15" Powermatic planer, what's the value in it?

[Aaron Berk]

I'm on my way to pick this up tomorrow, I'm bringing my haggling skills with me.
http://savannah.craigslist.org/tls/2216854652.html
Who wants to take a guess at the sellers bottom dollar?

I haven't tried yet to low ball the guy, so I don't know what he's really looking to get.

Whats the street value on this?

And whats your guess for the sellers price?

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

I'm a terrible haggler....but -

near as I can tell, that sold at one point on Amazon for about $2k, then around 1500, and then on closeout for 999 when PM introduced a new model (see http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...15-quot-Planer ). if it needs new blades and probably has not been used (nor been taken care of....) since then - I'd hope he'd come down QUITE a bit from his 1300 asking price. Looks like older delta or grizz units gor 500-700, and there an older PM (looks similar) in San Diego on CL that's listed at 999.

[Aaron Berk]

Thanks John, I've been having a tough time finding similar items to base my offers at.

I'm wanting to drop in a spiral head as well, so I'm also thinking about that cost....

[James Baker SD]

I have that same planer, it is a decent machine. Mine is not the one on Craig's List here, but I think $1000 is the least I would want to let it go for. I replaced the head with a Byrd so maybe a little more now. The Byrd install was more of a hassle than I was prepared for, but I got through it.

James

[Aaron Berk]

I have that same planer, it is a decent machine. Mine is not the one on Craig's List here, but I think $1000 is the least I would want to let it go for. I replaced the head with a Byrd so maybe a little more now. The Byrd install was more of a hassle than I was prepared for, but I got through it.

James

Thanks for the input James,

Are you saying........

Decent.... like it doesn't perform exact to spec?

Or

Decent..... like you would sorta like to have a bigger better mouse trap?

[Glen J. Peterson]

I have the same model about the same age. I bought it for $900 about 1 yr ago. I think you can do better than $900.

[Kim Gibbens]

That looks an awful lot like the Jet 15" that I bought at an auction last fall. Mine has the open base, not the cabinet. I paid $450.
Good luck

[Jaromir Svoboda]

I bought mine last year for $ 740 with new blades.Its nice planer.

[Stephen Cherry]

It's the tiawanese planer that was sold by lot's of importers. I have the Jet version, which is OK. Paid 500, which is a good deal. That kind of money should be getting you into this type of machine with a byrd head installed.

[James Baker SD]

Aaron:

Mine probably performs better than spec now. Search the threads and you will see my horror story of damaging two of the columns while replacing the head (truth is damage occurred trying to place the planer in a mobile base by myself while the head and gear box were off thinking it was now much lighter weight). Result was I had to completely disassemble the entire machine to get the new columns in. I took a couple of weeks putting it back together, checking adjustments on every piece as it went back into the puzzle, filing and shimming here and there for a better fit. Far more care than originally went into its assembly. It cuts beautifully now with less than 1/128" error in thickness side to side the full 15" and with snipe that can be felt but is not visible to the eye.

Before the Bryd head and reassembly, it worked fine except for the tear-out in the figured woods that, as a hobbyist making things for myself, I tend to use. It is a good machine, but the differences between it and its many Asian clones from Jet, Delta, Grizzy (they look so similar) is probably the care with which it is assembled.

I have a garage shop (where the car is in by order of LOML) so this planer is the largest I have room for, hence I cannot dream of a bigger one. I have well honed hand planes to take care of the occasional piece that is too wide to go through the PM-15. If I were a professional shop, definitely I would want something bigger.

My one real gripe with it was that it came with wheels, but they allowed only linear motion, no turning. I needed to steer the planer from its storage spot to its working spot after the car is backed out. That is why I removed its wheels and placed it in an HTC mobile base.

James

[Bruce Page]

I have the exact same planer. I bought it new from Woodworkers Supply ~1999 and paid $1150. It is a very good planer once you get the indeed/outfeed rollers dialed in. I don't think I would give more than $800 used.

[Julian Tracy]

Here's a deal for $1300:

http://detroit.craigslist.org/wyn/tls/2232753432.html

JT

[Chip Lindley]

I was fortunate to buy a Powermatic Model 15 (2001 model) last October on eBay for only $454! The planer was from a High School shop in Arkansas and in pretty decent shape except for two sets of knives badly needing regrinding. I was amazed the planer went so low! Ya just never know!

The PM15 for $1300 is in great shape to be 15 years old, but the seller is trying to get back what he paid for it! Here's an ad from late 1996 in FWW for $1295 NEW!

1986 Powermatic Ad FWW.jpg

$750 or $800 would be a good deal for both of you!

[Hugh MacDonald]

I bought the same planer of the same age last year for $1000. It was basically like new, as the guy who had it used it, like, once or twice and then never again. The knives were still razor sharp. It replaced my Dewalt 735 and works great with the Byrd Shelix head I installed. I think you can do better than $1300.

[James Baker SD]

Aaron:
Did you get it?
James