Jet Benchtop Mortiser, Model JBM-5

Comments about Jet Benchtop Mortiser, Model JBM-5 :

For the [$] price tag, it's a good machine. For three times the price you can get the stationary powermatic and do much larger boards. But I don't have the room to spare for a mortiser so I went with this model. It's easy to assemble, comes well packaged with a set of 3 chisels and an adequate manual. The Jet has clean looks, fit and finish as well as a solid design. There's no wobble to the head which helps with consistent mortises. Setting the chisel square to the work piece is easy enough using the fence and your work piece. The manual explains how to do it. The hold down fork holds the workpiece while you extract the chisel. The long lever is more than sufficient for helping torque the chisel into woods like oak and maple. You will need to definitely bolt it down to a solid work surface due to the amount of torque needed to press and release the lever. Two things I would change about this machine:First - It needs to have some sort of height adjustment for taller boards that need mortises.Second - It needs a larger table. The Delta is $30 cheaper and has a table almost twice the size of the Jet and the Delta's table is cast iron. In conclusion, I rate the Jet Mortiser highly because it works like a charm every time. It's plenty powerful and it makes clean square holes every time. I'd definitely recommend it to a friend.

Comments about Jet Benchtop Mortiser, Model JBM-5 :

Compared to other bench top mortising machines this one runs at 1750 rpm and the others run at 3500 rpm. That's the primary reason I bought this one. The hold down device is not adequate and must be supplemented with additional clamps.