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

[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

[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?"

[Clifford McGuire]

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

Uh, no, Not Scotland or Ireland. Currently living in the upper Midwest and moving to western Colorado. As I mentioned the move will be about 1100 miles. Sorry, I thought my location was showing up in my posts. I'll have to figure out how to do that.

Unless I'm missing a model, replacing it with a slider is out of the budget.

[Clifford McGuire]

Just wanted to update this thread to let you know I still have my PM66. To recap, last July I asked for opinions about moving the saw vs. selling it and buying new.

At the time, I priced a similarly configured Sawstop (except for HP) at $3400. (Since then, that configuration has creeped up to almost $4000.) I wasn't sure what the moving costs would be.

We used a company that just did the move. (We disassembled/packed. They loaded the truck, drove it to new loacation and unloaded it into the correct rooms.) They charged $1000 to move my shop. That included the saw, drill press, tool chest, workbench and about 25 boxes. So, I'd estimate the saw itself was about $500.

PXL_20220101_164959858.jpg

Here's it is in it's new home. I'm happy with my decision. I know my saw (does that sound wierd?) It's a very accurate saw, and I knew what I needed to do to get it back to spec.

I had an oversized outfeed/assembly table in the old shop. This time, I made a smaller outfeed table (still need to edge band and a sheet of laminate) and I'm making a separate assembly table.

PXL_20220101_165434832.jpg


In the old shop I had similar storage unit under the extension table. It wasn't very deep, because I had a small Penn State dust collector under there. I don't have a lot of accessories, and I like to have them out and available.

PXL_20220101_165118363.jpg

Overall, I'm happy that I decided to keep my saw. I have a Harvey overhead guard/dust collector on order to complete the setup.

[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]

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?

[Phillip Mitchell]

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

Dave, do you still own a SI12?

I have considered dismantling my tandem table saw set up that consists of a PM 66 w/ 52” bies and Tannewitz Model U back to back in favor of an SI12 or similar, but haven’t seen a good example of the SCMI pop up in a while. For the real estate it occupies in the center of my shop I may be space ahead with just one short stroke slider?