Taking Apart a Powermatic 66 for Move?

[Steve H Graham]

I have been reading the forum for a while, and I've really enjoyed it. I thought this would be a good time to ask my first question.

I found a used Powermatic 66 for a great price. It has a very long rail in front, plus an added homemade extension which is probably particle board and formica. I don't particularly want the extension. It also has a very long Biesemeyer fence.

Problem: it's 90 miles away. A truck rental will cost something like $300. I can rent a smaller truck with no lift, but then there is the risk of dying horribly while trying to get it onto the truck.

I have access to a Ford Explorer. I was thinking I could take the extension off and dump it, remove the saw's motor, remove the top, and put everything in the Explorer, one part at a time. I plan on taking it apart anyway for a good cleaning and alignment and so on.

Is there any possibility this will work, or am I crazy?

[Frank Drew]

Steve,

As long as you're going to disassemble the saw anyway, and you're confident that you can put it back together in something like factory alignment, there's nothing wrong with your idea but note the placement of any shims being used to adjust the trunnion, etc. Don't kill yourself removing the motor, either.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Steve, sounds like a bit of work, but if you plan on taking it apart anyhow, you may as well do it to make the move easier. Going to be pretty tight in that Explorer even with it taken apart. I'd be worried that it may not all fit in one load. You may have to tie the rail to the top of the car or something, so be ready for unexpected issues.

[M Toupin]

Yea, you're crazy...

Take the rails & extension wings off and put it ALL in the truck.

Don't bother with taking the top off or the motor out. Once you get the wings and rails off it's just a box. Back up to the saw and tip it backward into the back end of the truck. Grab it at the bottom and flip it into the truck. It's really not all that, don't over think it. As long as you're in reasonable shape it won't be a problem. Keep in mind, you're only pivoting the saw around the CG, you're not lifting the entire thing.

This topic has been covered a few times in the past:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showpost.php?p=941515&postcount=5

And yes, a uni will fit inside a 2003 Explorer flipped on it's top.

Mike

[Steve H Graham]

I would rather do two trips than pay $300.

[Steve H Graham]

I appreciate the tips a great deal.

I read the post about the 5 HP Unisaw and told the seller about it. He thinks a Unisaw must be a lot lighter than a Powermatic 66, if it was possible to roll it into a vehicle.

I figure I will eventually get it home, if I break it into enough pieces and make enough trips.

[M Toupin]

It's not about lifting the entire saw, it's about rolling it around it's center of gravity. The base becomes a lever which decreases the force necessary to roll it. the majority of the weight is in the top, trunnions and motor which is in the top half which further reduces the actual weight your lifting do to gravity assisting you a whole lot.

It's all simple physics with a little bit of gravity to help things out:)

Mike

[Sonny Edmonds]

Mike is right on track with what he is telling you about removing the wings and fence rails and slowly, controllably rolling it into the truck or Explorer. I'd tend to wonder if the base would clear the tailgate OK.

Why haven't you considered a trailer? You can rent a small moving utility trailer, just tell them its for local moving, then haul tail in the dark of the night. ;) :D

Anyway, put down some moving pads for it to rest on while it is on its top for the move.
A bonus is the heaviest part will be down.
Don't do more dismantling than necessary. And put the bolts back in the holes you take them out of with any shims there are at that point.

A friend of my Dad once told me as a teenager:
"You can take a running engine and completely dismantle it. As long as you put it back together exactly the way it was when you took it apart, it'll run."
If you do the same with your newly acquired saw, it'll work again. :)

[Duncan Horner]

Cherry Picker, from HF, a bit over a hundred dollars, and you'll find more uses for it in the future, DAMHIKT

Use it to lift the saw into the bed, then throw it in there with the saw, reverse the process at the other end :D

If you can lift or rotate the saw into the bed without it, go for it, would be cheaper

[Steve H Graham]

Some problems with that idea.

Cheapest HF crane: $190. Weighs 166 pounds and would nearly fill the Explorer all by itself. With the saw hanging from the chain and boom, it would never clear the roof. Might work with a long bed pickup, but I don't have one.

Thanks for the suggestion all the same.

[Ted Shrader]

Steve -

First welcome to the posting side of the Creek, glad to have you.

Since you have access to an Explorer, why not rent a trailer like Sonny said? They can be had for a lot less than the $300 mentioned. The trailer is lower and easier to get the saw in/on using the techniques described already.

If the saw doesn't REALLY need to come apart for maintenance you will save yourself some headaches. Taking the rails and wings off and the motor out is no big deal. Getting everything lined back up on the inside could be. And you will be able to have it up and running sooner with less dis-assembly. Thorough cleaning will still be possible with the top on and the motor out.

Congratulations on your find. You will really enjoy the saw. I have been a PM66 owner for about 9 years.

Since you have been lurking for a while, you know the picture rule. No pictures . . didn't happen. :) ;) :)

Regards,
Ted

[Steve H Graham]

Thanks for the help, Ted.

The only company I know of that rents trailers is Uhaul, and they won't rent to anyone who has an Explorer. And I don't have a hitch.

Sometimes life is just hard!

[Chris Rosenberger]

Steve,

I have moved several PM 66s. I take them all apart. It is easy to do & makes them a lot easier to move. I remove the fence, extensions, table & motor. Unless it is a like new saw, you are going to want to clean it up check things out on the inside. That is an easier job when things are apart.

[David North]

I've moved my PM66 5 times in the last 20+years including 3 times into a basement. usually w/ 3 people. I removed the rails,extensions, and motor. The motor is a bit of a painbecause it a c frame and you have to fiddle w/ the bolts blind, but every lbs, counts and the motor is heavy. Saw travels more stable upside down, just protect the table.
Good Luck
David

[Jim Becker]

I'll add that you have to think and act carefully if you choose to remove the saw's top from the cabinet. There may be shims used on one or more corners and that is a critical factory adjustment. These shims "look" like washers, but they are much more precise in thickness. The alignments they provide insure that the saw blade stays true relative to bevel angle, especially when mitering. If you don't really need to remove the top...don't. (And there may even be zero shims involved with some saws!)

[Karl Brogger]

Steve- You don't have a buddy with a pickup truck? A trailer, something?

[Mike Wellner]

In the future it wouldn't hurt to have an older FS pickup for hauling stuff, it does come in handy more than you think.

[Dick Strauss]

My $0.02
Amen Karl...get a pickup...take the rails, secondary table, and fence off...load the saw and parts into the pickup...reverse process once home. If you do flip the saw upside down on the CI top, lay a piece of old plush carpet down first and the saw will slide right into the truck or trailer while being well protected.

Do not take the CI top off unless you want to spend some serious time trying to get it back to factory alignment!

Congrats on your choice of a new saw!!!

[Larry Edgerton]

Home Depot always has trucks around that say $19.95 an hour on them, you could check that. Also I rent Uhaul box trucks locally sometimes for delivery, I am using one this week, $74 for half a day. Look around you may find a better bargain.

Congradulations on the new tool! I have one and its still around, so I must like it. :)

[Steve H Graham]

Again, thanks for all the help.

I have a friend with a pickup, but there is no way he'll spend half a day helping me with a 200-mile delivery.

Worst-case scenario: I bring half the saw home today and half tomorrow morning.

I am told the top, motor, and wings on this thing add up to about 230 pounds, so with those removed, it should be possible for two people to get it into the back of an SUV. A post on this forum says the motor comes out with two bolts. If the top is shimmed, I should be able to save the shims in separate labeled bags so they can be reinstalled in their proper places.

[Karl Brogger]

The motor is a serious pain to remove. I've had mine out a couple of times. The motor isn't shimmed at all, at least mine wasn't. I think they're talking about the trunnion, and the top. The motor has to weight around 60lbs. Getting, and holding it in position while starting the bolts is hard by yourself, but there isn't enough room for more hands.

I'd leave the top on, and the trunnion in if you can.

Does the current owner have a way to haul it? Might be cheaper to pay him than renting a truck.

[Chip Lindley]

I have seen a TRAILER only mentioned one time in these posts. U-Haul trailers are pretty cheap for one day rental. And they will rent you a hitch if you do not have one.

And, trailers are lower to the ground and easier to load than pickup trucks. AND, they have more tiedown points available also. The less disassembly you can possibly do on the PM66, the happier you will be when you get it home.

Times like these make a man decide how he will move his next piece of heavy woodworking machinery. PPPPPP = prior planning prevents particularly poor performance!! HoHoHo!! Merry Christmas!