Buy Shop Fox W1671 3/4 HP Heavy-duty Mortising MachineShop Fox W1671 3/4 HP Heavy-duty Mortising Machine Product Description:
- Unique swiveling base
- Gas spring return
- Double support columns
- Adjustable depth stop rod
- Micro adjustable fence
Product Description
Shop Fox®; introduces the King of benchtop mortisers. This rugged high-quality machine has all the features found in the best mortisers made, with none of their faults. The super heavy-duty fence and hold down eliminates unwanted wood movement and "sticking chisels", an all too common complaint, thus ensuring accurate and fast operation. The unique swiveling base allows easy off the bench operations and opens new possibilities for custom mortises. The precision 1/2" chuck eliminates the need to modify chisels and bits, and the extra capacity allows the use of larger stock. The all-steel quick-adjust depth stop is easy to set and provides a positive stop. With features like a 22" long solid steel quick-positioning handle, 8-tool holder, easy two-door chuck access, large base and twin hardened and ground column insures perfect mortises every time. • Mortise to the center of a 8" wide board • Mortise lumber to 8-3/4" thick • Aluminum finned 3/4 H.P. 3450 R.P.M. motor for years of trouble free service • Heavy cast iron construction • Includes 5/8" and 3/4" chisel sleeves • Shipping weight approx. 94 lbs. Patent Pending
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
98 of 99 people found the following review helpful.
By KRASSEL
I bought this machine at my local woodworker store. They were having a sale and the lower price included two extra drill/chisel sets. Plus the machine was already assembled and ready to go. Sorry Amazon. First of all, make sure to read the manual completely before assembly or attempting your first mortise. This includes the little sidebars and warning captions. Especially the one about cutting sequence. I found the manual to be pretty complete and informative, apperantly they have upgraded it since the last reviewer got his machine. I also found the fit and finish to be very good, without the burrs and misshaped screw heads previously reported. After reading the manual, I set the machine up with the 1/2 chisel set and did some practice mortising in a couple of 2x4's.The large door opening makes bit/chisel changes easy, even if you have large hands. There is a learning curve involved in getting the drill bit set correctly in relationship to the chisel head. You need the drill to lead the chisel by a 1/32 of an inch...thickness of a dime. Once I got the proper clearance figured out, I was cutting mortises with ease. This is a pretty strong machine, and I found that by letting the machine do all the work, I achieved very nice results. Being able to adjust the handle, for deeper cuts, with one hand is a very nice feature. I have used the Delta and Jet Mortiser's and find that I do prefer the Shop Fox. That extra 1/4 hp does make a differance. It cut easily thru the fir 2x4's and made very square holes. Once I had the fence square to the chisel, it stayed in place. The hold down functions well and has a nice big foot. I leave it a little loose and use a wedge between it and the material, something I saw on New Yankee, so I can slide the material along with minimal hassel. One thing that is a must is securely clamping or bolting the machine to your work surface, as you produce quite a bit of torque pulling the handle down. I bolted mine to a piece of 3/4 plywood and clamp that to my bench. Mine has to remain portable, because of the lack of space in my shop. I have cut mortises in several types of hardwood (quebracho, vera, maple) and achieved very good results. Just slow the feed rate down a little and it cuts right thru. The twin colums and ability to swivel the head so you can do large pieces is icing on the cake. I gave it a 4 star rating because of the particle board table, it is flat and level but I would have preferred it to be cast iron, I guess ya can't get everything your heart desires. I am very happy with this machine and would reccomend it to anyone, looking for a benchtop mortiser.Update...I took the chisel's in to be sharpened by the same local outfit that has been sharpening my saw blades and cutters for years. Been using them quite a bit and have xmas projects coming up. First thing they did was send me home for the drills. Brain fart on my part. They told me that most customers don't bring the drills in, and that is the part that does the most work. So just a heads up...if the chisel needs sharpening, the drill does to. Still recommend this machine.
37 of 38 people found the following review helpful.
By Joe Anonymous
I bought this machine to replace my JBM-5 Jet Mortiser. The promise of a beefier machine with a 1/2" chuck (vs. 3/8" for the Jet) was what attracted me to the Shop Fox. I received it yesterday, and spent a couple of hours assembling it and making some test mortises. Below follows my list of pros and cons.Pros:1) First and foremost, this machine offers great value in a mortiser. This made-in-China mortiser is a lower cost option than its Taiwan-made competitors such as Jet and Delta. $247 including shipping is hard to beat.2) Beefier than either of the above mentioned machines. More iron in the casting. Dual columns. Weighs 87 lbs assembled. The fence and base are much more substantial than the Jet. The substantial, adjustable handle offers more mechanical force advantage over my Jet.3) 3/4 HP motor running at 3450rpm, vs 1/2 HP 1725rpm on the above-mentioned competitors.4) 6 1/2"+ capacity from bit to column (fence removed) 4" with fence in place. The latter can also be increased by re-bolting the fence support block into different predrilled holes.5) 8 1/2" Height capacity--unlimited if the head is swiveled to the edge of the bench. Hold-down comes with 3 rods of multiple lengths to suit the capacity you need.6) Fence has a micro adjustment.Cons:Most of the cons can be attributed to poor quality control.1) Casting are fairly rough, although the machined portions of them are fine.2) The spray painting job leaves something to be desired. Mediocre quality. Motor housing badly sprayed.3) Depth Stop rod arrived bent out of the box. It won't affect its function, but a half inch bow isn't pretty.4) Plastic electrical switch and capacitor housing was loose. One of the two phillips head machine screws failed to tighten, I realized that it had been overtightened and stripped. This was the biggest annoyance for me. Although the machine was fully functional with the housing as it was, I re-tapped the hole to a larger size and replaced the screw. 10 minutes extra assembly work.5) Fence fine adjustment screw hole not perpendicular to the adjustment stop bracket, i.e., hole drilled and tapped at an angle less/more than 90 degrees. Doesn't affect functionality, but again, smacks of lousy quality control.6) Owners manual completely forgets to mention attaching tool and accessory holder, which one can install based on seeing the photograph on the front of the owners manual. Overall however, the manual is pretty good for a Chinese manufacture.7) Cord, although sufficient in length is sheathed in plastic instead of rubber. This gives it a stiff feel, and is reminiscent of so many cheap power tools that I could name here, but won't....Overall I am quite happy with this machine so far. The motor runs smoothly and very quiet. I own high quality mortise chisels, and my experiments with the 3/4" chisel in white oak were very satisfactory. The high speed and increased horsepower are a noticeable improvement over my Jet, which I frequently stalled with a 1/2" bit in the same material. I was somewhat leery of going to a 3450 rpm machine, because of the higher potential to create more heat and destroy the bit, but proper setup and clearance seems to be the key to avoiding this problem. Because of the greater capacity, I can finally purchase a 1" bit instead of the much more painstaking approach I used to use, drilling 4 1/2" holes to accomplish the same thing.Because of the above mentioned quality control issues, I give 4 stars only to this machine. If these relatively minor issues are resolved, it would easily deserve a full five star rating. I recommend it as a substantial step up from the above-mentioned benchtop mortisers if you have need of 3/4" or 1" mortising, or routinely work with thick or wide stock.
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful.
By OHtoolman
I upgraded from a drill press attachment to this machine a few years back. Happened to get it on sale locally pretty cheap and have absolutely no regrets whatsoever. It'll cut mortices easily without fuss provided it has a sharp chisel and bit. The machine is solid, heavy, and adequately powered. In fact, it's first task was to cut many 1/2" mortices in 10/4 White Oak to build my workbench base and it went very well. My only complaint (reason for 4 stars) is I absolutely didn't like the cheapo particle board table and immediately replaced it with a table and hold downs sold by Rockler (another $40 and highly recommended, BTW) I chose this machine above the others mostly because of it's feel. It felt more substantial, the longer handle felt right, the quill was fairly easily accesible for bigger fingers and the action traveled smoothly on the gas strut. I like the on-board bit/tool storage, but I've accumulated enough accesories now that I have a drawer dedicated to storage for the stuff that goes with this machine. Overall, it's been a great time saver and great tool for joinery in furniture building.
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