PM 90 restoration complete!

[Mike Cruz]

The familiar melody of my driveway alarm chimed. I gazed up at a brown van approaching from a distance. As it neared, a recognizable emblem on the side shone its large letters in a shield…UPS. The vehicle seemingly glowed. It held something better than gold, diamonds, or money. The brown van, sent from heaven itself, carried cargo that had my heart racing. A young man emerged from the truck’s gaping starred orifice, struggling with a box that weighed more than half of his medium frame. Glad to see me anxiously waiting by his hood, he warned me about the package’s heft. It could have weights 3 times its 88 lb mass, and my enthusiasm and adrenaline still would have powered me through the transfer from him to me, and to my awaiting tailgate. At last, my prize, the eagerly anticipated whip cream to my sundae had arrived. I wouldn’t sleep until it was all installed. But I had chores that needed tending. It would have to wait…Later that evening, I had a date with a box and an exacto knife...

Ok, enough of the sappiness. As many of you know, I got a Powermatic PM90 some months back. In good shape other than a desperate need for a paint job. But since I can never let well enough alone, it got a heck of a lot more than that.

I upgraded the 1 hp 3 ph motor to a 2 hp 3 ph motor. I got a VFD. Put a digital tack on it. Got a potentiometer and FW-REV switch. Took it all apart, sand blasted it, primed all the parts, and painted them. But the one thing that this lathe lacked (to keep up with modern lathes) was more than a 12 swing. So, I got it in my head that I needed risers. Hence, my search began. I looked far and wide for them. PM did make them some years ago. They were what made a PM90 into a PM91. I called everyone from PM to PM dealers to sellers of old PM machines and parts to posting on forums to Ebay looking for a set of these elusive risers…everything I could think of. Finally, I got a hold of Jeff Nicol…our resident SMC tool rest and steady rest maker. I posed the question of risers to him and I could hear the gears grinding. He was kind enough to take on the job. Of course, the risers wouldn’t be the only thing I would need. The stock banjo would be too small. It wouldn’t extend far enough over the ways to reach the outside of my new blank sizes. So, that was another project for him. And while I was at it, well, tool rests were in order, so I had him make 4 of those. Oh yeah, and while he was making the riser for the tailstock, instead of just getting a longer bolt to clamp it down, Jeff made a cam lock for the riser, and the riser is bolted to the tailstock. This stuff turned out so sweet, I'm not only in complete awe, but I owe him SO much more that the money I sent him and the redundant thank you's I've thrown at him. He not only is a master, but he's kind and a great guy.

A challenge that I faced with this raising, was that the belt cover would no longer fit. I took the cover (cast iron) to a local shop to see what they could do to “lengthen” it. To make a long story short, they could do it, but it would cost at least $200. Nope. I have a better solution. I made one out of wood. Yup, it’s wood and you practically can’t even tell.

So with the risers, I’ve ended up with an 18” swing, 2 hp, variable speed (both manual and electronic), and digital tachometer (which ALL the new big lathes have but NO ONE seems to use…). I thought about going 20” instead of 18” but wasn’t comfortable with it for some reason.

Here are some pics. The first is a before pic, the rest of the restoration. And one close up of the new banjo. Thanks, yet again Jeff for all you did.

First pic is of the lathe in the cornfield at the auction.
Second is of the lathe after I had added some stuff, but hadn't painted or done the risers yet.
Third is of it restored.
Fourth is showing the headstock and riser.
Fifth is of the new banjo...ain't it purdy?

PS And a HUGE shout out to Steven Cherry who hooked up my VFD, and wired up the lathe for me. We used what wires I had laying around, then I went out and got good ones later and just redid what he had already done. But I never could have done it alone. Also, Steve lent me his sand blaster! That was awesome! It never would have turned out this nice without sandblasting. Thanks Steve for all your help.

And thanks to Peter Elliott for helping me move some pieces around and help put the bed back on the stand after painting...NOT a one man job!
And thanks to Dan Hintz for going to the auction with me, and helping me get it home. Boy that was a fun day...

[Jon Prouty]

wow.... great looking machine! That is really awesome!

Jeff - (hint hint... risers for the Delta 46-460)

Thanks for posting the beauty!
Jon

[Dennis Ford]

WOW It is almost too pretty to use. Great job by both you and Jeff.

[Roger Chandler]

Mike..........

What an awesome, awesome work you have done on this and Jeff Nicols...........wow! I have a Grizzly 18" swing lathe with the features you have added to yours..........and I would not be honest if I did not tell you that I would exchange for one like yours any day [I think? ;)]

That is a workhorse of a lathe, and the upgrade has you totally in turning nervanna!!! Great job on the sandblasting and paint as well. There should be some awesome turnings coming off that thing.................

Ride 'em cowboy!!!

[David Warkentin]

Wow!! And good job to Jeff!!

[Gerold Griffin]

That is indeed one great lathe you got there. I just keep going back over the pic's drooling. That new banjo really got my attention and with the rest of the upgrades that should be one sweet machine. Have fun with it.

[Brian McInturff]

Great work by both! You would be the envy of all over on OWWM. A really professional looking restoration job. And Jeff, I think you could turn that into a full time business just building risers for people. I've seen a couple of riser jobs before and your work is better than all I've seen. Top notch bro!

[Bill Bolen]

You two both did one heck of a job! Congrats and enjoy...Bill....

[Steve Vaughan]

Man, that's sweet looking! Y'all did one heck of a job on that thing!

[Curt Fuller]

Wow Mike, that's a piece of art!

[David E Keller]

Congrats on getting her finished... Now, go get her dirty. The only truly happy lathe is a dirty lathe!

[Rich Aldrich]

Mike - That's a great save! It sure looks nice. You can't beat a VFD on a lathe for out of balance control. The nice thing is that you know your lathe better than a lot of us do.

[Mike Cruz]

Thanks everyone. A LOT of work went into it. But, I'm VERY happy with how it turned out. And yes, Jeff did an awesome job. What is even better, is that we live about 2000 miles apart!!!!! Jeff never even saw my lathe. I made a template for him. Sent him pics. But that's it. He's amazing.

Jon Prouty

"wow.... great looking machine! That is really awesome!

Jeff - (hint hint... risers for the Delta 46-460)

Thanks for posting the beauty!
Jon "

Jon, not sure if he'll do 'em again, you'd have to ask him...:rolleyes:


Roger Chandler

"Mike..........

What an awesome, awesome work you have done on this and Jeff Nicols...........wow! I have a Grizzly 18" swing lathe with the features you have added to yours..........and I would not be honest if I did not tell you that I would exchange for one like yours any day [I think? ;)]

That is a workhorse of a lathe, and the upgrade has you totally in turning nervanna!!! Great job on the sandblasting and paint as well. There should be some awesome turnings coming off that thing.................

Ride 'em cowboy!!!"
Roger, not so sure I'm willing to give her up. I'm hoping this is a lifetime lathe. But thanks for the offer. ;)


Brian McInturff

"Great work by both! You would be the envy of all over on OWWM. A really professional looking restoration job. And Jeff, I think you could turn that into a full time business just building risers for people. I've seen a couple of riser jobs before and your work is better than all I've seen. Top notch bro!"


Brian, yeah, I had asked some questions over there, and had a lot of people asking for "finished" pics. I'll be posting this story over there...sans Jeff's name. He did this, in part, because I'm an SMC member. Not sure if he would have done it otherwise...And as for Jeff doing it full time...well, I think he has pretty full hands as it is. ;)


David E Keller

"Congrats on getting her finished... Now, go get her dirty. The only truly happy lathe is a dirty lathe!"

David, I fully understand that, buuuuutttttt, I have to admit, I cringe when dust lands on it. Don't worry, though. I'll get her all messy in due time. Unfortunately, with my schedule over the next couple of weeks, I'm not even sure if I'll get a chance to saddle her up! :eek:


Rich Aldrich

"Mike - That's a great save! It sure looks nice. You can't beat a VFD on a lathe for out of balance control. The nice thing is that you know your lathe better than a lot of us do."
Rich, unfortunately, I know this lathe better than I care to. What I didn't mention was how, when taking the headstock apart for sandblasting, I had a heck of a time getting the innards out. When I did, I messed up the grease seal. So I ordered one from PM ($12+). I asked how to insert it, because it looked different than the original. The way the tech instructed me to put it in was backwards. I ended up ordering two more (juuuuuuust in case) but this time from Motion Industries (about $2 a piece...same exact thing). When I was putting it all back together, I messed up, and put it back together before inserting it into the headstock. :mad: So, I had to take it all apart again, ruining the grease seal, to put it back together in the PROPER order. Glad I ordered 2 from Motion Industries. Anyway, stuff like that...


And to everyone else that threw me "wow"s and "great job"s, thank you very much. I really do appreciate it.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Mike that is one fine looking machine. Congrats to you and Jeff on a fine looking job.

[Baxter Smith]

Great job by all concerned and great looking lathe!

[Tim Thiebaut]

This is absolutly one of the nicest restore jobs I have seen in a long time, great job on this!

[Roland Martin]

Fantastic job, Mike. It's not only a classic, but a truly exceptionally upgraded classic. Kinda like a Model A with a hemmy. Now, geter' dirty!

[John Keeton]

Mike, just a great job on this. Wonderful work on the belt cover, too. Once you get the seal fixed, it will be a joy for you to use

[Tony De Masi]

Not too bad.

[Dale Bright]

Mike, you did a real good job on the lathe. It looks realy good and I am sure it will help you turn out many beautiful turnings.

Dale

[Mike Cruz]

John, I fixed the seal issue...it only took me three seals to do it. :D

Tony, I expected as much from you... ;)

Thanks, Dale. With each attaboy, I get another grin.

[Mike Cruz]

Tim, that gave me quite a warm feeling. A lot of work went into it, probably more than needed considering I didn't know what I was doing (or what I was getting into for that matter).

Roland, yeah, I kind look at it like that, too. BTW, good thing you have your pic in your avatar. Otherwise, I might have picked you as a fisherman...;)

And again, thanks for the other nice comments, guys.

[Phil Hansen]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3]Put a digital tack on it.
Please could we have more info on how this is done.
Nice resto.
Thanks
Phil

[Doug W Swanson]

Nice looking lathe. It looks like one you could buy at a showroom today!

[Mike Cruz]

First of all, I assume you aren't ragging me on misspelling "tach" by wondering how you make a "tack" digital. So, I'll continue... ;)

I ordered the digital tach from http://mkctools.com/tachoptions.htm. Quite simple actually. You mount self adhesive aluminum tape/strip around your spindle. I did it on the outside of the headstock near where you chuck up. Then you either paint or somehow otherwise make half of the strip black (I used electrical tape). Then you use double sticky tape to attach the photo sensor about 1/8" from the aluminum/black strip. With each revolution, it recognizes the difference between dark and light.

I mounted mine in a box along with the potentiometer and FW-REV switch. You can get a box through the tach supplier or get your own.

Here are some better pics of the tach stuff.

[Jake Helmboldt]

Mike, can you show some pictures and provide some details as to how the banjo is fabricated? Did Jeff weld it up from steel bar stock? That is super-clean looking. The one thing I don't like about my 1642 is the banjo but aftermarket ones all have various limitations in terms of height, etc, especially with a coring system (i.e. supoort is too high).

It is hard to tell where the risers are, they blend seamlessly. Beautiful work on your collaboration with Jeff.

[bob svoboda]

Impressive. Couldn't find Mustard colored paint??? :D:D

[Mike Cruz]

Jake PM sent re the pics. I may be posting pics of the banjo later... And yeah, I love the offset of the tool rest post, and the low profile of the banjo. And yes, it is super clean looking...for now. ;) :D

Bob, I could have found the paint, I'm sure, but this green is original. Mustard yellow would have been, well, unperiod. May have been cool, though. I tossed a lot of colors around. Truthfullly, I WANTED chrome. I thought that would have been the coolest thing EVER...even cooler than the Fonz, well, maybe not that cool. But chrome with glossy black accents... But you just can't get chrome paint. I tried 4 different manufacturers, and none were really chrome...no matter how much the top of the can looked like chrome. Bright silver is the best you'll get. And I thoght the color would have made it look like bare metal, and not really give it a great look. So, I opted out of it. What noone noticed, or pointed out at least, is that I didn't put the stripes back on the right hand cabinet. I thought about it, but in the long run, I actually like it better without them. I can always go to a signs place and get some vinyl strips and put them on if I get a bug up me.

[Dick Strauss]

Mike,
Your restoration came out just great! I think you will be very happy with it. It also looks like Jeff has a soft spot for reviving once beautiful old machines.

Can you tell me about the paint? It looks like the late 60s/early 70s metalic green color and not the pea green from the early 60s. Where did you get the paint, what brand/type, etc? I'm looking to repaint an old PM66 with white racing stripes of that vintage that I picked up recently.

Thanks,
Dick

[Mike Cruz]

Thanks, Dick. Yeah, Jeff has a soft spot alright...what a saint. Can't believe I found him.

The paint is very special. You may have to drive all over town to find it. Look for a really big building with an orange sign and white lettering. Yeah, Home Depot, Rustoleum, Hammered Green...that simple. It matches perfectly. My lathe is a 1981 model. It had the white stripe but I didn't put one back on it. I think 1981 or 1982 was the last year of the dark green, before they switched to gold. To get the "hammered" look out of the paint, you have to put it on a little thick. So, there is a fine line between hammered thick and drips. A lot of my lathe didn't get the hammered look. I was avoiding drips as much as possible.

[Greg Ketell]

Wow, that turned out really nice.

If you don't mind, would you tell us the cost on all the upgrades so if we run across a PM90 at an auction we will know the total cost to make it into such a pretty and useful lathe?

Thanks!

[Van Huskey]

Mike, you did an excellent job. Not only did you make her look pretty again but you significantly increased her capacities and improved her convenience factor as well. PM built the 45 and 90 and now you have built the PM 135!

I am a fan of bringing the old warhorses into the modern age. Some people might scoff at the idea of spending new machine money pimping out an old machine but the results are usually better quality and the sense of accomplishment and pride of ownership is off the charts.

I always hate to use wood on a machine but you did a magnificent job making it invisible! Great job Mike. Now to run back out of this place before i get sucked in, see ya back in the land of flat!

[Peter Elliott]

Mike, I had no idea I was lifting a lathe.. fact with all the beer, I don't remember lifting anything at all?:rolleyes:

I thought this was a shopsmith or something..

My bad ! ;)

Signed:
Mad - Elf

[Mike Cruz]

Van, PM135, I had to think on that one...got a good laugh out of it! Thanks.

Mad-Elf, beered ya up, did I? Yeah, that stuff'll get ya right. Thanks for your help.

[Jim Burr]

Hmmm...guess it looks ok;)...kinda clean for me, but it looks pretty :rolleyes::p;) So get it dirty and let's see how it does!!

[Mike Cruz]

Greg, you know, I'd probably rather forget it...but here it goes.

1981 PM90 bought at auction for $300.
3 phase converter $145.
Poteniometer, reverse switch, and box for those two things $50.
Digital tach $100
3" risers (to give it an 18" swing) and banjo and 4 tool rests (call Jeff for pricing). Sorry, I actually gave him a little more than we had originally thought it would be. If he does them again, obviously it's up to him, and I have no idea what he needs to charge. If you know anything about Jeff, you know his prices are absolutely reasonable...beyond that actually. Even if he charged me double, it would have been worth it.
Paint and refinishing materials $50.
Belts $60.
Then there are any parts you may want or need. PM charges an arm and a leg for things. Like the grease seal, they charged me $12. I got them from another supplier for $2 each. I ordered two of the stickers that are on the lathe (the left and center ones) from PM for $12+ each. The one on the right is no longer available from PM. So, I went to Signs By Tomorrow, and had them make one. I agreed to $31 (just because I really wanted the look of it being on the lathe). They acutally made gave me two for the $31. Anyone need one of those stickers for $15? :)

Then there are the wires from the VFD to the motor, starter, and switch. I'd say, what, $30 there? I replaced bolts and screws, maybe another $15. The metal extension that the digital tach box is on was probably another $10-15. The wood for the belt cover was another $10, but if you have it laying around... All these little things add up, and I'm sure I'm forgetting some.

To answer your question, minus the risers, banjo, and tool rests, I am about $875 in (accounting for stuff I've forgotten about). So, you could have a completely restored PM90 with all these extras for about that. If you need new bearings, add another $30, so say $900. And even then, I think it is worth it.

Now, to factor in the risers, banjo, and new tool rests (BTW, I had him make me tool rests with 1" posts so the banjo would be more versitile than a standard PM banjo that takes 1 1/8" tool rests) just remember that whatever price Jeff gives you, your price in the long run comes down a bit from that. How? You no longer need your old banjo, the tool rests and the belt cover. Heck, the belt cover got me about $20 or so, no biggie, but that's $20 towards the upgrades...

I figure that if I NEEDED to unload the lathe right now, I could get my money back plus some. But I have NO intention of doing that. ;)

[Jeff Nicol]

Mike, I just finally got time to get on SMC to check the thread, after the all day ride to Gary Indiana with my Dad yesterday picking up hi miniature rails for his back yard train he is building I am moving like an 80 year old ex-boxer! The first thing I did was to print off a picture of the finished machine, it will hang in my shop to remind me that you can do anything if....if...you are crazy!!!! I love how it came out and now I have to do some restoration on my 1940's Atlas metal lathe, so wish me luck!

So for all the admirers of my work and Mike's labor of love I am taking some time off to get some things done on my house and to just breathe a little. My body is really fighting me more and more every day and I just need to re generate and finish a bunch of things I have pending. The banjo was my favorite to make and it is built like most all that I have seen of production models from other manufacturers. I made it from 1/2" angle and cut the other leg from 1/2" stock to make the channel. It was then beveled and cleaned and welded and cleaned up to make the nice clean surfaces to paint. I milled the top flat first and then milled the bottom to the height and then the offset post is solid steel with a 1" hole bored into it for the tool posts. My milling machine is broken right now and when I get the new/old lathe cleaned and tuned I may upgrade to a larger model to make it faster for me to build things. So we will see what the future holds, because our second grandson is due in July and we can't wait to take a trip to Idaho when he is born!

Mike did a super job and I was just a little part of the dream, now reality, now we need to see some production on that thing!

Jeff

[Mike Cruz]

Thanks, Jeff...you are THE man!

For everyone that was asking me for pics of the innard of the banjo, here you go.

For anyone that PM'ed me with questions re: Jeff's input, I have been given the okay to divulge. For example, Greg, you asked about cost. The banjo is $175, the headstock riser is $100 and the tailstock riser is $140. So, going off of what I tallied up before, $900 without Jeff's stuff, that would put the whole project at $500 (with shipping). So figure $1400 in, minus the sale of your old banjo. IF I were to sell my lathe, and I have NO intention of doing so, I don't think I'd take less that $1800 for it. No reason to. You can't buy a comparable lathe with all these features for less than that.

[Rick Markham]

Mike spectacular Job!!!! Looks amazing... Now that's a true "green monster". Now I just have to ask... "Why ain't she durdy yet?" :D

You knew I had to show up and throw my monkey wrench in the works... It's my M.O.:p

[Mike Cruz]

The thread wasn't complete without you monkey wrench getting all tangled up in spokes. She'll get dirty, she'll get dirty.

Oh, and for anyone that wondered... I was looking back over the pics and realized I never did anything about the rust all over the spindle threads! I cranked her up and used a wire brush on the threads and some 600 grit sandpaper on the flat parts. It looks a lot better now. Hehe, funny how that slipped right by me. I took this opportunity to clean up the spur center, cup center, and ball bearing live center, too. Stuck 'em in the headstock spindel and used the same 600 grit sandpaper to clean them up, too. Now they aren't all rusty...

[Tony De Masi]

Yeah, but it's still just ok.

[Gerold Griffin]

Mike, thanks a million for posting the extra photo's of the banjo. I like the way Jeff done this and suspect he will be getting a few orders for these.

[Mike Cruz]

Yeah, it's just ok...Overly fantastiK...so, it didn't really work...go with it.

Gerold, you are welcome. You are also right that he'll probably get a bunch of orders for them. But beware, Jeff is taking some well deserved time off to take care of things around his house, so IF he accepts your order, don't expect it for about another 6 months. Well worth the wait, though...

[Ray Bell]

Wonderful job with redigning Mike, and I just wish I had half of the talents Jeff has.

[Phil Thien]

OMG that thing is gorgeous. I know it was a ton of work for everyone involved, but you guys did yourselves proud.

[Mike Cruz]

Yeah, but it's still just ok.

I would accuse you of Powermatic envy, but your yellow monster trumps my green monster by 2" and about 25 years...

[Stephen Cherry]

WHERE'S THE RACING STRIPE?

I don't know how a powermatic could be considered complete without it. :mad:

[Mike Cruz]

Et tu Brute...

From everyone else, I get accolades. From 3 of the 4 local schmucks that helped/know me, I get harrassment. I don't get no respect, I tell ya!

[Dan Hintz]

Meh, if it spins, I guess it wasn't a complete waste of time...












:p

The only thing it's missing is a laser-engraved strip on the speed select dial ;)

And now that this project is finished, maybe you'll be able to pull yourself away from your workshop to help others in need (and no, "speed skating", or "ice skiing", or "frozen ballet", or whatever it is you have been doing is not an acceptable excuse).

And come to think of it, I don't recall seeing any posts on here of things you've turned, so I'm calling it a myth. Isn't this like a 5-yo owning a Ferrari? The Ferrari looks sweet, but if you can't reach the pedals... :D

[Mike Cruz]

Brutal, Juice, brutal... You know, I totally forgot about that engraving thing. We'll work on that. I TOLD you I'd help you, but what do YOU do? You get your poor helpless innocent angel of a wife to heft a bulky massive gargantuan band saw onto a mobile base! Ugh, some people. It is SKI racing...as in giant slalom...and I only have a couple weeks left of it. So, don't get your panties in a bunch. Low blow with no bowls to show... They'll come, they'll come...

Hey, how did your bowl turn out that you finished at Tony's? I haven't seen pics yet. Or did I just miss your post?

[Dan Hintz]

The walnut bowl is ready for some finish... picked up some "salad bowl finish" at Woodcraft yesterday, so I'll slather on a few coats and post pics. I really like the look of that spalted Persimmon from Ken's place I used for the natural edge bowl turned the same day, so I'm pretty anxious for it to finish drying so I can coat it.

And Amy ain't no angel... helpless, yes, but no angel ;) Besides, I figured if the saw started to tip over she wouldn't jump out of the way like you would... gotta make sure the blow is cushioned, protect the saw.

[Mike Cruz]

Self preservation, my friend, self preservation. Gotta look out for numero uno.

[Phil Hansen]

First of all, I assume you aren't ragging me on misspelling "tach" by wondering how you make a "tack" digital. So, I'll continue... ;)

No ragging, been looking for a long time and this link will help.
Thanks
Phil