Need an opinion on the Harbor Freight mortiser...

John Pollman

Member
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1,332
Location
Rochester Hills, MI
Hi folks,

It looks like I'm probably going to be getting into doing quite a bit of arts & crafts/mission style building soon. That being the case, a mortiser is going to be a must! Harbor Freight sells one for $200 but it's on sale for $180. I just checked CL and there's one not too far from me that looks to be in excellent condition and the guy only wants $80 for it. I sent him an email saying the if it's still available, I'll take it.

Anyone here ever used one? If so, how did you like it? I know it's not going to be as good as a Delta or a Jet, but it should be fine for me to get started with. Any input is appreciated.

Thanks!

John
 
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That's what I was thinking too, but I bet a drill press attachment will be more than $80. Besides, with a dedicated mortiser, it will be set up and ready whenever I need it.
 
Don Baer bought one of the HF mortisers for a big job he had for a church awhile back. He said that he had good luck with it. I have a Delta that I bought brand new on CL for very cheap money. I really like it.
 
I'd suggest taking some of the money you're saving and investing in good-quality mortising bits. Even freshly honed, I suspect the HF bits will be sub-par. I know the bits that came with my Shop Fox mortiser weren't nearly as good as some aftermarket ones I bought elsewhere. (Unfortunately, I don't remember where I bought the better bits...hopefully someone else can chime in.)
 
That's pretty much what I expect Vaughn. I'm sure that they're not top quality bits. I'll pick it up and I'm probably going to pick up a hone for the flat as well as the concave portion of the bit. I'll see what happens. If they don't work very well, I'll get a better set of bits. Right now, the budget is tight so I can't spend a ton.
 
I have the HF machine. I have done a lot of work with it in both oak and cedar. For 80 I would grab it even if you have to sharpen the bits. Not a machine I use every day but a great machine to have in the shop.
 
Yeah I think it's got to be worth $80. I spent a good bit of time at Rockler and Woodcraft yesterday wandering around and dreaming. :)
The Delta machine looks like a nice unit, but it's about $350. The guy with the machine lives about an hour away to the north, but he works just south of me. He commutes every day and drives up I-75 which is only about 3 miles to my west. He said that he'll take it to work with him and give me a call when he's getting close and we can meet and male the exchange on Wed. evening. I'm looking forward to it!
 
Hey, I just drilled a square hole! :)

This is gonna be nice. I picked up the mortiser last night for $80 and I think it will be well worth it. It only has a 1/2" cutter set with it, but I'm assuming that's probably the most used anyway. I'll keep an eye out for a sale on a three or four piece set and get them if the price is right.
 
Yeah you're probably right. For joints in 1x stock. I'll probably have to pick up a 3/8. But I've got a couple projects in mind that will need some larger square holes for those joints that use a tapered pin to wedge in and tighten the joint.
 
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