What to pay for used PM 65/66?

[Matt Day]

i found this PM 65 or PM 66 for sale and need help determining a price. I can't tell what model from the picture - any help? It's been heavily used and sat for at least 7 years. Not sure if it's 1 or 3 phase, can't tell by the plug alone but I'll assume 3 phase.

Condition isn't great, fence isn't great, used heavily. $200-300 maybe? I'd plan to restore it.

[David Spurr]

Paid $ 400 for mine in worse shape. Restored it and have no regrets.

[Matt Day]

Any idea if it's a 65 or 66 based on the pic?

[Dave Cav]

It's either a 65 or a very early 66. Unless you can find a tag on it, the only way to know the difference is to look inside at the location of the trunnions. On a 66 they are at the front and rear of the cabinet, like on a Unisaw, and on a 65 they are at the front and center of the saw. Functionally it makes very little difference. The saw appears to be intact, and it has the Powermatic fence which is a plus. That fence is much more stout than the Delta Jet Lock type fences. I understand the reason Powermatic made the change to the 66 was to make the guts a little stronger, but I have a 65 and I think the internals are plenty beefy and have no problems with it and I use mine daily. In fact I have a '70s model 66 in storage which will eventually be restored and sold, and I'll keep my 65.

If I had to guess I would say it's a 65. I think $300 is a reasonable price but if you can get it for less, that's even better. If the elevation and tilt mechanisms work ok, and the blade spins by hand, it's probably fine. PM 65s and 66s are pretty easy to restore, more so than a Unisaw, and replacement motors are cheaper because they have a common face mount. That saw is probably a 1.5 or 2HP, and if it's three phase, a VFD will be easy to get to run it.

[Matt Day]

Thanks Dave! That's what I was looking for. I read some of the wiki at OWWM and saw the info about the motor tags being absent on the earlier ones.

[Harold Weaver]

Dave is pretty much spot on. I was lucky, got mine at an auction for $150.00, 3 phase and plunked down $300 for a new single phase Leeson motor and never looked back. Very easy restoration on these. Unfortunately mine was missing the fence, so I installed a Vega 40 Pro on mine. I will not part with it for any other saw. Based on it's condition in the photo, $250-$300 seems about right. I have seen them in worse shape for sale for a lot more!

Harold

[Michael Dye]

My old eyes might be deceiving me, but that looks like a cast iron extension table which was not, as I recall, available on the PM65. I paid $500 for my anniversary edition 66 in 1971 and that saw, with a Delta Unifence, has served me well ever since. Replaced a motor switch once, no other issues. Good luck with your purchase

[Matt Day]

Thanks guys. I didn't notice what looks to be a CI extension wing.

[Mike Schuch]

I think you would be scoring a great deal on that saw if you were able to get it for $300. I think I paid $400 for my PM 65 about 20 years ago. I replaced the bearings and just did a little sanding and found some matching spray paint. I still have the stock fence that came with my 65 but I use a short Vega fence instead of the long stock fence on it now.

[Todd Burch]

When I see big electrical enclosures like that, with big names like Westinghouse, Allen Bradley, etc., I assume 3PH.

[Harold Weaver]

Just a thought on this. If it does have the CI extension, once you set the saw up, make sure you get some sort of support leg underneath the outer edge of that CI extension. I wouldn't leave it as it is in the photo. Too much weight. It should be supported. Just my 2 cents worth....

Harold

[Michael Dye]

One of the reasons I mentioned the cast iron extension..........notice all of the bricks stacked on the opposite end. I guarantee that without those in place, that table would be on the ground. Legs and a lower shelf wouldn't be too hard to fabricate.

[Jesse Busenitz]

It may be a CI wing but they did make a stamped wing as well which I have on my 66 which is a '67. It does almost appear to have square edges which would be CI. Oh and I paid 800 for mine. Granted it was in a lot better shape and already had a single phase motor, but I'd say for that price go for it.

[Matt Day]

I picked up the saw at the auction yesterday for $220, not bad I think. It's got a relatively new Baldor 3ph 3hp motor and stamped steel extension wing. Missing the miter gauge, hand wheel handles broke off at some point, and missing a hand wheel lock knob. Since I just have a Subaru Forester I stopped bidding after winning it and began disassembly. And didn't have time to rent a trailer, or for that matter fit anything else in my shop (and I'm already overcrowding other parts of the basement).

There were a few other steals that hurt to let go - Rockwell 18" RAS for $20 and a huge Widebelt sander (3ph of course, 480V and they couldn't turn it on) for $75, and a giant ~8' tall Fay & Eagan ~30" bandsaw for $25. The WBS and BS were obviously wayyy to big, but it hurt letting the RAS go. There were also a couple Unisaws and a PM 1150 that I didn't see auctioned, but the prices I could hear were more than I would have paid.

I need to do some more research on the saw over at OWWM and source some small parts, and I think I'll plan to either get another VFD or wire my current one for use with both my BS and TS (obviously only one at a time).

While I was there I got a small lot of misc things for $50 as well. I was after the ~50' of 3 phase cable and a couple pairs of twist locks, but also got some odds and ends like light bulbs, soaker hose, romex, pneumatic hose, and a brand new ceiling fan.

Here are the obligatory pics:

[Harold Weaver]

That will turn out to be a fine saw with a little TLC. It will probably outlast you if taken care of after you bring it back to its previous glory. At $220' you did well. With a total investment of say $500 to $700 including the price of the saw and some elbow grease, you'll have a better quality machine than anything available on the market today in its size class. Well done!!!

Harold