Powermatic 141 Band Saw

[Jim Brown 2]

I came across a 20 yr old Powermatic 141 1 hp band saw, good shape. Seller wants $750 OBO. Any ideas on what a reasonable offer would be? I understand it is a great saw.

[Bob Coleman]

I have a 1966 version that I paid $500 for. $750 would be a bit steep for me. This is a metcallic gold colored saw? The cast iron trunnion support piece was prone to cracking on older saws (like mine, although I got lucky), but I would check that its in one piece anyway. You can still get parts from powermatic, and Redmond Machinery in GA may have larger items that powermatic wouldn't stock.

[Carroll Courtney]

I have had two 141 and afew delta/rockwell and milwaukee and I have to say that the 141 is the best 14" out there.Very heavy duty w/cast iron wheels and with the one piece cast iron frame,tensioning a blade to the max is no problem which means no flexing of the frame.I favor the cool blocks over the bearings but I can live with it.Value???? Its what its worth to you,something that will really last several life times----Fan of Older PM's Carroll

[Rich Riddle]

I came across a 20 yr old Powermatic 141 1 hp band saw, good shape. Seller wants $750 OBO. Any ideas on what a reasonable offer would be? I understand it is a great saw.
When you say good shape, it would need to have all four bearings replaced, new tyres, and a good guidance system for the blade. That's top dollar for a typical 141. I have a Powermatic 141 and a Powermatic 143. They are extremely good bandsaws, but they are used. After rebuilding my Powermatic 143 from the ground up, I have about $400 in it. The Powermatic 143 is the metal/wood bandsaw with the transmission. If I was selling it, I would only be asking about fifty dollars more for a totally restored brandaw with everything rebuilt than the seller of your potential band saw wants for an unrestored unit. There are too many of them out there to pay that price.

That said, members here seem to ask 85% or more of new prices for everything. Fortunately for them, many buyers lack the acumen to realize that used tools are just that, used. Here is a photo of the one I would sell for $750 if it was up for sell. How does your model compare?

http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/ad38/riddlers_usmc/DSCN0530.jpg

[Andrew Howe]

I would agree with the previous comments regarding factoring in rebiuld costs. I spent about $300 on my 10" delta homecraft. Now it has a 1hp motor and slices just about anything