Powermatic 66 refurbish

[David Winer]

"I know zero zilch nada nothing about spray guns. Never used one. Anybody out there to give a little advice?"
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The type of spray system you are thinking of seems like the inexpensive type I had for many years--a compressor that runs continuously without an intermediate storage tank. This worked well enough for my occasional use but had a serious drawback in that the airstream through the gun continued after the trigger released. Result was a constant blast of air that required attention to where it was pointed when not actually spraying. Another problem was that it constantly roared loudly, quite annoying, but I learned to live with it. The compressor finally wore out and I replaced it with another, larger, more expensive, type that sucked paint from a bucket but that took much too much trouble to learn, use, and clean after use.

I now have the Earlex unit (available from Rockler and other places). This is, for my occasional use, far superior to either of the other types. Yes, it costs more than you are considering, but is definitely worth doing a little research by scanning user reviews of the Earlex system before you commit.

EDIT: Just after posting the above I found in my inbox an ad from Woodcraft for the Earlex 5500 (latest improved model) for 300 bucks.

Also, Jim, I forgot to mention earlier what a great job you are doing on the PM 66 refurbishment! Please keep us posted on the project.

[John Prexta]

Just got the Cabinet, rails, fence guide and a fewinternals back from sandblasting. I am happy with the job. Now time for primerand paint. I still haven't decided what direction to go with the paintingprocess. John, I found you posts over on OWWM. Good info on your restore. Ireally like you cabinet paint job, but if remember your post, you had it powdercoated?? What did you use on the rest of the exterior (rails Fence guide etc.?)I stopped by Sherwin Williams and they were recommending a hard enamel brushcoat. Not too sure about a brush coat, but I may test it on the inside of thecabinet and see what it looks like. Here is a couple of pictures of the sandblasted parts.

Not sure why, but it is not letting me upload files. I will try later

I just used cheapy rattle can Krylon quick dry gloss black - after priming. It's going in my friend's commercial shop, so I really mainly wanted to get the mechanicals working correctly. (and it does)

[Doug Ladendorf]

Jim, whatever you get or choose to use practice on some cardboard to be sure your adjustments are what you want and you have a chance to get the hang of it. If you go with an HVLP you should use a larger compressor than the pancake. Check the CFM requirement of the gun vs. your compressor's output. The Earlex system might be your best bet if there are additional projects you can use it on. Checking for used is always an option.

[jim tritz]

David and Doug,
I went with the Earlex for $300 at Woodcraft. Figured it was an investment today that will pay off in the long run. Although I really did not want to invest that much in a spray gun right now, I have several up coming projects and over the long haul I know I will come out ahead.


So, I bought some hard enamel paint recommended by Sherwin Williams. Thinned it out and went to work. The good news is the cardboard I was practicing on looked REALLY GOOD HA! the not so good news is I wasn't quite as good on the cabinet. This new territory for me and its going to be a little bit of a learning curve. That being said, its really not bad, just not as good as I was hoping. The paint is fine, the Gun is great, my technique is just not up to speed yet. I went a little too heavy and have some runs to deal with, but I think I can do some sanding or steel wool to clean it up and with another couple of coats I am confident I can get it looking pretty good.
Thanks again for all the advice guys. I will post Pictures when I get it cleaned up a bit more. Thanks again for all the input and advice

[Don Jarvie]

When I did mine I used Sherwin Williams auto paint. The auto paint sprays a little better and dries quickly like in minutes so you can reapply quickly. They also sell rattle cans of hardener to use as a top coat which really protects the paint.

A tip for spraying is to go across and go past the cabinet each time. This will give you an even coat. Also don't try to cover the whole cabinet in 1 pass. Put the cabinet on a dolly and paint one side spin it and paint the next etc. keep rotating until your happy with the coverage.

[jim tritz]

Don,

Thanks for the advice. I sanded the mistakes off this morning and repainted this afternoon. I was much more comfortable with the gun and technique, plus we had a really nice warm day where I was able to do it outside in some good light which made a huge difference in seeing what I was doing.

Here is a picture after sanding out the runs and re-spraying. It turned out pretty nice this time. I am going to do one more coat. The color is a satin Black. It looks a little gray in this picture, but it really is black. I wrestled with a color choice and after much debate, decided on Black. Black is Classy, and I think this saw deserves classy. It will look good when I get all the attachments, labels and parts back on. I am planning on doing some sort of stripe. I managed to get the original American Flag sticker off in one nice piece and that is going back on this saw as it should. I am excited the painting is almost done so I can start putting it back together. Hope all that goes well.
Once again, you have all been very supportive and helpful and I do appreciate that!

[David Winer]

"The color is a satin Black. It looks a little gray in this picture, but it really is black."
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Probable cause: Your camera's light meter was taught that is is always looking a standard gray card and to set the exposure accordingly. When it saw all that black, it said to itself, "Wow, there is way too much light here so I am going to increase the exposure a whole lot."

Keep those pictures coming. Looking forward to seeing your machine creating kerfs. Although you may not want to get it all sullied up with sawdust.

[Don Jarvie]

See if the SW store carries the hardener in the rattle can. It will protect the paint since this is the same stuff used for cars. My saw hasn't chipped in 3 years.

[Jim Andrew]

That hardener is great stuff for enamel, but I thought you had to mix it with the paint.

[jim tritz]

Have not posted in a while. Although this post may not seem like part of refurbishing a table saw, it is actually a very integral part of the process. I have been devoting countless hours and basically every free moment to rebuilding this saw. I am sure most of or a lot of my fellow woodworkers have a bride or significant other. Mine is awesome, and generally very supportive and understanding about my shop/project time. HOWEVER, she was getting a little worn out on the amount of time I was investing in this saw refurbish (not to mention the new tools I bought to aid in the refurbish, mainly the $300 Earlex Spray Gun). Soooo, my refurbish project got slightly delayed to build a “Pintrest”, “Pottery Barn”, or wherever she saw it/found it project,
Sometimes, building her that special thing she wants goes a long ways in justifying our tool expenditures and time spent not spending time with her,
So, here is my project for her (pic attached), that took me away from the refurbish. I built a pair of these to go over the night stands. Please comment if you can relate
On a side note, I did manage to complete the painting of the saw and am going to start putting it back together this week. I will post some pics later this week.

[Doug Ladendorf]

Can totally relate. My 66 restore took a good deal of my time since I tore it down to the last nut, and was delayed for several reasons. I have to say though it was like completing a master class and I'm the wiser and more experienced for it. I also feel like I now "own" the saw. Keeping the Ms. happy is a must and your project looks great. Did the mirror come with the design?

[Don Jarvie]

That hardener is great stuff for enamel, but I thought you had to mix it with the paint.

You could add it to the paint but cleaning the gun is a pain and you can't keep the paint if you have extra. The rattle can is very easy to use. Two cans was enough for the saw but I got a 3rd for the fence. Only drawback is once the can is opened you need to use. You do something on the bottom of the can and it mixes it.

[jim tritz]

Doug,

I actually bought a garden trellis and cut it down to size to fit the mirror and then built the frame. I built a pair of them to go over each nightstand in the bedroom. I can relate to knowing the saw a lot better. I too took this almost completely apart down to the last nut. The one thing I did not do, and may regret is I did not take the arbor apart or replace bearings. There was no play in it and it turns true and straight. This saw really is pretty easy to tear down, so I feel like if I need to do it down the road, it wont be that big of a deal. That being said (the tear down was easy) I don't have it back together yet I may change my tune!
I started putting it back together tonight. So far so good. Every thing moves and operates smoothly. I am going to put the blade on and measure the blade (with a Wikey) cranked all the way 45 to 90 degrees to make sure its all accurate before I put the top back on. Any advice or pitfalls I should look out for on the reassemble (anyone, please chime in)

[jim tritz]

This thing is actually starting to look like a table saw!

[michael case]

Hi Jim,

I just came across your thread. I had a 66 made in 2006 or so - very near the end of the line. I was very disappointed with mine and after seeing the guts of yours I realize that they were a much better better machine not so long before I purchased one. Though I did not know it at the time, when I bought mine, the American group knew they were on the way out and just did not give a hoot. I can't blame them. If I had bought one several years earlier I could have had a nice machine like yours. I was interested to really get a good look at the inside of an older version particularly the tilt mechanism which on yours is superior to the grossly misaligned and crudely cast thing I received. So you got a good machine there and I'm very impressed with your restore. It will give you decades of great service. Enjoy.