Review on 3/4 HP Heavy-Duty Shop Fox W1671 Mortising Machine by Antonio Moore

1. The assembly instructions assumed the machine came attached to the cast iron base. They came in different boxes, and I had to figure out how they went together. The instructions were written in 2002, last revised in 2007. Presumably the pieces used to be delivered together.2. The chuck and the holder for the chisel both work very poorly. The chisel routinely pulls out of the holder when I lift it out of the wood, the drill bit not uncommonly comes out of the chuck, even after I have tightened both as tightly as I can.3. Other parts of the machine seem very poorly made.4. The machine works to cut square holes in softwood. I had a great deal of trouble trying to use it in hardwood.(Later addition)I discovered that the problem with the chisel holder was that the hole for the set screw wasn't drilled quite all the way through, so the set screw wasn't actually pressing on the chisel and didn't hold it. I removed the chisel, turned the set screw with considerable force, and forced it through--at which point a couple of small bits of metal dropped out, presumably pieces that had been blocking the hole.I then found that I couldn't get the chisel all the way in, because there was now a bump inside the socket it fitted into, just above the set screw holder. I used my dremel and a miniature drum sander to sand that down, at which point the chisel holder finally worked.I had a phone conversation with technical support and was told that in order to get the chuck to hold the drill bit properly I should tighten the chuck, rotate it a third of the way around to the next hole, tighten again, repeat. That seems to work--but suggests that the chuck is not very well made.I was also told that my unit had shipped with the old instruction manual and the current one mentioned the need to assemble the machine and base, which used to be shipped already assembled. But it turned out, when I checked with him, that there were still other things missing from the current version of instructions.At this point, the machine is usable and useful, but only after I repaired it and followed instructions to compensate for the weakness of the chuck. And I am now able to use the 1/2" chisel in hardwood. So I have raised my rating from one star to two.