I used to scoff at videos that went to their bench-top mortising station as it just seemed like throwing money at a problem that could be solved with a reasonable sharp chisel, and some skill/patience (I have neither). I have done probably close to 200 mortise and tenon joints by hand this way.

I started a project that was going to have over 100 mortise and tenon joints, and decided I did not want to spend an entire week doing them by hand in my spare time, broke down, and bought this.

It is now my favorite tool in the shop.

it benefits greatly from set up and fine tuning, and will never be as clean as hand cut... but sweet jesus it makes things happen so much faster. Once setup you can clear a 2 inch mortise to any depth in a minute.

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

The fence does not track parallel, resulting in slightly off-set mortises. That being said, I would not want to exchange it because it is a workhorse for my little shop. I have a set of great chisel/drill bits and value the work I can get done on everything from hard maple to fir.

This is the first and only mortiser that I've ever used. It seems to do everything it's supposed to do, and I've used it on a dozen projects so far. I can see how having a heavier unit with a longer handle might be helpful, and I wish there were an easy way to align the chisel portion of the bit so that it's perfectly square. However, a couple of test punches lets you see any adjustments that are needed. A bigger back fence with a clamping system would be great, but again I think that probably comes with the more expensive units.

Being new to woodworking, I've had to trust the reviews of others in trying to sort out which brand of tools to buy so I hope this helps other newbes. Having been in the construction industry for over 35 years, I had pretty much done it all with the exception of cabinet/furniture making. With that in mind, I decided to take on an ambitious remodel for home including building the cabinetry/vanities for the bathroom and a new bedroom set. After reading more reviews than I can count and taking a trip out to the local HF to look at the Central Machinery Mortiser, I decided to spend the extra money on this one. Within a half hour of receiving it, I had it set up and was drilling my first mortis joint. Assembly literally took minutes to complete since the instructions are clear, concise and easy to understand. The lightweight oil they shipped everything in was easy to wipe off with some mineral spirits and part seemed well fit and finished. The exception to this is the hold down clamp. As others have said, this is pretty much useless. I don't know what modifications the others have made but I pretty much set the clamp aside and used the quick-grip squeeze clamps on each end of the fence to hold the wood in place. These allowed me quick and easy adjustments to the wood as well as being an inexpensive, less time consuming alternative to modifying a piece of metal. The fence itself seemed fine although I can see myself extending it at sometime in the future and the chisel bits that came with the unit were extremely sharp and worked well.