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Thread: restoring a powermatic 15HH

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
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    central tx
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    589
    Good progress this weekend - got the threaded rods that move the table out.

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  2. #17
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
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    central tx
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    Got the gearbox open finally. It smelled like *$% inside.

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  3. #18
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
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    central tx
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    Cutterhead out. Deeply satisfying to actually accomplish this. I let the cutter head drop accidentally and lost 2 more carbide cutters.

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    Last edited by Thomas Crawford; 10-21-2019 at 1:13 PM.

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    central tx
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    589
    Tools I could not have done this without:

    1) Gear puller (harbor freight)
    2) Snap ring pliers (craftsman)
    3) My Spin Doctor bicycle tools for the hex socket heads
    4) A piece of wood and my dead blow mallet

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  5. #20
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    West Lafayette, IN
    Posts
    6,529
    Looking good!

    I’ve never seen a spiral cutterhead with so many busted cutters. You’re replacing them all right?

  6. #21
    Looks like a super-cool project, especially if it was a good deal. How much? I love restoration projects that yield very useful in the end. I green...

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    central tx
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    589
    Quote Originally Posted by Matt Day View Post
    Looking good!

    I’ve never seen a spiral cutterhead with so many busted cutters. You’re replacing them all right?
    I chipped a few of them myself. Otherwise the previous owner said they tried to run a gnarly knotted piece of wood through it and broke a few.

    At first I just bought a 10-pack for $45, but I'm thinking for safety reasons I should probably just do all of them. I'm sure some are fine but there are definitely hairline cracks in some.

    Any opinions? They've never been rotated so it would be nice to salvage some of them.

  8. #23
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    central tx
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    Quote Originally Posted by Derek Arita View Post
    Looks like a super-cool project, especially if it was a good deal. How much? I love restoration projects that yield very useful in the end. I green...
    I'm in about $1100 so far with delivery. Another $75 in tools but I don't count that I see them a couple times a year for $2200-2400 used that normally need a good cleaning. I probably paid too much now that I have it completely apart.

    I figure worst case with the parts I need to replace I'd top out around $1500

  9. #24
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Alberta
    Posts
    2,162
    Do not discount the educational value of what you are doing. You will know and understand how that thing works. Plus you know that all bearings,seals etc are good to go. I would have done it. (I have many times ).There is something about this process that excites me,I would fell cheated with a 'plug and play'machine. In my shop I smile every time I use one of the 'projects' that I went through before it was ready for woodworking. The other reality for me is that I would have 1/3 of the machines I have now if I had to pay full price for them.

  10. #25
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    central tx
    Posts
    589
    Wondering if anyone has suggestions on how long I should soak the cutter head in evaporust? Doing things overnight would speed up the process but I'm not sure if that is overkill or what the side effects are if its in too long. It will be submerged in a PVC pipe.

  11. #26
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    West Lafayette, IN
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    I usually soak overnight. I’ve left parts in the soak for 3 days without issue.

    Usually after i take it out, I dry it then chuck it up on my lathe (woodworking) and go from about 350g up to 1000g to really clean/shine it up. Not needed but it looks good and I enjoy doing it. At least rub it down with some scotch brite.

  12. #27
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    central tx
    Posts
    589
    More progress - everything is out now, including the kickback pawls still shown. De-rusting is going great, its all surface rust.

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  13. #28
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    central tx
    Posts
    589
    I'm stuck here. Could use some advice on how to drill these out. I tried every trick I could find of pounding bigger bits in, etc. I finally started to just drill them but at this rate I'll go through $100 of drill bits.

    One stuck on the top, one stuck on the bottom (of course):

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    this is what is stuck in there, M10 socket set screw:
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  14. #29
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Central MA
    Posts
    1,584
    Start with a left handed bit. They typically end up backing the screw right out.

  15. #30
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    West Lafayette, IN
    Posts
    6,529
    I agree with John, but you don’t have much for the bit to grab so it might not work. You may end up needing to drill them out and hoping you don’t bugger up the threads. If you do, drill the hole one size bigger and tap new threads.

    Surprised you stripped an M10 to be honest. Sure you were using metric Allen keys?

    Cutterhead looks good!

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