JET JBM-5 Benchtop Mortiser,
Been thinking about it for a while. Getting tired of M&T's on a HF Drill Press which incidentally is a great option if you dont have a dedicated M&T machine.
It has a rating of 4 1/2 stars with around 250 ratings and the price is good.
Anyway, does anyone here have this machine and how happy are you with it.
It has a rating of 4 1/2 stars with around 250 ratings and the price is good.
Anyway, does anyone here have this machine and how happy are you with it.
1 - 20 of 44 Posts
As far as the Jet, I have the bigger brother benchtop, the Powermatic 701. It's is a well made top of he line machine, BUT I found it required l a lot more down pressure than I was expecting from that "well regarded" mortiser. The first hole is always the hardest because it has the most material to drill and shave away. I said "shave" because that's what the square chisels do while the center is drilled. The adjoining holes can be overlapped, so they require less pressure.
As a result, I decided to make a self centering jig for my router and WOW what a difference in speed and ease of operation.
Whether you make a jig, buy one, or build a horizontal mortiser per Dr Robert, that's my recommendation.
Look at the HUGE difference between the Oliver and the Jet. There's a reason for all that massive cast iron and it ain't for show.
My Powermatic was "on sale" at about 1/2 what it cost these days. I won't get rid of it because I like it and I can't replace it for what I paid and because I'm a "tool junkie".
As a result, I decided to make a self centering jig for my router and WOW what a difference in speed and ease of operation.
Whether you make a jig, buy one, or build a horizontal mortiser per Dr Robert, that's my recommendation.
Look at the HUGE difference between the Oliver and the Jet. There's a reason for all that massive cast iron and it ain't for show.
My Powermatic was "on sale" at about 1/2 what it cost these days. I won't get rid of it because I like it and I can't replace it for what I paid and because I'm a "tool junkie".
@Jar944_2
I had a similar looking mortiser to that big guy. Mine was made in the 1940s or before. I stead of a chisel, it had what looked like chain saw blade but the teeth were solid steel not hollowed out. I could step on that pedal and roll that wheel and make a forever slot mortise. Man I miss it. I got it at a Votech auction it was set for I think 440 3phase or something like that. A buddy of mine wanted it (which was useless to me) and he gave me an equivolent HP 220V Single phase in exchange. Other than the chisel vs, a chain blade they look exactly alike. My foot pedal was a little lower and would crack your shin if you bumped into it. I had to put a 5 gallon bucket over it to make it more visable.
I had a similar looking mortiser to that big guy. Mine was made in the 1940s or before. I stead of a chisel, it had what looked like chain saw blade but the teeth were solid steel not hollowed out. I could step on that pedal and roll that wheel and make a forever slot mortise. Man I miss it. I got it at a Votech auction it was set for I think 440 3phase or something like that. A buddy of mine wanted it (which was useless to me) and he gave me an equivolent HP 220V Single phase in exchange. Other than the chisel vs, a chain blade they look exactly alike. My foot pedal was a little lower and would crack your shin if you bumped into it. I had to put a 5 gallon bucket over it to make it more visable.
If I had to make a 2" deep mortise in Red Oak, will it work with the jet $500 special? It has a 4 1/2 star rating.
The Shop Fox has a 3/4 HP motor as compared to the 1/2 HP on the Jet but is another $150. Somehow $500 vs $650 seems like a lot bore than $150 difference. I hate to order and return the Jet, but that may be my only way of finding out if it is worth the difference.
The Shop Fox has a 3/4 HP motor as compared to the 1/2 HP on the Jet but is another $150. Somehow $500 vs $650 seems like a lot bore than $150 difference. I hate to order and return the Jet, but that may be my only way of finding out if it is worth the difference.
@Rebelwork
Is your Jet JBM5 ok on 3/4" Mortise in 2" deep mortise in Red Oak?
Is your Jet JBM5 ok on 3/4" Mortise in 2" deep mortise in Red Oak?
I never try to get a 2” deep mortise at one time.I go down, raise and eliminate the chip and go down some more. I do wax my chisels before I start.. After the first plunge , the rest get easy,.@Rebelwork
Is your Jet JBM5 ok on 3/4" Mortise in 2" deep mortise in Red Oak?
Seeing "Oliver" made me think of an old farm tractor. After seeing the photo I'm still thinking that lol. Cool old machine, do you know if it was the same Oliver that also made tractors? I wonder what the maximum chisel size is that it could handle? Seems too big for 3/4" to be the max.I had one, it worked well enough. I upgraded to a oliver.
I didn't see anything about woodworking tools there, but as many companies that were merged and as many things as they did do, maybe. The "chilled" plows are interesting.
That Oliver Mortiser and the old one I had are not used by 'woodworkers'. They were used in furniture and other wood product manufacturing. In the old manufacturing set ups, one person stood at that machine and that is all they did all day long and throughout their entire careers. These machines probably were in use at least 14 hours a day, non stop.
If I found a chain mortiser locally (and cheal..lol) I'd have one as well. I casually look for them and swing chisel mortisers (maka) as well.@Jar944_2
I had a similar looking mortiser to that big guy. Mine was made in the 1940s or before. I stead of a chisel, it had what looked like chain saw blade but the teeth were solid steel not hollowed out. I could step on that pedal and roll that wheel and make a forever slot mortise. Man I miss it. I got it at a Votech auction it was set for I think 440 3phase or something like that. A buddy of mine wanted it (which was useless to me) and he gave me an equivolent HP 220V Single phase in exchange. Other than the chisel vs, a chain blade they look exactly alike. My foot pedal was a little lower and would crack your shin if you bumped into it. I had to put a 5 gallon bucket over it to make it more visable.
There were a few different oliver companies in the late 1800s to mid 1900s the oliver woodworking machinery company was separate (and not related) to the oliver farm machinery company.Seeing "Oliver" made me think of an old farm tractor. After seeing the photo I'm still thinking that lol. Cool old machine, do you know if it was the same Oliver that also made tractors? I wonder what the maximum chisel size is that it could handle? Seems too big for 3/4" to be the max.
I didn't see anything about woodworking tools there, but as many companies that were merged and as many things as they did do, maybe. The "chilled" plows are interesting.
That was a light mortiser of the day with a 3/4" capacity. Everything was heavily built back then. The one I have is from 1946.
I have this Jet mortiser. I only used it on one project and some testing. Works great, very quiet for a machine like that!
I haven’t used mine much. I’d ignore it because I had to drag it out and set it up.I have this Jet mortiser. I only used it on one project and some testing. Works great, very quiet for a machine like that!
This is why it doesn’t post to overload a shop. Once it gets difficult to use a tool, you tend to ignore it.
Why I don’t have multiple table saws, bandsaws, etc..
I'm gonna pull the trigger.
Many places on the internet had the JET JBM-5 Benchtop Mortiser for around $550 not too long ago. Now everyone seems to have it down to $499. Just got a flier from Woodcraft stating that on April 10th, Jet will be having a 10% off sale.
It will be worth $500 including tax for me to buy it and be done with jigs and jury rigging. I have a work table, for lack of another name, that is approx 2' x 8'. On the far right is my miter saw. which lives at the front edge of the bench. On the far left is my drill press. The space in the middle of the bench top has drill accessories and misc. that can be moved over and the mortiser can fit right there in the center. The amount of space it requires is negligible.
Now for my next wish...........
Many places on the internet had the JET JBM-5 Benchtop Mortiser for around $550 not too long ago. Now everyone seems to have it down to $499. Just got a flier from Woodcraft stating that on April 10th, Jet will be having a 10% off sale.
It will be worth $500 including tax for me to buy it and be done with jigs and jury rigging. I have a work table, for lack of another name, that is approx 2' x 8'. On the far right is my miter saw. which lives at the front edge of the bench. On the far left is my drill press. The space in the middle of the bench top has drill accessories and misc. that can be moved over and the mortiser can fit right there in the center. The amount of space it requires is negligible.
Now for my next wish...........
Received the Jet JBM-5 Mortiser on Saturday.
Put it together today. Was only moderately impressed, may be because I am not familiar with this mtype of mortiser and might even get used to it. In the past, I have had industrial chain mortiser which was a dream. Other than that I have also used drill press with cross - slide vise. Both are faster than the Jet however the mortise from the Jet is impressive i just takes longer. Also never had to pull a lever with a chisel on the end.
It took 4 stroke to mortise in Red Oak a full 1" deep. Approx. 1/4" per stroke. I can live with that. Maybe I just need to get used to it. I will experiment with it more tomorrow.
Put it together today. Was only moderately impressed, may be because I am not familiar with this mtype of mortiser and might even get used to it. In the past, I have had industrial chain mortiser which was a dream. Other than that I have also used drill press with cross - slide vise. Both are faster than the Jet however the mortise from the Jet is impressive i just takes longer. Also never had to pull a lever with a chisel on the end.
It took 4 stroke to mortise in Red Oak a full 1" deep. Approx. 1/4" per stroke. I can live with that. Maybe I just need to get used to it. I will experiment with it more tomorrow.
I've never used a Jet or any other mortiser. How sharp are the chisels out of the box?
I don’t have much problem with mine. I can usually get the first oak oak hole done in one, but I never go to the edge first. I alway go inside about a 1/16 and then one clean cut on the edge and work to the other end. I’ve had good luck with the JET chisels, but it took a few different configurations to get a good plunge.Received the Jet JBM-5 Mortiser on Saturday.
Put it together today. Was only moderately impressed, may be because I am not familiar with this mtype of mortiser and might even get used to it. In the past, I have had industrial chain mortiser which was a dream. Other than that I have also used drill press with cross - slide vise. Both are faster than the Jet however the mortise from the Jet is impressive i just takes longer. Also never had to pull a lever with a chisel on the end.
It took 4 stroke to mortise in Red Oak a full 1" deep. Approx. 1/4" per stroke. I can live with that. Maybe I just need to get used to it. I will experiment with it more tomorrow.
As far as the Jet, I have the bigger brother benchtop, the Powermatic 701. It's is a well made top of he line machine, BUT I found it required l a lot more down pressure than I was expecting from that "well regarded" mortiser. The first hole is always the hardest because it has the most material to drill and shave away. I said "shave" because that's what the square chisels do while the center is drilled. The adjoining holes can be overlapped, so they require less pressure.
As a result, I decided to make a self centering jig for my router and WOW what a difference in speed and ease of operation.
Whether you make a jig, buy one, or build a horizontal mortiser per Dr Robert, that's my recommendation.
Look at the HUGE difference between the Oliver and the Jet. There's a reason for all that massive cast iron and it ain't for show.
My Powermatic was "on sale" at about 1/2 what it cost these days. I won't get rid of it because I like it and I can't replace it for what I paid and because I'm a "tool junkie".
Received the Jet JBM-5 Mortiser on Saturday.
Put it together today. Was only moderately impressed, may be because I am not familiar with this mtype of mortiser and might even get used to it. In the past, I have had industrial chain mortiser which was a dream. Other than that I have also used drill press with cross - slide vise. Both are faster than the Jet however the mortise from the Jet is impressive i just takes longer. Also never had to pull a lever with a chisel on the end.
It took 4 stroke to mortise in Red Oak a full 1" deep. Approx. 1/4" per stroke. I can live with that. Maybe I just need to get used to it. I will experiment with it more tomorrow.
I was not "impressed" with mine either. There's a lot of down pressure required on the first hole as I said above. I do use Jet chisels since the Powermatic didn't come with any. They must be razor sharp, because they are actually chiseling away the corners of the hole made by the center drill. You should be able to go deeper than 1/4" per attempt. Experiment with a softer wood to see if that makes a big difference.
I ended up making a simple self centering jig for my PC 690 router which went much faster. I did require several 1/4" deep passes, however to avoid sideways strain on the bits.
Mission Quilt Rack
www.woodworkingtalk.com
You gotta get the drill bit right. Don’t be aftraid to extend it out just a bit past the chisel.
I use a floor mortiser, but seems to me you should be able to plunge 1“ in one stroke, shouldn’t you? At least all but the hardest wood.
What brand of chisels? I use Jet in mine. Even so, I would address the chisels before you go any further. FWIW I polish mine all the way to 8000 and use a diamond cone in a drill for the recess.
What brand of chisels? I use Jet in mine. Even so, I would address the chisels before you go any further. FWIW I polish mine all the way to 8000 and use a diamond cone in a drill for the recess.
1 - 20 of 44 Posts
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