.There are really only two slight negatives to this machine. The bit holder holds the bits sharp side up, which can be a hazard when reaching in that vicinity of the machine. I'll probably keep my bits in a drawer where they won't fall out when I move the machine from the shelf to the bench. The instructions don't contain much in the way of tips on making good mortises. Other less friendly features are the column extension feature and the ability to rotate the column 180 degrees. The column extension works OK but the materials hold down has no associated extension. Also, you must disassemble the machine from its base to rotate it 180 degrees, or to install the column extension. I don't see these features getting much use, but they are nice design features just in case they are needed. I bolted the column extension to the base using only two bolts on one side just so it doesn't go missing should I ever need it. Also, I won't be making any angle mortices without a jig. If that feature is needed be prepared to pay three times as much for the Powermatic.

First I'd like to give a little background on myself. Working with my hands is my strong suit. I've built everything from houses to outhouses. I rebuilt cars, motorcycles, trucks and airplanes for 40 years. I built and flew two airplanes in the 90's, and worked on countless others, so I'm no newcomer to tools and mechanics.Most everyone likes the cheap prices when it comes to products from China, but very few like poor quality. This Delta mortiser is like most other tools from China, it started out good but they quit just short of a home run. If you think you should be able to buy a tool from China at a price lower than cost here in the US and have it perform like a tool build domestically and costing three or four times as much, you need to stop reading now because what I'm going to say will probably irritate you.If you think you can buy a tool from China and with a little polishing make it the equal of tools manufactured here in the US then this review is for you.My mortiser came well packed, box in perfect condition. I unpacked it, and set the various parts on the workbench and began to clean the oil off them with some automotive degreaser. After I accomplished that I began to put it together without ever looking at the directions. In fact they're still in the plastic they came in. Everything is mostly together, and what isn't is easy to figure out. If you have trouble installing the gas lift cylinder you should probably box the thing up and send it back, as you might not be competent enough to operate it. A large screwdriver against a bolt head on the base will pop the lower connection on the ball, then the same screwdriver will push the upper end down by prying against the upper part of the motor support, then just press the upper end on the ball with your fingers. Simple.Once I had it set up I installed the 3/8" chisel and tried to bore some holes. I'm no stranger to mortising machines and this one required more arm pressure to cut than the drill press attachment I'm used to so I began to look it over. I noticed that the machining on the column that supports the motor is very rough, as well as the mating machined surfaces on the head casting. Two rough machined surfaces rubbing together under pressure is not a good thing so I took the machine apart and using a long flat file I filed the surfaces completely flat, then using a straight piece of wood I used varying grits of sandpaper to polish the surfaces to a mirror finish. Put it all back together, greased the dovetail on the support, sharpened the chisels and set it up to mortise a piece of 35 year old walnut that is hard as a brick. It cut like butter, and the dovetail is smooth enough that it will raise the motor unassisted. I worked on it maybe thirty minutes all together as cast iron cuts easily with a file and sandpaper.I then checked the angle of the fence and it reads exactly 90 degrees on the left and 89.9 degrees on the right side. Close enough. I checked the hold down and it is a little lower on the left so I took the file, lay it on a piece of wood and by pressing the hold down against the file I was able to easily make it perfectly square to the table and fence.Now I know some of you are going to cry foul, and say that you shouldn't have to do all this to a brand new machine, and I agree, IF that machine was American made and cost you $1000. (see the point I made earlier)I'd easily give it fiver stars if it was finished like it needs to be, but I wrote this review in response to those folks that say it's junk. It's not junk, it's justs a diamond in the rough and needs to be polished. I also know that a certain percentage of the population could tear up an anvil with a rubber hammer, so I take some of the reviews with a grain of salt and a glass of water. Really, if you have to pull the handle down so hard to cut a mortise that you shear the pin in the handle, SOMETHING ELSE IS WRONG! This machine will cut quickly and evenly with very little arm pressure if you take the time to set it up, sharpen your chisels, polish the dovetail, and grease the sliding parts.