Review on 3/4 HP Heavy-Duty Shop Fox W1671 Mortising Machine by Benjamin Michels

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.