Harbor Freight Mortising Machine $99 w/coupon

[garymuto]

It's good for occasional use. you would have to spend more than $250 to get a better machine. The hold down and the lever arm are both weak, but it works OK.

[URL="http://www.harborfreightusa.com/html/wkend0601/images/8.gif"]

[Knottscott]

Ditto Gary's view....well worth $100 for occasional mortises. Better machines exist but cost considerably more. I just finished up an project with 36 M&T joints....the mortiser worked great and was the least of my concerns on this project.

[JaiPea]

The rpm on this unit is 3,580rpm which is more than twice as high as other mortising machines.

That bothers me for a bunch of reasons so had dismissed this as a possibility. At $99 OTOH....

I have been considering the TD Industrial 10151 Mortising Machine at Tool King which runs at 1,725 and is $150. Delta's 14-651 is 1,745 (as is the Craftsman which may be a private labeled Delta) seemed too high at $100 extra.

Has the high speed been an issue with those of you who own the HF 35570?

[gjat]

A thought... HF sells a speed adjuster to be used with routers. Couldn't that be used with this mortiser and other equipment such as bandsaws, drill presses, and lathes, as long as the motor isn't exceeding a certain horsepower?

[garymuto]

The speed of the Mortiser hasn't been a problem for me, but I do leave a generous gap between the bit and chisel (about a nickel's thickness) and I take my time. The lever arm does not inspire confidence, which is why I go slowly, so I never push the limit of the motor. The problem really would be that at the same Horsepower this motor must have less torque and could stall easier.

The speed controller work only with universal (brush type) motors as I remember. This machine has a TEFC induction motor and I'm pretty sure that a speed controller would not work. If it would work, it would reduce the available torque even more.

[Hank Scorpio]

Just curious...do you mind me asking where you found that coupon? I get a couple of HF emails a week and have been looking for a sale on the mortiser and haven't seen one in a while. I've been waiting for the Craftsman to go on sale again but at this price I think I might pick up the HF.

Thanks,
Bill

[garymuto]

I signed up for email notifications on the HF or likely www.harborfreightusa.com website so they send me an email with coupons about twice a month. At the bottom of the email there is always a spot where it says to click here for more coupons. That's what I did and a dozen more coupons came up and this was one of them. here is the link.
http://www.harborfreightusa.com/html...a_cpnsave.html

[Knottscott]

The rpm on this unit is 3,580rpm which is more than twice as high as other mortising machines.

That bothers me for a bunch of reasons so had dismissed this as a possibility. At $99 OTOH....

I have been considering the TD Industrial 10151 Mortising Machine at Tool King which runs at 1,725 and is $150. Delta's 14-651 is 1,745 (as is the Craftsman which may be a private labeled Delta) seemed too high at $100 extra.

Has the high speed been an issue with those of you who own the HF 35570?

The speed hasn't been an issue for me either. I've only used one other mortiser...a Shop Fox, and is was a while back. It's possible that the stated RPM isn't even accurate for this unit. The HF works pretty well with the exception of the stock hold down....not an unusual claim for other mortisers as well. I've done 1/2" by nearly 3" mortises in hard maple without much struggle...you can't always take it in one bite but it goes through ok. The chisels are a large part of the overall equation...I've read that the stock chisels aren't real good but I'm still using the originals and have barely touched them with a hone.

[Hank Scorpio]

Thanks for the info. That's what I get for not checking that link. I went in my deleted files, clicked the more coupons link and there she was. DUH!

I guess I'll be making a trip to HF on Saturday for a mortiser and sliding vise.