Ok recently I had the need for quite a few 3/4" mortises for a bed project. They would be in 2 5/8" stock and I've done M&T just about every way possible. I decided I was finally after numerous years spring for a morticer. I'm an old Iron guy and found one but the drive to go get it would have been a long way and after adding the transportation in, decided to just go ahead and get a new Powermatic 719T during the big sale they were having a few months back 10% off. I got the mortiser and a complete set of chisels (woodcraft 10% off) so I'm good to go.

It was a big heavy machine. It took me and my neighbor's son (big guy) to get it upright on the table and set up and I put it on coasters. With tilt table for angled mortises I initial impressions were pretty good. I noticed however a few dings that while cosmetic was disappointing.

First the cast frame was not the cleanest. It was rough in a couple spots that with a touch of grinding would have been better but I know you are not going to get that in china.

The stops for lateral table movement and in/out movement are small and seemed cheap. The handles were plastic again cheap. I thought ok, I know its not make in US so I'd live with it. Put the chisels in and made a couple test cuts with the 3/4 Chisel and noticed something funny. The auger was slightly bigger that the chisel body. So as you cut your mortise you got a slight semicircle mark keeping the whole from being square. I thought ok, bad part so I took it back to woodcraft and they happily gave me a second. I get home better, but still another one slightly larger. The store is a good drive so I said screw it, I got out the table top oscilating sander and ground it down carefully till it was right. Come on man really! So test set everything is ready and this week end I start. Get through the 3rd mortise and all the sudden the arm will come down, but the head will not. I'm going what the heck. I get to checking and the way it's made with a large gear on a shaft, it was soon obvious that the key for the gear/shaft had sheared off. Now this is just cherry and its a new bit/chisel sharpened and honed before use with 3 test holes cut to verify everything. I was hot!

So I basically loose most of my Saturday breaking the dang thing down getting the gear out (not that easy) and look up the key part in my manual and it's a 5mmx5mmx12mm pin. Well guess what, you cannot find that easily. Luckily I found a 3/16" pin at lowes and cut it down to work it's not super tight, but I got it put back together and got going (i've got to call for a warantee replacement).

I'm through my third post and notice that my start point on my mortise (I drew each one on the post) was slightly below my pencil start line. Got the tape out and guess what, the stops were not holding and from the first to the last mortise cut the stop had moved 1/8" of an inch. Luckily it won't impact the bed but I had to tighten down the stops again as tight as I could (remember my flimsy part comment should have listened to my spidy sense). I redid the other posts so they all match. I finished the day pissed when I should have been impressed. So I'm going to come up with a second lock on the stops somehow to minimize that slide. Anyway, in the end, I learned dearly. Should have sprung for the gas went and got the Northfield in Wisconsin ! I've made some mistakes in my life but I have to say I've learned and seldom make the second twice.