Patrick Kane
09-04-2018, 11:20 AM
Giving strong consideration to selling my unisaw i rebuilt a year or two ago, and picking up a project 72 to work on. When its all said and done, i imagine it will be a wash financially, but the PM72 will probably be a better fit for me. A few questions, one is there any reason to not step up to a 12/14" saw? I have an 80" stroke KF700, so my unisaw is used 98% for ripping and dadoing. The other 2% is the oddball time i make a tenon using a dado stack etc. This is all to say im not primarily doing delicate and finicky operations on my unisaw. Ive read David and others state how much more robust the Delta and Powermatic 12-14" saws are compared to the 10" counterparts. Looks like the collective opinion says the PM68 wasnt the best and later model 72s and 72a's werent spectacular either. This one im looking at is probably from the 60s, because it doesnt have the inset base and is the machine green PM used before the forest green and racing stripes. I havent painted a machine before, but ive stripped down a handful of unisaws before, so this could be a mildly rewarding project alongside a meaningful machine upgrade. I will be a little bummed about losing the "Pittsburgh, PA" tagline on the machine plate though.
Next question pertains to weight. I can not find an accurate, agreed upon weight for the machine without the monster CI wing. This particular saw has the standard two extension wing configuration. Does it weigh 700, 800, 900, or 1000 pounds? Ive seen all the above, along with a bunch of weights inbetween. I am asking, because it affects how i transport it. This thing is about an hour or hour and a half away from me, but im headed that way on business. Would be convenient if i could strip it down and then tip the chasis into my hatchback on my way home. Everything should fit well enough with the seats folded flat, but there is a question of payload with a small car. Im 190lbs, and my hatchback is stated at 900-950lbs. I would be right on the line if the machine weighs 700-800lbs. Weight will dictate if I look to rent another vehicle, but it also determines if i move it myself or not. If it weighs 1000lbs(i find this unlikely) then i really dont care to move it on anything other than a trailer. If it is 700lbs, then i am comfortable with breaking it down into manageable parts and moving in the hatchback. I assume the table and wings are 2-300lbs, motor is 80, and the chassis is the remainder. Now, as everyone is laughing to themselves at this point, i will interject with a short story of the first time i tried to purchase a PM72. It was a great looking single phase machine with the racing stripes for $400-500. I called the seller about 2-3 hours after he listed it, and he told me i was the second to contact him and the other guy was coming to look at it. Of course the first guy bought it. A week later i show up at another guy's house to buy an excalibur overarm blade guard. There is a great looking green PM72 in pieces in his 1 car garage. Turns out this is the freaking first caller from the week before! I then proceeded to laugh at him after he pointed to his small Scion hatchback and saying he moved it in the car with the hatch open. This was a 72 with the 4' extension wing too. Anyways, this all leads me to believe a lot of the weights i see on forums are over-inflated, and this saw does not weigh 900-1000 pounds. Much like the posts of some people saying their 8" jointer weighs "close to 1000 lbs".
Next question pertains to weight. I can not find an accurate, agreed upon weight for the machine without the monster CI wing. This particular saw has the standard two extension wing configuration. Does it weigh 700, 800, 900, or 1000 pounds? Ive seen all the above, along with a bunch of weights inbetween. I am asking, because it affects how i transport it. This thing is about an hour or hour and a half away from me, but im headed that way on business. Would be convenient if i could strip it down and then tip the chasis into my hatchback on my way home. Everything should fit well enough with the seats folded flat, but there is a question of payload with a small car. Im 190lbs, and my hatchback is stated at 900-950lbs. I would be right on the line if the machine weighs 700-800lbs. Weight will dictate if I look to rent another vehicle, but it also determines if i move it myself or not. If it weighs 1000lbs(i find this unlikely) then i really dont care to move it on anything other than a trailer. If it is 700lbs, then i am comfortable with breaking it down into manageable parts and moving in the hatchback. I assume the table and wings are 2-300lbs, motor is 80, and the chassis is the remainder. Now, as everyone is laughing to themselves at this point, i will interject with a short story of the first time i tried to purchase a PM72. It was a great looking single phase machine with the racing stripes for $400-500. I called the seller about 2-3 hours after he listed it, and he told me i was the second to contact him and the other guy was coming to look at it. Of course the first guy bought it. A week later i show up at another guy's house to buy an excalibur overarm blade guard. There is a great looking green PM72 in pieces in his 1 car garage. Turns out this is the freaking first caller from the week before! I then proceeded to laugh at him after he pointed to his small Scion hatchback and saying he moved it in the car with the hatch open. This was a 72 with the 4' extension wing too. Anyways, this all leads me to believe a lot of the weights i see on forums are over-inflated, and this saw does not weigh 900-1000 pounds. Much like the posts of some people saying their 8" jointer weighs "close to 1000 lbs".