My Powermatic 60 Restoration

[Ben Martin]

I went today to pick up the Powermatic 60 that I purchased locally. I got it from a guy about 25 miles from my house who buys out warehouses and then sells off the stuff in pieces. When I had went to look at this jointer originally I thought that he said that he got it from Wrigleyville. Well, I got to looking today and it has a plaque that says WM Wrigley Jr. Co which didn't ring a bell to me until on the way home when my wife asked if that was the gum company, so we checked a pack of gum that we had and sure enough, this came from the gum company.

The Serial stars with a 7 which means that this is a 1977 model. The machine is complete and all original, even all the plastic knobs are still intact. I am not sure why, but it is was re-painted a off-white color by a brush and it is very thick. I will be stripping it down and re-painting it the original green or maybe some other color, anyone have some neat ideas? It is a 3 phase machine so I will either be purchasing a phase converter, re-winding the motor or buying a new motor, anyone have any ideas on this too? Also, if you look at the base the machine has a Start/Stop and then a On/Off switch, any ideas why there are two switches?

If you have restored a machine before, I would appreciate some input on stripping techniques, chemical or does it need to be sand blasted (I don't have one)? Does anyone know of any good pictorial documents on a full machine restoration? Just wondering if I should paint all pieces individually or re-assemble it and then paint (it looks like it was painted fully assembled at the factory).

[Barry Vabeach]

Ben, nice jointer, while it hardly qualifies as old to the guys at OWWM, if you do some searching of their website, you will find all the answers you need. http://www.owwm.org/index.php

[Victor Stearns]

Ben, I do beleive that you have a gloat in the making. Congrats.
It is always great to find an old, restoreable machine.
I have only restored one WW machine. A Craftsman radial arm saw. You know the kind that takes two people to move. Withe the 3 phase I am thinking that possibly the unit has a magentic safety switch that may account for the switches.
As to the stripping, I would stick to sandpaper. Using chemicals is a pain and without a sandblaster, paper and elbow grease works.
Congrats.
Victor

[Ben Martin]

Ben, nice jointer, while it hardly qualifies as old to the guys at OWWM, if you do some searching of their website, you will find all the answers you need. http://www.owwm.org/index.php

Haha, if you look over there I have a similar thread with some more "in depth" questions for the experts. I wanted to put it up here to "show it off."

[Bob Aquino]

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It is a 3 phase machine so I will either be purchasing a phase converter, re-winding the motor or buying a new motor, anyone have any ideas on this too? Also, if you look at the base the machine has a Start/Stop and then a On/Off switch, any ideas why there are two switches?

If you have restored a machine before, I would appreciate some input on stripping techniques, chemical or does it need to be sand blasted (I don't have one)? Does anyone know of any good pictorial documents on a full machine restoration? Just wondering if I should paint all pieces individually or re-assemble it and then paint (it looks like it was painted fully assembled at the factory).

A three phase motor cant be rewired to single phase. Easiest conversion would be a static converter that simulates a 3rd phase off of 220v. Downside is that you loose a third of the rated power of the motor.

If you open up that box you will probably find some stuff that looks like the breakers in your service panel. Its a magnetic starter that uses a momentary button to use fire an electromagnet to close a set of contacts. When you hit the off switch it breaks the circuit to the electromagnet and opens the circuit. This kind of switch is standard on 3 phase equipment and higher end equipment like powermatic. Take a looksee here for more information: http://wiki.owwm.com/Magnetic%20Starters%20Explained.ashx

I've done a few restorations, last one was a 3 phase bandsaw that is running off a VFD. I'll second the recommendation to go and register over on owwm.org. Those guys live for fixing up these old machines. They can give you help on the electrical, mechanical and refinishing parts. As for painting it, for sure you want to paint each part individually after you strip and prime them. I just picked up a Powermatic 30 belt disk sander and where the sander was mounted to the base is bare metal. So much for painting it when its all together. Good luck and post pix when its done.

[Matt Meiser]

I wouldn't mess with a phase converter for a machine with a standard motor unless you have plans to buy additional 3-phase machinery--especially tools that have non-standard motors. For my PM 50 jointer I found a single phase motor used for $35. It shouldn't be too difficult in an area like Chicago to find a decent used motor.

On the switches: On my jointer I removed all of the electrical that was on it and just put a standard pushbutton start/stop swtich I found on Ebay. I was able to sell the magnetic starter that was on it on the OWWM site. That prevented me from having to mess with coils and overloads for the starter, which would have been hard to find due to its age. If you have something modern they may be easier to find, but may be fairly expensive.

For stripping:
- sandblasting, but you have to be careful of machined surfaces. Its messy to do yourself and if you have it done they might not be as careful as you'd like.
- Chemical strippers. I like Aircraft Stripper which is available at Murray's Auto Parts and I think Autozone. Be careful as it will burn your skin. And you should use it outside so you better get moving if you want to go that route :D
- Castrol Super Clean is a cleaner that actually works pretty good as a stripper because will cause some paints to bubble. You might be able to remove the brush job with that and may find the original paint under that is OK to leave in place after a good sanding.
- Electrolysis will remove all paint and rust but you need to have patience. I just stripped all the sheet metal parts of my sander that way. I'd go out in the morning, at lunch, and in the evening to scrub them and flip another part into the solution since I didn't have a big enough container to submerge the whole thing. It took about a week but the results were worth it.

For color:
Do what you want. Its only paint and if some serious collector down the road wants it original he can repaint it. You could go with an older or newer PM color (they were grey, then "vista" or pea green, then metallic green, then gold. A lot of old machinery was painted grey so that wouldn't look out of place at all on almost anything. But if you want it candy apple red, then paint it candy apple red.

For paint:
Assuming you are going to spray it, I really like Sherwin Williams industrial enamel. But its only available in gallons which run about $50. They can color match, but they won't be able to match the metallic green that would be original to that machine. Rust-O-Leum also works well but you have to wait a lot longer for it to harden and it is only available in a set color pallete. The Rust-O-Leum can sometimes as much as a couple weeks depending on how thick you put it on, the temperature, etc. before it hardens enough to take any abuse. The Sherwin Williams stuff gets pretty hard within 2-3 days. Neither ever seems to completely harden so they take some abuse without chipping. You can get away with brushing cast iron parts because the rough texture hides the brush marks but they will be noticable on the sheet metal. Spray cans a pretty convenient but harder to get good results on large parts and they are pretty expensive.

[Ben Martin]

I wouldn't mess with a phase converter for a machine with a standard motor unless you have plans to buy additional 3-phase machinery--especially tools that have non-standard motors. For my PM 50 jointer I found a single phase motor used for $35. It shouldn't be too difficult in an area like Chicago to find a decent used motor.

On the switches: On my jointer I removed all of the electrical that was on it and just put a standard pushbutton start/stop swtich I found on Ebay. I was able to sell the magnetic starter that was on it on the OWWM site. That prevented me from having to mess with coils and overloads for the starter, which would have been hard to find due to its age. If you have something modern they may be easier to find, but may be fairly expensive.

For stripping:
- sandblasting, but you have to be careful of machined surfaces. Its messy to do yourself and if you have it done they might not be as careful as you'd like.
- Chemical strippers. I like Aircraft Stripper which is available at Murray's Auto Parts and I think Autozone. Be careful as it will burn your skin. And you should use it outside so you better get moving if you want to go that route :D
- Castrol Super Clean is a cleaner that actually works pretty good as a stripper because will cause some paints to bubble. You might be able to remove the brush job with that and may find the original paint under that is OK to leave in place after a good sanding.
- Electrolysis will remove all paint and rust but you need to have patience. I just stripped all the sheet metal parts of my sander that way. I'd go out in the morning, at lunch, and in the evening to scrub them and flip another part into the solution since I didn't have a big enough container to submerge the whole thing. It took about a week but the results were worth it.

For color:
Do what you want. Its only paint and if some serious collector down the road wants it original he can repaint it. You could go with an older or newer PM color (they were grey, then "vista" or pea green, then metallic green, then gold. A lot of old machinery was painted grey so that wouldn't look out of place at all on almost anything. But if you want it candy apple red, then paint it candy apple red.

For paint:
Assuming you are going to spray it, I really like Sherwin Williams industrial enamel. But its only available in gallons which run about $50. They can color match, but they won't be able to match the metallic green that would be original to that machine. Rust-O-Leum also works well but you have to wait a lot longer for it to harden and it is only available in a set color pallete. The Rust-O-Leum can sometimes as much as a couple weeks depending on how thick you put it on, the temperature, etc. before it hardens enough to take any abuse. The Sherwin Williams stuff gets pretty hard within 2-3 days. Neither ever seems to completely harden so they take some abuse without chipping. You can get away with brushing cast iron parts because the rough texture hides the brush marks but they will be noticable on the sheet metal. Spray cans a pretty convenient but harder to get good results on large parts and they are pretty expensive.

Thanks for the help Matt, I really appreciate it. I was thinking about painting it some other color, but I really like the metallic green. I think that I will be going with the Rustoleum in cans. As far as stripping, I will take you suggestion and get some of the Castrol Super Clean and see if that works, if not I will go with a chemical stripper, there isn't much rust so electrolysis would be a time waster. I will start looking for a cheap used electric motor, I realize that I will need to match the shaft size, is there a standard bolting pattern for all electric motors, or do I need to match that too?

Thanks again.

[Matt Meiser]

I wouldn't even worry too much about shaft size. The sheave (pulley) could be obtained easily from McMaster Carr or another source at a pretty low cost. When I did mine, I took out a 3450 RPM motor and put in a 1750 and had to replace the pulley anyway.

For this, all you really need to worry about is that it has a bolt-down base. A 56-frame motor would be best, but if worse comes to worse you could drill new holes in the motor mount in the bottom of the cabinet. Oh, and you do want to make sure it can spin the right direction. Many (most?), but not all, motors are reversible. It really doesn't even need to be a TEFC motor. Many of them weren't back in that era and the base is pretty well isolated from dust. I didn't use one in mine. Just blow it out occasionally. That should really open up your options.

What is the HP of the motor currently in it? Mine uses a surprisingly small 3/4HP motor which is the largest size recommended by Powermatic in that old manual. I'm not sure if that is because older motors were more powerful or if manufacturers are just putting oversized motors on things today. Regardless, its not hurting for power that I can tell.

[Ben Martin]

What is the HP of the motor currently in it? Mine uses a surprisingly small 3/4HP motor which is the largest size recommended by Powermatic in that old manual. I'm not sure if that is because older motors were more powerful or if manufacturers are just putting oversized motors on things today. Regardless, its not hurting for power that I can tell.

It has a 1.5HP motor in it currently and from what I have read, I think this is what it is came with from the factory, although it is a Leeson motor. It actually came with the original manual so I can check in there to see if it has a maximum power rating.

Don't current 8" jointers come with much bigger motors?

Thanks for the tips about matching the pulley to the motor, that really opens up options for me.

[Ben Martin]

I made some progress tonight, I started stripping the base.

http://i424.photobucket.com/albums/pp325/martbj/Powermatic%2060%20Restoration/IMG_1840.jpg

And also took the cutter head apart and noticed that is might still have the original blades in it...

http://i424.photobucket.com/albums/pp325/martbj/Powermatic%2060%20Restoration/IMG_1836.jpg

[Matt Meiser]

It has a 1.5HP motor in it currently and from what I have read, I think this is what it is came with from the factory, although it is a Leeson motor. It actually came with the original manual so I can check in there to see if it has a maximum power rating.

Don't current 8" jointers come with much bigger motors?

Thanks for the tips about matching the pulley to the motor, that really opens up options for me.

Today's PM 60 comes with a 2HP.

Worse case you can get a new motor from Surplus Center for about $165+shipping. http://www.surpluscenter.com/item.asp?UID=2008102806160464&item=10-1904&catname=electric I'm sure you can do better than that though.

[Ben Martin]

Today's PM 60 comes with a 2HP.

Worse case you can get a new motor from Surplus Center for about $165+shipping. http://www.surpluscenter.com/item.asp?UID=2008102806160464&item=10-1904&catname=electric I'm sure you can do better than that though.

Yeah, I am seriously thinking about one of the VFD units from FactoryMation for $145. It would really open up my options for buying used equipment and it seems like the guys on OWWM really like it.

[Matt Meiser]

As far as I know, you can only run one motor off a VFD. There are problems putting a disconnect between the VFD and motor which is what you'd have to do. The only real alternative would be to move the VFD from machine to machine. For multiple machines, a rotary phase converter is what you want. Then can be bought or built from a small single phase motor and a larger 3-phase motor.

Personally, I wouldn't put a VFD on a jointer as there's no advantage and it would cost as much or more than just changing out the motor by the time you buy any other necessary components. And down the road its one more thing to go wrong. You are highly unlikely to burn up a good motor, but a power surge could damage the VFD and you'd have to spend that money again.

Now if you are considering buying othe 3-phase equipment, the RPC might be the way to go. A surplus 3-phase motor big enough to build it could probably be had at scrap prices.

[Joe Jensen]

I'll give a counter view to Matt's opinion. I am refurbishing a 12" SCMI jointer. I chose to go with a VFD because and not a rotary converter for the following reasons;
1) the rotary converter takes up floor space, and that's more precious to me right now that cost.
2) The rotary converters I looked at were $800 or more. I bought an excellent brand name VFD for a 3HP motor for $320
3) With a VFD I can run the machine just like it ran before. With a rotary converter you need the rotary running before you start the 3ph device. Not my style
4) I already have all the large tools I can fit in my garage shop. The main arguement for a rotary converter is that you can use them on multiple tools. I don't have space for any more 3ph tools.

YMMV

[Ben Martin]

As far as I know, you can only run one motor off a VFD.

Hmm, from what I read on OWWM it sounds like you can use the Factory Mation VFD on up to 3 machines, I better do some more research. This electrical stuff is so confusing to me...

Ben - A mechanical engineer who didn't pay attention in electrical engineering classes....

[Matt Meiser]

Hey, I AM an electrical engineer--they never taught us this stuff. And I've done software my entire career so what I know is what I've learned on my own.

Anyway, my understanding has always been that if you cut the power between the VFD and the motor, you can damage the VFD. I suppose you could wire up contactors, etc to ensure one and only one motor is connected at a time? I've also heard someone talk about putting a plug on the thing so you could move it machine to machine. My understanding might be wrong too--wouldn't be the first time.

Joe, I'm assuming your machine has a non-standard motor or the motor was otherwise expensive to replace? If that were the case and I were in your situation I'd do exactly the same. I'd probably only choose the RPC for running multiple machines. For my jointer I turned down a static phase converter the seller had for $50 because I was sure I could find a motor for less. I'm seriously considering putting a VFD and a 3-phase motor on an old Duro benchtop 14" DP I have for the variable speed functionality.

[Ben Martin]

I thought that I would update this thread with some of the "after pictures." I have the jointer pretty much ready to go, I just need to figure out what to do about a single phase motor and then get some 240V in my shop. I am also awaiting the "stripe" that goes around the base, I had a very nice gentleman from the OWWM forums offer me one of his extras. This was a great project and very rewarding. I already picked up a 1968 Delta/Rockwell 12" Disc Sander that needs some new paint and stuff, but it runs just fine, it might have to wait until the summer because I have no where to paint in the winter. Anyways, some pictures:

http://i424.photobucket.com/albums/pp325/martbj/Powermatic%2060%20Restoration/IMG_1903.jpg

http://i424.photobucket.com/albums/pp325/martbj/Powermatic%2060%20Restoration/IMG_1904.jpg

http://i424.photobucket.com/albums/pp325/martbj/Powermatic%2060%20Restoration/IMG_1911.jpg

http://i424.photobucket.com/albums/pp325/martbj/Powermatic%2060%20Restoration/IMG_1913.jpg

[Andy Casiello]

Ben, love the work you did. It looks great now. But what really caught my eye is that mobile base. Wow! That is a piece of work. Do you have plans for that?

Great job all around.

[Matt Meiser]

Nice job on the restoration.

[Ben Martin]

Ben, love the work you did. It looks great now. But what really caught my eye is that mobile base. Wow! That is a piece of work. Do you have plans for that?

Great job all around.


Haha, Andy, it is built like a tank and I bet that it could also hold one. I design heavy equipment for a living, it is a little hard to get out of the mind set of "adding some extra iron" (or wood in this case)... :D

Construction was very simple, just a piece of 3/4" cabinet ply on the bottom, two rows of 2X3s built around the base and then a 2X4 on top that the casters mount to. The 2X4 was a mistake, I didn't realize that the casters were wider than the 2X3 when I started, so I simply cut the 2X4s with a jig saw to the width of a 2X3 to align with the others, and then they "flare" out at the ends to the width of the casters. I capped off the ends with two more rows of 2X3s at the ends (to keep the weight on the caster from bending "legs" up). And those are further stiffened with a gusset on the back side.

My best suggestion though, is to add an extra 1/8-1/4" aroud all sides for a little wiggle room, I completely forgot to do that and it is snug. In fact so snug that when my wife mentioned I should paint the mobile base to match the jointer, the two of us couldn't wrangle it off the jointer base.... :mad:

I still have to build stands for my bandsaw and drill press and will be using the same construction techinque, just leaving out the extra 2X3s and gussets at each end since those machines weigh about half as much as the jointer.

[Kevin T Barnett]

I have a similar model, early 80's I believe. I would like to keep it original if possible. The green paint you used looks like the original. What did you use and where did you get it? Also the red POWERMATIC label on the rabbet arm would you know if one of those is still obtainable?

[Ben Martin]

I have a similar model, early 80's I believe. I would like to keep it original if possible. The green paint you used looks like the original. What did you use and where did you get it? Also the red POWERMATIC label on the rabbet arm would you know if one of those is still obtainable?

Hi Kevin, thanks for the kinds words.

The paint I used was:

http://www.castlewholesalers.com/RUST-OLEUM-7211830-STOPS-RUST-D-Green-Hammer-Fin-Spray-12oz.html

You have to put it on in very thin coats unless the "hammering" effect takes in. Luckily my Powermatic label was in good condition so I didn't touch it, I am not aware if any more are currently available.

Ohh, and welcome to the Creek!!

[Ken Bourn]

Hi Kevin, thanks for the kinds words.

The paint I used was:

http://www.castlewholesalers.com/RUST-OLEUM-7211830-STOPS-RUST-D-Green-Hammer-Fin-Spray-12oz.html

You have to put it on in very thin coats unless the "hammering" effect takes in. Luckily my Powermatic label was in good condition so I didn't touch it, I am not aware if any more are currently available.

Ohh, and welcome to the Creek!!

This is probably a rabbit trail to try to find a paint color from 11 years ago but it’s worth a try. The castle wholesalers link is throwing an error code. Which of the hammered rustoleum greens would this be? The Jointer is beautiful.

[Bruce Page]

A quick search “ RUST-OLEUM-7211830-STOPS-RUST-D-Green-Hammer-Fin-Spray” brings up some hits:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Rust-Oleum-Stops-Rust-12-oz-Deep-Green-Protective-Enamel-Hammered-Spray-Paint-7211830/100170756

https://www.amazon.com/Rust-Oleum-7211830-6-PK-Stops-Green/dp/B07CBYHV99

Welcome to the Creek

[Ken Bourn]

A quick search “ RUST-OLEUM-7211830-STOPS-RUST-D-Green-Hammer-Fin-Spray” brings up some hits:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Rust-Oleum-Stops-Rust-12-oz-Deep-Green-Protective-Enamel-Hammered-Spray-Paint-7211830/100170756

https://www.amazon.com/Rust-Oleum-7211830-6-PK-Stops-Green/dp/B07CBYHV99

Welcome to the Creek

Thank you, I was viewing the full site and it abbreviated the link. When I came back to see your response somehow I was viewing the pdf version. It shows the entire link and one can see the color. Thanks again.