Powermatic Reviews

I installed the riser block and the guides didn't lineup. The top guides were over a half inch forward of the bottom guides. I called tech help they informed me that this is an on going problem. They told me to remove the pins from the saw body. They said the pins are for alinment porposes only. They have nothing to do with holding it all in place. I am concrned this won't stop the top half of the saw twisting while under blade presure. They assured me it wouldn't be a problem. Let's hope it isn't a problem.

I recently purchased the Powermatic 14" bandsaw and ordered the riser block from Amazon. It came a few days later and nicely matches the mustard yellow saw, you either love the color or hate it. One thing I wish someone had told me was what the riser block kit includes, well for anyone wondering, it comes with the block of course that you put between the saw frame halves. Also included is a metal guard for the left side of the saw where the blade is travelling up to the upper wheel. This is a nice replacement to the plastic one included with the saw. There is also a new guard for the right hand side/front of the saw where the blade is coming down to the upper guide bearings. Lastly there is the main upper guide bar which is the same as the unit which comes with the saw, it's just longer.

I was able to install the system myself, but be careful, the top of the saw is bulky enough to damage you and itself if dropped.

The main guide rod has a V notch ground into it to accept the locking knob feature. The problem I had was that the V notch was not ground in line with the axis of the rod, it was out by about 0.050", enough out that the upper guide bearing would rotate left and right as the assembly was adjusted up and down. Basically every guide height change required a bearing to blade clearance adjustment. I took mine to a local machine shop and had them grind it true to the axis of the rod. Now it works perfectly. I could have sent it back but didn't want to chance ending up with another one that was problematic, besides I figured the machine shop would grind it in much better than the factory. Anyhow, this is the only reason I gave it four stars, the riser block kit is well worth the $$ if you need to resaw anything over the 6" capacity of the saw itself. Just remember to purchase a couple of 105" blades when you get the riser.

I bought this just a few months after I bought the saw. I took a little bit longer then I expected to get here but was in great shape, very happy I added this to my saw.

Most of the aspects of this planer are good except for "chatter". This has been a real problem for me with this planer. I can run something like a 1 1/2 inch oak cuting borad top and get NO "chatter" or dishing and then on the last pass get waves in the surface like a rough 2x12 at Home Depot. Powermatic has sent in a local expert that they hire and he did all the adjustments and declared all fine. When I ran a 7 foot board with less that 1/2 inch bow he then declared my problem as "operator error" for trying to run such bowed material. He has no answer as to why it would also do it on straigt material since he "didn't see it happen". My problem is you never know when it's going to show. Run a borad, smooth as glass, run again and it's full of ripples. This happens about 25% of the time. Plus, there was NO, NONE, NOTHIING AT ALL as to follow-up from Powermatic. Rest of my powermatic equipemnt has been GREAT. Get anything else but I'm very sorry I got this planer.

I'm not the poster of this review. Just wanted to let him know that the powermatic manuals have the 800 service number in the back of their manuals. Just in case anyone was concerned about this. Their customer service is outstanding

I gave this product 4 stars only b/c the review I was adding this to gave it 4 stars. I have not used this product.

I am General Contractor for Timber Frame construction projects. You can't beat the Amazon.com price with free shipping. Even Ebay prices used don't beat the price/performance of this machine.

The mechanics on the planer are good with excellent finish results, but I wish the infeed and outfeed roller tables were as heavy duty as the machine itself. We have planed hundreds of board feet of 6x8 and 4x6 lumber with outstanding results. I bought the 20 inch planer over the 15 inch so that we could plane 6x12 cedar timbers that were 12 feet long. For the first couple of runs we had to power plane by hand the surfaces to allow the Powermatic planer to feed the stock . . . it would hand up while infeeding even though we supported the ends.

On that note, I was sorely disappointed that the infeed and outfeed tables no only bend under the weight (250 lbs) but they also deform the roller mounts. We are going to have more solid supports for the custom infeed and outfeed tables built. If Powermatic simply added vertical bars to the ends of the infeed or outfeed tables that swing down to suppor the ends, I would give this tool 5 stars.

The installation and setup instructions are weak and Powermatic does not offer a tech support number in their paperwork, but we figured out most of the stuff. We still have a 1/2 inch bar with three lock washers left over . . . the price you pay.

I found the electric switch box quite small for wiring the cord into. Magnetic switch boxes have more room to hook the machine up as well as an added safety feature. In the event of loss of power the machine must be manually restarted after power is restored.
The tables were difficult to get aligned. I need two people to get the tables aligned, since they are so heavy.
The biggest problem is that the 1 1/2 HP motor is underpowered for that big a jointer. When I face joint a 7 1/2 " wide piece of oak, I have to feed it very slowly in order to get it through without bogging down the machine. I intend to either put a 2 HP motor on this machine or replace it entirely with a 2 hp model.
I have been told that any Powermatic machine with an "A" at the end of the model number is made in Asia, Tiawan or China.

I recently purchased an American made Powermatic Model 60A jointer. It was lacking in some basic things. First of all it did not come with everything required to make it usable. I was quite upset to buy a high priced top of the line machine and have to go shopping for bolts and electrical parts to make the machine complete. The bolts to mount the jointer to the base were not supplied nor was there a power cord included with the machine. The electrical box for the power switch is so small for the switch supplied that it is almost impossible to install the power cable, connect to the switch and get all wiring situated such that the switch can be reinstalled in the box. After getting the power cord installed I thought I was set only to discover the factory wired rotation of the motor was backwards. I had to unmount the motor to get to the electrical box on the motor and re connect for the correct rotation.

I purchased the custom mobile base manufactured specifically for this machine. The mobile base is 2 inches too wide and 3 inches too long for the base of the machine. Albeit this is a "custom fit" mobile base a universal base would have been a better fit for a lot less money.

The fence system is not as good as I expected it to be. The rack and pinion system that is supposed to keep the fence angle unchanged when raising or lowering the fence does not work. If the height of the fence is changed the control arm has to be re adjusted to make the fence square with the tables. If the fence is all the way down it drags on the table when moving it from side to side. I set it up about 1/16 inch so it would not drag on the table. Fortunately I seldom use a jointer in an application that requires the fence being set other than 90 degrees so once the fence is adjusted for height and squareness it can be moved from side to side without changing the height setting. The only other problem with the fence is it tracks greese across the table when moving it.

Once I completed all of the frustrations of making the machine operational it is a fantastic machine. The tables are easy to adjust and are very straight and true. I think a machine in this price range should be more complete and ready to use than this machine was when received. This is my first Powermatic machine. I have several top of the line Delta machines and have never had this kind of problems with initial set up. This is a quality machine but if I had the purchase to do over I would probably buy a Delta DJ-20 instead of the Powermatic 60A. My next purchase is going to be a top of the line shaper. I was planning to buy a Powermatic model 27 but after the problems I had with the jointer I probably will buy a Delta shaper. This is probably my first, last and only Powermatic machine I will ever own. It has been my goal for all of the principal machines in my shop to be American made. I have been phasing out all foreign made machines but I have never had the difficulty setting up a foreign machine that I had with this Powermatic jointer. In my opinion all of the difficulties I had making this jointer operational were due to the lack of good quality control on the part of Powermatic.

To summerize: After resolving all of the setup problems this is a very functional machine but for being the most expensive 8" jointer available it should have at least had all necessary parts to make it operational included in the shipment.

I was in the process of upgrading my shop and wanted a jointer with longer beds than my 8" Grizzly. After reading the review (the only one at your site) I was sold. I received my jointer Dec. 29,2005 and couldn't wait to get it set up, which I could never do. Powermatic actually authorized a local dealer to come to my shop and adjust it for me. After 3 hours and lots of frustration, we found that the outfeed table had a .006 bow, and the infeed table had an .008 bow, which the technician said was unacceptable and that was causing my problems. After they contacted Powermatic, they said that those tolerances are acceptable, and they would not do anything about it. Now I have a jointer that does not produce good glue joints. Also the fence had a bow in it. I am very disappointed and am looking into returning the Powermatic and returning to my Grizzly.

Just P/U today (Not such an easy task at 610Lbs.) Shipping is around 750. I also have a DJ20; I was made an offer for that old stand by that was to good to pass up. Thus I purchased the PJ882. This is my first Powermatic piece of gear so I was a bit hesitant, those fears were quickly erased. Powermatic being thoughtful has 4 built-in pins under the tables that slide out so you can use straps to lift the 882 without disturbing the I & O tables. SMART! There is no real assemble, the unit is near ready for work right out of the box. I opted for the 3 phase (because I can), I had my machinist 24"straight edge, machinist square, 45 triangle, all ready for those expected adjustment. Everything looked great. After a quick wire-up I hit the start button, which by the way is lofted up on it own stand above the tables and utilizes a twit lock type stop button, very nice! I started with an old bent, twisted 2x4. Within a pass or two I had a square piece of lumber. No snipe, no tear out, no adjustments necessary. But if there were any needed the way this system (Parallelogram) works you can completely adjust both tables 4 corners using a cam system, again SMART!
Only dislike; very minor, but there is a plastic piece that is mounted with two screws to the bottom face of the fence, this keeps the fence bottom from tearing up, (scratching) the out feed table while adjusting, (45 forward to 45 backward) you just need to make sure that it is not proud of the fence otherwise your pushing a piece through and it will catch. Easy fix, just be aware.
Go for it! I don't think you'll be disappointed. 83" table surface, niiiiice!

Most complaints about benchtop mortising machines concern hold-down and workpiece transport. One wishes the work to be held square to the chisel and stay in place as the chisel is raised at the end of each plunge. Further one would like to be able to easily adjust the fence so that the machine plunges in the correct place. The 701 is excellent in these respects, indeed significantly better than any other benthtop machine I've ever seen. If you have reached a frustration threshold with your present machine and can no longer tolerate the workpiece being lifted off the table because the hold-down doesn't, then buy this one.
I have only two minor complaints. On my machine the column did not hold the chisel square to the table. I cured this by shimming the column with some metal from a "tin" can. It was easy to do but should not have been necessary. The second complaint is that you need metric allen wrenches to set-up the machine. It is not my intention to ignite a metric versus imperial debate. Most such debates are silly. My complaint is simply that I didn't own such wrenches. I had to wait until the next day to buy a set. Maybe Powermatic should include them; after all the 701 does cost $400 which is significantly more than any other benchtop.

I ordered the PM701 after reading several tool reviews. I was starting a project that requires a lot of mortising and I didn't look forward to digging them out by hand, so I decided to invest in a benchtop mortiser and based on the reviews I decided to spend the extra dollars for the Powermatic. I was not disappointed! The machine arrived on time and setup was easy because the directions were straight forward. I had a set of chisels/bits from a Delta mortising jig (for use on a drill press) and I also had the 3mm and 10mm hex head wrenches that are required for setup. I knew that I needed them from reading other evals on Amazon.com. I set off on my mortising adventure and upon completion of all that drilling I was apprehensive if the tenons were going to fit. I couldn't have been more pleased. Every one of the 12 mortises accepted the tenons with a snug, but not too tight fit. There were single row 1/2 inch wide mortises and double row 1/2 inch wide mortises(used to make 1 inch wide mortises). They all fit perfectly which attests to the accuracy of the machine's setup and ease of use, as this was a first time use by an intermediate skilled woodworker. I made the tenon's using my router and a home made jig that I use for dadoes.
I think I will eventually invest in a set of Powermatic mortising bits as they are larger, but the PM701 directions tell you how to use the smaller chisels/bits and they worked fine. I believe I made the right choice in selecting the PM701 and I actually look forward to another mortising project with the confidence that I have a machine that can do the job.

I can not rave enough about Amazon's service or the Powermatic 701 Mortising Machine.
I ordered this machine on March 15 and the web site reflected a new product that was on backorder.
Amazon's web site also told me the machine would be shipped and delivered between April 20 and May 8th. It arrived on the 14th of April in excellent condition.
The price with one of Amazon's special sale days, the supersavor shipping, and no sales tax made this machine very very competitive with the $200-$300 priced machines.
Six stars for Amazon.com!!!

This is one massive bench top machine. I use to own a Jet, which was a nice servicable little machine for the price, but it was very basic with a very basic table made of MDF.

I debated between the higher end Delta, the General Tilting Table Mortiser, and the Powermatic 701. I went with the Powermatic as I do not make slat back chairs and therefore did not need to have the tilting feature.

The Powermatic 701, while not made in the USA, is made in Taiwan. The workmanship is very good. The motor runs smoothly and the guides for raising the head and moving the table operate smoothly.

Speaking of the motor, it is 3/4 horsepower compared to the 1/2 horsepower that powers the others.
This machine did not bog down in any wood I have been able to test since receiving it.

The spacer fitting for the chisel and auger is a nice touch as is the round tool rest attached to the back of the machine for your other chisels. It comes with a polishing hone already attached, too!

It does require a metric hex wrench and 10mm metric wrench(and it would be nice if Powermatic would provide them with the machine)but most do-it-your-selfers usually have a set of metric and imperial wrenches, anyway.

If there is a nit to pick, the paint finish was so-so. It does not matter to me as I bought the machine to make mortises, and this machine does that with a vengence!

I also like the ability to open the one piece cowl all the way in order to install the chisel and auger. Much more access area than the General or the Delta. The Powermatic uses a magnet to hold the cowl closed. The cowl opens like the hood on a Corvette; You have lots of room to access the chuck and make your adjustments.

Runout on the chuck was almost non-existent, exceeding anything needed for wordworking.

The machine has a solid feel and does not move due to its almost 90+ pounds of cast Iron and steel.

The handle is reversible to the left side of the machine for southpaws.

The fence hold-down is reversible for larger boards.

The table rollers are a great addition which allows you to keep the board firmly against the fence, but immediately move it right or left to keep cutting your mortise.

(Rockler sells a similar MDF setup for the Jet Mortiser, but it is not as nice nor is it cheap!)

First I would like to start of by saying I have owned this for almost 2 months now and have yet to get it installed. I have verified with Biesemeyer (800-782-1831) that I ordered the correct splitter for my saw and gave them the bolt measurements and they said that was the wrong bolt. The bolt that came with it does not fit. Period. I called them a month ago and they said they would send replacement hardware. I still have not received the hardware. I called them again today and was told they would send replacement hardware again. I am giving this 1 star because the product itself is very well made, but taking more than 2 months to get this installed has taken away all that is good. It is like owning a ferrari without a motor, it looks good but has no function.

This is in regards to the Biesemeyer Splitter B78440 that was ordered to be placed into a Powermatic 66 Model 1660814K manufactured May 2005.

I wish all who order this luck in getting it installed.

I suppose this item will work well when I eventually get it installed. See, like my other colleague on this post I had problems with the bolt as well. Simply put, it does not fit without modification. I spent the balance of today with a pry bar trying to get the faulty bolt out. I will take my colleagues advice and try to find a suitable substitute. Of course, I had to redrill the mounting hole on the housing. This is a not so simple install. Caveat emptor!

While it does get in the way with some applications, I am glad I have it. With the rare case hardeling on some of the maple I work with, the spreader is literally a life saver as it helps prevent the kerf from squeezing in on the blade causing a frustrating and dangerous kick back. The little black knob on the lever to release the spreader needed to be modified to fit in my powermatic 66. It hit on the cast iron frame. Other than that it seems to be a good product and worth the price and patient effort to adjust it to the right position.

I have now been fighting and despising this saw for years. See my last review '04. I have received two fence rail sets from the manufacturer, they have all been as bent as the ones furnished with the machine. I have been told by Powermatic's tech line that I would not notice the lack of flatness of the table, I do notice it. I have replaced the belt with a link belt and tuned the saw so it was vibration free and cutting accurately to .006". by the next morning things had shifted and I had to reset the fence. A Forrest blade only served to highlight the inacuracies of the saw. I plan on either reinforcing the trunnion,reinforcing the stand, reengineering the mobile base as well as the fence, and surface grinding the table, or selling the unit. I would strongly suggest purchasing a different saw from this one. The precision afforded by this saw can be duplicated by a mid priced portable. The router lift is very nice and works well.

The saw shipped in a timely manner and though I had a one problem with it, Amazon took care of it promptly and made it quite stress free.

The saw itself is well built, has a good manual, and runs very well. Produces very clean cuts and requires very little recalibration once it is set up. I like the fence much more than the Delta/Biesmeyer setup personally. I ran this saw on 110 for a while and wished it was a bit stronger. I then wired to 220 and have been thrilled with it's performance.

The Router Lift works well and has a nice precise mechanism. The router fence isn't great but for most of what I've done (which arguably is not typical), the fence for the table saw works fine for the router lift.

Dust collection for the router lift is limited to above the table only. You really need an enclosure below with a dust port to properly collect dust.

I don't have a workbench yet and use the extension table for an assembly table often. It's not really made for that but I wish it was tougher so it could handle heavy clamping and such.

The one thing I hadn't considered when I bought this saw was dust collection. If you don't have a good dust collector, you might have better with a cabinet saw (if you can afford it). My shop vac had little effect on the dust generated from this table saw.

This saw is a perfect fit for most shop enthusiasts. If you are planning on building a lot of furniture out of hard woods and cutting thick stock, I would probably upgrade to a saw with a bigger motor. For my purpose the saw has been excellent. I received it within three weeks of ordering the saw. It was a little intimidating seeing all the boxes that it came in. However, after about five hours with my dad, we had the saw put together and fine tuned. I was amazed at how precise the saw started. We made a few adjustments to get things square, which was surprisingly easy. It was very helpful having a second person help put the saw together. I would probably purchase a mobile base with the saw as it is in excess of 400 pounds and will not move very easily.

The service was prompt but the problem was; the product was for a different vacuum. It was too small by about 2 inches in circumference. I needed it so I had to split the attachment ring and piece the material to make it fit. It is not good but better then nothing.

I purchased a powermatic model 73 from a friend of mine and it needed a lower bag, I purchased a lower cloth bag and thought it was too small, I was in the process of returning it so I went on line and read the prior review of installing it on the inside and the idea is ingenious and I,m glad i bought the powermatic model 73 and the lower cloth bag.

I needed a cloth bag for my Powermatic dust collector to reduce the cost of plastic bags. I received this bag (it did take a long time to get) and just like another reviewer, the bag didn't fit. Then I realized that the bag fits on the inside of the housing instead of outside. It also didn't require any band clamps. I think this is ingenious. I've had it on the collector for two or three years and it still works great. I was looking for another dust collector with this feature and I haven't found one. Powermatic no longer makes the model 73. What a shame. They should make them all like this.

My name is Douglas Hampton and I bought the merchandise. This item was on back-order for a month and when I got it both of the caster lock knobs were broken

. . . if you want a base for your Powermatic 66 saw. Don't be put off by comments that this base suffers from having only three wheels. I read this criticism when I first bought my saw and leaned initially toward one of the other after-market bases. I wish I hadn't because it would have been a lot easier to mount my saw before it was fully assembled. I could not be happier with this unit. It is well-built, it makes moving the saw a snap, it sits low to the floor, and it fits the saw well. Yes, it is a bit tippy, but I plan to take 2 minutes to cut a couple of shims for the corners of the one-wheel side. Removing them to move the saw will take no more time than taking the brake off each wheel.

i love the ease of replacing these blades. i plane alot of old barn wood and have to replace these blades often. when i was getting these blades for 22 bucks a set, i didn't mind them wearing out so fast on the hard woods. now that the price has jumped to 30 bucks a set i am wondering if going to a carbide blade would be more economical in the long run? are you or do you offer such a blade?