Powermatic 6" x 48" Belt & 12" Disc Sander, 1-1/2 HP, 115/230V 1Ph (31A)

This sander is a magnificent beast. For ten years I used a puny Harbor Freight combo sander: 1 horsepower, low belt speed, horrible belt-tracking adjustment mechanism, ultra-flimsy construction. It was cheap ($200), but frustrating to work with. This spring I decided to upgrade, and the choice came down to this Powermatic unit or the Jet 708599K model. The Powermatic is somewhat more expensive than the Jet, but you do indeed get what you pay for. I dug up the owner manuals for both units online and browsed them for pictures and details, and the Powermatic won out. The casting are all seriously heavy duty, and unlike the Jet, the motor is an industry-standard configuration; if I ever want to replace it (e.g. with a 2hp 220V motor), I have that option, whereas the motor on the Jet is not so easily upgraded. As it happens, 1.5 hp is enough for the metalworking that I do, but if you're in the habit of aggressively sanding down really big hunks of iron, I can see where more power is better. Be advised, it's HEAVY. It arrives on a freight truck (delivery by appointment) in two boxes, each weighing about 125 pounds. It can be assembled by one person with a healthy back; the most difficult part is lifting the main casting up onto the base, as that casting weighs perhaps 80 pounds. Once that's in place, you can install the tables, bringing the whole thing up to its fighting weight of about 250 pounds. There are no wheels. If you never ever want to move it, that's fine. But if you think you might want to move it around someday, you'll want to buy a wheeled base (either Powermatic-specific, or general-use) for it, or else make your own.

As of November2013, I've only had my sander about six months. In that time I've learned: * ASSEMBLY - Assembly was simple. I spent around an hour and a half, including adjustments of tables and tracking, then was able to plug the unit in and run it. For the most part, assembly could be figured out without the directions, but are still important for setting gaps between support tables and the belt or disk for safe operation. * QUALITY - The unit operated without any vibration. - I had no trouble with any parts missing or being misaligned. - Belt tracking was good. After setting tracking, it remained where initially set. NOTE: After moving the belt by hand to roughly set position, it was simple to finish the minute adjustments by pulsing the unit off and on. The combination of steps avoids tracking damage to guards. NOTE: Buy good quality belts. Bad glue joints cause thumping, as the belt goes around and presses between the platen and against your material. - See "CONS," regarding the cabinet, below. * NOISE LEVEL - This unit ran reasonably quiet. Most noise appears to come from movement of air and the belt running over the platen. * DUST COLLECTION - Connected to my little 1-1/2 HP dust collector, dust collection was reasonable. Some dust does escape, but much of that has to do with the collection system attached to it. Even with good dust collection, you should wear a nuisance mask for any significant sanding operations. When I hook my 3hp collector to this, dust collection improves vastly. * POWER - Before upgrading to this unit, I had a $150.00 sander. It proved useful over and again, but was easy to bog down when working even small (e.g., twelve inch long) boards, on the belt. That is less a problem with this unit. However, after some use, I've found this unit is not difficult to bog down too. * EASE OF USE - Changing the position of the belt between horizontal, vertical or any position in between just takes seconds. Just loosen the lever, pull the knob, set the position, then lock the belt in position using the lock and, if setting to horizontal, vertical or at forty-five degrees, using the positive stops. My little sander required an act of Congress. - Taking the end cover off is just a matter of turning a thumb screw and flipping it out of the way. - Changing belts just requires backing off the belt positioning adjustment and three thumb screws. - Removing end guard for the belt quickly, for couture sanding, is a critical part of the value of this unit. To do so only requires loosening a couple thumb screws. * VERSATILITY - Being able to remove the table and stop to run boards the full length of the belt is also a critical part of the value of this unit. However, see the "CONS" section. * CONS - As others noted, in use, the belt table leaves only about half the belt for use. - Repositioning or removing the belt table for other uses is not a quick process and requires an Allen wrench. [For that reason, I may fabricate a table dedicated for work to be done at ninety degrees to the belt and which will attach with knob type bolts.] - The cabinet could use a reinforcement on the bottom. My cabinet saw has a three or four inch trim piece, with rounded edge, and juts out on the bottom. This adds a lot of rigidity to the base. This base is straight, so can't be moved by dragging it, or the sides flex too much and could be damaged. If this were mounted in a mobile base, the flexibility of the base would no longer be an issue.

It came with scratches on it and not packed well. I expect more when paying top dollar for a machine. Some of the fit and finish wasnt as expected either.

I received this sander with no apparent shipping damage. When attempting to mount the 6x48 sanding belt, the upper roller rubbed on the support platen. After investigating the platen mounting tabs, it was obvious that the casting for the platen and rollers had been damaged at the factory. The sad point was that the manufacturer had placed a folded label on the upper platen mount in an attempt to compensate for the damaged/warped casting. The folded label shimmed the platen out from the casting, but the folded label wasn't enough to prevent the upper roller from rubbing on the out-of-square platen.. I discovered the label when looking at the mount tabs for the platen. I have ordered many Powermatic tools before and had always received a top quality amazing tool. It's so sad that the label shim had been used in an attempt to make the damaged casting temporarily useable.

The Powermatic 6" belt/12' disc sander is the best choice of any similar machines on the market. I have used most of the other manufacturer's machines and the Powermatic outperforms them all. I like the motor being mounted in the base, which lowers the center of gravity of the machine and contributes to its smooth and vibration free running. The sanding speed of the disc and belt are perfectly matched for sanding wood and many other types of materials. Stay away from machine that run at 36,000 RPMs (burn-burn-burn). The tables are large, accurately milled and easy to adjust. It has an internal dust collection duct work that is easy to hook-up to your dust collection system. The belt tracking adjustments are easy to use and the belt will stays put when turning the machine on and off.