Powermatic Mobile Base, for Model 66 Table Saw (2042335)

Purchased the Powermatic Mobile Base and Vega Pro 50 Fence System and the base works great. Work in a small garage and when cutting full sheets it's a priority for moving the saw around. Really enjoy the mobility of my saw with this base. Base arrived undamaged and on time. Would recommend this base and Amazon.

Before I ordered, I read the reviews and felt so sorry for the folks who got the base without some of the hardware. Well guess what. The nuts, bolts and washers were lose in the box and some of them scattered between the shipping point in Ohio and here in Anacortes, WA. Why Powermatic will not read these reviews and ship the hardware in a bag taped to the frame is beyond my imagination. Do yourself a favor and buy 4 - 3/8" stop nuts, 8 - 3/8" washers and 4 - 3/8"-16 x 1 3/4" hex head carriage bolts before the base arrives. The bolts that are shipped with the base are OK (mine were 2 1/4", not 1 3/4") IF you get all of them, but the washers (thin) and stop nuts (about 1/4" versus 3/8" high with skimpy plastic stop inserts) are junk. The base assembled OK. One side of the frame fit into its receiver but the other receiver was a little compressed. This is the only Powermatic product you will ever assemble with a sledge hammer. If you're like me and want a new piece of equipment to look new for a while, get some black paint and a brush to touch up the chipped paint job. To lift the saw onto the base, cut two 2x4's about 40" long and use some scrap blocks of wood to build up "posts" on each end of the 2x4's. Space the posts to be wider than the wheels on the base. Tilt one end of the saw and have someone slide two posts with the 2x4 on top just under the base. Tilt the saw the other way and slide the other 2x4 with posts under the other side of the base. Now the saw is a little off the floor. Repeat this one or two times until the saw is higher than the wheels and you are able to slide the base squarely under the saw. Then reverse the tilting process, removing the post blocks a couple (one on each side) at a time. Finally, remove the 2x4 on one end and the saw will be sitting on one side of the base. Then tilt the saw and remove the other 2x4. This process is almost effortless and simple. I hope I didn't make it sound too complicated. The only part of this product that is "Powermatic" is the Powermatic sticky label. The base is probably made by a subcontractor and Powermatic never sees it. That's a bit shameful because with a little effort on their part, I would not be writing this review. All of the issues are completely avoidable. But the bottom line is: regardless of the packing and shipping issues, skimpy hardware, poorly formed metal receivers and chipped paint, once the saw is on the base and you move it around the shop, you'll be happy with it.

I can't believe this is made in the USA. Let's start with the packaging. Not acceptable. Missing all hardware, and the box is far too thin to be shipping something this heavy. But don't be confused when I say heavy. It's far from heavy duty. The rectangular tubing is thinner than 16ga. It's so thin I can squeeze the sides and it flexes. The flat plates that the saw sits on bent just under the weight of my saw. And I set the saw down gently using a hoist. I was severely disappointed after spending a month rebuilding my newly acquired powermatic 66. I can't handle the new Taiwanese garbage they're building now. Did I return it? No. I cut the wheel attachments off and built a new frame out of 1x2 by 1/8" thick rectangular tubing. The same dimension tubing that they use, just a whole lot thicker. I made mine a one peice frame. Stronger and less flex, so your extension table doesn't constantly need adjusted after moving your saw. So all in all I spent a fortune for wheels and the hardware. And $28 for a 20' piece of steel tubing. It's not about the money obviously. I would have spent more for higher quality. But this stand had weld quality that makes Chinese manufacturing look amazing. I'd hardly call it painted. More like dusted with color. The quality of materials and fit and finish of this stand are on the same level as harbor freight. Maybe a little worse. I put the value at around $100. If you could see one in person you wouldn't buy it for $300+ or probably at all. I figured after reading reviews that I could fix any little flaws or supply my own hardware. I really didn't feel like spending all that money and building my own stand anyways. Last words: listen to the reviews.

After reading other reviews that stated the packaging was poorly executed, I was inclined to purchase this locally, wish I had. My box showed up with three large holes ripped in it, and nuts, washers and bolts falling out. I had to provide some of the hardware myself because of missing parts. Could Powermatic not have placed the hardware in a plastic bag rather than just throw them loosely in the box? The paint on the rails had been scraped off in a few places as well from shipping damage so I'll have to touch it up. The paint is simply sprayed on, with runs, and not powder coated, which that would hold up better to bumps and knocks. The base is decently constructed and strong enough to hold my model 66, and the casters beefy enough, otherwise I would have rated this product a one star.

My latest toy is a Powermatic Model 66. This is one fine machine! However, for my particular shop arrangement I required the ability to move it around a bit. After researching the various manufacturers of mobile bases I decided upon the Powermatic version. For me, the real selling point was the improvement they had made to the wheel locking mechanism. The older style of lock was simply a bolt that you screwed into the surface of the wheel - not great- because it eventually galls the wheel. The new design incorporates a top positioned adjuster and tension band that allows a firmer capture of the wheel, without the former galling problem. I ordered what I thought was the newly designed base through Amazon but when I opened the box I discovered they had shipped the older, inferior version. On top of that the shipping box had a large hole in one side, one of the light weight plastic adjuster knobs was broken and one of the frame bolt sets was missing. I guess that's what I get for ordering a piece of equipment through the blind ended Amazon type of system. I should have purchased the base directly from a Powermatic distributor.

I love being able to move my saw, rolls with one finger.

Product arrived without damage, which is a stroke of luck given Powermatic's continued refusal to provide adequate packaging for shipment. The unit was shipped in a cardboard box without any packing material for protection. There were two holes punched in the cardboard from the product inside, but fortunately no damage. Reviews by previous purchasers confirm this is not a new issue and some have not been as lucky as me. Regarding the product itself, it appears to be solidly built, however, the wheels are secured from moving by a bolt that presses against a plastic wheel. This will undoubtedly damage the wheel as other previous reviewers have pointed out. I plan on adding some sort of plate between the bolt and wheel to prevent this damage--again something Powermatic should be doing if they really valued their quality image.

It works almost like it was built for my saw. ☺