Powermatic6-Inch Jointer, Straight Knife Cutterhead, 1 HP, 115/230V 1Ph (Model 54A)

For better or for worse I've entered a stage in my woodworking where benchtop and portable tools just aren't sufficient. I retired my Bosch 4000 and replaced it with a 3HP Unisaw. My benchtop Dewalt planer now sits beside a Powermatic 15". This however is the first jointer I've ever owned. So far I'm delighted.One caveat: I've only run about 30 linear feet of soft maple and white oak through it, so my experience with it is somewhat limited. I'll amend my review as necessary if I find any faults that I think might be of interest to a potential buyer.The delivery: I received a call from the carrier a few days in advance and selected a delivery date and time ( a 4 hour window). The carrier was right on time and the two boxes were intact and appeared undamaged. The base was heavy but easily managed- I'd put it at about 40-45 lbs. The cast iron bed, on the other hand, was probably in the 250lb range and large but easily managed with a handcart. Otherwise it's a two-man job.I'll respond to some of the negative points made in previous reviews:The paint- flawless. No chips or scratches anywhere. Minimal overspray on some inconspicuous areas like the undercarriage of the cast iron bed.The (mis)alignment of screw holes mentioned in several reviews- no problem whatsoever. Everything went together as intended with no struggle or modifications needed.I did not find the need to adjust my belt tension, so I can't speak to that.My fence was dead flat, although it did need a nominal adjustment to bring it into square. Fortunately this is remarkably easy to accomplish.A couple of bonuses that I might point out as well:The bed is considerably longer than other jointers in this class.The instructions are clear, concise and exceedingly well-written and illustrated.All tools for assembly are included: two open-end wrenches, a screwdriver, and a pair of hex wrenches. Also a nice pair of grippy push blocks.It comes prewired for 115 (with plug) but can be converted to 220 which I plan to do as soon as my electrician brother-in-law gets around to it.It DOES NOT come with a mobile base. I purchased the HTC2000 Universal Mobile base on Amazon's recommendation and it seems to be a quality product as well.Assembly took under an hour; knives were true and after a minor adjustment fence was true as tested with my beloved Incra Guaranteed 90 square. I ran a slightly twisted plank of soft maple through taking 1/32 passes and in a few minutes it was perfectly flat, perfectly square and had knife-sharp edges. Again, the Incra Guaranteed 90 confirmed my findings and it simply cannot tell a lie as it's... guaranteed.One last- the blade guard on mine is black. If you're partial to the ketchup-and-mustard color scheme in the photo consider yourself forewarned.In the future I'd consider adding a Byrd Shelix helical cutterhead for smoother finishing, but even without I'm duly impressed by this machine's performance. Fit, finish - it's all there. I consider this machine an excellent value.

I received this Powermatic 54A Deluxe Jointer delivered at my home in my garage is less than four (4) days from the date of my order. This superlative service from Amazon has become the norm for nearly everything I order from them. The unit arrived relatively well packaged and sustained no apparent damage in transit. This jointer performs well as it is customary for Powermatic woodworking tools. I have a total of four great Powermatic woodworking pieces of equipment all purchased from Amazon. That is why I stick with Powermatic for nearly everything I order for this type of equipment. However, there is one major headache I endured while setting up the jointer and this design flaw is why I gave this unit a 4.0 star rating instead of a 5.0 star rating I might normally have given it.The Powermatic Operating Instructions and Parts Manual attempts to guide the buyer through Installing the Drive Belt. At the point where the drive belt is installed, it instructs the owner to test for proper belt tension using two fingers to squeeze the belt together and to measure deflection. If too loose, it instructs to loosen the four (4) motor mounting screws and then to "...pull down on the motor to achieve proper tension." (what a joke!) Once pulling the motor "down", the owner it to check deflection again to determine it the belt has proper tension. Clearly this part of the instruction was written by someone who never had to perform this operation because it impossible to simply pull the motor down and "check for tension (prior to tightening the mounting bolts) because in doing so, the motor will rise up again reducing the tension again. Also, because of the location of the motor and its mounting screws, it is nearly impossible to tighten the mounting screws while applying the correct downward force to get the desired belt tension, something that you cannot recheck until the bolts are all tightened, and if the the belt is found to be too loose or too tight, you start all over again.For a company who prides itself by calling itself "the gold standard since 1921" it baffles me why they didn't take a little more effort to install a motor tensioning screw system that would give the customer the ability to set the tension exactly where it should be PRIOR TO tightening all the mounting screws. The cost of installing such an improvement during the manufacturing process would certainly be less than $10 to $15 and would be well appreciated by the new owner. It is a nightmare the way it is now.The ball is in your court Powermatic. Show us that the customer is first in your eyes.