Powermatic Reviews

The saw is a dream to use and is very accurate. There is one very frustrating problem however. The dust colleciton port on the back is supposed to be a standard 4" port. All the standard fittings, including the recommended JET fittings do not fit. WHM Tool Group has been very frustrating to work with. I hope they are not this problematic with other issues as well.

Oh My God, this saw is a dream, but when I first unpacked it and saw the 2 7 foot long pieces of angle iron I was VERY SKEPTICAL. But my son and I suffered through the assembly and alignement over 2 beers (for me) and a pop (for him).. total time near 3 hours to first spin of the blade. Absolutely no problems with assembly or adjustments and alignments. Heavy metal needs 4 hands in some cases, but that is what my son was there for. Impressive manual and easy to follow instructions provided you go slow and pay close attention to each detail as you progress in the assembly process. The saw cuts like a dream, blades do make a difference, have experimented with a few different brands and agree with other reviews.... FORREST is a perfect match for this saw. The fence is wonderful! Thought it looked funny when I unpacked it especially when I pulled the two pieces of angle iron out of the carton, but I have been using this saw now for near 5 months and am truly convinced that PM is by far an exceptional piece of machinery. It is HEAVY, QUIET, VIBRATION FREE (or at least very close to vibration free). I suppose from looking at the earlier reviews, the WMH Tool group may have had some problems in the past but as far as i am concerned, I am CONVINCED that POWERMATIC has been the best bang for my buck in a long time. hehe, I even missed an adjustment in the initial setup 5 months ago, (might have been the beers that night) but used the saw for 4 months and never noticed it until I tried to cut some complex miter joints. Dug out the manual and reviewed the setup procedure and 20 minutes later recut the miter joints.. wa-lah perfect! Man this saw is about as good as anyone could expect, spend the time, go slow, follow the instructions, hehe dont just look at the pictures, and trust them to get you through the set up, you will be glad you invested the time. And 5 months down the road... you wont care how much the saw cost you in dollars, it is worth every penny!

I received my Model 66 a couple of weeks ago and wanted to use the saw for a little while to make my review more accurate. I received the saw in all of its glory from ABF Freight in excellent condition. It took me two nights to upack and assemble the saw and another afternoon to make certain the blade and fence were properly aligned.

I, too, had a little problem getting the fence to be exactly 2 27/32" from the table top. But, I found that drilling through the predrilled hole on the fence rail on the far left into the left cast iron table wing took care of it. The holes on the rail want to make the fence rail move slightly when they are tightend. I used the same drill bit to ever so slightly enlarge the predrilled holes in the fence rail to allow the rail to be at the proper distance when tightened. For a saw that weighs 600 pounds or so, I didn't think this was a big deal.

Aligning the blade to the miter slot and the fence to the blade was a piece of cake. It took a little time, but considering how much I will use the saw and how sweet it is, I don't consider this wasted time.

I previously owned a Jet contractor saw which I had pretty much tweaked as much as I could. I loved my Jet contractor saw and was able to get some really nice cuts on it. However, it wasn't in the same league as the Powermatic Model 66. This rascal is so heavy and stable, it cuts like a laser. I highly recommend this machine to anybody looking for a table saw. I think it is worth the extra money to get the best. When you figure how much use you will get out of it and the fact that the saw will probably last longer than the user, the extra money is well spent.

I reviewed jet,grizzley,general,delta unisaw,laguna, and several other taiwan made saws. The powermatic was the winner. You can't go wrong with the 5 hp motor, fine machined table, steel machined crank locking knobs, bigger crank handles, rock solid fence. The saw came with a QA label showing arbor runnout, etc. I set it up in about 4 hrs and ran a machinist straight edge over the table. The saw measured out at .002 flatness, pretty good. You will need to buy a 10 ga wire, plug, etc to hook it up. The manual was clearly written. The saw has not been slowed down while cutting everything from ripping old hard oak to maple. Great piece of equipment. The only concern was the PM 66 had always used a 3VX belt to drive the pulleys and Amazon even advertised as such. However, when I received my saw it only has 2 belts and pulleys. This was very misleading in my view. Overall - good saw, but have had the saw for over a year and Amazon is still advertising the 3VX belt.

For those who just dream of a a great woodworking shop, to those of us fortunate to have this saw, WE KNOW THAT THE TABLE SAW IS THE FOCUS TOOL OF THE SHOP. If you truly desire precision then consider the things I have found to be so well made on my Powermatic 66. While I have heard of others without the same great experience, I know for a fact that Powermatic is more than willing to satisfy you. I will comment on the design and their top notch materials that I believe make this a great cabinet saw.

1. OUTSTANDING HEAVY FLAT TABLE - absolutely a dead flat piece of art. DO NOT TRY TO CLEAN THIS WITH ANYTHING BUT WHAT POWERMATIC RECOMMENDS. The mirror like finish is a "blanchard grind" unlike anything else available. It makes you want to clean, buff and wax it regularly.

2. NO VIBRATION - the super heavey trunion and other heavy iron constitute it's ability to absorb vibration. This makes for smoother, safer cuts.

3. QUIET - for a table saw this things just purrs. GET THE 5 HP model - if you're spending this kind of money I IMPLORE you to find the extra couple hundred dollars.

4. TIGHT TOLERANCES - This unit was built with great machining so you can set this up within thousand's of an inch. TAKE THE TIME TO FOLLOW THEIR DIRECTIONS - this will pay off for years. They have designed this to be true, square and flat. It's up to you to follow the directions.

5. GREAT MANUALS - GREAT TELEPHONE SUPPORT - I probably will shock you when I tell you I never owned a table saw until this one. I simply knew the reviews and everyone I spoke with couldn't all be nuts so I spent the big money only wanting to do this once. I have used it for 2.5 years constantly. I am a nut for good instructions since I need them. Their manuals and support let a guy like me set it up from scratch with no pounding or swearing at the thing.

6. A TRUE, SQUARE, ACCURATE & EASY TO USE FENCE - Now, a fence could be the most important thing you use. I am absolutely amazed how dead square this thing stays REGARDLESS of what type of big panels, wood or melamine I put past it. I sometimes have to place a dial gauge just to believe it stays so true. I have NEVER had to make any major adjustments in 2.5 years!!! I kid you not when I tell you that sometimes I scratch my head in wonderment that things are still made this well. AGAIN, I BEG YOU TO TAKE YOUR TIME WHEN YOU SET IT UP!! IT WILL PAY FAITHFUL DIVIDENDS I PROMISE YOU.

7. THE MOTOR - Well, a 5HP seemed like overkill to me too until I started using it through 3" maple, etc. Then the "smoothness of real power" shows it's benefit - no burns, no laboring, just glass smooth cuts (with a sharp blade of course)

8. CLEAN UP - Yep, I clean it and cover it after every day I use it. But it's simple since the cabinet is designed to be so accessible to the motor. The dust chute is engineered so the wood dust is angled to the chute at the bottom. I also invested in a plastic shroud that also accepts a hose.

9. GREAT ACCESSORIES - I have the matching rolling base, extra long black table and cabinet underneath that, everything fit perfectly. The miter gauge is absolutely surprising how solid and square it is. Many times I use it over my expensive Osborne3.

10. THE GOLD AND BLACK COLORS - Hey, sounds goofy doesn't it? But you know what? It looks great against the natural wood all over my shop. I'm not a commercial business so "grey" wasn't for me. It's at my home and I want it to look inviting for the neighbors to stop in, learn and just talk about things to be.

I hope that helps you all. My experience has been great, if yours is the same it will inspire you to use it more and more. Before you know it you've created things you never imagined possible. I suppose that's what a great tool really does -"inspires"

The miter slot on my brand new Powermatic saw is tapered, so a miter gauge set to fit properly for one section of the slot will bind to a stop when slid toward the user. What a disappointment!

A lot of praise has been heaped on this machine in previous reviews, so I will stick to my personal experience and try not to duplicate other views already stated.

I run joinery shop and needed a machine that could work all day everyday if required. I was initially in the market for a large chain/chisel machine, but didn't have enough 00000's after the numbers in my bank account. I was advised by a credible source that this machine would suit my requirements, and this has been the case. It does the work asked of it with ease, and it is quiet. I have so many machines that are noisy beasts, It is a welcome change to work in relative peace for once.
The Powermatic has already paid for itself in the last two jobs, having done over 300 mortises.

In spite of this, I do think that the machine could be improved in a couple of very minor ways:

1. The length stops are locked using small grub screws with a thin sheet metal strip for purchase, which is way too flimsy. A more substantial handle on the screws would be good, and also access to these screws is a little restricted.
2. The magnetic controls are mounted on the RHS of the base, which is too low for convenient use, and is tricky to get to in emergency, because my right hand is occupied on the pull handle. I have retro-fitted mine, so that the buttons are now mounted high, and on the lhs, so the I can easily turn the machine off, while still holding on to the lowering arm. Some will say that the switch is mounted where it is so that it can be knee bumped, but I am very tall, and I cannot do this easily.

That's it for the downsides, and they really aren't big issues.
I am a fairly harsh critic when it comes to machinery, so I have given the machine 4 stars, because it is not perfect, but I have yet to use any machine that I couldn't improve with a little bit of thought.
All up, I am very happy with the machine, and given the choice again, I would definitely go with the Powermatic.

The machine took a month to arrive. Take Amazon's shipping estimates with a grain of salt. It was easy to assemble while laying down (as other recommenders on this site suggested). However, it was a bear to stand up by myself (other recommenders on this site seemed to imply that it was easy). I would suggest asking a friend to help. The manual leaves a little to be desired. The mortiser itself, on the other, hand meets or exceeds my expectations. So far it seems well worth the investment.

Think of the engineering behind the task. You are taking a square chisel, and not slamming it into some wood with a mallet, but rather taking a long slow plunge. Plunging hardwoods like oak, cherry, maple etc. makes you think it is actually a near impossible task. It is helped because the bit in the center is drilling the core, making it easier for the chisel to scrape the walls down. This process is really a challenge for a drill press with a mortising attachment. Some say it could eventually waste a drill presses bearings. Ok so I stepped up to the plate and bought the Delta 16-541. It appeared to be the best out of the smaller dedicated mortisers, and it does do a nice job. That is as long as you are not doing mortises on anything larger than 4 inches. If your making doors, you need to convert the machine with a base spacer, which takes time, adjustment, and disables the adjuster on the fence. If you are an occasional Mortiser, that will suffice. The range of motion on the Delta is only a little over 3 inches. The 1/2hp motor is adequate, but the bit/motor jammed on me twice in a single project. I had to take the bit apart, clean, realign, and reinstall. I also had to be careful to manually keep the wood tight up against the fence. (No clamp)
All of this takes me to the fullest appreciation of the Powermatic and why I ordered the 719A. The fence has a large quick holding clamp, that assures you that your work is going to stay in a perfect line against the fence. The entire table moves left to right with a 16 inch range, and 4 1/2 inch range front to back by using the large wheels on the front. You simply crank with one hand, and plunge with the other. That is efficiency. If you are using a 1/2" bit, and want to make a 1" mortise, you can use the other wheel, move it back a half inch and finish the run. The Powermatic sports a 1 HP motor, twice that of the Delta, therefore it accepts bits up to 1 inch. So you can even make 1" mortises in a single pass. If you look at the very long plunge handle, you can see that it would be easy to create a lot of leverage.
I was concerned about the board capacity in size, so I called Powermatic. The rep measured the distance between the chuck, and the TOP of the fence, and it measured 9 inches. Add to that the 4 inch height of the fence, and you can see that this is a machine with a large capacity. It also has a plunge range of motion of 8 or 9 inches according to the rep. You can see that the Powermatic will handle most any size board. Using the large control wheel, moving the fence front to back, with a range of 4 1/2 inches, means you could put a mortise in the center of an 8" thick beam. Simply put, you don't need to disassemble anything for a full range of sizes. If you are doing repetitive runs, there is a built in adjustable stop on the right side. With a 282 pound shipping weight, you can put in a good size board, clamp it in, and not worry about it tilting onto the floor.
A last few considerations; It is shipped in two boxes, and one of them is 240 pounds. So my advice is to pay the twenty five dollars extra (current rate) for lift gate service. That way you don't have someone waiting in the truck while you offload the crate from a high bed truck. If you are unloading alone, your back is worth more than that.
The only downside is that the purchase does not include any chisel and bit sets. They are extra. Although I can see why Powermatic would do it that way, considering that Deltas bits, and several others fit the machine as well. That way you can get it for a more competitive price, and add the chisels only as you need them. I asked if the Delta chisels were as good as the Powermatics, and the rep professionally did not make an assertion, but I got from the tone of his voice that they were not. In all fairness Delta has two levels of chisels, at two different price points. Their professional bits are highly rated.
This Powermatic is a great commercial/industrial grade piece of equipment, that should give you a lifetime of service. The efficiency created with the unit will more than pay for itself. A foot activated automatic Mortiser is even more efficient, but you can only justify that level of price tag if you are mortising all day for a living. This Powermatic 719A fills the bill perfectly for a wood working professional, and the serious enthusiast. Highly recommended.

I'm not going to add much to my review about this lathe. You get the picture that it's a very good lathe, nearly perfect. I will say it's built like a tank, in fact maybe overbuilt, except it's impossible to overbuild a lathe. I may go through a motor in my lifetime (although I doubt it), but someone will be doing things on this lathe 200 years from now and beyond. I mean that. It's well-designed, they refused to cut corners (at the expense of my ease in moving it a few inches at a time!) and it's a darn fine lathe.

But all lathes today are good lathes. To me, what separates the good from the truly great is customer service. I had great conversations with bright people when I was hooking it up, and I bought a spindle extender from them a few weeks back. The only "flaw" in design is the head is so huge (again, solid) that it's hard to get in close to it when doing pens. So I bought a 2" spindle extender, problem over. Except it came with 1, not 2, screws. The factory didn't blink, they sent a whole new extender, and quick, and COURTEOUS!!! I can't remember the last time that happened, but I'm 52 and it was a while ago.

Buy anything Powermatic makes with the utmost confidence. I see they have 1 "A" model left (that's what I got) and for the money, shipped, it's almost criminal how cheap it is. Put a 50 cent mirror on the wall behind it (or don't, I have the feel for it now anyway) to read the spindle speed and you have the "B" model, for 2 grand less.

Oh, by the way, I love the color!!! Wood chips go great with it!

First make sure that you have 3 helpers as delivery was right to my door and the rest is up to you. With the motor/headstock and tailstock taken off I still had 500lbs or 600lbs weight of the bed. No bouncing across the room like my Jet 236. Setup was easy. I chose 220 single phase and was turning in 2 hours. The off button does not turn "all the power off" so put a switch in line. Lots of power. I turn bowls, trays and such it has a 20" limit. I will have to buy the setup for outboard turning unless I come up with a better setup. Mine is by a window for natural lighting the digital speed numbers are visible on the one side of the headstock while the on/off, speed controls are on the opposite side. 2 mirrors helped.

I won't continue with all the well-deserved praise for this lathe since the other reviewers have definitely made the point. What I will say is do your homework to find the best price, then call ToolCrib (Amazon) and use their price-matching guarantee.

I saved about $75 by checking SouthernTool.com first, which also offers free shipping.

ToolCrib delivers to the ground, unlike alot of curbside delivery options where you're expected to get it off of the truck. This is HUGE considering you're dealing with a peice of equipment that weighs in at around 700 lbs.

Did I mention that I love this lathe? Rock solid, quiet, smooth,...oh yeah, I wasn't going to repeat what everyone else says...

Enjoy!

I just bought the saw after weeks of comparison shopping and found that the Powermatic had everything that I was looking for. I was looking at the Jet, Delta and DeWalt brands, and feel that the Powermatic was the best buy for the money, and the quality is number one.

Pros: The table's table finish is fantastic. Very smooth and true. The saw feels very study and strong. High quality. T he motor is quiet and it has a clutch that stops the blade nicely when you shut the saw off. The accu-fence is accurate and a breeze to work with. Very high quality.

Cons: There are two bolts that hold the the belt cover on, but I could only put one on because the second one rubs the belt. If the belt was shorter, the guard would fit better. The table is beveled, but the extension wings are not. The motor was a little tricky to align on the back of the saw. The directions could have been a little easier to understand. I do not like the way that the blade gaurd mounts on the saw. There is two bolts that hold the gaurd in the rear, and one that is located right behing the blade that makes removal of the guard difficult.

The saw took me about 4 hours to assemble, and about another hour to make some final adjustments. Make sure that you get a mobile base for this saw, if you plan on moving it around. I am very happy with the saw, and glad that I went with the Powermatic brand. It is a well built table saw, and high quality. I would have this a 5 star rating if it was not for those minor issues. I puchased this saw from Amazon...Very fast delivery.

I bought this saw after reading all of the reviews and they are mostly correct.
The saw is the smoothest running contractor grade saw on the market and the construction is excellent. Out of the box the fence was slightly out of adjustment but I aligned it in two minutes using the procedure in the manual and it has held true. I've aligned other fences and this was the easiest and most accurate I have ever encountered. I especially like the solid feel and positive locking mechanism which sets the fence true every time.

I agree that the assembly is involved and the instructions lacking. The belt guard will rub if the motor isn't attach correctly, but this is easy to fix by sliding the mounting plate away from the belt. The best advice I can give is take your time on the assembly and think about how all the pieces will fit together because once you are finished you will love this saw.

If you purchase this jig, be prepared for extensive modification to make it usable. I had to resurface the clamping face to remove a deep cup, and replace the useless depth scale with a cursor. The back stop is a scrap of angle steel that had to be filed flat and square. Worst of all, the clamping pad guide bar hole was bored so far off center to the locking handle that the clamp screw handle angled clear into the saw tabletop at full extension. Not exactly conducive to clamping! It required machining a keyway with a guide pin to hold everything level. On the plus side, the unit is cast iron and very solid and accurate. Tenon width is controlled by an excellent locking leadscrew mechanism that performs well. All in all if you have a milling machine handy and want to invest a few hours correcting shoddy workmanship, you'll end up with a fine tool. My unit was not usable as shipped. I corrected the problems rather than return the jig, suspecting a replacement would be no better.

I was going to buy this jig. So I went and compared it at the local woodworking store. The Powermatic and Jet jigs are exactly the same, except for the paint. The Jet model is $20.00 cheaper. If you look at the pictures of the two here on Amazon, you'll see that whoever took the photos used the exact same piece of wood even. Don't waste your money on gold paint instead of white, they both come from Tiawan.

This tenon jig is by far the heaviest duty jig that I have tried. I love all the adjustments and the precision it offers. I did have to run the bar on my beltsander for five seconds to get it to slide perfectly in my Ridgid's mitre slot, but that is because the Ridgid uses a non industry standard mitre slot width.

This jig feels very solid and safe to use even with long thick table legs.

I use a router with a jig for my mortises so since I had my templates made already I setup the tenon jig to fit my mortices...with the precision micro adjust and my dado blade, I made perfect mortise and tenons on the first practice cut.

I also made some compound angled tenons, and because the jig was nice and "beefy" it held the stock perfectly even using an extreme angle...again the test cut fit my mortises perfectly.

This is good stuff!

We got this saw two-years ago in my shop class. We have run everything that you can imagine through it, even pvc. No matter what you run through it, it doesn't slow down. The stock-splitter/Anti-kickback teeth are a great feature to insure that you don't end-up with a board in your stomach. It is a left-tilt saw so that your material doesn't bind against the fence. The Accu-Fence is one of the best fences that I have ever used. It is smooth, and insures accuracy. When you set up the fence, Make sure that you set fence tape right, so that you wont have to ever have to use a ruler. This saw is awesome, and I would recommend it to anyone looking to make a quality investment. Out of five stars, I give this saw ten.

I just bought the Powermatic 66 5HP single phase. I was going to get the three phase model, and pick up a phase converter. That way if I ever get into a three phase environment I would be ready to go. I understand the motors are made quite differently internally. Then I found out that a three phase motor runs at about 1/3 less its rated power when it is run on single phase with a converter. So you are getting about 3 usable HP.
The single phase 5HP motor weighs about 100 pounds and has a cast iron end (TEFC frame). You could easily call it overkill. I came off of using a single HP old Sears saw, and after blowing breakers, and the thermal safety protection built into the motor (and having to wait for it to cool off and reset) when cutting into inch and a half stock, I didn't want to take any chances with the power, so I went for the 5. I am sure the 3 does the job more than adequately.
When building doors, table legs, windows etc, out of 2 or 3 inch hardwoods, you'll be glad you did.
By the way, here is a setup tip. My Powermatic 66 was shipped with a dead on flat tabletop. Inside the carton are both of the cast iron extension wings. There is one for the left and one for the right. Once mounted and tweaked to get the seam even all the way across, I noticed that one of them did not create a completely level top. It may only be off by .010 but that is enough to see light coming from under your straightedge.
We're not spending all of this money to put up with a slightly off situation. So, what to do? Here it is; Take a piece of aluminum foil, and fold it over a few times, to get a 4 or 8 fold thickness. Then cut a strip of it about 1/4" wide. Loosen the three bolts that hold the extension onto the side, slip the foil shim down into the seam and below the top edge. Retighten your extension, and then check for levelness. If it is off by even the slightest, readjust the thickness of the foil by how many folds you use. Then it will be perfectly, and I mean perfectly even all the way across.
The nature of the problem exists because even though the table edge and the extension may be ground perfectly, if it is off by even a few thousandth's, it will magnify itself to hundredths by the time it gets to the outer edge of the extension.
Aluminum foil is incredibly thin, so 4 or 8 folds of it, add up to zilch, but it is enough to make your extensions perfectly level. The nice thing is that since the foil is so thin, it doesn't create any gap in the seam across the top. I can't get the pointed tip of a razor blade to go into mine. It's a dead on mating, but that tiny bit of offset is enough to tweak it right on.
I bought the Model 66 5 Horsepower 1 phase without the sliding table, so if you would like to read my full review, you can check that one. I just thought that something as relevant as this set up tip would be beneficial. Previous owners may want to check theirs and tweak them in as well. I hope this helps.

Spend the extra amount of money and go Powermatic, it raises the standard.

Excellent Table saw. Easy to set up, clear instructions. Extremely heavy though, but, I like that, no vibration (you will need a few helpers). The rip guide took a couple of times to align properly, but, not a problem. Built to last. This saw has ripped everything I have thrown at it and doesn't slow down. Clearly built with quality in mind. Have used the Delta and Craftsman line of table saws- they don't even compare. I have the 3-phase 5 HP version. Only drawback was have to install a three phase converter, which wasn't cheap. I am thrilled with this saw and will never buy another one (may never need to, don't think this one will breakdown). If you are trying to decide on a saw, choose this one, you won't be sorry.

While another reviewer questioned Powermatic and it is true that they have had to cut some corners to remain competitive, the 1270100 is _not_ a Jet or other knockoff. For starters, it weighs nearly 500 lb whereas the largest Jet is under 400. Further the 1270100 handles from 1/2" to 1-1/4" spindles while the largest spindle for a Jet is 3/4".

So again, while it isn't the same machine as a 40-yr old Model 27, it is a far more robust machine than others of similar vintage except for the roughly equivalent Deltas.

I was quite surprised when I received the machine. It appears to be a Jet painted yellow. It is not at all like the older Powermatic machines I have used. The spindle was not centered in the table top hole. The machine made a clank noise when I started it. It turned out that the pulley on the spindle was loose. I do not like the way the belt adjusts to change the spindle speed. The machine is quiet and continued to run quiet since fixing the pulley and cenering the spindle in the hole.

The top is highly polished and has stayed polished. The metal parts of the fence seemed to work good. The infeed and outfeed wooden parts of the fence were not flat nor true in line with each other. I changed the wood and flattened them so they are flat and in line with each other.

This machine does not uphold the Powermatic name of the past.

Solid, dependable, versatile. That's what I was looking for in a shaper. This machine is solid. Once it is set up to run a job, it takes care of itself. Everything locks down solidly and it runs with very little vibration. I like the versatility of interchangeable shafts, including the ability to use router bits in the 1/2" collet adapter. The reversing feature allows me to do climb cuts on difficult woods and to use some shaper cutters "upside down" to increase their usefulness. I did add a power feed unit shortly after buying the shaper. It makes the climb cuts possible, and it makes all operations safer. I have the shaper on an HTC mobile base to allow positioning the machine to handle extra-long stock in my small shop.

I have not discovered anything negative about this tool. It did require a little touch-up work when first received. It only amounted to what seems to be the usual cleaning up of a sharp edge here and there. Otherwise the workmanship is excellent. And I love the mirror finish on the cast iron top, which still shines after a year of use.

As earlier stated by Alan, the spindle opening had a burr that had to be removed before stock could be shaped, especially with a power feeder. The wood fence attachments need more than two holes bored in them to be able to properly adjust them to all size shaper cutters. The documentation was not up to par. If you spend close to $2,500 for a machine, the documentation should be first rate. For example, I couldn't find any specifications that showed how much of an increment the adjustable fence moves with one revolution (1/32"), nor could I find that information on the height adjustment. Finally, I'm disappointed with the shaper plate. The largest plate has a lip that holds the next smaller plate, and there is no way to use that large plate with a 4" cutter, especially the larger cope and stick cutters. You wind up having to take the ring out completely, or fashion one of your own. Having said all of this, I would still buy this machine. If you have enough confidence to tackle the minor inconveniences mentioned in this and other reviews, I don't think you can find a more solid machine.

First the cons: ... The fence is fastened to the table duringshipping and the paint was obviously wet when it was shipped as therewas a fair amount of dried paint on the table in the shape of the fence outline. The table also had a slight burr around the spindle opening that had to be removed before wood would slide easily across it. It takes 4 srews/nuts to hold the wooden fence to the metal part - they sent one. No hex key wrenches were included although you need several to adjust the fence. The manual content and orginizaion was so-so. Also, a miter guage would have been nice.

The Pros: once the above problems were corrected and the belt adjusted properly, the machine worked like a charm. The 5 hp motor muscles through cuts with ease and the dust collection works quite well. There is virtually no vibration and it runs more quiter than I'd expected. If you don't mind doing some of the finish work on the tool, it's a nice piece of equipment.

I purchased this not on-line. It is a very good unit and has performed to every expectation I had. Just remember to get a power feed for most work and the fence is tricky to setup the first time.

However I like it much better than the other units because the quality of cut requires no finish sanding and this machine can cut all day long.

Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with the machine, the strength of construction, and the range of adjustments, which should allow for years of service. One reservation is the rubber sanding drums. When the sandpaper tears (which will happen, I learned, by trying to take more than 1/32 off even a small piece of wood), it can damage the drum in seconds.

Another issue to be aware of is that there doesn't seem to be any "ready-to-cut" replacement sandpaper available for this machine. The manual tells you to order 3"-wide Jet ready-to-cut abrasive strips, which has markings on the back for different size drums. But if you follow the markings for a 25" drum, you will find that the resulting piece has the tapers running the wrong direction and winds up several feet too short for the Powermatic machine. No one I've spoken to at Powermatic seems aware of this problem or of where the 4"-inch wide sandpaper that comes installed on the machine (also made by Klingspor) comes from. Even Klingspor doesn't have any of this sandpaper available for sale.

I've had the Powermatic 25" drum sander for about a month now. It replaced a Grizzley 24" drum sander. It is a step up in quality and performance but also in price. I understand that Powermatic simply put their name on what was a Performax sander model. Both companies are owned by the same group along with Jet. The machine was accurate right out of the box. It performs nicely. I have to say though that the finish results using equivalent sandpaper grits is about the same as the Grizzly. The difference is the Powermatic is very heavy duty with nice fit and finish. It weighs in at about twice that of the Grizzly and doesn't complain when you inadvertantly try and sand a little too much in one pass, though that isn't recommended. I do recommend this machine highly but if you are a little more wealthy and have 3 phase electrical, go to a large belt sander. I don't have 3 phase or the other part right now so I am getting along quite well with the drum sander.

After using Powermatic's new drum sander for about 6 months now, I have to say this is one quality machine. I upgraded from a performax 16/32 and it was a choice between the Woodmaster, performax 22", or the powermatic. Although I was concerned about quality since the buyout by WHT ( Jet ), I went with powermatic anyway. I am happy to report that the quality is top notch. Everything is built like an industrial u.s. made machine but at an import price. It's 5 h.p. motor is plenty, and the dual drums mean a lot less paper changes and passes through the sander. If your like me and don't have $8000 plus for a decent belt sander this machine is definatly worth the price. My only peave is with the sandpaper. The drums come wrapped with a 4" wide roll of Klingspor paper but you can only buy 3" paper rolls which are more difficult to wrap. And getting the first wraps requires quite a bit of trial and error since you have no template to guide you. Notice... the premarked rolls for other sanders won't work with this machine since the paper wraps the opposite direction.
That mentioned I still give powermatic 5 stars for this one.