Floor Model Mortiser - Which one to Buy?

[Belle City Woodworking]

Hi All,

Just wondering if there was anything out there better than the Powermatic 719T Floor Model Mortiser.  I have been getting by with a bench top mortiser but I need something more robust and with the sliding table.  I have been doing a lot of them lately, and I need to be able to do them on angles in certain projects, i.e. Knee Braces on a Farm Table project that I am working on now.  I would like to know what you guys would recommend.  And where I could find it for the best price.

Thanks in advance!
John

[Strokes77]

Hi All,

Just wondering if there was anything out there better than the Powermatic 719T Floor Model Mortiser.  I have been getting by with a bench top mortiser but I need something more robust and with the sliding table.  I have been doing a lot of them lately, and I need to be able to do them on angles in certain projects, i.e. Knee Braces on a Farm Table project that I am working on now.  I would like to know what you guys would recommend.  And where I could find it for the best price.

Thanks in advance!
John

The grizzly floor model is highly regarded as well.  I have used one, and it performed great for me.  

From my research at the time, those were the 2 contenders in that price range.

The Powermatic benchtop model is the clear cut winner of benchtops, I used the heck out of one of those for awhile and it works awesome.

[Belle City Woodworking]

The grizzly floor model is highly regarded as well.  I have used one, and it performed great for me.  

From my research at the time, those were the 2 contenders in that price range.

The Powermatic benchtop model is the clear cut winner of benchtops, I used the heck out of one of those for awhile and it works awesome.

Are you talking about the one that Grizzly is asking around $1600.00 for?

Thanks!
John

[Strokes77]

Are you talking about the one that Grizzly is asking around $1600.00 for?

Thanks!
John

Yes sir.  That's it.  It has the tilting head.  The powermatic has a tilting table.

I can tell you though, tilting the head on the grizzly aint very easy or fun.  I would look for almost any solution that didn't require me to do that...

The other features of the grizzly, including the x-y travel of the table were very nice.  

The Horsepower difference is irrelevant in my opinion.  3/4hp is plenty enough to run even a 1" auger bit through hardwoods without issue.  

The benefit of the larger machines is the sliding table and workholding solutions.  The sliding table is a huge improvement over the benchtop models. However, if you bolt down the the PM701 to your workbench it can bang out holes with the best of em.

[Belle City Woodworking]

Yes sir.  That's it.  It has the tilting head.  The powermatic has a tilting table.

I can tell you though, tilting the head on the grizzly aint very easy or fun.  I would look for almost any solution that didn't require me to do that...

The other features of the grizzly, including the x-y travel of the table were very nice.  

The Horsepower difference is irrelevant in my opinion.  3/4hp is plenty enough to run even a 1" auger bit through hardwoods without issue.  

The benefit of the larger machines is the sliding table and workholding solutions.  The sliding table is a huge improvement over the benchtop models. However, if you bolt down the the PM701 to your workbench it can bang out holes with the best of em.

I can get the Powermatic 719T on Amazon for $1299.00 with free shipping so I am leaning that way unless I can find a used one somewhere quick.  

Thanks again for the info!

[rlance]

Hi All,

Just wondering if there was anything out there better than the Powermatic 719T Floor Model Mortiser.  I have been getting by with a bench top mortiser but I need something more robust and with the sliding table.  I have been doing a lot of them lately, and I need to be able to do them on angles in certain projects, i.e. Knee Braces on a Farm Table project that I am working on now.  I would like to know what you guys would recommend.  And where I could find it for the best price.

Thanks in advance!
John

John.....Years ago I bought a PowerMatic 719A at a local woodworking show for about $600......I absolutely love it......on the toy/tool continuum, its all tool......if I have to mortise at an angle, I use wedges which has worked great......wonderful tool......two thumbs up.

[Arlin Eastman]

Here is one, but I do not know how good it is.

Model 34-260: Benchtop X – Y Mortiser

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Rikon-34-260-.../101729722

or here

https://www.amazon.com/RIKON-Power-Tools...B00SOR41CO

[Hank Knight]

Jet makes a nice mortiser with a tilting table. I bought an almost unused one from a guy on Craigslist, an older model without the tilting head. I love it. I compared the Jet and the Powermatic at our local dealer who carries both, and the Jet looks almost identical to the Powermatic. If I were buying new, I'd probably buy a Powermatic, just because I like Powermatic products, but I'm perfectly happy with my Jet. If you've been using a bench top mortiser, you're going to love over whichever floor standing model you buy.

[Cian]

Jet makes a nice mortiser with a tilting table. I bought an almost unused one from a guy on Craigslist, an older model without the tilting head. I love it. I compared the Jet and the Powermatic at our local dealer who carries both, and the Jet looks almost identical to the Powermatic. If I were buying new, I'd probably buy a Powermatic, just because I like Powermatic products, but I'm perfectly happy with my Jet. If you've been using a bench top mortiser, you're going to love over whichever floor standing model you buy.

The non-tilting table floor-standing Jet is the former Powermatic model but with different paint.  I wasn't aware that Jet had a tilting table version, which I thought was reserved for the Powermatic line. When Powermatic released their current tilting-table version, they made the non-tilt a Jet model.  In fact, you can still see "PM" on the castings on mine:




However, for $1299 shipped, the current Powermatic on Amazon is a no-brainer.  Interestingly, it's one of if not the only Powermatic tool that hasn't increased in price in the last decade or so.

[Belle City Woodworking]

Thanks guys for the feedback!

John