is the powermatic 66 still really manufactured and assembled in the USA?

[bosco]

I am looking at the delta or pm 66. I saw some great threads on the general 350, but i am hearing that parts may be a problem in the states....anyway, i am ready to dump 2K on a great saw, and I am looking at the 5HP delta x5 uni, or the PM66. Most reviews give the nod to the 66, but I know that Jet has owned PM for two years now....I am curious if this is still truly an american made saw.

any help in deciding is greatly appreciated....

bb

[James D Kountz]

Ya know, for that kind of money one could seriously look at a well made vintage machine such as an older Unisaw or PM and probably end up with a far superior saw than a late model for less money. Theres some real good bargains out there to be had.

Jim

[B a r r y B u r k e J r .]

I hear this all the time, but two years later I gave up the search and dropped the cash on a General. It's gotta be a locality thing.

I searched print, web, eBay, and local industrial tool dealers for used cabinet saws on a very regular basis. I left my phone number EVERYWHERE! What I found was junk, hundreds if not thousands of miles away, or usable stuff that you'd swear was gold plated for what the seller wanted.

A good example: A fenceless dust door less, rusted, 3 phase, 3 HP Unisaw for $800, firm. It's been for sale for two years.

Barry

[Mike at American Sycamore]

Dear Woodworkers:

I had sold machinery for years and in all the years of my experence I have never ran across a good used tablesaw at a fair price. If it was in good shape: the son, the neighbor, or a guy at work always got it first. If it was in poor shape and needed major work, then That is what they wanted to trade-in. Finding a good used Unisaw or Powermatic 66 is darn hard. Keep looking and perhaps "dreaming". You might get lucky. Happy woodworking, Mike from American Sycamore

[Paul Gilbert]

I have about given up on finding a used pm 66 or delta unisaw. I have about decided on a pm 66, but shopping on the internet all I can find is Amazon affiliates, all at the same price.

I just noticed on eBay some one offering to tell you how to buy a Delta Unisaw for $1200 delivered. I could probably be persuaded to switch to Delta if I could buy a Unisaw for that price. Any one know anything about this guy??

[Phisherman]

When I was looking for a used PM66, I looked for many months. While I looked, I was socking away $100 a month. I figured I either find a used one or eventually save enough to buy a new one. I ended up buying a brand new Powermatic 66.

[Terry Sumner]

, but I know that Jet has owned PM for two years now....I

Just to pick a nit here and clarify something.... Jet does not own Powermatic. The WMH Tool Group is a parent company which owns Jet, Performax and some other lesser tool companies. WMH has also acquired Powermatic now. So it isn't Jet which owns Powermatic. Rather, both Jet and Powermatic are owned by the same parent company. Kind of sibling tool companies with the same parents I guess... :o)

Terry Sumner

[B a r r y B u r k e J r .]

Are you going to be working in the Old Saybrook store?

I'll have to visit if you are.

Barry

[Edwin Pawlowski]

I keep hearing "buy used" but all I ever see is ads for Craftsman table saw, good condition, $100 and Shopsmiths for close to original prices. .

The day after I bought my Delta contractor's saw, I did see a Unisaw advertised, but it was only a couple of hundred below list. Ed [e-mail]

[Terry Sumner]

I'm pretty sure I am. I gotta make that decision soon. I'm only hedging a bit because that 40 mile trip one-way with my 11 mile-per-gallon F-250 is gonna take a bigger chunk out of my pay versus the 15 mile trip to Norwich! That's 80 miles per day versus 30. LOL

The boss really wants me (which was nice to hear) especially for running the anticipated woodworking classes. And to me, that's what I really like to do. It was the main reason I took the job at the Norwich store last June.The classes I was running at the Norwich store were a lot of fun. The group of folks who came to the classes were some very nice people and we had a lot of laughs. It got especially funny whenever I would make a boo-boo and screw something up. They didn't let me hear the end of t! But it was all good-natured kidding. I told them all that I was not a woodworking guru or anything like that, but I did have some stuff in my 52 year old brain that I could show them.

Some of the things we had fun with were....

Making half-blind dovetails using a jig Making raised panel doors using a set of cutters and a router table Making basic kitchen cabinets Various table saw techniques Making flat, square boards using a jointer and a planer Mortise and tenon joints using a dedicated mortiser and a TS tenon jig We even built a complete fireplace facade and mantle out of solid oak!

Now, you may look at this list and see a pattern here....the use of commercial jigs and tools. Well heck yes..! I was teaching for a tool store and the object was to show how to use the tools we sold.

The classes were free btw! :o)

If this deal truly comes to pass, it'd be my pleasure to meet you. Just come on in and ask for me! I'll be the tall guy with the white hair! LOL

Terry

[George M. Kazaka]

Thats is true all over Barry I cannot believe the price of used Unisaw's

200 to 300 bucks more and you can get a new one,

[MSgeek]

[B a r r y B u r k e J r .]

There's a mid-90's Toyota Corolla for sale for $2800 down the block from me.

Look for an older Honda or Toyota sedan, something not attractive to the Rice Boy. Grandma colors can help you get an even better deal on one. For that matter, short bed, ultra base model Toyota pickups, with the 22R 4 cylinder engine, are great on gas and ultra reliable.

Barry

[vmtw]

I just saw this Powermatic 66 on woodweb yesterday, worth a look.

[Brian Elfert]

Jet bought Powermatic before WMH bought Jet.

Brian Elfert

[Brian Elfert]

Every reasonably large metro area should have at least machinery dealer selling the Powermatic 66. Here in Minneapolis, I can think of three dealers off the top of my head.

Bay Verte Machinery in Green Bay has great deals on Powermatic stuff. $700 for a bandsaw most places sell for $819 to $849. They even had a 10% off day in December that lowered the price even more.

Brian Elfert

[Steve Wilson]

The Powermatic 66 is still made in the USA, the trunion is still superior to the Jet (or Unisaw), and it's still a fine saw. Of its type, the Powermatic 66 and General 350 are the best. I would give the nod to Powematic because the accufence, IMHO, is better than the General.

Anyhow, I'm changing saws in a month or so and will have a Powermatic

66 for sale in the Minneapolis area. It's a 3 year old PM66, w/ 3hp, single phase Baldor motor, 50" fence. It has an Exaktor overarm guard, Beis splitter, and HTC outfeed rollers installed. It will also come with various inserts, a large crosscut jig (handles 30" wide panels, incra track, etc), and Incra 2000 miter fence w/new flipstop and track. It's been used as a hobby saw only. BTW, I will also have a PM60 8" jointer and DW733 planer for sale then too. The reason I'm selling is that I'm getting a large Minimax combo machine. I haven't figured out my asking price yet.

[D]

Those were nice trucks, but they only got about 15mpg. My '87 overheated and was never the same. I'm thinking about buying another one for trips to the dump and lumberyard. That 108HP was more than enough for anything I could throw at it.

-David

[B a r r y B u r k e J r .]

I towed a 3400 pound '87 Nissan 300zx with one of those on a U-Haul tow dolly.

I drove the thing to the junkyard with 287,000 miles.

Barry