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!

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.

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

Works great for hobbist , sturdy ,quiet ,sharp bits, I like it.

The Jet JBM-5 Mortising machine is easy to assemble and set up. Its easy to use and pretty darn accurate once its set up. Initially there was some movement as I lowered the chisel. There's a small track that the upper assembly sides up and down on, and once I tightened the allen screws it helped. You need to mount the base onto a larger piece of MDF or plywood for stability. I do wish there was a bracket attached to the machine that could hold the chisels in place while not in use. Other than that, Its a good mortising machine