Powermatic 2042335 Mobile Base (fits Model 66 Table Saw)

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.

For my 66 with 50" extension. Received 4/22/16.Appears to be an older version.The box was badly torn and the hardware (4, 2-1/2" x 3/8-16 bolts, 8, 3/8" washers and 4, 3/8" nuts) had escaped the plastic bag and was floating around inside the shipping box. How any hardware arrived is beyond me.Consequently, I only received three of the bolts and four of the washers.. Easy enough to replace, but the box simply did not survive shipping.The base itself is constructed of 1"x2" hollow rectangular steel tubing. The saw sits 3/4" off the ground after it's in the base.The wheels are 4"x1-1/2" hard polypropylene or some other hard plastic. I don't know if they will damage my painted garage floor or not.The cradle the saw sits in is 21-5/8" x 23-3/8" inside dimensions with 2" walls formed by the rectangular tubing.The base comes in two halves that bolt together with the four bolts. Easy and quick.Very expensive for what it is.The box needs reinforcing cardboard corners on the frames before placing it inside the box. It would have survived. The box is 31" x 36" x 7" and quite heavy. I needed to put a temporary strap around the box just to get it from the porch to the garage. A shipping band around the box would give the shippers something to grab and no doubt help it survive shipping.

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.