Hi all:
I've spent a long time looking for a deal on a tablesaw. Yesterday, I went to a local school district auction that advertized a "Delta tablesaw" available. I've gone to a number of these before. Typically I spend 3-4 hours waiting for the saw to come up, only to watch the price skyrocket into the $500 - $700 range. But, my alternative activity was to finish helping my new in-laws move, so I went to the auction.
What I found when I got there was a Powermatic 66. I got there early enough that I had time to really check it out. Table flatness was better than 0.005. Both extensions were misaligned by about 0.020, though this could be fixed. Only light surface rust on the table. Everything was there except for the blade guard. Lift and tilt mechanisms operated smoothly, though there was plenty of sawdust caked on everything so it took some effort. The fence looked pretty flimsy, so I assumed I would have to replace it.
The bad news: the saw was in the middle of a two acre parking lot of surplus items ranging from lawn mowers to food prep equipment. I knew this would take all day.
After 5 hours, it was time. There were about 240 people there. It seemed like about 40 were interested in the saw, but only one other guy bid. I ended up getting it for $175.
Since I've primarily been looking at Delta Unisaws, I don't know much about the Powermatic. How does it stack up against the Unisaw? I noticed it's left-tilt, which I think I would like better. It has a
3-phase motor on it (2HP), but unlike the Delta, it appears to use a standard C-face mount. Is this correct? If so, finding a replacement sould be easier. Or, I have a surplus VFD that I could hook it to (assuming the motor works), which would give me soft start and variable speed. Has anybody used a VFD on a tablesaw? I plan to replace the fence. Any recommendations? How do I attach an extension table?The first order of business is cleaning this thing up, but I can't wait to put it to use.
Regards, John.