Planer upgrade: Makita 2040 vs. Powermatic 209

[Jim C Martin]

Hello All:
I’m writing for advice about some planer upgrade options.
I have a Makita 2040 which I am thinking about upgrading to a Byrd cutter head. I really like the Makita’s poly feed rollers that allow a very small finish cut with no marks like you might get from serrated rollers. I don’t love the noise of the 6500 rpm universal motor so much. I have thought about replacing the motor with a good induction motor which will be a bit of a project but nothing I can’t handle. The Byrd head will be about $1100. Changing out the motor might be two or three hundred by the time I’ve got the motor and pulley etc.
But…
There is a used Powermatic 209 for sale near me for a screaming good price and the guy will deliver. Byrd cutter heads for those are only $875. Its possible to turn down the feed rollers and have them poly coated so that I could still have my near zero cut option. My guess is that I could have the Powermatic with Byrd head and poly rollers for ~$2k. One thing I noticed when I looked at reviews on the Powermatic is that most reviews are highly positive but several people have posted fairly negative reviews.
Selling price on a Makita 2040 is a crap shoot but I wouldn’t count on getting more than $400-500.
Just in the process of writing this I may have convinced myself that the Powermatic option might be the way to go.
What would you guys advise?
Of course, I could just keep using my Makita as it sits which is a really nice but loud planer.
Cheers,
Jim
PS For those of you who read LJ forum, please excuse the duplication.

[Kevin Jenness]

I recently traded my 2040 for an old Powermatic 160. I can't see the point in dropping that kind of coin into upgrading the Makita. As you know, it's great for what it is, a lunchbox planer on steroids, but it's never going to have the output of a more heavily built planer. Even if you put a more powerful motor on it (and it might be more involved than you think given the space constraints around the belt path and the upsized drive pulley necessary for a lower speed induction motor), you will probably wear out the feed system. As well, the single screw table lift and non-adjustable 4 post/ bushing design do not give the dimensional consistency of a gibbed table, and when the bushings eventually wear out you're done.

I can't comment on the Powermatic 209, but I will say that my new/old ca.1966 PM 160 with the jointer/grinder and face-beveled knives gives about as tearout-free a finish with less snipe than a recently built 15" Powermatic with the spiral segmented head that I used last year, and given the way it was built will probably still be running in another 50 years. It will take a 1/64" cut with no feed marks from the infeed roller,too. There's more to getting a clean, accurate result off a planer than just the cutterhead. I spent some time getting everything tuned and adjusted properly, but it was worth the effort. I bought the machine for $1600, sold the 2040 for $650 and with new bearings, wiring and a load center for my phase converter have a net of $1400 and several days of setup in it.

Anyway, old or new, I say go for a heavier unit and don't look back.

[Jim C Martin]

Anyway, old or new, I say go for a heavier unit and don't look back.

Thanks Kevin, I'm leaning that way. I'd love to have a big old American made planer like yours but they take up too much room for my small garage. The Powermatic seems pretty compact for a 20".
Cheers,
Jim