Powermatic 90 w/inverter on CL

[Donny Lawson]

I found this on CL and was wondering if it would be worth looking at? It's a PM 90 w/ inverter. 1ph 220v with faceplate,chuck adapter plates and live center. It's in good shape and is in use now. Would it be worth 1400.00 ? How big of a bowl can you turn on this baby?

[Donny Lawson]

http://images.craigslist.org/3nc3m53le5T65W15X0b2a36fd24df56301399.jpghttp://images.craigslist.org/3ne3kb3m35Y25Q35Z2b2afd516d937805162c.jpghttp://images.craigslist.org/3n23m53l65Z05P65S5b2a34dca433dc821340.jpg

[John Keeton]

Donny, given the recent thread by Mike Cruz, I would think that $1400 is too much money. Looks like 12" is a realistic swing on the PM 90 because your chuck would extend any decent thickness bowl beyond the cutout in the ways. As you may recall, Mike had risers and a new banjo built for his to increase the swing, and ended up after his restoration having around $1400 invested in his restored machine - a much, much nicer lathe IMO.

[Bill Bolen]

With a new in-the-box jet 1642 1 1/2 hp being just a few hundred more I believe The pm is over priced...Bill..

[John M. Smith]

Way overpriced. I picked mine up at an auction for $350.

[Steve Mawson]

Have to agree with the other folks. I have seen around here for quite a bit less.

[Jon Prouty]

agreed - overpriced by 2x.

Jon

[Donny Lawson]

Thanks for the info.

[Skip Dow]

I regularly turn 18" x 2 inch cherry stool tops on my gap bed model 90. I have for thirty years. Low speed of course until I get it round, and I only use Kiln dried cherry.
I put probably a 100 or so pounds of lead shot in the base pedestal on that shelf, that is already there. And on the inside of the bed, about 4 inches down from the part of the bed where the ground top is, I added 10-15 weights I found at the scrap yard, that weighed 10 lbs. each, and were identical, with a location "knob" cast into each one , so they stay together horizontally, on a piece of 5/8 threaded rod , that runs through the middle web of the lathe bed. The weights must have been for an old time feed or hardware scale where you stack weights up to be able to weigh more. They have the notch already cast into them to fit the rod, that holds those type weights. The threaded rod has nuts screwed tight, and the cast iron weights absorbs vibrations. My lathe doesn't vibrate. The pulley variable speed may get loud eventually, but if so, I will probably replace with a VS speed DC drive. That will give a machine much low end torque, and the variable speed pulleys can be removed. I bought the lathe new in about 1980. I like the Green Powermatics because the Smith Brothers that started the company, always went with ordinary bearings, and hardware like you can find easily, as well as all purpose electric motors. ( At one time if you owned a Rockwell Unimat table saw, you had to buy a Unimat motor if it burned up. Not so with the green Powermatic models, made in McMinnville , Tennessee. Changing from 3 phase is a breeze, if you get their equipment out of a factory. It has standard electric motor mounts, good for single phase.
Price wise, I paid about $ 3200 for mine, delivered in 1980-81. The stuff you need is the cast iron , that doesn't wear out. If it matters, it's American iron, cast with a once patented process, Martensitic maybe ? Patent expired years ago. They used to age the casting for a year out in the back yard. McMinnville gets into the below zero's and the 96's Farenheidt in the summer. Most stresses are neutralized in a year's time. I also installed a reversing drum switch on mine for sanding. Going backwards makes it smoother.

[Roy Turbett]

Donny, given the recent thread by Mike Cruz, I would think that $1400 is too much money. Looks like 12" is a realistic swing on the PM 90 because your chuck would extend any decent thickness bowl beyond the cutout in the ways. As you may recall, Mike had risers and a new banjo built for his to increase the swing, and ended up after his restoration having around $1400 invested in his restored machine - a much, much nicer lathe IMO.

+1 on the price being too high for a stock PM90 but a very good price for a lathe like the one Mike restored. I paid $340, $500, $130 and $410 for my unrestored PM90's. I have $800 to $1,200 (not counting my time) in the two I customized with 3" riser blocks and VFD's. The effective turning diameter is 15" because that's the size of the stock banjo. I have an extension I can add to the banjo that would give me up to 22" of swing.

[John Keeton]

This thread is 3 years old. I would imagine the decision on whether to purchase has long since been made.

[Roy Turbett]

This thread is 3 years old. I would imagine the decision on whether to purchase has long since been made.

I didn't catch that but should have because Mike sold his PM90 a while ago.