Powermatic Reviews

I have been wanting a Powermatic 66 for over 25 years but until now had to make do with a much cheaper table saw sold by a popular chain store/catalog outfit. That saw did the job, but shook like Elvis Presley and could not be properly adjusted. Well, I have my Powermatic now, and I'm very pleased, but putting it together has been frustrating. Buyers should be aware that they are really buying a "kit" - not only is some assembly required, but some correction of manufacturing faults may be needed. The first (and biggest) problem I encountered was that the left extension wing tilted up when bolted to the table, leaving a low spot of 0.02 inch when a Starrett straight edge was laid across the assembled table. Not good! The cause was that the left edge of the main table section was not ground square with the top. Correcting this bit of sloppiness required three hours of hand fitting with a machinist's scraper and square. The second principal difficulty was discovered after frustrating hour trying to mount the front rail according to instructions. I finally realized that it could not be done because of inadequate clearance in the mounting holes. Drilling and filing fixed this. The third problem had me baffled for awhile: With the blade tilt stops set accurately at 0 and 45 degrees, the pointer could be set to register correctly at 0 or 45, but not both! After some thought, I realized that the scale had been mounted too close to the pointer. This was corrected by drilling a new mounting hole for one of the screws.

After three days of work, the saw is finally up and running. It's been too much work, but I'm going to love this saw. On the plus side, I did not have to adjust the table to put the blade parallel with the miter gauge groove. Also, vibration is minimal. I can start the saw with a nickel balanced on edge (but not a penny). Most importantly, the trunions are pretty much dead on. Measuring from the same tooth to the miter gauge grove, the distance varies no more than 0.004 inch between front and back (blade all the way up) and middle (blade down). Also, using a Starrett machinist's square, perpendicularity between blade and miter gauge shows no perceptible change as the blade is raised or lowered. These tolerances are critical because poor machining could have created errors that cannot be adjusted out (as I had with my old saw). Now that the saw is together, my only remaining complaint is that there is a low frequency (2-3 second) harmonic noise of undetermined origin. I'm sure this is the best saw available for the money, but I would have gladly spent another $100-200 for just a little extra care in machining and assembly.

and this is a fine tool. I have owned two 66's over the years and have yet to have a complaint. Thank goodness they are still being made. They are heavy,which makes them very stable, (be sure to have a lift truck deliver it). But, if you want to do accurate and fine woodworking you need this saw.

I ordered the saw a few weeks ago on Amazon. Delivery took a while, as the freight company had to lug it across the country. Finally scheduled the delivery -- freight company was very easy to deal with and put it on a liftgate truck with no hassles. You'll want this service, by the way -- unless you happen to have a forklift in your garage.

No surprise - The pallet is *heavy*. Took about an hour to uncrate and take off all the easy-to-remove weight. That leaves about 400 pounds. Tip: if you have to move it far (such as I did, down to a basement workshop), rent a handtruck like those used for moving refrigerators. With the handtruck and three guys, it was an easy move.

Pretty much everything was dead-on accurate out of the box. Once hooked up to power (remember you have to supply your own power cord), it cuts smoothly and cleanly. The trunion moves incredibly easily, especially considering its weight -- but doesn't budge once locked in place.

All in all, it was worth the wait (and the weight)! Highly recommended.

As most US Craftsmen have noticed, nearly all woodworking manufactureres are off-shoring the manufacture of their machines. Powermatic (JET) is no exception; their PM 66 series tablesaw, their shapers, and a couple drill presses are all that remain of American made machinery. I picked up the 5HP saw with the Router Lift table and am very pleased with it. It won't be long before all of Powermatic will be made in Taiwan, so if you want an American made saw, you better act now. Your next best choice is General (not General International), which is made in Canada. General carries two lines one made in Canada and their General International which is the same Taiwan crap you find at Jet. Happy shopping. John - Knoxville, TN

The saw is great. Just do not buy this from AMAZON!!!! I have waited for over six weeks for my saw and finally gave up(I was told in the sixth week of waiting that it wasw being shipped to AMAZON from the manufacture in 3-5 weeks and AMAZON was going to take another 3-5 weeks on top of that to get me my saw for a grand total of 5 moths!) So, I went to southern tools and they shipped the saw that day. I had my saw within three days (not weeks or months like AMAZON!!!)
I received the saw in seven boxes but it was very easy to set up! The boxes they used for the saw was reinforced with 2x4's. They even test the saw before it leaves the factory (give you a readout of the test results, which is great to use as a reference.) I got the mobile base and set up the saw in the base. The table saw was square right out of the box. Just follow the directions and you will have a great saw that will last for years!
Thank You Southern Tool for my table saw!

dont order this product from amazon been waiting for three going on four weeks amazon says it will be two to three more weeks if they dont change it again ......can they really get this saw?????? steve

Very high quality item. Easy to install, a bit chirpy and noisy, but I expect that reflects the zero clearance if the insert. Buy it.

These Leecraft inserts are perfectly flat and perfectly true right out of the wrapper. I bought three of these for my Powermatic 66 and one from another supplier for my vintage Sears Table Saw. (Leecraft also)
I bought some inserts from a cheaper supplier and they were warped when I received them. I could straighten them out, but they remembered the bow and went back to that rather quickly. Get Leecraft.
They have the adjusting allen head studs so you can get it perfectly flat with your saws top. Unlike the PMatic factory inserts, these are flat and true. If you take your factory insert, turn it upside down on the cast iron saw top, and press down on the corners, sure enough it will rock. The Leecraft doesn't do that.
The factory inserts have the advantage of working with all different size blade thicknesses. They also work if you are tilting the blade, to a 45 degree angle for example. These zero clearance inserts do not do that. You have to buy a new one for every type of blade and angle. (Unless you are willing to defeat the zero clearance advantage.)
Preventing saw dust from flying in the air is reduced but not eliminated. The dust riding around in the pocket of the teeth, gets flung in the air all the same.
I picked one up to use for my dado blade and have a new one on standby for the next dado setting. The problem is that unless you have several of these, one for every possible dado setting, you're not going to be able to use them for dadoing every possible size. That is where the factory dado insert comes in. Sometimes you don't care about worrying that the wood piece can dive into the saw, or that your work piece is so small that you need a closer platform to support it. Take kerfing out large plywood sheets for cabinet sides for example. When you are doing smaller projects needing dados, having the Leecraft is great.
My advice is to pick up several of these; one for your regular blade, and two or three for your most popular dado settings.
I love the overall quality. If I had to be critical, I would say that it is annoying to hear the blade kiss off of the side of the insert when it is starting up, and also create a slight rattle as it touches it on the edges. That creates a cheaper sound, especially annoying when you are using a saw that is of the caliber of the PMatic 66. It sings normally. Leecraft in their instructions advises you to take a small file and enlarge the opening slightly to eliminate that. That is not a defect, just a consideration when first using the blade insert.
So in conclusion, get some Leecraft inserts, and make sure you have both the standard and dado inserts from the factory. Each has its own purpose. Overall, highly recommended.

I have been using these inserts for over a year. I have tried other brands, but these are the best:
A) Pre-cut relief slot in the bottom of the insert for blade clearance of the starter cut.
B) Phenolic laminate that is strong and smooth and remains flat
C) Increased safety from stock inserts by keeping wood from getting between the blade and saw opening (Tilted blade cuts require a additional insert, or the stock insert)
D) Fully adjustable height, width and length
E) Reduces chip out

Note that if you use a factory blade guard like the one on the PM66 you will need to make a small slot in the rear of the insert to accommodate the splitter.

Overall, a very well designed and manufactured product. Highly recommended 5 stars

After recieving it from the shipping depot, I brought it home and checked it for damage. All parts had arrived in good condition. Tool Crib's Free shipping is a pretty good deal on a 600 lb. tool.

I used an engine hoist to raise the bed onto the stand. This beast is heavy! Final Setup and wiring were straight forward enough.

The two horsepower motor comes up to speed instantly on 230 volts. I decided to break it in with some 8 inch by 8 ft, 8/4 hard maple planks that I had purchased rough milled. The jointer was easy to operate. Jointing and surface planing put a prefect finish on the lumber with no struggle at all.

I would strongly recommend this product.

If you're even considering purchasing a jointer - this is the one to buy. I have a Powermatic model 60 8" jointer that was built in 1960 and it still runs great. I wouldn't remove it from my shop if you offered my a brand new jointer for free.

This jointer is absolutely outstanding. My previous machine was a 6" Jet jointer, which is a very good product. However, I wanted the capability to face joint boards wider than 6" and many many times, I wished for a longer bed.
In my quest to upgrade, I considered numerous options.
The Powermatic 54A is a 6" machine with great bed length.
The fence on it is superb. It's flat, accurate, repeatable, and rock solid. If I had purchaced that machine first, I probably could not justify upgrading to an 8". But I was upgrading and ocassionally needed the 8" capability.
Since I have a Delta Unisaw and 14" bandsaw, I was convinced that I wanted the Delta DJ20. It has the 8" blades. The in-feed table has a spring assisted parallelagram, which is silky smooth and effortless to operate. However, after operating a Powermatic 54A with it's fence, my expectations rose to a higher standard. I looked at several DJ20's, and each fence had too much lateral slop for a ($) machine. Which I demonstrated to and discussed with two Delta rep's who offered no solution nor a sound explaination other than it probably wouldn't effect the quality of cut. If I tighten everything up, I don't want it to move. I was woefully under impressed with the Delta fence. In contrast, the Powermatic fence is much easier adjust from (+ - )45 to 90 and has the added benefit of allowing you to skew the fence at an angle to the table. This is beneficial when jointing expensive highly figured boards that are succeptable to grain tear out. It's worth mentioning again, "it is rock solid".
I upped my price range from the DJ20 to the Powermatic 8" catagory. This seemed a little confusing initially because prices ranged from ($) - ($). The bottom line is that the higher priced version has 2 HP. It's a personal choice, but if you're stepping up to this class of jointer, for a couple hundred extra dollars you an additional 30% HP. I feel that 1-1/2 HP is most likely very sufficient but I opted for 2 HP. The fence on the 8" jointer is not an exact design duplicate of the 54A's fence but is equally great in all respects.
Look at the other Amazon reviews on the ($) and ($) 8" Powermatic jointers. I can not describe this machine any better than the reviewers of those items. All their positive comments apply to this machine. The primary difference is the power.

I am usually a Delta guy, but this Powermatic tool stand alone in a class ALL by itself.

Gary (Spider) Webb Peoria AZ
This has got to be the best woodworking money I have spent to date.
I went for a grizly 12/35 after about 18 months of turning. Its like steping into a new BMW. So smoth and powerful.

I bought this lathe about a month ago. Super lathe--the Horse power and weight are well worth the extra cost. Plus I love the fact that if I need something for my lathe the folks at Powermatic are in Tn. I want service when I buy and that's what you get buying from Amazom and Powermatic. Thanks for everything.

I've been using this lathe for over 2 years now and it sure is a heavyweight. I turn mostly bowls in the 14-20 inch diameter range and this is the machine to do it on. I moved up from a Jet that required the foundation that came with it to be anchored to the floor to keep it in one spot. This Powermatic at 960 pounds just doesn't move. The three speed pulley serpentine belt arrangement not only assures quiet operation but a great degree of freedom in choosing a speed for your work. Couple that to the three horsepower variable speed motor and this bad puppy just flat out cranks out torque. I've also made hundreds of pens on it. A little overkill but no problems doing it

I am happy with it every time I use it. It performs the way a table/cabinet saw should - it cuts everything perfectly, every time. It makes glue ready joints every time and I don't even use a fancy forrest blade. I use a decent 60 tooth Freud and I'm happy. It is amazing. The excalibure table is useful, though massive. It isn't the answer to all problems, but with some effort, you can make accurate & precise cuts on full sheets of plywood. I recommend an outfeed table in addition to all this saw has. It makes the sliding table more stable, and improves cuts. The 5 HP motor is great. It doesn't slow down under a load - ever, no matter what. You can rip through solid maple like it was balsa wood. The much touted cast iron top and trunion deserve the praise they receive. This saw is as solid as a tank. You could easily use it for 50 years and still be happy with the cuts!

Buy it and enjoy!

This is one big heavy saw. It took me three to four hours to set it up after watching the video on the sliding table, the table saw is machined perfect and is very powerful, the five horsepower motor will run though any hardwood you can cut. I have installed a Forrest Blade on it. With the sliding table I can cross cut a full sheet of plywood by myself.I build a lot of cabinets and I need a saw that will stay where you put it, this one will not move with a sheet of 3/4" plywood on it. The rip fence is strong and accurate. You want be disappointed with this saw, it is by far this best table saw on the market today.

This saw replaced a Delta 10" Cabnit Saw - which was a very good saw.

The Powermatic 5HP is one big saw. It will cut anything wood without burning. No matter how slow or fast I feed wood into it the powerful 5HP saw there are no problems. Plywood in sheets can be feed with ease. The cuts are straight the first time and require no secondary working. I have not had one poor plywood cut on this machine. This is the best ripping saw I have ever used. Again the cuts are true and I have not wasted any wood since the purchase of this unit. Wonderful work products can be produced with ease.

The sliding table was set up after viewing a video tape. Using the tips in the video I set up the sliding table - leveled and set it even with the blade in 3 hours. A recent review I read on sliding tables said it took six hours - anyone could do it alone in three following the video. If you have someone to help you - 2 to 2.5 hours. This is not a mobil unit - save your money - do not buy a mobil base. The sliding table must stay stationary to stay properly set.

The rail and fence fit the saw table and sliding table without the need for any cutting. The fence once aligned matains square. It adjusts with little effort. Repeat cuts are exact duplicates of one another. This is as good of fence as I have used and recommend it highly. There is no need of an upgrade here.

With the cast iron extention to the right of the blade and the wood extention table you have an unbeatable work service. Your work is fully supported. You can control cuts with little effort. You will be able to work plywood sheets all day long with this saw, it's sliding table to the left, and the 50 inch extention to the right.

The fit and finish are excellent. Everything went together with ease. The instructions were clear. I put on a Forrest blade and it was in perfect alignment without the need of adjustment - none! I could not believe that it was set right out of the box. The table was level and ground properly - my straight edge was dead flat over every surface of the table. The extension cast iron wing may be a bit off to the left outside but not that it effects cuts or quality of work. It is so close I just can not tell for sure.

This saw will not make better end results BUT it will allow you to work with confidence, building your skills. It is a high compacity workhorse. It will be the last cabnit saw I will buy.

This edge sander is a great machine for the price, and works great. Makes my sanding easyier, faster and above all much much better. I whish I purchased this sander sooner.

After much comparison shopping, I added the Model 80 to my commercial shop a couple of months ago, and I must say I am very pleased with the machine. I bought it primarily to sand tabletop edges, but I've found a number of other great applications that I hadn't foreseen.
It is nicely engineered with attention to details, adjusts smoothly, and has no major drawbacks. The oscillation is good and my dust collector pulls dust from it quite well. Even the owner's manual/parts list is very well put together. Proper belt tensioning takes a little practice, but with experience the belts are quick to change. A good tool at a good price.

I just received this as upgrade from my model 13 sander, which I was happy with but wanted ocsillation. This was well worth it - many additional adjustments and features, the contour sanding drum is tighter and has a much improved table, and the belts are much cheaper via Grizzly. WOW!

I agree with the other review that this is a quality product. As stated, it does not fit the saw opening perfectly (I have the Powermatic 64) leaving an irritating gap. The Leecraft insert for my old Sears saw fit like a glove.

If you have a saw you NEED a zero clearance insert, believe me. Actually two. One for 90 degrees and one set up for 45. This is especially true if you work on small pieces, but they improve the cut, and safety, on any size stock. I tried some cheaper plastic ones; don't bother. Neither was flat enought to use. I sent them back.

Addendum:
Well, I wrote the above glowing review while in the process of ordering a spare. When It arrived the finger hole was drilled in the wrong end. Thought it might work as a 45 degree backup so I fitted and sawed. Aghhh...saw kerf through the middle of the hole. American made. Get some asian quality control workers guys!!!!

This is probably the best construction and probably the most reliable insert I have seen/used which is why I gave it 5 stars.

However, if you own a Jet cabinet saw, JTAS-10, it may not fit.

It did not fit mine...it was smaller than the original opening in the table.

Before I purchased this 8" jointer, I researched all manufacturers to find the best quality and features. The American woodworker magazine conducted reviews on 10 different models (April 1997 issue). The Powermatic model 60 is the only 8" jointer made in the USA. Its weight is listed at 584 lbs. The next heaviest was the Jet. It weighed 466 lbs. A difference of almost 120 lbs! The weight ratings go down from there for the other models. The castings are thick with ribbing for additional strength. The extra weight deadens vibration. Powermatics outstanding feature is its cuts/minute. 21,000 to be exact. This provides a very smooth finish. Much superior compared to other models. My jointer arrived 9 days after placing the order with Tool Crib of the North with no shipping damage or problems. It was crated all around with 2 x 4's to prevent shipping damage. (An excellent pre-cautionary measure). The 1-1/2 HP Baldor motor is wired for 110 volts. I rewired mine to operate at 220, which runs much more efficently. An easy procedure...just follow the schematic on the motor. The infeed and outfeed tables were "deadflat" and have true "parallelism". Overall, I rate this Jointer at the Top. It's very heavy duty and produces excellent work. The price is high, but if you want a top rated machine, this is the one to get. The competition sells for less, and you get what you pay for (dont buy junk!). I'm very satified with my purchase.

I've been pleased with my experience since I ordered my Powermatic model 60 jointer this spring. It shipped two days after my order, well within the advertised availability. It was delivered a few days later by a lift-gate equipped truck. This kind of delivery service was one of the reasons I ordered from Amazon.

Assembly and setup was straightforward. The jointer itself was completely assembled, and just needed to be bolted to the stand, and the V-belt installed between the motor pulley in the stand and the cutterhead pulley on the jointer.

Another reason that I chose this jointer was its table size and cutterhead specs. The cutterhead is spaced closely between the tables, so the workpiece is supported close to the cutterhead. I haven't had the knives out for grinding yet, but anticipate the replacement process to be smoother with the jackscrew height adjusters for the knives. The 3-knife cutterhead turns at 7,000rpm, yielding 21,000 cuts per minute. If you take your time, you can get a very smooth finish. Both the infeed and outfeed tables are adjustable for height. The infeed table is adjusted by lever, the outfeed by handwheel.

The 1-1/2 horsepower motor seems to be a good choice. Even taking heavy cuts (for me, a heavy cut is 1/16") off a 7" wide tropical hardwood (sustainably harvested!) or oak, I didn't experience any bogging down of the motor. The jointer is available with larger motors, though. A larger motor wouldn't be a benefit to me, but someone who needs to quickly hog off a lot (e.g. 1/4") of hard or green wood might be able to get something out of a larger motor.

The fence is straightforward to adjust. Once adjusted, it is also stable and holds its position well. It has a positive stop at 90 degree that really works, i.e. it repeatedly returns the fence to 90 degrees. After the first couple weeks or so, I realized this and stopped feeling the need to frequently check it for squareness. The fence can be set at an angle across the table for skew cutting, which can be helpful in some situations.

This is definitely not a high-tech machine. Its design and construction is simple and basic, using time-tested iron castings and steel. However, I suspect that Powermatic utilizes some high-tech grinding equipment when machining the table and fence surfaces and dovetail ways. Since I don't get to buy new equipment too often, I have some experience measuring things like table flatness, parallelism to cutterhead, etc.. Those things are useful when evaluating the condition of a used machine. When I unpacked this jointer, I thought I'd measure everything carefully, so that I could keep track of wear and tear over the years. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the machining. The tables and fence were flat to within .002" longitudinally and within .004" diagonally. I have more measurements, but they're all boring. Nothing stands out. The cutterhead is parallel with the outfeed table (well, within plus-or-minus .001"). The tables are parallel, the fence is flat. Etc.

Like they say, that's the good news. There's also a little bad news, but it all came out well in the end. The motor is supported in the stand by an adjustable mount. The mount pivots around an axis that is parallel to the motor shaft. This permits the belt tension to be adjusted. The supports for the pivot are welded to the frame. When I went to install the belt, I discovered that both welds were broken. My guess is that the welds weren't up to snuff and the weight of the motor on them, in the pre-assembled stand, caused them to break in transit.

At any rate, I reported the problem to Amazon. Their response was the best customer service I've had in recent experience. They needed to ask a couple of questions to ascertain some details (e.g. the fact that the stand was a welded assembly, so it wouldn't be easy to just replace the motor mount). They then had Powermatic send me a replacement stand. The fact that Amazon interceded between me and Powermatic was very helpful. The replacement stand arrived in a timely way, comparable to the jointer's original shipping time.

Since then I've used the jointer fairly heavily and it's served me well. I considered other products, mainly Delta's DJ-20 jointer. In my research, I'd heard of some quality concerns about the Delta DJ-15 (that it had gone down in recent years) and was concerned that the DJ-20 might also be affected. I'd used an older Powermatic model 60 jointer at a woodworking school. It was used heavily, and sometimes abused. It held up well, and produced good results consistently. That experience, plus not hearing of any problems with recently produced machines, and Amazon's delivery service led me to my final decision to order my jointer from Amazon. It's worked out well for me and I recommend it to others.

The saw, extension table and router lift was delivered in 6 packages which weighed a total of 400#. FedEx couldn't get their truck up my 100 yard uphill driveway, but the driver put the extire package on a hydraulic jack and unloaded it with his liftgate. We pushed the load up my driveway and unloaded all in the garage. He waited until I inspected all the packages. With the exception of a 6 inch rip in one of the boxes, every package was in tact.

I spent an entire Saturday assembling everything. (And that included many breaks!) The instructions were not difficult to figure out. A few more pictures might have been helpful. Everything fit like it was supposed to with the exception of the blade guard. The part of the guard that attached to a hex bolt under the table didn't fit. I used a file to reshape the slot on the guard to make it fit. I only needed an assistant to help mount the motor, table wings and extension table.

The assembled saw is a fine piece of equipment. The steel table and wings are flat and with no imperfections. The motor is quieter than I thought it would be. The fence is accurate, true and heavy duty. The router lift allows you to use the saw fence with your router if needed.

All in all, I'm happy with the saw from the delivery to the final assembled product. I'm looking forward to much leisurely woodworking with it.

This saw is plently powerful for a novice like myself. Would like to see it shipped in better boxes. The instructions could be written more clearly with better illustrations. An expert could probably assemble the saw in 2-2.5 hours. It took me considerably longer. The steps on setting up the fence were easier to understand and accurate. Apparently the rail system for the fence has recently changed. Make sure you have the correct rails for the saw. I had to exchange mine. Once the fence is installed (take your time here)the tape measure and fence are extremely accurate. A mobile base certainly helps. The dado insert does not fit with all dado's stacked (13/16"). I may try a zero clearance dado insert instead. You will need some assistance when installing the extension table or several 4-5" C clamps. The table top is well machined, smooth, and the miter slots fit and travel well. The fence locks smoothly and glides across the rails well esp. with a coat of paste wax on the rails. Very happy with the product and would recommend it to others. I have'nt used the router kit yet so I can't comment on that feature.