Powermatic Planer - Please Advise

[Rob Will]

Where were the Powermatic 225 planers made and what did they cost new? (late 1990's)

Are parts available?
Is the Powermatic 225 a good planer?

Thanks,
Rob

[Dev Emch]

Where were the Powermatic 225 planers made and what did they cost new? (late 1990's)

Are parts available?
Is the Powermatic 225 a good planer?

Thanks,
Rob

Many folks who learned in high school remember this beast. When it ran, you could forget about talking. When I was very young, I was making a new dash board for an old CJ-5 we were restoring. I started out with 1 inch rough cut walnut glued together and then I planed it down to less than 1/4 inch thickness. My class mates were ready to kill me!

The 225 was one of the mainstay planers. Actually one of the cheaper of the industrial machines but easy to fix and parts were less expensive. This planer was made in McMinville, TN. Powermatic used to have a MEEHANITE CERTIFIED foundary and dis all their own castings. Current status is unclear since I stopped following powermatic after the Jet buyout and the pullout of McMinville, TN. I dont really have any further interest in the import stuff they are currently selling.

Hope this helps...

[James Boster]

To the best of my knowledge the 225 was discontinued around 2003 or 04. They were made in Tennessee. I was told the last year they were made that list price for a 225 was $21,000. It was drooped for the "new" 24" planer I think model 209 that powermatic has which is an import machine. The 225 were "beasts" as Dev said in his post but they are impressive. 20 to 100 feet a minute feed rate! Mine does an exceptional jab as a finish planer but I don't go over 30 fpm very often or cut quality goes down. Parts are available but if you go through powermatic they are very very expensive. I helped a friend of mine just restore a 221 which is the 20" equivelant? of the 225. The gibs that hold the blades in the cutterhead were almost $200 each!. I had a 20" import that I used for years that done a good job but I got a 225 last year and would not trade at this point for anything else. If you are looking at a 225 somewhere that needs work by all means check out what parts you need before you buy. They made a cutterhead called the "quiet one" which has a lot of small blades not like a byrd or insert head but short pieces of regular blade stock. From what Ive heard these type are very hard to set blades in and a pain in the rear. I have checked for my 225 and a byred shelix head costs over $3500, so be prepared. any more questions I will try to help.

[Rob Will]

James, Does the 225 have powered bed rolls?
How is the 225 on snipe at the end?

Thanks,
Rob

[tod evans]

rob, these are nice planers but as was suggested earlier beware of parts costs and availability. the ol` boys in mcminnville weren`t to happy to have their jobs sent overseas so lots of the remaining inventory is a mess, at least what still exists. and i don`t know if china is making replacements? .......02 tod

[Chris Rosenberger]

James, Does the 225 have powered bed rolls?
How is the 225 on snipe at the end?

Thanks,
Rob

It has power bed rolls.
If it is setup properly it will not snipe.

The 225 is a very nice planer, but it is a monster. I just about bought one 2 years ago over the phone without ever seeing one. It was a 1995 model with a very low price. I have a model 180 & thought the 225 could not be alot bigger as the planning was only 6" wider. I decided to go look at it first. It was from an Indiana prison woodshop. It was in very good condition & took up almost twice the floor space of my 180 & weighed over 3300 lbs. I had to pass because I did not have the space for it.

I would not let the fear of parts availablity stop me from getting one if I had the space. The old Powermatic planers were built like tanks. If you can find one that has been maintained & will continue to be maintained. I can not think of any parts one would ever need.
My model 180 was built in 1967. I bought it in 1994 from a factory. I had to replace a bearing on the infeed roller & have the infeed roller repaired were the bearing ate in to it. This was because they had not kept it lubricated. I have planed thousands of feet of lumber since without any problems.

[James Boster]

Yes the 225 has powered bed rolls. My friends 221 does not so not sure if only the 225 has them or has to do with the year made. They made planers in sizes 12",16",18"20". and 24" that all used the same sides and powertrain parts. Only difference was the length of the middle castings. They also made 3 blade head, 4 blade heads and the "quiet" head. Are you looking at a used 225 now? If so is it running or needs repaired.? As I said before these are great machines but if you need parts BEWARE :eek: :eek: $$$$ they are high. There are several places to look for used parts also but again most people know what these parts are worth.

[lou sansone]

I had looked at the 225 and thought it was a real nice machine. ended up with an italian machine, but both have the powered bed rollers which I really like ...

lou

[Rob Will]

Going to look at a Powermatic 225 planer tomorrow (if the weather permits, it is snowing now).

Aside from broken castings, what are some things to look for?

Once I get it home, any setup tricks?

Does it need to be bolted down?

Thanks for the help,
Rob

[Bill Simmeth]

Once I get it home, any setup tricks?
Does it need to be bolted down?Rob,

A few thoughts...

1. I don't know your background with machines, I'm just going by some of your questions, so forgive me if this is at all condescending.

2. This machine is rated at just under 3,000# and has a footprint of approx 4' x 6'. That's a massive hunk of good ole American iron.

3. You don't need to worry about bolting it down. Once it's planted it ain't movin'.

4. You need to know what you are doing while you plant it, or at the very least think real hard about it before doing it. A wrong move with 3,000# could go badly. At best, you ruin your purchase, at worst, well you know, the worst happens. Pay particular attention to the machine's center of gravity. It has a fairly large motor at an extended mount position. This will skew the COG to that side considerably when lifted.

5. Should you succesfully purchase and plant this beast, for set-up tips, RTFM. (Sorry, I'm in the software business.) Here's a link to the manual at OWWM.com... http://www.owwm.com/pubs/detail.asp?id=826

6. There are a few Powermatic "gurus" over at OWWM.com's Yahoo forum who can help further for pre-sales and post-sales tips. You may want to post there as well.

7. Good luck! I don't mean do be negative. I *love* old arn and think the 225 is a great machine. Just want to make sure you go in with eyes wide open.

[Steve Stube]

All this talk about Powermatic Planners causes me to mention one I have listed in the classifieds, just in case there would be some interest.
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=15426&highlight=powermatic

[Rob Will]

A monster? No way.
It's a nice little planer;) .

Thanks for the tips,
Rob