Powermatic Revisited

dicklaxt1 · 01-13-2002, 05:52 AM

Not knowing to much about any tools and/or their parent companies let me ask..

Is Powermatic a stand alone company?

Why is their product line roughly 30% higer than say Delta?

In reviewing reviews you don't see much mention of Powermatic but in looking at commercial ads and brags they appear to be about the same spec and in my eyes the quality and beef seem to be a cut above.

What is the real story and please be straight forward not looking for preferences.

Dick

Phil B · 01-13-2002, 09:15 AM

>Is powermatic a stand-alone company?

No, it is owned by another company, the same is true for jet and delta as well.

>Why is their product line roughly 30% higher than say Delta?

It mostly isn't, a pm64a saw is about the same prices as a delta 36-480. In cases where there is a substantial difference ($2100, pm66 vs $1700 36-842 unisaw), they (pm) think t you will pay that difference.

>….you don't see much mention of Powermatic….

In the major machine reviews I remember, pm is right there with the others.

>….same spec and in my eyes the quality and beef seem to be a cut above.

Most of the pm products you will find in say a tool crib catalog are the same machines as those offered by jet and delta as well as some other brands. There are exceptions on some specific machines but in the last few years pm has moved down towards the middle and the importers have moved up towards it.

On some machines one could argue "quality and beef" but your query was not machine specific.

PMB
http://benchmark.20m.com

dicklaxt1 · 01-13-2002, 02:50 PM

So then i guess that when we speak of PM66 cabinet saw this one is a cut above the Jet/Delta Unisaw

dick

**Josh** · 01-13-2002, 04:27 PM

If I remember correctly, I believe Powermatic was a stand alone company, but was bought out a few years ago by Jet.

Josh

**Josh** · 01-13-2002, 04:39 PM

Powermatic History is at [http://www.powermatic.com/HelpCenter/history.html]

Powermatic started in 1928 by Leonard F. Smith, Sr.
Family business until 1966, when it was sold to Houdille Industries.
Later sold to DeVlieg-Bullard Incorporated.
Bought by Jet in October 1999.

Josh

**Chris Moore** · 01-13-2002, 06:47 PM

>Powermatic History is at
>[http://www.powermatic.com/HelpCenter/history.html]
>
>Powermatic started in 1928 by Leonard F. Smith, Sr.
>Family business until 1966, when it was sold to Houdille
>Industries.
>Later sold to DeVlieg-Bullard Incorporated.
>Bought by Jet in October 1999.

My father worked for Powermatic in McMinnville, Tennessee. He was working for them when they were acquired by Houdaille. He was also the person responsible for unionizing the shop under the United Steelworkers. He even won a judgement from them after NLRB arbitration.

My father knew Mr. Smith and his sons. One story that will probably never make it onto the Powermatic history site involves Mr. Smith during the darkest days of the Great Depression. The business and Mr. Smith were deeply in debt and the business was on the verge of closing. Mr. Smith was in the shop about to hang himself a horse bridle. Just before he could complete the act one of his sons came it and saw what Mr. Smith was about to do. The son looked calmly at his father and said, "Pa do you really want to meet St. Peter wearing blinders?" Mr. Smith came down and the rest is history.

In the words of Paul Harvey: "And that's the rest of the story."

Chris Moore
Montgomery, AL

"... and remember, there is no more important safety rule than to wear these - safety glasses."