[Rikon 34 260 Mortising Machine Bench Top]

First submitted on the old forum by Kev

 

Item: Rikon 34 260 Mortising Machine – Benchtop 

Date of purchase (Approximate): November 2019

How long owned: 2 Months

Purchased from: Amazon

Pricing/Value: A little more expensive (~$450.00) than some but, I felt it was a good value

Other brands considered: PM and Grizzly

Shipping/packaging notes: Box arrived with no shipping damage and the machine was packed very well.

Initial Thoughts: Easy to set up with a decent manual. All the pieces were there.

Things I liked:

• Instruction Manual
• Easy bed adjustments on sliding dovetails both side to side and front to back
• Easy to set up stop blocks 
• Chisels were sharp and ready to use out of the box
• Fit and finish 

Things I didn't like:

• Handle needs to be installed backwards from the manual which means the set screw can’t be used to hold it in place. If installed correctly, you can’t lower the chisel low enough to check for square without hitting the side to side adjustment wheel. 
• Chuck cover panels are held in with screws making chisel changes cumbersome.
• No position lock for the handle. This would be handy when trying to square the chisel in place.
• Tool holder was one hole short for all the tools that come with the machine. 
• Depth stop has a little bit of flex. 

Would I buy it again?: Yes

Comments not captured above: I’ve now had the opportunity to use this machine on a couple different projects and have been very happy with the performance of the machine!


 

[Powermatic PM2000B]

Submitted on the old Forum by Kev    Item: Powermatic PM2000B Date of purchase (Approximate): February 2019 How long owned: 1 Year Purchased from: ACME Tools Pricing/Value: $3400.00 – Shipping was included Other brands considered: SawStop, Grizzly, Felder Shipping/packaging notes: Saw arrived on time with no noticeable damage to the boxes. Initial Thoughts: Initial thoughts were very positive. Setup was easy and straight forward. I noticed the first sign of damage when installing the fence and found all 4 corners of the fenceplates were broken. I also noticed that the black extension table was not flat and the motor door didn’t close as it should. Things I liked: Easy to setup, good manual that’s easy to follow, little to no adjustments needed straight out of the crate. Saw arrived with a pretty good blade that lasted longer than I thought it would. Things I didn't like:  Aside from the fence plates arriving broken and the extension table not being flat, I also had the following issues during the first year of the saw: • Power switch went out twice – The saw would turn off mid cut • Fence plates were placed on back order for over a month. • PM replaced the black extension table 3 times and I had to finally flatten it myself. • Riving knife was extremely difficult to remove • Motor cover had to be replaced  • The fence didn’t slide as smoothly as it should for a saw in this price range • The motor went out at about the 1 year mark and PM ended up replacing the entire saw. • ACME Tools censored my review of the saw on their website. After complaints and videos about them, the review was finally posted. Would I buy it again?: NO Comments not captured above: This saw was nothing but problem after problem for an entire year. Any product in this price range should be receiving a higher level of QC before being shipped to the customer.

Last Edit: Dec 27, 2019 at 7:22am by Kev kev@kcwworks.com kevswoodworks.com www.youtube.com/channel/UCEL0z5pfof-fbc_DEVrzpKg/videos