Customer Reviews

Powermatic 1270111 Model 27 1-1/4-Inch Solid Spindle 5 Horsepower Shaper, 230-Volt 1 Phase

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First the cons: ... The fence is fastened to the table duringshipping and the paint was obviously wet when it was shipped as therewas a fair amount of dried paint on the table in the shape of the fence outline. The table also had a slight burr around the spindle opening that had to be removed before wood would slide easily across it. It takes 4 srews/nuts to hold the wooden fence to the metal part - they sent one. No hex key wrenches were included although you need several to adjust the fence. The manual content and orginizaion was so-so. Also, a miter guage would have been nice.

The Pros: once the above problems were corrected and the belt adjusted properly, the machine worked like a charm. The 5 hp motor muscles through cuts with ease and the dust collection works quite well. There is virtually no vibration and it runs more quiter than I'd expected. If you don't mind doing some of the finish work on the tool, it's a nice piece of equipment.

I purchased this not on-line. It is a very good unit and has performed to every expectation I had. Just remember to get a power feed for most work and the fence is tricky to setup the first time.

However I like it much better than the other units because the quality of cut requires no finish sanding and this machine can cut all day long.

As earlier stated by Alan, the spindle opening had a burr that had to be removed before stock could be shaped, especially with a power feeder. The wood fence attachments need more than two holes bored in them to be able to properly adjust them to all size shaper cutters. The documentation was not up to par. If you spend close to $2,500 for a machine, the documentation should be first rate. For example, I couldn't find any specifications that showed how much of an increment the adjustable fence moves with one revolution (1/32"), nor could I find that information on the height adjustment. Finally, I'm disappointed with the shaper plate. The largest plate has a lip that holds the next smaller plate, and there is no way to use that large plate with a 4" cutter, especially the larger cope and stick cutters. You wind up having to take the ring out completely, or fashion one of your own. Having said all of this, I would still buy this machine. If you have enough confidence to tackle the minor inconveniences mentioned in this and other reviews, I don't think you can find a more solid machine.