Powermatic 1791230K 64B Table Saw, 1.75 Hp 115/230V, 50-inch Fence With Riving Knife

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Price: $1,699.99    

Product Feature

• Riving knife maintains close blade proximity to reduce chance of kickback
• Micro-adjust miter gauge with extension plate offers wider crosscut support
• Blade guard and riving knife have quick release for tool-less mounting and removal
• Precision ground cast iron table and wings have beveled edge for smooth miter gauge entry
• Built-in extraction port increases dust collection efficiency

Product Description

Includes 1-3/4 HP 10-in Single Phase Left Tilt Table Saw with 50-in Accu-Fence and Riving Knife - 1791230K, 50-in Accu-Fence System, Low Profile Riving Knife, 12-in Standard Left and Right Cast-Iron Extension Wings, Motor Cover, Storage Hooks, (Blade Not Included)

Powermatic 1791230K 64B Table Saw, 1.75 Hp 115/230V, 50-inch Fence With Riving Knife Review

The 64A and 64B are both terrific saws, but different in the motor placement and power system. The B is the newer version. This review applies to a 64A that I got in late 2011. The A and B saws are similar in construction quality and operation, so this may be useful.

This is a great saw. I got it because I liked it's small footprint. I was concerned that it would not cut to cabinet saw standards, so I called Powermatic. They assured me that in terms of accuracy, it would deliver everything I needed. I have several other Powermatic tools and think they're all great, so I took them at their word. I am not disappointed.

1. The shipping boxes were damaged in shipment. The freight carrier dropped the box off the pallet in my driveway, and it had been banged around pretty well before that, but to my surprise, the saw worked fine and nothing was seriously damaged. In my opinion, packing is one of two weak links for Powermatic - the other being really poor owners manuals. from my experience these are the only things they don't do well.
2. the 110v pre-wired system draws way too much current at start up (after that, it's fine). If planning on using 110v, i'd plan on a dedicated 20 or 30 amp circuit. I rewired it to 220v which has lower current draw and works very well - e.g. starts faster, no light dimming.
3. Basic alignment was marginal out of the box: 90 degree stop was 90.1 degrees; 45 degree stop was 46.1 degrees - fortunately not less that 45 degrees which would have required adjusting the trunion stops. The miter slot blade alignment was off .012" which was way out of range for cabinet work. After a few hours work, and several calls to Powermatic tech support, I was able to get it to .001" which is close enough for anything I'll ever do. Just a heads-up, the front trunion adjustment screws for blade to miter alignment are hard to reach and the process is labor intensive. The manual is of little help. Best advice I can give: don't undertake this unless you're patient, have a lot of free time, and are in a good mood :-). Further adjustments made after warm-up period. The saw is fully adjustable, but not easily so because the trunion bolts are so hard to access. However, once adjusted it works just fine. If you've never worked on a contractor saw, they're nowhere near as easy to adjust as a good cabinet saw! With the latter, you rotate the table around the base which achieves the blade-to-miter alignment. With contractor saws, you have to re-position a very heavy trunion assembly within the confines of the base with the table attached. This is not fun. (note: trunion system may be different on the 64B)
4. The saw cuts 3/4" sheetstock, 2" softwood and 4/4 hardwood just fine with 1/8" kerf blades, but even better with a thin kerf blade as the saw is underpowered. I use thin kerf blades (around .095") for finer cuts with my Incra SE1000 miter sled as well. Although I don't cut larger stock very often, I'm confident that this saw will deliver as Powermatic promised. The motor seems very powerful for 1 1/2hp. I've never experienced it being taxed regardless of feed rate @220v. I've noticed that there is something different about the way that Powermatic labels it's motors. I have several, and the motors seem to be more powerful than some others with the same rating. For example, this 1 1/2hp motor is far more powerful than the 3hp motor I have on my Craftsman contractor saw. I have no idea why this is the case - I guess that Powermatic has higher standards. In any case, this saw is more powerful than I need for cabinet and remodeling work. With a good blade it cuts 2" stock like butter. Incidentally, my saw did not come with a free blade - which apparently is a good thing given what the other reviewers said about their free blades. I use Freud,CMT and Infinity blades for cabinet and finishing work (usually thin kerf), and Oshlun and Dewalt for rough stock that may contain surprises. They all work well. I can't wait to try a Forrest WWII some day.
6. The miter gauge is typical for an OEM freebie - has too much wobble in the T-slot to be used for accurate, repeatable cuts for fine woodworking. I recommend 3-rd party miter. My personal favorite is the Incra 1000SE combo - see separate review). The Incra tech reps recommended the 1000SE over the 5000 for this Powermatic. I took their word and am better for it. The 1000SE jig works perfectly on this Powermatic.
7. The manual needs to be updated. Quite a few entries are incorrect (based on earlier models) and a few are poorly written. Here's my assessment:
a. rewiring to 220v. trivial. extra wire nut provided - nice touch.
b. mounting saw to stand - trivial. note: manual says to attach saw to stand with four (4) 5/16 bolts/washers - Wrong, it requires all eight (8) that were included in the hardware pack
c. mounting motor - manual is very poor at explaining this. In order to align the motor pulley with the pulley on the arbor, I had to reverse the motor pulley on the motor shaft.
d. mounting guard and splitter - the manual says to tighten the nut of the splitter mouting pin counterclockwise - wrong, it should be clockwise (cf., Fig 18). the two set screws (B) in Fig 18 are a pain to work with if you have big hands.
e. Mounting table insert - trivial and traditional
f. mounting extension wings - trivial and traditional - my extension wings were pretty straight (a few thousandths variation end to end). no trouble to level with the primary table
g. Installing dust shield - trivial. The dust shield system is not very effective. Although it has a 4" port, the saw is open at the back so the dust collection system vacuums more air than dust. But this is a contractor's saw, so not much may be expected. If you plan to use this in an enclosed space, plan on vacuuming or sweeping after use, or using some kind of after-market dust enclosure.
h. the wooden extension table was bowed 1/16" in the center. Had to get Powermatic to send replacement. The replacement was broken in transit. I'll have to ask for a second replacement. I've mentioned that Powermatic's packaging is a weak point for them - the factory in Taiwan just doesn't seem to understand the transportation end of the business. note: wooden extension does not bolt onto cast iron extension, so there's no way to achieve perfect alignment in the middle. The sides attach to the rails, so they can be adjusted.
h. rails and guide tube installed easily but required 2 people and some C-clamps.
i. Accufence works well and is easily adjustable - trivial and traditional. Note that the Accufence is a Biesenmeyer-type fence that attaches on one side only. This fence is solid! My Accufence had variation <.003" end to end in the HDPE fence face material (the fence itself is squared away, but the HDPE is slightly wavy), which I correct with an auxiliary fence face and Rockler Fence clamps when needed.
8. Saw is very quiet and runs very smoothly. Cuts like a dream. It's heavy enough to cut sheet stock easily without budging.
9. The nuts and bolts hardware were cheap. For all critical areas, I substituted grade 5 bolts, nuts and washers and threw the originals away. If you use the original hardware, be careful not to over-torque

I used acetone to remove the gunk on the cast iron and then immediately covered with Boeshield. After 2 days I started applying Johnson's paste wax, and reapply every month or so. I've learned the hard way that cast iron rusts very quickly if such measures aren't taken.

I actually didn't want the 50" wooden table extension, but the Powermatic rep recommended it. I'm glad I took his advice - it really makes cutting sheet stock alot easier. I think the total length is something like 72". When I'm not cutting sheet stock,I use the table extension on the other side of the fence for storage.

This is a great saw for the money. It's not the quality of the Powermatic cabinet saw, but it's 1/3 the price. It's quiet and can be adjusted to be quite accurate. (It's even quieter and smoother if you replace the factory belts with aftermarket neoprene belts.) Highly recommended.

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