A while back we reviewed the Makita chain mortiser. We were very positive, but underlined the importance of making the tool economically viable. It was only worth the outlay if it saved sufficient labour costs. The same consideration must be made with this bench mortiser. It is undoubtedly much quicker than hand cutting, but the real advance is in the accuracy of the machine. It enables first class joinery to be produced by someone with less than first class joinery skills.

Being a man of the world, and a keen watcher of Norm Abram on New Yankee Workshop  I felt I knew all about a bench mortiser. Sadly, our delicate egoes were dealt a crushing blow when we couldn’t fathom the Rexon for the first half hour or so. It got even worse when we decided to read the instructions. Our problem was a misunderstanding of the way the tool worked. An auger drill bit is encased within a square chisel, which are available in various sizes. I was under the impression that the chisel would move and remove the wood. However, the chisel only forces its way into the wood as a handle is pulled down. The auger bit drills into the wood, pressure being provided by the handle, and the chisel squares the edges. It is the sharpness of the chisel that cuts the wood, it doesn’t actually move itself. If I were permitted to excuse our idiocy I would explain that we tried it first on French oak, a hardwood. On softwood the auger bit pulls itself into the wood and much less force is needed on the handle. That said, after a few attempts it was a perfectly natural routine and the mortiser was working like a dream.

So lets throw a few stats at you. The first thing you notice about this tool is the weight. Most of its 30kg is made up by a really sturdy, confidence inspiring, cast iron base. With a chunky vice thrown in the workpiece isn’t going anywhere once you have it clamped. The chisel can drill to a depth of 176mm, and I can't think of any joinery that would need anything bigger than that. The centre of the chisel is 76mm from the fence so a 150mm wide board can be accommodated.

As with all power tools, there is a certain amount of setting up before you can do any cutting, but once you have used the tool a few times it is quick and easy. Obviously two hundred pounds is a lot of money to spend out but this Rexon SM-16A has two gret things going for it. Firstly, it is quick to cut when compared to a hand chiselling. But secondly, and most important, this tool is astonishingly accurate. It will cut a square and true hole every single time. The only thing that can go wrong with this tool is your marking out. If you want joinery within a millimetre of accuracy then this will do it for you. It may upset the purists, but this rexon will produce perfect mortises for somebody who has never picked up a chisel. If you need it, buy it. You won’t be disappointed.

Just a quick note on availability and price. We had trouble tracking down a bench mortiser, especially as it was needed at short notice. None of our local tool suppliers had any in stock, nor could they get one reasonably quickly. So we turned to Screwfix and unsurprisingly they were out of stock. But they managed to get us this Rexon SM-16A within two days and we paid £199. If you have time then it would be worth looking for deals, ask for a chisel set to be thrown into the bargain. But I would say the price is fair for the quality and capability of the tool.