I commented on another thread about buying the Steel City 25200 chisel mortiser, so I thought I would give my expierience using it.
First off, I had no prior expierience using one of these so I was going to be "self taught".
Assembly out of the box was very easy, I am one of those that dreads the words "some assembly required" but I found this tool to be vey easy to put together.
The unit comes with 4 chisel/bits, I chose the 3/8 bit to make my mortises, I found the bit to be very sharp and it sliced through red oak with ease. I must have made about 200 cuts, and expierienced no problems. Operation was a breeze.
I like the adjustable knobs on the base to keep the work tight against the fence, the extendable wings are also a nice feature although I didn't use them.
When I assembled the joints they were flawless, a credit to the tool not the operator. If I were to make one change or addition thus far, it would be to add a adjustable light fixture like my drill press has. I'd like the work area to be well lit up to see the markings better, something I will address on my own the next time.
I paid $279.00 for the tool and it currently comes with a $40.00 rebate.
At the end of the day, making those mortises, I stood back and admired the tool and was very glad to have bought it. I would highly reccomend it to anyone considering the purchase of a chisel mortising machine.
First off, I had no prior expierience using one of these so I was going to be "self taught".
Assembly out of the box was very easy, I am one of those that dreads the words "some assembly required" but I found this tool to be vey easy to put together.
The unit comes with 4 chisel/bits, I chose the 3/8 bit to make my mortises, I found the bit to be very sharp and it sliced through red oak with ease. I must have made about 200 cuts, and expierienced no problems. Operation was a breeze.
I like the adjustable knobs on the base to keep the work tight against the fence, the extendable wings are also a nice feature although I didn't use them.
When I assembled the joints they were flawless, a credit to the tool not the operator. If I were to make one change or addition thus far, it would be to add a adjustable light fixture like my drill press has. I'd like the work area to be well lit up to see the markings better, something I will address on my own the next time.
I paid $279.00 for the tool and it currently comes with a $40.00 rebate.
At the end of the day, making those mortises, I stood back and admired the tool and was very glad to have bought it. I would highly reccomend it to anyone considering the purchase of a chisel mortising machine.