and this is a fine tool. I have owned two 66's over the years and have yet to have a complaint. Thank goodness they are still being made. They are heavy,which makes them very stable, (be sure to have a lift truck deliver it). But, if you want to do accurate and fine woodworking you need this saw.

I have been wanting a Powermatic 66 for over 25 years but until now had to make do with a much cheaper table saw sold by a popular chain store/catalog outfit. That saw did the job, but shook like Elvis Presley and could not be properly adjusted. Well, I have my Powermatic now, and I'm very pleased, but putting it together has been frustrating. Buyers should be aware that they are really buying a "kit" - not only is some assembly required, but some correction of manufacturing faults may be needed. The first (and biggest) problem I encountered was that the left extension wing tilted up when bolted to the table, leaving a low spot of 0.02 inch when a Starrett straight edge was laid across the assembled table. Not good! The cause was that the left edge of the main table section was not ground square with the top. Correcting this bit of sloppiness required three hours of hand fitting with a machinist's scraper and square. The second principal difficulty was discovered after frustrating hour trying to mount the front rail according to instructions. I finally realized that it could not be done because of inadequate clearance in the mounting holes. Drilling and filing fixed this. The third problem had me baffled for awhile: With the blade tilt stops set accurately at 0 and 45 degrees, the pointer could be set to register correctly at 0 or 45, but not both! After some thought, I realized that the scale had been mounted too close to the pointer. This was corrected by drilling a new mounting hole for one of the screws.

After three days of work, the saw is finally up and running. It's been too much work, but I'm going to love this saw. On the plus side, I did not have to adjust the table to put the blade parallel with the miter gauge groove. Also, vibration is minimal. I can start the saw with a nickel balanced on edge (but not a penny). Most importantly, the trunions are pretty much dead on. Measuring from the same tooth to the miter gauge grove, the distance varies no more than 0.004 inch between front and back (blade all the way up) and middle (blade down). Also, using a Starrett machinist's square, perpendicularity between blade and miter gauge shows no perceptible change as the blade is raised or lowered. These tolerances are critical because poor machining could have created errors that cannot be adjusted out (as I had with my old saw). Now that the saw is together, my only remaining complaint is that there is a low frequency (2-3 second) harmonic noise of undetermined origin. I'm sure this is the best saw available for the money, but I would have gladly spent another $100-200 for just a little extra care in machining and assembly.

I ordered the saw a few weeks ago on Amazon. Delivery took a while, as the freight company had to lug it across the country. Finally scheduled the delivery -- freight company was very easy to deal with and put it on a liftgate truck with no hassles. You'll want this service, by the way -- unless you happen to have a forklift in your garage.

No surprise - The pallet is *heavy*. Took about an hour to uncrate and take off all the easy-to-remove weight. That leaves about 400 pounds. Tip: if you have to move it far (such as I did, down to a basement workshop), rent a handtruck like those used for moving refrigerators. With the handtruck and three guys, it was an easy move.

Pretty much everything was dead-on accurate out of the box. Once hooked up to power (remember you have to supply your own power cord), it cuts smoothly and cleanly. The trunion moves incredibly easily, especially considering its weight -- but doesn't budge once locked in place.

All in all, it was worth the wait (and the weight)! Highly recommended.

Don't fear the Taiwan made machines. I just got the Powermatic 719A Mortiser, which is made in Taiwan, and I just received the 60B jointer as well, and they were superb right out of the box. Considering the condition of the Model 66 table saw I just received, I have to be a bit concerned, which is not made in Taiwan if you get my drift. It had 7 major problems with it. They were correctable, because it wasn't design problems, it was assembly problems. Obviously it was built by someone, or some many who didn't really care about what they we're doing. Total disregard would be an accurate comment. The top plate that is welded to the base, was not aligned before it was welded. Consequently I had to remove the cast iron top, and drill out the slots in the sheet metal. (You'll notice many other reviews with the same problem) It was the only way I could get an accurate alignment with the blade. The 90 and 45 degree stop settings were checked off on the quality control spec sheet, and signed, and they weren't even close. Decals installed way off, the bevel gauge was drilled and installed so far off that the readings are as much as 5 degrees off. I will have to redrill and reinstall it. The insert surrounding the blade refused to lay flush with the top, even though it had 4 adjustable allen bolts. I had to use a rubber hammer on a bench for a while to get it straightened out. All that being said, I must admit, after spending hours getting the saw perfect, it is the most beautiful and accurate tool you could ever hope to own. I treat it like a waxed Ferrari, it is that beautiful. Also both Powermatic factory reps and Amazon Tool Crib customer service are the best in the industry. They really stand behind the product. Don't misunderstand me, if I had to do it all over again, I would buy another one in a heartbeat. It really is the best out there. That being said,
I'm now a PMatic made in Taiwan fan; Combining the dollar conversion rate, and the cost of living, with Taiwanese products experiencing a strong uplift in quality, and Powermatics insistence that they are made to their specifications, all adds up to a jointer that used to cost 1800 dollars, and now costing 1100 and hasn't lost its edge on quality. I'm sorry but I am disappointed in the obvious disdain the workers here had while building what is the best in the industry table saw.
A lot of people are buying the old made in America Powermatic machines, a lot of people are buying the new Powermatic made in Taiwan machines and I agree with both of them. To tell you the truth I don't care where they make it, I'm in love with the industrial grade quality of Powermatic equipment.
This 60B jointer is one superbly engineered and precision built piece of equipment. Even though their were a few MINOR anomalies when I first received it, it's perfect now. I love all of my Powermatic equipment, and I hope that the crews at home shed the anger and once again get back to making the very best products in the world. Highly recommended.

The Powermatic 66 (3hp) has been in my shop since 1984. It has ripped, crosscut, mitered, dadoed, molded, mortise-tenoned, styled-railed, worked wide materials and very small items all to perfection. In my book, this is with out a doubt the saw of choice! It has never failed to respond to a request that I have made of my Mr. 66.

The saw is equipped with a Beismeyer fence, as I tell my freinds, if you want to remove 128th of an inch of material bring it to Mr. 66, set it and cut it. The tables show the quality story, smooth and polished.

As you can see, I respect this tools because of the capacity and performance it produces. Mr. 66 is truily a joy to work with. It runs several hours a day which causes, because of the hard we work, to go through the edge of quality blades about every two weeks, then off to the sharpening shop. Buy it, use it and enjoy it, as I have. Charles D. Wallin