JET Benchtop Mortiser, 1/2" Chisel, 4-3/4" Stroke, 115V 1Ph (Model JBM-5)

Based upon the build quality of my other Jet shop tools and on Amazon reviews, I selected this machine. I needed a mortising machine for a project of building 12 chairs. There are lots of rave reviews already out there, so I won't repeat all the good stuff. Just believe it! What I will do is to defend this little machine's only few weak spots, or at least the criticisms in the reviews. The main one is about the table being too small, and because it is made of MDF, "cheap." Well, the table is actually the cast iron base, and it has a piece of MDF bolted down to it to protect your chisels should you drill clear through a piece of wood. Others complain the table is too small. Not exactly sure why you would need it to be any bigger, but I had no issues with that doing 144 mortises in some pretty strange shapes of wood. The hold-down is, in fact, poorly designed, but it's such and easy fix that it is laughable. I just cut two small wedges of wood and installed them on the bottoms of the two hold-down arms (with a wrap of masking tape) so that now they press down evenly on the workpiece instead of only on the side toward the machine. End of difficulty extracting the chisel from the workpiece. For some of my pieces, to get them placed in the same spot each time, I used a drill-press vise bolted to the cast-iron table. I clamped a stop onto my work table to locate the end of the workpiece and the little vise did the rest. The three chisels that ship with this machine are incredibly sharp and worked perfectly. (I only used two of them.) The motor's power is more than ample, the machine is designed so that the pull-handle can be locked into whatever position that is the most advantageous for the situation. It does take a hefty pull, so that's important. For its low price, this is a terrific machine. I highly recommend it. BTW, it arrived from Amazon well-packaged and in perfect condition. And no, I didn't get paid to write this review; I just like to give praise when it's due! I'm giving 5 stars in spite of my only criticism, the hold-down, because it was such an easy fix, and also because had I wanted a more "perfect" mortiser, I could have paid $1000 for a professional machine. This is a tool I will not use every day, and for the price, it is perfect. I thought it was actually fun to use! Imagine drilling square holes!

Exceptional Machine - Just what I expected from Jet. Well built and worth every cent.

This is a great bench top machine and that's something to consider and remember when buying this. Don't expect To be plunging down any more than 3- 3- 1/2 " max. And don't try and rush it or it will get stuck mid way the bits that came with mine were really sharp and on point I had no issues with the bits being dull like some habe said. However the fence moves/pivots a little if u over tighten the knobs so keep that in mind and the table needs to be re tightened every now and then I think becuz it's mdf and don't over tighten it or you'll strip the threads. Don't get me wrong this is a very good machine and well worth the money if you're looking to do small mortises are and if you have a bit of patience and don't mind read tightening parts every once in a while Another downside is there's no clamp to hold it in place so you need to use your other hand to hold your work peace in place but other than those 2 minor pet peeve I think this is a great little machine the plunge is smooth and would definitely recommend it if you're looking to do the usual 2 to 3" deep mortises but once again if you're looking to do anything larger for like timber framing type stuff I would definitely get a stationary machine. in comparison to the riken machine the only thing different in my opinion is the riken has that hold down clamp but also costs 50-60$ more.this is my 1st time using a mortise machine but for a bench top machine id say this is top of the line

As received, the compressed gas cylinder kept popping off its connection at the top. The manufacturer replaced both the cylinder and the connection. This resolved the problem. One of the reasons I picked this unit was the promised ability to rotate the unit to handle long boards needing a mortise on the end of the board. The unit design actually makes this difficult because the rotation has to be 180 degrees. The impact is that either the unit has to be installed on a pedestal or skidded on a board that can also be rotated 180 degrees. With creation of a home made jig I have made this work but not without a lot of effort. The adjustment provided for positioning the board is coarse and tightening the lock screw actually moves the board so you have to keep adjusting to get it to be aligned where you want it. Bottom line, the unit works and gives clean square holes. It also weighs less than some competitive units. The price is reasonable for an entry device. I have successfully used it to build a table. But...it might be better to spend a little more to get better functionality.

Es una herramienta fabulosa, la utilizo para hacer cajas para espigas de madera.

Una máquina que hace que tu tiempo lo ocupes para realizar otras @ctividades ya que su utilización te hace acabar muy rápido tu proyecto y con gran exactitud y liempieza

Ejemplo de una buena marca con una calidad en su producción. El vaciado de las piezas de sujeción y la base está mal maquinado, mal ajuste del brazo de sujeción, demasiado ruidoso al trabajo con las brocas debido a una falta de alineación en el eje. Trabajé unas cajas de prueba en madera de Haya y le costó bastante trabajo realizar la tarea.

Tanto tiempo de espera , casi 3 meses , para que llegara dañado .