WoodRiver Benchtop Mortiser with Chisels & Bits

Comments about WoodRiver Benchtop Mortiser with Chisels & Bits :

For the price, it's not a bad machine. The instructions are mostly non-existent, but if you have any mechanical ability, you can figure it out. The dovetail design has a brass plate that you can tighten or loosen to make it easier to pull down the head but... even with it tightened to the point that it takes some significant effort to lower, the chisel angles slightly at the workpiece. It was not enough to make my mortises inaccurate, but I didn't know that until my piece was dry fit. It was worrying at best while cutting the mortises. I WILL say that after 15 years of router and chisel, this took me probably a 10th of the time to cut the same mortises, so in that sense, worth every penny. It also jams up sometimes even if you have the auger and the chisel set up perfectly so it is a little underpowered. I was mortising white oak, so I'm interested to see what it will do with softer woods like walnut, etc... The left side of the fence was also a very small bit out of square from the work base, so poor quality control there. The display model was 10 times worse at the WC store, so they let me assemble and check for square before I purchased. Kudos to WC for their customer service. I am considering taking it back and getting the Delta model, but not seeing anything in those reviews that convince me it is worth the trouble. Gonna give this machine some more time in the shop before I decide.

Comments about WoodRiver Benchtop Mortiser with Chisels & Bits :

Like others have said, the instructions that come with the machine are poor. You need to go to STEEL CITY website to download and print out better instuctions. But other than that, so far have no issues with the machine yet. The bits are so-so, but to get a clean square hole - a chisel works good. It's a time saver for me and at a good price..

Comments about WoodRiver Benchtop Mortiser with Chisels & Bits :

Unit came with 2 pistons. No way to attach longer one. Store employees could not find adequate instructions on 'net to assist. How does one attach the longet piston??

Comments about WoodRiver Benchtop Mortiser with Chisels & Bits :

Great product for the money. Seems to be well constructed. Thicker pieces of hardwood require a little elbow grease but that is expected. My only negative is the quality of the chisel/bits. The 5/16" mortiser did not produce a clean mortise. There seemed to be alot of internal friction when in use. The other three worked very well. I made a call to customer service and explained the problem. The tech. was very helpful and agreed to send me a new 5/16" chisel/bit, free of charge. As a Woodcraft customer, I can not ask for anything better than that. As always, I have had a very positive experience with the people at Woodcraft.

Comments about WoodRiver Benchtop Mortiser with Chisels & Bits :

The product is great, the instructions....not so great. The Steel City version of this tool has much better instructions and can be downloaded at their site. I recommend you do that if you buy this machine. There is a lot of bang for your buck with the WoodCraft brand.

Comments about WoodRiver Benchtop Mortiser with Chisels & Bits :

This mortiser works exactly as I had imagined it would. I replaced a mortising attachment on my drill press with this machine and found it much easier to set-up and use. I have cut numerous 3 1/2" deep mortises in hard maple with it and have had no problems. Like all mortisers, it takes some muscle to push the chisel through hardwood for the first cut, but subsequent cuts (to enlarge the mortise) are easier. The only small complaint I have is that the drill bit rubs on the side of the chisel in one spot, causing heat, but it is a minor issue. If not for that it would have gotten five stars. The machine seems to be a good compromise between weight and sturdiness-- it is strong enough for most users and applications and yet light enough to pick up and move. I don't think I would buy it for full-time use in a production shop, but I don't think it was intended for that purpose either.

Comments about WoodRiver Benchtop Mortiser with Chisels & Bits :

Not accurate at all, same as a steel city mortiser. can do better by hand. will be returning

Comments about WoodRiver Benchtop Mortiser with Chisels & Bits :

I started building hardwood crib with our first grandchild. Three grandchildren later, I now am making them to sell. Soooo there is a lot of scrap around the shop. Bought this unit to be able to use 3/4' slats in the cribs. It is much quicker and a better job that doweling. Top hold down is very close to the 3/4 " chisel. Needed to spaceout from the fence to give more clearance.

Comments about WoodRiver Benchtop Mortiser with Chisels & Bits :

I'm a professional cabinetmaker and have done mortise work with both hand chisels and my drill press for over 20 years. I don't do them all day long but decided on a dedicated machine with this price point after my drill press unit failed. This unit had many feature higher end machines offered including a large bed and adequate hold downs. The weight of this tool helps, too. What bothers me most, however, is that the adjustable fence was not drilled properly at the factory and is off-center by about 1/4" so that the large chisel ends up very close to the top hold-down bracket. I'm going to see if Woodcraft will replace it for me. The only other "issue" have is that it does require a lot of pressure to begin a cut in hardwoods. I experimented in some Oak blocks and I was able to make a square mortise but not without breaking a sweat to push that handle down hard enough to get the chisel to work. I thought I would break it but I didn't. So, the price is right and the machine seems to have enough power to do the job but it's not a panacea but better than hand chisels and a hammer. In soft woods like poplar and pine it'll work very well.

Comments about WoodRiver Benchtop Mortiser with Chisels & Bits :

Manual does not go into how to properly set up the chisel and drill bit. The chisel/bit set need a lot of to tuning for proper joinery.