I just wish they made a bench top or stand alone mortiser. But, they don't. So I went with a Delta, thinking Black and Decker surely couldn't screw up the brand too much. 

Wishful thinking!!

I took delivery of the machine in late March of this year. Now, that POS Delta mortise machine is at the Authorized Repair Shop in Phoenix FOR THE SECOND TIME!
This time, four teeth stripped off the cog wheel. Crappy Chinese pot metal. 

Three weeks (estimate) until the part arrives from Delta. Twenty minutes to install and test it. Then I get to drive another 3.5 hours to pick it up. 

Oh well, it lasted through 8 legs for the Morris chairs. It crapped out on the ottomans' legs.

I looked at a Powermatic and Grizzly machine while I was there. Both were about $100 more than the Delta.The Grizzly looked much chintzier than the the PM and even the Delta. 

This place is probably the largest woodworking machine sales in AZ. They are dealers for every major brand and even some I've never heard of. (J&J Jointers???)
So I asked the repair shop guys which brand has the most repair calls/waranty work.
Without hesitation, they chorused "GRIZZLY." Why not Delta, if they are so bad? Because they don't sell a whole lot of Delta. I guess most woodworkers in AZ are smarter than I. At least they won't buy Delta.

 

Their fewest repairs are on Powermatic. That's also their best seller.

 

At least this episode gave me an opportunity to get educated on machine quality.

 
Shopsmith doesn't NEED a network of Authorized Repair Shops. But then, Black and Decker doesn't have anything to do with them.

Edited November 25, 20178 yr by Ron Dudelston
tags added

I hear ya Gene.  Delta didn't do their brand name any favors by attaching it to Black and Decker.  Dewalt has also taken a step back.  What a shame.  I bought my mortising machine from a Harbor Freight type of stor about ten years ago and it has held up well, remarkably.

The best square chisel  bench top  mortisers  in order are

 

1) General International

2)  Powermatic

3) there isn't any one else

 

 

 

I don't like square chisel drill mortisers.

I don't like them for one  very specific reason.

  I have to make the tenon. And I can't make tenons.

 

That's it.  I've never  had any success making tenons on the ends of a hunk of lumber. 

 

The usual thing that went wrong was that I'd set up a tenon jig and slid it across a blade and I'm off by a lousy couple of thousandth of an inch and when I flip the piece to cut the other cheek that error doubles and suddenly I have a sloppy tenon and mortise interface.   Or it's too tight.  And I don't trust a hand plane to  really get it perfect.

 Or some times the angle just isn't perfect and the joint opens on one side. .

 

So I quit. I gave up.  I won't ever cut a tenon again. I was defeated.

 

Now I use my Planer.  With a planer I can make tenon stock to within a thousandth of an inch.  Yah I know it's just wood, but  I can't clamp a mortise and tenon so I need the fit to do that for me.

 

And my mortises are all done in a slot mortiser I made using an X-Y table that I converted to operate with big handles not dials so I get speed and the milling head is a plunge router on steel rails  that I can tilt and adjust  for height off the table.

IT operates like a real slot mortiser. But I can angle it.

If I'm really really finicky about angles  I can use Trig and  a dial indicator.

 

 

So now I only do slot mortising with pre-made tenons and I get the fit and angles like I was never able to before.

 

 

 

 

B&D no longer own Delta.

It's owned by a Chinese outfit now.

 

All but two of my "Old Delta's" are from before the Rockwell era.

For the greatest majority of my mortise and tenon work it's nearly the same process as yours, Cliff. However, each chair leg requires 3 thru mortises, 1/2 wide,  and only one shallow one.  

 

B&D and some "Chinese outfit"... not a difference that makes a difference, I fear.