Powermatic 66 table saw

[dennis thompson]

There is a Powermatic 66 for sale near me for $200.
Is that a good saw?
Is that a good price?
It's 220v which I have in my shop but I'd have to get another line run
Thanks
Dennis

[Kent A Bathurst]

1 - yes. definitely a good saw - generally speaking, that is............
2 - no way to tell from here - could be the deal of the century, or could be a complete waste of 200 bucks. HP? Age? Condition? Does it even start? Runout? Vibration? Wings? Rails and fence? Surface rust doesn' matter - that cleans up with some elbow grease - but out-and-out serious corrosion is a different critter.

Others may have a different view, but seems to me that a PM66 in the 10-yr-old range that is in reasonable shape would sell for a few multiples of that number. Unless the spouse got this in the divorce settlement and is just twisting the knife :D

[Peter Quinn]

Potentially and maybe? It is potentially a good saw and it may be a good price, but it all depends on condition. I have a 66 and I like mine very much. I use several at work that are going on 30 years old and still work like champs after daily use in a cabinet shop and only basic maintenance. You have to check out the specific machine you are looking at, make sure the bearings are good, make sure nothing is bent or hosed, motor works. Though at that price I'd be willing to add my own motor if e rest were good.

[CPeter James]

It is worth much more than that for parts, so you can't loose.

CPeter

[Peter Quinn]

. Unless the spouse got this in the divorce settlement and is just twisting the knife :D

Funny, I've heard about those "she got it in the divorce and is screwing with him" sales, but for that to work she has to know it's worth more and sell it for less on purpose. Which makes me wonder, after a divorce just how many women do you know that wouldn't rather have top dollar for his valuables than the satisfaction of giving them away? Given my experience with women and money, there aren't many that would sell a $2000 saw for $200. That's a man thing. The ex will more likely get $1800 for his saw then show him what she bought. with the money!

Now the occasional estate sale bargain sure does exist where thhe wife is just happy somebody will be using her husbands old tools, I've seen that first hand. But the divorce sale I think is largely an urban legend.

[Russell Sansom]

I bought a new arbor assembly for a PM66 directly from PM for $90, so I wouldn't say bad bearings or bent arbor are a big deal at that price. I think these PM66s share the "one of the top two" cabinet saws honors with the unisaw. It's hard to find one used for less than $1000.

[mickey cassiba]

Funny, I've heard about those "she got it in the divorce and is screwing with him" sales, but for that to work she has to know it's worth more and sell it for less on purpose. Which makes me wonder, after a divorce just how many women do you know that wouldn't rather have top dollar for his valuables than the satisfaction of giving them away? Given my experience with women and money, there aren't many that would sell a $2000 saw for $200. That's a man thing. The ex will more likely get $1800 for his saw then show him what she bought. with the money!

Now the occasional estate sale bargain sure does exist where thhe wife is just happy somebody will be using her husbands old tools, I've seen that first hand. But the divorce sale I think is largely an urban legend.

Not an urban legend at all...my ex, used to delight in letting me know how much of my stuff she had gotten rid of for pennies on the dollar. The last straw was when my old Pan Head showed up at a local tavern ridden by a braggart who let everyone know that he had gotten it(as a gift) from some dumb xxxxx who was trying to get back at her ex. That one cost me thirty days in county for disturbing the peace.

[Chip Lindley]

What CPeter said! PM66 RULEZ! For $200, the PM66 may need lots of work. But, in the end, you will have one Primo 10" cabinet saw. If nothing else, it is a great investment in parts.

[Jon Grider]

For $200, I would jump on it even if it needed a new motor, arbor, and fence. And chance are it doesn't....hurry up and get it, or someone else will!

[Joe Kieve]

You said it's 220 volt. Make sure it's not 220-3 phase (unless you have 3 phase). I tried for 37 years to wear out a PM66 in a cabinet shop. Never did, so I jsut retired and let the younger guys try to. It's a great saw....get it!

[Dave Carteret]

At that price, I suspect that it's no longer for sale. It's probably also a well-used 3-phase machine, but as others have said, it's worth that price even for parts.

[Norman Hitt]

I bought a NEW 66 in '91, and if that ad was in Texas, it would already be sitting in, (or on it's way) to either my shop or my daughter's garage, (which is 360 miles from MY shop). :D At that price I wouldn't care about arbor, bearings OR whether it was single or three phase, (and I don't have three phase power either).

Note: Should it need a new arbor kit, (which includes bearings, arbor nut and a better arbor washer), the new arbor also has flats (that the old ones did not have), on the back side of the blade to be able to use two wrenches to loosen and tighten the arbor nut.

[Matt Kestenbaum]

Peter,

Recently the world of economics was turned on its head...I think a Nobel Prize resulting even...when one of its principle foundations (straight from Adam Smith) was shown to be false -- that individuals DO NOT always act in their best self interest. Or at least they may be confused about what their self interests are. To wit, a woman scorned might very well be willing to pay $1500-$2000 to piss on her ex's most cherished tool.

I once had a colleague who went through a messy divorce. A year or so after he moved away from his family in with the other woman, my colleague asked vaguely if I had any interest in the game of golf. I said yeah it had seemed like fun the few times a rode along with a friend. She said great! There are a set of clubs in my foyer that you are yours for the taking. I responded that I had some issues...no interest being party to her anger, clubs might not fit (I am only 5'4"), she could sell them and that it just seemed like bad Karma...and golf, like woodworking, is a form meditation. She said: 1) he hasn't come back for any personals much less his clubs in a year 2) he wasn't too much taller than you 3) I've got better things to do with my time and 4) if you don't come take them by 7:30 tonight I'm putting them on the corner of 81st and Broadway (space is tight in an NYC apt) with a bunch of other stuff...do what you want.

[Tad Capar]

I've seen it on CL yesterday, sent an email and still waiting for the response. Wanted to get it for that price as a second saw to my slider, but some one had to beat me to it, posting is gone

[Chip Lindley]

Lots of "big ones" get away while this forum is polled as to whether the prospective buyer should spend or not. You gotta go with your gut for a PM66 at $200! Snooze...you Looze!

[Dave Carteret]

I've seen it on CL yesterday, sent an email and still waiting for the response. Wanted to get it for that price as a second saw to my slider, but some one had to beat me to it, posting is gone

That's the other possibility considering it's listed on CL: That the seller is a deadbeat that posted the ad and decided to go on vacation for a week, or otherwise doing things that do not include actively responding to prospective buyers. Getting responses from buyers seems to be the biggest PITA of shopping on CL. Wish there was some other place to shop for used equipment besides CL & ebay

[Julian Tracy]

What's that a joke? You want to go back to the old days of buying used tools BEFORE CL and Ebay? Please.... buying used tools and getting bargains has never been easier or cheaper. Same with selling them.

These are the good days of buying and selling used tools at great prices.

I could bore you for hours telling of great CL deals, like $2300 of new Festools for $800 or a Multimax 22V scrollsaw for $65 or Baldor 10" buffer with cast iron stand for $100.... you name it, I've gotten a good deal on it through CL.

I don't even bother with ebay anymore, what a pain.

JT

[neal jack]

What's that a joke? You want to go back to the old days of buying used tools BEFORE CL and Ebay? Please.... buying used tools and getting bargains has never been easier or cheaper. Same with selling them.

These are the good days of buying and selling used tools at great prices.

I could bore you for hours telling of great CL deals, like $2300 of new Festools for $800 or a Multimax 22V scrollsaw for $65 or Baldor 10" buffer with cast iron stand for $100.... you name it, I've gotten a good deal on it through CL.

I don't even bother with ebay anymore, what a pain.

JT

sounds bad experience.

[John Sanford]

Peter,

Recently the world of economics was turned on its head...I think a Nobel Prize resulting even...when one of its principle foundations (straight from Adam Smith) was shown to be false -- that individuals DO NOT always act in their best self interest. Or at least they may be confused about what their self interests are. To wit, a woman scorned might very well be willing to pay $1500-$2000 to piss on her ex's most cherished tool. Which means that she is acting in her best interests. The funny thing about economics, especially as defined by Adam Smith, is that the myriad of differing motives is what makes the eoconomic market go roundy roundy. And the individual is the best judge of their own self-interest.

After all, when we spend $400 on tools, mechanisms, wood, finishes, etc, just to make pens, who's to say we aren't acting in our own best self interest? You can buy a couple lifetimes worth of Bic pens for $400!

[Larry Edgerton]

Funny, I've heard about those "she got it in the divorce and is screwing with him" sales, but for that to work she has to know it's worth more and sell it for less on purpose. Which makes me wonder, after a divorce just how many women do you know that wouldn't rather have top dollar for his valuables than the satisfaction of giving them away? Given my experience with women and money, there aren't many that would sell a $2000 saw for $200. That's a man thing. The ex will more likely get $1800 for his saw then show him what she bought. with the money!

Now the occasional estate sale bargain sure does exist where thhe wife is just happy somebody will be using her husbands old tools, I've seen that first hand. But the divorce sale I think is largely an urban legend.

My ex sold my tools to what I thought was a friend of mine for nothing, couple of hundred bucks. Lets just say that I got my tools back, and this fellow is no longer on my Christmas list.

To the OP. I would buy that saw if only for parts in a heartbeat.

[Matt Kestenbaum]

John - I agree with you! The psychic value she or the pen turners receive has plenty of economic utility, just not generally the monetary kind Smith could imagine.

[Dave Carteret]

What's that a joke? You want to go back to the old days of buying used tools BEFORE CL and Ebay? Please.... buying used tools and getting bargains has never been easier or cheaper. Same with selling them.

These are the good days of buying and selling used tools at great prices.

I could bore you for hours telling of great CL deals, like $2300 of new Festools for $800 or a Multimax 22V scrollsaw for $65 or Baldor 10" buffer with cast iron stand for $100.... you name it, I've gotten a good deal on it through CL.

I don't even bother with ebay anymore, what a pain.

JT

Assuming that was directed at me, I nether said nor inferred that we should go back to the days before CL & ebay.

However, those two mediums have become the near-exclusive outlets for a wide range of used items, and both are far from perfect for buyers and sellers alike. On CL, sellers have to deal with spam and scams in addition to whatever legitimate buyers there might be. Buyers are at the mercy of sellers actually responding to emails, which seems to be far more the exception than the norm in my experience. Of the 4 email inquiries I've sent in the last 2 weeks, I've received one response, and that was a seller telling me to call him because he didn't do email (after saying "email or call" in his ad). Bargain or not, I'll pass.

Unfortunately, if you're looking for something or looking to sell, there are few other choices. Ads in the paper are long gone. Real auctions (ref: auctionzip), if they have power tools, tend to be industrial 3-phase powered. Few local resale stores will carry larger items like table saws.

Dave

[Mike Schuch]

My father picked up my Powermatic 71 12" cabinet saw for $1! And it wasn't even a pissed off ex. Some guy had leased a space that used to be a window manufacture and just wanted the very ugly saw out of his way! The rolling base was welded to the sides of the saw and the whole cabinet was a basket case. It took a good amount of work, new bearings, bondo and some custom built replacement parts to bring her back to a show piece. After I replace the rails for the Besmeyer fence she will be as good as new (the rail is indented where the fence always sat causing it to not be able to hold a good lock at that point any more).

I am sure the original posters saw went to someone that recognized a great deal when they see it. Me, I would have written my saw off as a scam and never bothered to e-mail the poster.