Should I move my PM66? Or sell and replace it?

[Ron Selzer]

First find out what the moving cost will be
Then decide what to do
Good luck
Ron

[Jim Becker]

First find out what the moving cost will be
Then decide what to do
Good luck
Ron

This is a critical data point along with investigating what PM66 saws in similar configuration/condition to what you have are currently selling for, preferably in your geography, but you may need to look beyond that to get enough information. In some places, folks are getting crazy high prices for "not even nice stuff" these days because demand exceeds supply for many used machines and prices for new are higher than ever. Honestly, the cost of moving one machine with your household goods isn't going to be a major factor. If you ship it separately, the cost will be more significant. Having a place to put it at the other end also factors in...

[Patrick McCarthy]

Just a few thoughts, FWIW. My first saw was a new PM66 18-20 years ago, and very much liked it. Got a SawStop ICS approx 8-10 years ago and think it is a better made saw, plus the safety feature - which was the main reason i got it. It cost close to 5k, but the money issue should not necessarily be determinative. If i avoid one accident and an emergency room visit, lost time from work, etc, then you could argue the ICS was “free” or paid for itself. I got the full size 50” table but if i were to do it again i would have opted for the 36” side table as it just seems to be another horizontal surface which is just too tempting to collect crap “temporarily” but never gets moved.
That said, if i were to do it all over again, i would do an euro slider. At this stage of the game i am not changing things but if my son were to ask, I’d tell him to go with a slider . . . And Mac’s air clamps, of course.
Still happy with the ICS, and it does what i need, and makes wife less concerned, but that is my current thinking.

[Alex Zeller]

If that's all I could get for my 5HP PM66, I'll just keep it and ship it.

Is there a comparable saw on the market today? Sounds like the PM2000 isn't in the same class.

I'm not sure about the PM2000 (other than it's made in Asia and no longer has a Baldor motor) being better or worse than the PM66. But when I have free time at work I'll do a search to see what's for sale around me. For example there's currently an early 90s 3hp PM66 for sale outside of Boston that looks like it's in pretty good shape. It was listed for $1700 but has dropped to $1400 so I'm guessing is demand isn't that high.

I also watch auctions and rarely does any PM66 go for more than $1000. I think there's just so many of them that buyers have their choice. I rarely see Sawstop saws for sale. When I do they are priced much higher. For example there's a 3hp ICS for sale not too far from that PM66 on Craig's list with an asking price of $3500. I got my PM66 a couple years ago from an auction for under $200 (including a Bosch router in the extension table). It was so cheap that I couldn't pass it up.

BTW that not being able to pass things up is a very bad habit, lol. I just bought a 1 ton CM electric chain hoist for $100 with a trolley. I built my garage with a large I beam down the center so there's no posts. So now it has a hoist on it. Not sure how often I'll use it but it was cheap.

[Clifford McGuire]

Part of the question is do you need a 5hp saw? If so, it might be best to keep the PM66 as a 5hp/52" Sawstop ICS is over $5,000. If you only need 3hp, the 52" PCS is around $3600. I'd guess the sale price of your PM66 plus the cost to ship it covers most of the expense of a 3hp/52" Sawstop PCS.

No, I don't need a 5HP saw. It was my FIL's saw and he left it to me when he died. It's a great saw, but I'd be fine with a 3HP.

If the sale price of the PM66 plus shipping costs would come close to a SawStop ICS 3HP, then I'd likely sell the PM66.

[David Less]

Here's my advice, I've got a PM66 that I designed and build a slider for (design Engineer by trade). Used a CNC rail and bearing blocks for the sider rail with a nice precision machined cast aluminum table. I love it beyond belief, no more sleds and the cross cutting is more accurate and repeatable that my sliding cross cut miter saw. Best of both worlds, great ripping saw and great cross cut saw.

If I were to do it again, I would never consider a non sliding saw, once you use one you will never go back. I'd get the Hammer version (my brother picked one up almost new) before any non slider cabinet saw. Although the SS has a slider option, I just don't know how robust, accurate and repeatable it is.

Just my $0.02

David

[Joe Jensen]

Here's my advice, I've got a PM66 that I designed and build a slider for (design Engineer by trade). Used a CNC rail and bearing blocks for the sider rail with a nice precision machined cast aluminum table. I love it beyond belief, no more sleds and the cross cutting is more accurate and repeatable that my sliding cross cut miter saw. Best of both worlds, great ripping saw and great cross cut saw.

If I were to do it again, I would never consider a non sliding saw, once you use one you will never go back. I'd get the Hammer version (my brother picked one up almost new) before any non slider cabinet saw. Although the SS has a slider option, I just don't know how robust, accurate and repeatable it is.

Just my $0.02

David

I agree with David. I started in 1986 with a 1970s Unisaw. In 1990 my wife bought me a new 3HP PM66. In 2005 she saw a Sawstop ICS Demo and would not leave the store until I ordered a 5HP ICS. Huge upgrade over the PM66 in every way. In 2009 I ordered a Felder KF700SP and I would never go back to a cabinet saw.

One other point, availability is tough, I hear Felder and SCMI orders today will be filled 2nd half of 2022. There is a Hammer machine in Phoenix on Craig's List right now pretty cheap

https://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/t...353026424.html

[Jim Becker]

White sliders are not for everyone for a number of subjective reasons, I, too, would never go back to a cabinet saw after having been using a true sliding saw for many years. I'm "between saws" right now because of a move and being in a temporary shop space, but once the building goes up, a new slider will take it's place back in my arsenal. This one will likely be a short stroke based on what I actually use a table saw for most often. Hammer, SCM/Minimax and some others have nice options for smaller, short stroke sliding table saws.

[Bill Dufour]

We have asked several times. Can you at least tell us what continent you are currently living on and or which one you will move too? All I can guess is Scotland or Ireland.
Bill D

[David Less]

White sliders are not for everyone for a number of subjective reasons, I, too, would never go back to a cabinet saw after having been using a true sliding saw for many years. I'm "between saws" right now because of a move and being in a temporary shop space, but once the building goes up, a new slider will take it's place back in my arsenal. This one will likely be a short stroke based on what I actually use a table saw for most often. Hammer, SCM/Minimax and some others have nice options for smaller, short stroke sliding table saws.

jim I have to agree to disagree, once you learn how to use a slider there’s no going back, and why would anyone ever want to use a wooden sled for precision cross cutting?
as for the finger safety, the number one ts accidents are kickback, and I see time and time again people always standing right behind the blade on a typical ts rip cut.
imo the ss may give people a false sense of security because they will become careless.

maybe not an 8’ slider but definitely some type of sliding table like the smaller one I made

cheers
david

[Jim Becker]

We have asked several times. Can you at least tell us what continent you are currently living on and or which one you will move too? All I can guess is Scotland or Ireland.
Bill D

He has a PM66. It would be unlikely that he's be outside of North America. But even so, it wouldn't affect the gist of the question "sell or move it?"

[Jim Becker]

jim I have to agree to disagree, once you learn how to use a slider there’s no going back, and why would anyone ever want to use a wooden sled for precision cross cutting?
as for the finger safety, the number one ts accidents are kickback, and I see time and time again people always standing right behind the blade on a typical ts rip cut.
imo the ss may give people a false sense of security because they will become careless.

maybe not an 8’ slider but definitely some type of sliding table like the smaller one I made

cheers
david

We're not in disagreement at all...I"m not sure why you think we are. Perhaps you are referring to my statement that "while sliders are not for everyone for a number of subjective reasons"...the operative word is "subjective'. There are clearly some folks who would hate a slider for their own reasons. I'm ok with that because it's dovetails with your statement, "once you learn to use a slider there's no going back". The folks I'm referring to are the ones that will refuse to learn how to use one and be forever unhappy. And there are many here right in this very community that resemble that remark. Being unhappy with an expensive machine isn't a good situation.

And yea...kickbacks. The operator is pretty much out of the line of fire with a slider vs a cabinet saw. I've only had two or three of those nasty things over the past two decades, but was very thankful that the damage to the shop wall was not replaced with damage to my, um...nether regions.

[David Kumm]

As many here know, I'm a huge fan of short stroke sliders and while I still have a few traditional cabinet saws, they collect dust as the short strokes do everything better. I do wish there were more choices. I'm used to heavy builds so some saws seen too light for my tastes but they are still more versatile than a cabinet saw. My old whitney is heavy enough for a feeder so I never need to get hands close to the blade. If you could find a good condition SCM SI12 and a vfd, it would be my choice over any cabinet saw in build or ability. Dave

[Bill Dufour]

Jim, I agree it really does not matter but in Scotland I would think the market for selling a used table saw would be small so he will not get much out of selling it. Also I would think anywhere in Europe slider saws would be easy to buy used, cheap. I could be wrong and since they are understood better in Europe used they may cost more then in the USA
I was surprised by the Greek fellow on here recently who said he can get good wide boards so he needed a big jointer. I had thought Greece would be timber poor.
Bill D.

[Bob Cooper]

Well I think you just need to decide if you want a SS. If so you likely won’t find a better time to sell you PM so take advantage of it. Plus you save on the shipping. If you need a TS immediately after you move buy a tracksaw to hold you over.

what’s the motivation for the SS? Safety?