I'm in the process of remodeling my tool-buying mentality from "see how little you can spend" to "invest in the highest quality you can afford". The Powermatic 54A is my first purchase under that concept, and I'm really pleased. The jointer is packed well and despite its massive weight, had no damage. The beds are dead flat and machined to a beautiful surface. Hey, not since my first car have I had such a nice expanse of shiny metal to polish and wax -- a form of Zen relaxation. Setup was... more info
Two Years Later:
It has been two years since this tool entered my life. The fence was warped.. no problem PM replaced it after just one phone call. It runs smooth and quiet. Now I need new knives which is only natural and expected. It seems to me that the fence falls out of square after prolonged use. So, when doing serious work I keep checking it. My greatest lament is that I did not get the 8" version.
Great Tool, Poor Manual:
I have owned my Model 54A for about two years and it has been everything I expect from Powermatic. Apparently mine was built during the time of the transition because the biggest problem I had was with the owner's manual which was obviously in the middle of change. The machine came in two boxes; one for the base cabinet and one for the jointer body itself. I also purchased the Powermatic mobile base. The mobile base went together in minutes. With the base cabinet mounted on the mobile base, the... more info
great buy!!!:
I do alot of woodworking from cabinets to furniture. I've had this jointer for about 4 years now and have been very pleased with it.You can't go wrong with this jointer. When looking for a jointer you want to get the longest and widest bed you can afford. I buy all my wood in kiln dried rough cut form from the sawmill and my jointer had over 10,000 bdft run threw it over the 4 years Ive had it. It does an excellant job preparing the wood before going into my planer and edging for all my... more info
