Moving Powermatic Table Saw 66

[Sam Guo]

Hello

I recently bought a vintage Powermatic 66 table saw (1970's) for restoration through a school auction in another city (200 miles away). I plan to move the machine using a U-haul utility trailer (with a ramp) and a two-wheel dolly. I will bring tie-down straps and some tools (wrenches, screw drivers, etc...). The folks in the school warehouse will help me load it into the trailer, but after driving home I have to unload it by myself.

I went through previous SMC posts on this subject. It seems to me that this is doable, if I can make sure the 1) the fence, rails and even the table top (28" by 38") can be removed. 2) ensure tie down the machine well during the transportation.

I have never used a cabinet table saw (:o), and am trying to figure out if it will be too complicated/time-consuming to take off the fence, rails, and the table top on the site, considering this is a old saw and has been laying in a warehouse for more than 2 years and some of the bolts/nuts/screws may be stuck.

I have read a Powermatic maintenance manual/parts list document. It seems that the rails can be removed by taking off several bolts going to the side of the table; for the fence, I am not sure how much efforts it will take to get it off the rail (or it could be simply sliding to the rail ends and remove it?); for the table top, i will try not to remove it from the stand. Is it possible to be load/unloaded with the heavy table top using a dolly?

Any comments and suggestions are welcome! Sorry for asking these rudimentary questions.

Thanks
Sam

[Dave Cav]

If it's been in a warehouse I wouldn't worry about any of the bolts being stuck. Just take a selection of wrenches and sockets if you have them, and take at least one adjustable wrench. Removing the fence rails and the wings from the top should be pretty straightforward and self evident once you see the saw in the flesh. The wings can be kind of heavy the first time you take them off, so I would suggest loosening the three bolts holding each wing, then removing two of them, allowing the wing to swing down, and then remove the last bolt. Repeat on the other side. Once you get the fence rails and wings off you should not have any trouble moving the saw on a dolly; remember to strap it to the dolly first if you can. It's not any more difficult than moving a washer or dryer, and a lot easier than a refrigerator. I've moved several PM66s, Unisaws and Delta shapers by myself and it's really not a big deal.

Lots more info here: http://wiki.vintagemachinery.org/Powermatic-66-PM66-PM-66-Table-Saw-Tablesaw-Restoration-Threads-on-OWWM.ashx

[John K Jordan]

Hello

I recently bought a vintage Powermatic 66 table saw (1970's) for restoration through a school auction in another city (200 miles away). I plan to move the machine using a U-haul utility trailer (with a ramp) and a two-wheel dolly. I will bring tie-down straps and some tools (wrenches, screw drivers, etc...). The folks in the school warehouse will help me load it into the trailer, but after driving home I have to unload it by myself.

I went through previous SMC posts on this subject. It seems to me that this is doable, if I can make sure the 1) the fence, rails and even the table top (28" by 38") can be removed. 2) ensure tie down the machine well during the transportation.

I have never used a cabinet table saw (:o), and am trying to figure out if it will be too complicated/time-consuming to take off the fence, rails, and the table top on the site, considering this is a old saw and has been laying in a warehouse for more than 2 years and some of the bolts/nuts/screws may be stuck.

I have read a Powermatic maintenance manual/parts list document. It seems that the rails can be removed by taking off several bolts going to the side of the table; for the fence, I am not sure how much efforts it will take to get it off the rail (or it could be simply sliding to the rail ends and remove it?); for the table top, i will try not to remove it from the stand. Is it possible to be load/unloaded with the heavy table top using a dolly?

Any comments and suggestions are welcome! Sorry for asking these rudimentary questions.

Thanks
Sam

Sam, I have a PM66 made maybe 10 years ago (bought new) and if it is similar, the fence simply lifts off the rail. Gravity holds the fence in place and a clamping handle locks it down for use.

Mine has the long rails and extension table and I don't remember the rails difficult to install so they should be easy to remove. Same with the table. You do want the rails fairly parallel with the top of the table so there is an adjustment step but it didn't take long. (Now the extension table and rails did complicate things in my case, as did adding a sliding table!)

I moved mine with a my fork lift but if you take it apart as much as possible it should be easy to get it in the trailer you have some help and perhaps a few of the furniture dollys with the casters. I moved a heavy PM3520b lathe across country recently and also used the u-haul trailer. I chose a tandem axle model for security on the road.

I would strap the cast iron table down somehow. It would be bad if anything moved around.

Also, once when moved a heavy, upright thing (a player piano) across 5 sates in a u-haul I put it in the middle and constructed a frame of 2x4s to brace it against both walls. This kept the weight in the middle and the load secure from moving.

I had help loading the lathe but unloaded it by myself, sliding the pieces out of the back of the trailer onto the small furniture dollys. It would be a lot easier to con, er, convince a strong person or two into helping!

Hey, before you make the trip can you somehow convince someone at the school to go out there with a socket wrench and see if the bolts will loosen? If not, you can probably still move the saw into the trailer without taking it apart (with enough help) and perhaps hire someone if necessary to unload it and move it into your shop.

JKJ

[Paul Richard]

Hey Sam,

I'm sure folks have moved that exact saw, I have not, but when I need to move any of my equipment, I use an appliance mover/hand truck. It's a seriously beefed up hand truck with a ratcheting belt that you can wrap around the item you are moving. It also has these belt-like treads if you are trying to get it up or down stairs. I have moved refrigerators, large dressers, my Jet JJP-12 - actually more things than I can list, but all in the hundreds of pounds. You can rent them from u-haul and maybe home depot. I'll add here that any supporting equipment is not complete without lots of testosterone (aka strong men or women) and foul language, but with that combo, you should be OK. Do you know the weight of the base without the wings/table?

Good luck!

PS - Wear a weight belt too!

PPS - Beer and pizza are always a welcomed reward for a carefully moved heavy object - in fact that is often how I get my buddies to my house in the first place. Then I tell them about moving something. :-)

[John McClanahan]

When I bought my PM66 it was 150 miles away. It has the long cast iron table and 52" rails. I took the table apart and off of the base so we could load it into my truck with a camper shell. Doing this gave me the chance to look everything over good, and made me go through all alignments before trying it out. I would do it again.

John

[andrew whicker]

There are also trailers that lower all the way to the ground that you can rent.

https://www.sunbeltrentals.com/equipment/items/1413/platform-lift-trailers/

If you're worried about stuck bolts be sure to bring some liquid wrench or equivalent.

[Matt Day]

For sure take the rails/table off. It lightens up the saw considerably to make it easier to move. If you bought it used, you surely want to go through it thoroughly, clean it up, lube the gears, align the top, align the fence etc. Research aligning everything - wood whisperer has some good videos.

I restored a pm65, a heavy beast of a saw going up stairs with the top on. I would not recommend it but the buyer wasn't sure about aligning the top so we left it on. Educate yourself, you'll be better off in the long run.

[Carroll Courtney]

The warehouse guys should have a fork lift so that's a given,but once you get home seat down and think about it for awhile.Try not to remove the top if you can cause you will have to square it back up with the blade if you do,but removing it squaring back up is not earth shaking.Buying from a school district,well the saw maybe 3 phase,but that can also be overcome.Welcome to the forum,post some pics of your saw when you pick it up----Carroll

[Larry Frank]

I would rent/borrow an engine lift. That would make easy to unload. I do it with my utility trailer and take the ramp off the trailer so I can roll the lift partway under the trailer.

[John McClanahan]

Do remember that the entire top is mounter to the base by only 3 bolts screwed into cast iron.

[Jeff Heath]

I have taken apart and restored a couple of PM 66's. The top and fence components come off easy enough with ratchet and/or wrench. Do not ever lift a machine by it's cast iron top. They can and will break.

With a ratchet strap, you can secure the saw base to your appliance dolly quickly and easily. It helps to bring a sheet of plywood slightly larger than the base to slide under the saw, but on top of the dolly. This will give you something to push against the bottom with. They are hollow inside.

It's an easy move by yourself. Just be careful. They're just heavy enough to bite you if you're not careful.

[Shawn Northener]

I suggest removing the fence, rails & motor cover and put it upside down on the top to transport. I moved mine by myself by rolling it end over end and scooting it as much as possible. I used a come-along to drag it onto the trailer with it on its top sitting on cardboard to keep the top from getting scratched. Unlike contractor saws the motor is (should be) securely fastened so flipping the saw over won't hurt anything. I put an Incra fence system on mine, I could never get the original fence to lock up parallel to the blade repeatably. The original fence used the round rails, if you have a Biesemeyer fence that may work well enough for you.

[Jason White]

I've done it in the past using a come-along winch and nylon strap around the base of the saw. Was able to crank the winch and drag the saw up the ramp and into the trailer by myself. Worked great!

[Steve Peterson]

My PM66 is newer than that, but the top comes off really easily with just a few bolts. The cast iron wings can be taken off first to keep each piece even lighter. You are going to want to take them off anyway so you can clean them up and re-align them before using the saw. You might as well lighten the load when you are moving it.

Steve

[Earl McLain]

Is it helpful/safer to support the motor in some way as well to insulate from some of the bumps in the road? Potholes are a way of life in the snow belt, and the patch jobs often create a bump instead of the hole. When I uncrated my TS, the motor had been lowered onto a Styrofoam block which transferred some of the weight from the trunnions to the cabinet--made sense to me at the time.
earl

[Sam Guo]

Thanks all for the suggestions.

The moving works out pretty smoothly: guys in the warehouse used a forklift to load the saw/pallet into the back of trailer and then uses anther pallet as a fork extension to push the saw into the back of the trailer. Then I strapped down everything tightly and also wrapped the motor to the saw body to prevent excessive vibration.

After driving back, I took off the fence and the rails, then the table tops. No stuck screws/nuts. I carefully tilted the saw body towards a dolly and moved the saw into the shop. Basically I used a strap hooking to the saw and pulled the strap to tilt the saw; also use my body against the dolly, otherwise the dolly will back off.

I will start to restore it during the Christmas holidays; it is going to fun!

-Sam

[Matt Day]

Congrats! A new machine is a great feeling! Especially when it gets home without incident.