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It is not unusual that this saw's top is not level, the splitter is difficult to adjust, the belt guard is infamous (and has been so for years w/o change), bolt holes are misaligned, and the blade is not parallel to the miter slots. They are quite accurate and touch on many important aspects.
And that is all that it is. This is a good, relatively inexpensive cast iron table saw.
Read the reviews. The AMZN review by Nancy Gleason is misleading.
Left tilt saws are better, but they are ubiquitous. It is curious that many reviewers make significant criticisms while indicating a very high rating.
If you are new to woodworking, please understand the importance of these elements.
Replaced belt, confirmed alignment, no problems since. When first asembled I had alot of vibration.
Assembly was easy, took about 4-5 hours. This is the second powermatic tablesaw I have had the oppurtunity to work with.
The one and only knock I can think of is the motor alignment. I had to take some time to get the motor alignment correct, but once everything was done properly it purrrs like a kitten.
The accuaracy is great, very solid machine for many years of service. After looking closely the belt had rubbed on the guard screws and took a chunk out of it.
Very happy with saw.
Popped the breaker a few times, and some very loud/bad noises. Blade adjustment was neglible due to it being dead on out of the box.
Took about 4 hours with the help of my Wife. Couple of gripes on set up is the guard for the drive belt.
Easy to assemble even for a novice. The guard splitter is also very bulky and akward to adjust, at least for me.
Your drive pulleys must be precisely aligned for it not to rub badly. Also, the blade guard/splitter combo anti kickback mechansims mar the item being cut.
The fence system is excellent, just make sure you align it properly or you will learn the hard way. This is my first table saw and went with reputation and reviews, it is worth the 750$ I paid.
I just received most of the saw, the fence rail is missing, it's on the way. I lined the pulleys up with a 32 inch level so they are pretty dead on. I assembled the saw lined everything up, but it vibrates. I don't know how this thing can pass a nickel test. I notice the motor shakes a bit on start up and shut down, does this change if I wire it for 230. Any other helpful hints on getting it to stop shaking will be helpful.
I blew the circuit a few times when I heavily loaded the saw. I was enticed into purchasing this saw for a couple of reasons. my miter slots). It isn't problematic and I probably wouldn't have an issue with a regular kerf blade. I tried running this saw initially on 110V using a 15 AMP circuit. There are a lot of adjustments to make to get everything square. Second, Powermatic was having a pretty good sale - I paid approximately $775 plus tax for the saw, 50" Accufence and extension table.I took several hours assembling this saw.
I read reviews that reducing arbor runout is difficult. I did the assembly by myself and my runout is no more than a few mils (vs. I've owned the 50" version of this saw for 2 years now. My only complain with this saw is that the splitter/blade guard is hard to adjust. Even though I've tweaked and adjusted the splitter a couple of times, I still get slight binding after the wood passes my thin kerf WWII blade. I've recently purchase a SharkGuard aftermarket splitter to address the minor binding issue.I bought thin kerf to minimize the load on the blade. I installed the Rousseau router plate and Freud fence. If you purchase, you might consider installing a router table in the extension table since it already has hardwood framing for one underneath.
First, it is left-tilting, which is safer for bevel cuts on the 'big' part of the table. So, I strongly recommend upgrading to 220V or using the saw on 20 AMP 110V circuts (or more). I did have to shim the cast iron wings to get the tabletop flat, which was a good bit of trial and error work.I haven't had any issues with the belt cover. When I first assembled the belt cover rubbed against the belt, but that problem was easy to adjust.I bought a Forrect Woodworker II blade and highly recommended it. The saw runs much better on 220V and I've had no issues since converting.I've been very pleased with this saw. I've been very happy with the combination.
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