New PM machines ordered!

[Joshua Layne]

I returned a steel city jointer yesterday (the granite 6") that looked like it was a refurb (touch-up paint, nicked rubber knobs, and a 3/8" shim in one of the ways) and just placed an order for the powermatic 54A, 14" bandsaw, and their respective mobile bases at woodcraft today. With the 15% off and the free riser block thrown in on the BS, it was hard to pass up. I'm excited to have some (hopefully) time-saving tools soon - I've been doing the handplane -> planer -> tablesaw.... slowly getting to FGE (*finally* good enough), but never truly true, for too long, and with two young boys, I can use all the time-savers I can get in the shop.

I'm pretty new here, but have lurking for a while and really enjoy all the perspectives people bring. I'll be updating my gallery over the next couple weeks and will post some pictures of my hackwork.

[Rick Fisher]

Nice choices..

[Kent A Bathurst]

and with two young boys, I can use all the time-savers I can get in the shop.



Congrats on the PM - I like my PM stuff, but that is not a universal view here on SMC.

Something my Dad would tell you - if you have a couple young boys, and you have things with motors and spinning sawblades, get a way to lock-out the power to the equipment.

[Lewis Cobb]

I returned a steel city jointer yesterday (the granite 6") that looked like it was a refurb (touch-up paint, nicked rubber knobs, and a 3/8" shim in one of the ways) and just placed an order for the powermatic 54A, 14" bandsaw, and their respective mobile bases at woodcraft today. With the 15% off and the free riser block thrown in on the BS, it was hard to pass up. I'm excited to have some (hopefully) time-saving tools soon - I've been doing the handplane -> planer -> tablesaw.... slowly getting to FGE (*finally* good enough), but never truly true, for too long, and with two young boys, I can use all the time-savers I can get in the shop.

I'm pretty new here, but have lurking for a while and really enjoy all the perspectives people bring. I'll be updating my gallery over the next couple weeks and will post some pictures of my hackwork.

Hi Joshua -
I've got the same bandsaw - it's not seen a lot of use since I bought it a year ago, but it works great for me when I do fire it up. There is one after purchase addition you need to make though to prevent yourself slipping into a blind rage when you try and tension the belt on the motor. The design of the metal bracket that holds the motor causes the motor to twist a bit when you push down on the motor to tension the belt. The result is that the belt pops off the pulley when the pulley rotates.

There's an easy fix - a little bracket that goes between the motor and the metal bracket. Here's a link to the original designer's thread and a couple of pics of the one I made. I made this before I even fired up the saw for the first time - it worked great.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=79483&highlight=PM14

Good luck with your new machines. I have a shop full of PM machines and while all were not perfect out of the crate, the tech support will make sure you are happy, no matter how many phone calls and replacement parts are needed to be sent out (if any). That's been my experience anyway.

Cheers from up here in sunny Canada :)

Lewis

[Joshua Layne]

Thanks for the comments everybody.

Kent - I agree that I need some form of lockout. Kinda wish I had thought of it when I wired the place - could have built in a locking breaker subpanel to shut everything off. I think my tablesaw (delta contractor 36-650) has the holes for a long thin padlock, but I don't recall any such option on the PM machines.

Lewis - I'll read up on that link, thanks.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Thanks for the comments everybody.

Kent - I agree that I need some form of lockout. Kinda wish I had thought of it when I wired the place - could have built in a locking breaker subpanel to shut everything off. I think my tablesaw (delta contractor 36-650) has the holes for a long thin padlock, but I don't recall any such option on the PM machines.

Lewis - I'll read up on that link, thanks.

Joshua - thanks for not asking why my Dad would advise that. Let's just say my brother were a bit adventurous, and not given to following instructions real well - at least not the first iteration. We definitely got it the second time around, though.

If you google lockout tagout, you will find a lot of different products. This site has examples of commonly-available things that you use on the plug itself, things you place over the receptacles, among many other options. These type of things are available all over the place, particularly industrial-supply type places. Betcha Grainger + McMaster-Carr have a good supply. Good luck, and my best to the boys.

http://www.osha-lockout.com/page9.html

http://www.osha-lockout.com/lo488.gifhttp://www.osha-lockout.com/lo496b.gif

[C Scott McDonald]

I have a 54hh and it rocks. Didnt even have to adjust the out feed table out of the box.