Powermatic 66 questions

[Danagawa]

I just bought my first tablesaw, a 1989 powermatic 66. It is a 3hp 1 phase motor and it runs well. There is a few spots of rust on the top and body. I haven't taken the top off yet but the only thing on the inside that I can see that looks rusty is the pulley that holds the 3 belts. I will post a fairly bad pic of the pulley below. This being my first table saw I am not sure what all I need to do. Has anyone upgraded an older 66 from 3 belts to 2? If so do u recommend that? There is a kit on eBay so I was thinking of doing that. The wheel that moves the blade up and down works well and moves without much effort. The wheel that tilts the blade also moves but takes a little more effort. I was thinking of taking the top off and degreasing everything and remove all the saw dust then grease everything and I will take the rust off the top. Should I replace the pulley? Should I replace the belts? Should sand blast the rails and paint them? What is worth doing? Replace the bearings? My goal is to have this tool in top working order and to last a long time. I am not planning on selling it. Thanks for any advice or input that have.

 

[Obxwoody]

Nice saw! I would say depending on what you are doing with it, the fact that adjusting the angle of the blade "takes a little more effort" when I got my first table saw irked me to no end...however in my limited use...I never even used it!! It was not an issue...And I've only needed it once or twice on my newer saw. (Cleaning and greasing made things work much better for me) But like I said depends on the needs...my 1/2 a cent and I have no experience with the belt question...

 

[chris_goris]

First of all, Im not sure who would call going from 3 belts to 2 an upgrade, maybe someone selling such a thing I guess. Dont waste your money there. As for taking it all apart, I wouldnt do that. get inside of the machine and blow all the dust off with compressed air and operate the tilt and raise mechanism. If it feels a little sluggish, my suggestion would be spray white lithium grease (not alot), the tilt on my PM2000 requires some effort as well, by comparison. Cleaning and regreasing probably wont do alot of good, it will simply get covered in sawdust the minute you cut your first piece anyhow. Are you feeeling any play in the spindle shaft or "feeling" bad bearings that makes you think it needs bearings?. The PM66 is a true workhorse, designed to run continuously in an industrial environment and built accordingly. Clean the surface rust off the pulleys and replace the belts and use it and love it!.

 

[Mark Gottesman]

Stay with three belts. I would only replace them if they are glazed, cracked or otherwise degraded. Replace, if needed, with a matched set of belts. The belts should all be the same length.
Lube with a dry lube like wax or moly spray. These won't capture as much sawdust. I rub down the adjusting screws withbutcher wax.
Rust, remove with scotchbrite, wax down to keep clean.
Bearings, hard to say without being there. I would say yes after 25 years, even if they saw low use, but that is an iffy assumption on my part. If you have the skills and tools , or money, to do them, I would say go ahead and remove that worry.
Sand lasting the fence rails might be too abrasive a process. Might want to try electolysis or evaporust followed by sandpaper and wax.

 

[chris_goris]

Not sure if you have a manual or not, but I found this:
http://www.lexington.woodworkersguild.org/shop/manuals/Powermatic Model 66 Table Saw Manual.pdf

 

[Bill Clemmons]

Good advice from both Chris and Mark.

Before doing anything else I would check the 'run-out' on the blade to see if it wobbles. If so, it could be either bearings or bent shaft. Not likely, but be safe and check.

I wouldn't tear the whole machine apart, but I would take the table off to get to the main works. Do a thorough cleaning, look for any excessive wear or damage, lubricate every moving part, and reassemble. This will be the best time to make sure the top is in perfect alignment w/ the blade. If you don't do this now, before you put it into production, you will NEVER do it. DAMHIKT

As for lubricants, my preference is for a dry wax formula that won't catch as much sawdust and jam up the works. But I sure seem to go through a lot of white lithium some how. :icon_scra

The tilt mechanism is probably stiff simply because it hasn't been used much over the years. Needs to be broken in more, or not. I have the same issue on my used Unisaw.

 

[Danagawa]

Thanks for all the advice, I appreciate it. I think I will try to get started on it this weekend.