What about this planer?

[Kent E. Matthew]

This gentleman wants 600 for this planer. Fair price? Is this a good planer?

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c56/Goose5/throw%20away/powermatic.jpg

[Jerome Hanby]

I've never seen one of those in my life. Looks like some ancestor to the lunch box planer. I'm a big Powermatic planer fan...but that doesn't look like a big Powermatic plane r<g>. I think you could shop and find some big old Powermatic iron for that dollar range (sub $1000 anyway).

[Don Wacker]

What you have there is an old Powermatic / Belsaw planer molder probably 12". I'd steer clear of that one.

Don

[John TenEyck]

Except for the label, that looks a lot like my Foley-Belsaw planer/molder. I paid $250 for mine with a 5HP motor. I got a bunch of molding knives with it, but needed to buy new planer blades and do some repair work. It's a pretty crude machine, really, but runs well and does a great job. If you want it, I'd offer him no more than $300.

[Keith Avery]

I think if you are patient you could find a PM 160 for about a thousand. I recently bought a General 330 20" Planer in decent condition but needs a little TLC for 1k.(You can still buy these new for a little over 20k) Either of these machines can plane 12 hours a day. It seems with all the cabinet shops and school woodshops going out of business you can buy used machines far better than new machines for half the price, especially if you get a phase converter.

[David Kumm]

Foley Belsaw was an average molder and molders by definition are average planers. To work with molding knives there have to be compromises in the design- chipbreakers, pressure bar etc. There are lots of better choices if you only need the planer. Dave

[Bud Millis]

I use to have one of those back in the mid to late 80's. I'd pass and get a Dewalt at Lowes. If you look around, you could even pick up a 15" Delta DC-380 planer for about the same or a little more.

[Don Jarvie]

NO for 600, yes for 250 if its all there and in decent shape and decent shapre means some clean up and adjustments. I have a Belsaw and it works great.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Foley Belsaw was an average molder and molders by definition are average planers. To work with molding knives there have to be compromises in the design- chipbreakers, pressure bar etc. There are lots of better choices if you only need the planer. DaveIs your reply based on experience, or just opinion?

[David Kumm]

Hope i didn't offend. My experience is with a Woodmaster. At the time I bought I looked at all and felt the W@H was probably the best molder and saw the others as roughly equal. At the time I could get a planer head machined to use 60 degree corrugated back shaper knives which were easier to set up than the Foley, RBI or regular Woodmaster knives. Hence choosing the woodmaster. I saw no advantage to the Foley so I considered it average in the molder dept. All molders are adequate planers but won't compete with a machine that has a chipbreakers right in front of the knives and a pressure bar right behind them. Still gives a good finish but the requirements of leaving space due to the molding knives protruding compromises the cut quality. I am not comparing to cheaper planers as my experience is with an Oliver 299, and a 399. I consider the normal 15" asian planer to be average as well so I'm not really picking on the Foley, just comparing to pretty good stuff. Dave