Powermatic 180 w/ Segmented Infeed Roller

[andrew whicker]

Hi,

I got a nice deal (auction) on a PM 180 from the 80's w/ a 7.5 HP motor. However, the segmented infeed roller had a bushing come out of the drive side. The shaft got a little chewed up. I have the shaft and pillow block in a machine shop right now getting welded up, re-machined, etc.

I went ahead dis-assembled the infeed roller for the machinist and found out a lot of the springs were broken, permanently squished, etc. Side note: the spring PN still exists in the Lee Spring catalog! Also side note: each spring costs $1.40 and I need 108 springs for a complete rebuild for a total cost of $160!

Is there a secret to getting these back together? Six springs + pusher rod thing on each segment. I'm sure I'll struggle thru it and figure out a method to the madness, but if anyone has any tips in advance I'm all ears.

Thanks much and cheers,

PS: There are also some worn areas on the inside of the segmented rollers. Does anyone have real concerns w/ this sort of wear / damage (dished out)? I'll take a photo next time I'm in the shop. Probably tomorrow because why not work too much?

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[Mel Fulks]

Been a long time since I worked on one of those things. I remember that the segmented feed rollers sometimes looked “wrong “ in use and
some guys would try to fix them. Management put a stop to that. Call Powermatic .

[andrew whicker]

Here is a photo of the inside of one of the worn segmented rollers. Again, I'm not sure if this is a big issue. I'll try smoothing them out to get rid of steps in the hopes of them not having hang ups.


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[Mel Fulks]

I would mainly just file off any burrs, and rub a little “never-seize” ,just on small outer edges of the rollers. The hard part is getting all the
little springs in right. Pretty sure the company would give you info on best way to procede. I had the advantage of asking old guys still
there how to do it. I do remember that it’s normal for the segments to not look precisely aligned. You should be able , with machine off,
to move each a bit, laterally.

[Kevin Jenness]

Suggest you post your query on the owwm site.

[andrew whicker]

https://owwm.org/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=24147

This is a good thread. Good call.

I don't see a number on the Powermatic website that tells me anything positive will come from taking my time to call, wait on hold, etc.

[Phillip Mitchell]

First off, congrats on the machine! You should post a few full body shots of it.

I second owwm.org for mechanic-ing advice. Loads there about older Powermatic.

Thirdly, the Powermatic phone number today is definitely not the same number, literally and figuratively, as when your planer was built so I highly doubt that call will bear fruit concerning the details you’re interested in. Much better off absorbing from the gear heads on OWWM, in my opinion. You should start a thread there with photos and also for help nicely as long as the exact thing hasn’t been discussed 15x there already...they have a pretty good keyword search function compared to this site.

[Kevin Jenness]

No, you won't get any support for your vintage planer from Powermatic. I have never dealt with them but I understand a source for parts is Redmond Machinery in GA. https://redmondmachinery.com/old-powermatic-parts-1/

That's great that you found that thread. Any information from Bob Vaughan on old iron you can take to the bank.

[andrew whicker]

First off, congrats on the machine! You should post a few full body shots of it.

I second owwm.org for mechanic-ing advice. Loads there about older Powermatic.

Thirdly, the Powermatic phone number today is definitely not the same number, literally and figuratively, as when your planer was built so I highly doubt that call will bear fruit concerning the details you’re interested in. Much better off absorbing from the gear heads on OWWM, in my opinion. You should start a thread there with photos and also for help nicely as long as the exact thing hasn’t been discussed 15x there already...they have a pretty good keyword search function compared to this site.

Thanks! Hopefully picking up a cheesy $500 3ph shaper soon too.

She's pretty ugly. Someone literally spray painted roller drive side, belts and all. Hmm... High schools. Also someone scratched the Nazi symbol into the dust chute. I guess I'm just going to chalk that up to High school stupidity and an unaware teacher. Eye roll.

I should probably buy all new belts for it too. I would like treat this machine like it could be my forever machine. OTH, the motor sticks out so far that I can already see wanting to upgrade. I did see someone flip the motor and put it under the bed, but I'm not sure I have enough inclination to do that for an 18" planer.

I see Delta 20 inch's 3 ph (RC51) on auction lately for very little money. Solid infeed rollers and a std bladed head I assume, but not sure. Will have to look. Maybe go ahead and re-sell this one right away : )

[Bill Dufour]

My 18" powermatic planer the 7.5 hp motor is about 1/8" too wide to fit inside the motor bracket when it is flipped. I will have to take off the electrical box and machine off a little more then 1/4". I have measured and it looks like there is more then enough room for it to sit below the bed adjusting gears. I am not sure about if the motor shaft is long enough to be good or not. It is long enough just no good way to measure and see if it will sit far enough into the pulley.
When I do this job I will definitely replace the motor bracket bolts with studs.
Bill D