I recently picked up a dust collection system for my saw which is about 15 years old, but the old 3 point base that came with it blocks the rear 4″ port. All the bases I looked at in the Grizzly catalog seems like they would do the same. What type of rolling base will allow me to hook up a 4″ hose or fitting to my 66.
Discussion Forum
Get It All!
UNLIMITED Membership is like taking a master class in woodworking for less than $10 a month.
Start Your Free TrialCategories
Discussion Forum
Digital Plans Library
Member exclusive! – Plans for everyone – from beginners to experts – right at your fingertips.
Highlights
-
Shape Your Skills
when you sign up for our emails
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. -
Shop Talk Live Podcast -
Our favorite articles and videos -
E-Learning Courses from Fine Woodworking
-
-
Replies
I use the HTC base model HPS10G (I just looked, but during the time it took to go from the shop to the computer, I could've gotten that a little wrong). I have no problem hooking up a 4" pipe to the outlet on my Powermatic 66.
Wes
I have an older saw with the dust port touching the ground so most bases interfere with a hose or fitting. Is your 66 of the same design?
Woodman,
I bought a PM66 about a year ago with the mbile base that PM makes for it and there is plenty of clearance.. I realize that you have an older 66, but the PM mobile base that I have, has a very shallow shelf (I can;t imagine your dust port is lower than that) and accomodates the right extension table as well. Might be worth a look.
Cheers,
Michael
I have a Shop Fox HD base, and it provide plenty of clearance.
Thew
You must have the older version of the 66 with a four inch port that just about touched the floor, it was built into the kick trim on the base-a terrible design.
I solved the problem by adding a plywood floor inside the saw's base on top of the ledge formed by the joint between the trim and the cabinet sides, and then adding a new, larger diameter, dust port just above the new floor so that the new port was now 8 inches off the ground.
An alternative solution would be to add a layer or two of plywood to the mobile base to raise the saw a bit higher so the port will clear the mobile base's framing. You'll need to add at least one layer of plywood under the saw because that saw didn't have a floor in it, it was completely open on the bottom.
John White, Shop Manager, Fine Woodworking Magazine
Yes that is the problem with the dust port. I never thought to change the location of the dust port! I would have to raise up the saw several inches to clear the swivel wheel with the base I have. I like the height as it is so that was not an option. I do think having the port where is would be the most efficient place to get rid of saw dust though.I was not aware they have changed the placement of the dust port over the years and I just ordered the HTC base model HPS 10 from Amazon. Now I am wondering if that base is only for the newer 66s.
It's fine as I have your saw and have the HTC base underneath it.
I wanted more height on my unit so I added 2" in melamine and then mounted the saw to the new platform. However, prior to raising it, the flex hose I had connected fit just fine.
I didn't see if you were connecting flex or a fixed fitting?
I've recently ordered a 3hp Oneida and I'll be either reducing from 5" smooth wall to the 4" port, or completely replacing the stock port with a 5" now... haven't decided yet.
It's a decent base, not perfect, but decent. What year is yours exactly? You can tell by reading the serial #, the first 2 numbers are the year of manufacturing IIRC.
Cheers,
Michael
The serial # starts with 89 so the saw is still a teenager. The older saws came with only 1 wrench for the arbor so you have to hold the blade to tighten the nut. When using an 11 lb dado set, if you do not tighten the arbor nut really hard, the automatic brake can loosen up the arbor nut and the spinning blades will wear down the arbor threads.
This has happened to me a few times so I ordered a new arbor. It now uses two wrenches to tighten the nut. It also comes with two massive bearings,a good deal for 40 dollars.
Just posting this any 66 owners who has had this problem.I will reorder a base from Amazon today.
You sure about the brake? My PM is older and has no brake and just checked the specs on the newer saws. No brake! I've worked on many saws over the years and never seen one with a factory brake. I've added the Ambitech to some radial arm saws in schools. The brake unit is about $500.
All saws have to have some sort of brake or they would spin for 1/2 hour after you shut them off. The blade on my saw stops within a few seconds after turning it off. I can hear the brake kick in and if I did not tighten the arbor nut hard enough the blade or dado keeps spinning after the saw already stopped.
Not at all true. I spent a number of years as a service tech for a place that sold Delta, Minimax, Casadei and many other tools. I've only seen a few radial arm saws that had a built in brake. If you call the manufacturer you will find that there is no brake. It's not listed in the specs and I've taken more saws apart than the average person. There's no brakes in Unisaws, PM's, Mimimax, etc. the only saws that coast that long are direct drive saws. We had one such saw in a shop that would still be coasting down after we came back from a 10 minute break. The clicking you hear is inside the motor and has nothing to do with a brake in there. On Maggi and some of the newer bigger Dewalt radial arm saws, the brake is a plate that is engaged with a electro magnet when power is switched on. When power is removed the magnet releases the spring loaded plate and it stops. Having a brake stop too quickly will spin the nut off but if you check I'm willing to bet you have no brake on your saw.
That's right, I forgot that in my old shop the radial saw would spin for 5 minutes at least after shut off. What would cause the arbor nut to loosen? Is there that much friction in the belts, motor and bearings that the saw stops so quickly. The saw has to be stopping fast enough for even a single blade to have enough mass to unscrew the arbor nut.
I find it hard to believe there is that much friction developing in the saw.
In any case I will be putting on the new arbor soon and that will end any more problems. It is a lot of work taking off the top with the hevey exstention table but I will also clean out the gears at the same time.
Never had the problems with the arbor nut loosening you describe in 35 years of professional WW. The rotation of the arbor allows the nut to tighten itself or it would spin off.
Yes there is that much friction in the belts and such to slow the arbor down.
It's not that hard to change the arbor. I typically will raise the top and support it with some saw horses and pull the cabinet out from under the top. I've done enough service calls and had to not expect anyone to be there to help so you figure out how to do this stuff alone without getting hurt.
I have the 12" Delta Radial Arm Saw, and it has a drag brake mounted on the motor's rear bearing housing. It kicks in when the rpm begins to drop after the OFF switch is hit.
On the PM-66, mine is a 2000 model. That was when they had a $100 rebate, so I put that in on the price to get the 5hp Baldor motor. Oddly, that motor has grease zerts.... I remember when I first used it a few times, the RPM really dropped several seconds after the OFF switch was hit. After awhile, I didn't notice that drop due to the motor, belts, and bearings breaking-in..and even called Powermatic to ask about that (Brake) issue. The click you are hearing is the motor's internal switch. On start-up, it kicks the motor's starter winding out and the run windings in. When you stop, you'll hear that "CLICK" a few seconds after the OFF switch is hit and the RPM's drop. All larger Hp. motors do this and it's for when the power was returned, it would use the starter windings to power-up quickly.
The only table saw I've seen that appears to have a blade brake is the one on David Mark's show, Woodworks. Next time, watch his saw and listen. It really appears to have a brake.
Bill
If Marks' saw has a blade brake, it's something custom he's not talking about. On his website, he describes his table saw as a "used Delta Uni-Saw."My goal is for my work to outlast me. Expect my joinery to get simpler as time goes by.
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled