Review on 3/4 HP Heavy-Duty Shop Fox W1671 Mortising Machine by Jere Mosley

I purchased after comparing several machines and pouring over reviews on several sites. I've made hundreds of mortises so far - most of them angled (for wedged, through mortises) and I'm extremely happy with my purchase. Note, the table doesn't angle - I did that with an angled jig on the flat table. I was using a Delta drill press mortising jig, but this is so much better. I would say I'm an intermediate level weekend warrior in terms of woodworking experience and ability. I have one car slot of my three car garage dedicated to this hobby. I have a table saw, small planer, joiner, scroll saw, drill press, and now a mortiser. I mention this just to give you an idea of my perspective on the review.I'm so pleased I got the 3/4 horse motor. No problems with 3/8" through hole mortises in cherry or 1/2" mortises in walnut. I was able to stall the motor a couple of times doing 3/4" angled mortises in 2" thick walnut, but the unit fired right back up and kept at it.Note, the mortise bits have to be sharp! If you buy a brand new bit, expect to sharpen it before use or you will not cut holes and just create a bunch of smoke. There are several web sites available that explain how to sharpen your bits and it makes all the difference. This includes the 1/2" bit shipped with the machine.In walnut, using 3/4 and 1/2 inch mortise chisels, I got some smoke, but was able to control it with a bit of practice in terms of force.When the unit arrived, it was undamaged, but I could definitely see how flimsy the packaging was and how the base could be easily cracked if dropped on that corner. I received the unit delivered in a van by a local delivery company with two people, so that may have contributed to my good luck. One person delivery is asking for trouble as it is a 100lb box.Assembly went well, but I did break one of the pot metal collars holding the handle in place when tightening the set screw. This is where a nylon collar would have been a better design, in my opinion. I used the Shop Fox online customer support process and had a new collar in my hand about a week after submitting the request.I also saw several complaints in the reviews about the partical board table, but I didn't have a problem with this. I expect the table to be sacraficial anyway after heavy use, so why invest a bunch of money in this area? Like someone else commented, just change it to oak if you like, but I'll wait until the first table is worn. The rest of the machine is a heavy beast.The hold down worked well, although it would have been nice if it had a knob to adjust it instead of the allen head screw. I may modify it to add a knob as it seemed like I was constantly having to fumble with finding the T-wrench to loosen and tighten it. It also doesn't have a stop fence micro-adjust - not a good one anyway, but once I got it set, it stayed in place.So all in all, I gave it 5 stars - even with the minor issues. It exceeded my expectations for the money I paid, support was good, and I would buy it again.