Powermatic - Name vs Quality

[Johnny Fischer]

Powermatic, Are you paying for the name or quality?

[James Hart]

Just the name. I have a 1982 that's a real POS, I just want to say I own one. :D

[Heather Thompson]

I could not be happier with my PM66, paid 700.00 for it last November, about one hour of run time on her. Opened her up and there was no dust, :D, had to do some work to get her up to speed, good deal in my case. I will post some pictures soon!

Heather :p

PS Please notice the tongue out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Ben Cadotte]

I was a little dissapointed in the finish quality of my new mortiser. The fence and table had a very rough cut to it. For a mortiser this is probably not a problem except for corrosion control. I have already refinished the fence to a nice smooth finish that I can wax and keep corrosion at bay (fence came with some corrosion on it). The base I am about 1/4 done with refinishing it.

Is the mortiser worth it? Yes I think so. But think for the extra they charge they could have done a bit better with the finish. And done a little better in protecting the fence from corrosion.

[Jeff Duncan]

Both, I have a 24" DD Sander bought new, model 27 shaper new, 21 spindle line boring machine new and the quality is far superior than many of the knockoffs I looked at. However they all have there own little flaws I could go into detail on. I also have a healthy amount of newer Delta machines and one Bridgwood that's on it's way out the door for comparison.
All in all for a small shop you won't do better until you get into the high end machinery.
good luck,
JeffD

[Johnny Fischer]

Jeff,
Everything in my shop is Powermatic except my TS which is a SC.
I have spent a small fortune on the equiptment and down to my last piece of equiptment on the purchase list. A drum sander. I see you own a PM 25". That one is at the top of the list but have to ask myself if the additional cost over other brands is that much better.
I also have a PM 209HH planer. every time I run something through it I end up w/ snipe no matter what. I had service rep and tech guy come to my house and he went through this thing inside and out adjusting this and that. When finished it didplane better but not nipeless, which makes me start questioning evrthing Powermatic sells. Everthing else I own which is Powermatic I love and could not be happier. Just dont want to end up buying the PM drum sander and find out it's a piece of junk.
Thanks for input.

[scott spencer]

As with most brands, it depends on the machine. PM has a better lineup than most but not all are world beaters. The PM64a is a fine contractor saw but it's made in Taiwan and is nearly identical to several others. The PM66 is being phased out, but is a top notch machine that's made in the US and is considered by many to be the best of it's class. The PM66 has little in common with the PM64a.

[Peter Quinn]

I'm happy with most PM equipment I have used or bought. Not many people get to get intimately acquainted with several brands of each machine type so its tough to compare the working properties of many different brands. I've used their shapers, 12" jointer, 20" planer, BS, Edge sander, and own a 66TS and a 14" BS. No major complaints except the absolutely junk motor mount on the BS. The tool still works well and has some nice features, they just really missed the boat on that detail which makes drive belt adjustments VERY annoying.

I have used a few other brands but they were also high end and comparable in price. I think the differences become subtle on good machines, the extra money doesn't buy you a night and day difference. It comes down to ease of use and adjustment/accuracy. You can also pay much more and get more, PM is not by any means the most expensive equipment out there.

[Jacob Reverb]

I've been very pleased with the PM 64 contractor's saw I have and the PM 54 6" jointer.

When I bought the jointer, I told the guys on the truck to hold off on unloading it until I approved it. I broke open the cartons and put a Starrett 24" rule on the infeed and outfeed tables and they were dead-on FLAT and STRAIGHT in every way I could see with the 24" rule. I mean DEAD ON where I couldn't tell whether the Starrett or the Powermatic was straighter. I was stunned.

I bought my PM 64A contractor's saw very soon after they first started offering the left-tilt option back around 1998, and have been very pleased with it since then. It passed the "nickel test" with the factory belt. I can't believe it still sells for only $750. If they're as good as mine (and I suspect they're better), that's a screaming bargain.

Bottom line is, I got a darn good jointer and table saw for a total of $1500...they were $750 each. So I guess my answer is, Yes, it's good stuff. (Though I suspect their top tier stuff might be overpriced...)

[Mike Peace]

The Powematic 3520b lathe is one of the best around in its price class. I have never heard of any PM3520b owner regretting the purchase.

[Jeff Duncan]

Hi Johnny,
It's always tough to rate machinery b/c what one guy thinks is great another finds to be junk. I do have the DD sander and it works fairly well. Compared to some of the other offshore brands I looked at it's much beefier and has some features the others lack. Out of the one's I looked at it was an easy decision. Having said that, I do this professionally, so for me it's become too small and underpowered. It was a huge improvement over the Performax I started with, but I really need a widebelt for what I do.
The thing to remember is the smaller powermatic stuff like the 209 planer are in heavy cost competition from all the other knockoff brands. I spent $3700 or so on the Bridgewood 20" planer w/ spiral cutterhead. It's a much beefier machine than the 209 and it shows in use. Once adjusted there was no noticeable snipe and it cut very clean. But again I ran into the limitations of small shop equipment, they're just not built for heavy use. I've now upgraded to a 30+ year old SCM 20" planer and it's like the difference between a Ford F-150 and a Freightliner. Not everybody needs a Freightliner though, so that's why it's tough for me to make a recommendation that fits your needs.
I guess I would say it like this, yes Powermatics are expensive, the bigger machines are most definitely better than many of the knockoffs and even better than much of the Delta stuff. The smaller hobby stuff, (6" jointers, 14" bandsaw etc.) I'm not really familiar with, However for the same money it's possible to buy used industrial machinery, which is not for everyone obviously. For example I bought a new model 27 5hp 3 phase shaper this year. Much better built than my Delta 3hp except for the fence, works ok though I've still had several small issues with it. I got a really good deal and paid $1700 delivered, retail is closer to $3000. Now at an auction earlier this week 2 SCMI 9 hp shapers went for about $2k each. So if I held onto my money and waited I could have gotten a much better quality tool for not much more money!
What you have to decide is how much tool do you need, I'm not into telling other guys go ahead and buy this or that b/c it's fine for me. That just isn't a good way to give advice in my opinion. Instead I would say decide on how much you'll use it and how much quallity your willing to pay for. Some guys are more than happy with their Grizzly sanders and maybe you would be too. Some guys never need anything more than a 6" jointer and some swear by 12" as a minimum, everyone's got diffferent needs. I can say there's a definite difference between brands, anyone who says they are all the same doesn't know what they're talking about. I've used a good amount of different machiinery over the years so I have a good idea of what makes a quality machine.
Anyway that's enough rambling for today, feel free to pm me if you have any other questions on the sander.
JeffD

[Johnny Fischer]

Jeff,
I am a person of quality and perfection. I dont what to have to take two steps to get there when only one is really needed.
What you say though is O so very true.

Thanks

[Dave Falkenstein]

Seems logical that the way Powermatic got "the name" was to produce quality products over an extended time frame. It's hard to make it work any other way.

[Doug Shepard]

I've had a PM66 & PM54 for 10-15 years. Both were good buys. The 54 seems to want some periodic fence checking to make sure it's still 90 deg to the bed. But the 66 has stayed set the way it was adjusted when set up. It just works (and well).

[Bill Wyko]

I have the PM2000vs drill press. SMOOOOTTTTHHHH as silk.:D My 64A saw had an issue but it was because of a piece being assembled incorrectly by me. Other than that the tools are great. Priced prety good for what you get too.