Customer Reviews

Powermatic 1791279K Model 54A 6-Inch 1-Horsepower Jointer, 115/230-Volt 1-Phase

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First let me say that this is an excellent jointer, they did ALMOST everything right. The long bed is really worth the extra money. The boards I have run show no signs of snipe, at least none that I can see, and this is from straight out of the box. Please note that set up of the jointer is a two person job so have some help on hand.

I also got the HTC mobile base so I can move it out of the way - this was money well spent. Given the shape of the stand, I also cut a 1/2" piece of plywood to fit in the bottom of the mobile base for more support.

One nice detail is the set of tools they give you (metric) for setup. The bad thing is they don't send all that you will need! You are going to need at least a 12mm socket wrench to adjust the motor. They also don't include all of Allen wrenches you need to set the fence. This is not a big problem but why do it half way?

The jointer comes in two boxes - one with the stand, one with everything else. Be sure to setup the motor (this involves unbolting and sliding it up) BEFORE you mount the jointer on top; it's very awkward to do afterwards.

The one thing that made me mad was that the machining for the blade guard mounting hole was off and the guard just would not go on properly! After several hour of fiddling I got it to work but for a tool this expensive, this simple gadget should have worked the first time, damn it! This is not to say that yours will be like this.

Now that I have all of the problems out of the way I am very happy with the performance of this tool.

The Powermatic 54A 6" jointer is, in my opinion, the first step in to real industrial quality jointers.
Many of the other benchtop and even a few of the floor standing models of jointer I looked at prior to purchasing the Powermatic
just did not compare.
This is a heavy machine. You are not going to have to worry about it sliding across a bench or tipping should you put a little too much pressure on the fence.
It is easy to set up as long as you have a way to get the machine on to it's cabinet stand.
I lifted mine with a small block and tackle and easily lowered it on to the stand.
After that it's just a matter of putting on the belt,and fence and making sure the tables are at the correct height (which they were right from the box) and that's it.
Powermatic even includes a couple of real drop forged wrenches and allen wrenches to aid in setup.
No, not EVERY tool needed to completely set up the machine is included. Though I think some people would not be happy if it came with a tool truck.
It is quiet during operation and leaves the work piece as smooth as glass.
Powermatic recommends moving the fence in and out to use different parts of the knives when doing a lot of edging.
This is a good idea and you'll get those smooth edges a lot longer this way.
I really like the longer tables as well.
If you install the provided dust chute be sure to use it.
The machine makes mounds of shavings and quickly clogs all the way up to the knives if no vacuum is attached to the chute.
It does however run very well without the chute and is easy to clean out after use.
You will need some kerosene or a petroleum based solvent to remove the shipping grease from the unpainted surfaces.
I had a hard time finding a product to prevent rust on the tables and spent more than a few hours removing flash rust.
I tried several of the new water based polymer micro filler miracle rustproofers made especially for woodworking and none of them prevented rust from forming.
I finally sprayed out the tables with Remington Dri-lube,a dry lubricant used in gun actions. This works and works well. It also dries clear with absolutely no residue to harm your work.
So far it is the only product I have found that actually prevents rust and still allows use of the machine.
The owner's manual is very good with clear instructions for setup,hints for use and clear instructions for replacing the knives.
It also came with a set of extra knives.
Take a look at the prices for the better benchtop jointers. Then take a look at the prices for the 8" jointers.
It will be easy to see that the Powermatic 54A 6" jointer is a very good value for the money.

I purchased the Powermatic 54A 6" jointer and many other larger tools 15 months ago. I had to pick it up as well as pay sales tax on the same sale price. I checked another source and they would have sent it freight on a regular truck with no lift. The shipping weight is 239 pounds in two well packaged-boxes. This was a very easy to set-up (required a second person to lift casting on to the base), everything works, no damage, well packaged, ready to plug in at 110V or can easily be switched to 220V. I did additional fine adjustments. I have run several hundred board feet of hard woods over this machine. The 1 HP motor did well. There was plenty of power on a heavy cuts it still does well. You will need a duct collector. I tried a shop-vac just to test the machine, it was only okay. The Powermatic Mod 54 only has a 54" bed. (The 54A has a 66") The Delta with a longer bed is double the price of this jointer. Delta has several machines that I considered, but I have not been happy with the quality from Delta. I bout this rather than the *" Powermatic, I am happy with my choice. I had a prior large full shop of Powermatic machines and I am happy that I gave them another try. I was concerned about made in Taiwan, but it seems true and solid. This machine has delivered the same quality I saw 20 years ago from Powermatic. I would buy this same jointer today if I was making the choice again.

I was a little apprehensive buying this jointer even with the
good reviews. After all it does come from the little Pacific
Island... But, when I got the two (very, very heavy!) boxes
down into my basement workshop (by myself...in a pouring down
rain yet!) and got them opened up I was very pleased to see that
the parts had been packed with great care. If Powermatic/Jet
packs everything this way they must never have any shipping damage! All the parts, both large and small were in outstanding condition and very well protected from moisture damage. The instructions are first rate and leave nothing to figure out on your own. Unlike some Taiwanese sourced tools these instructions were in "real" English! I was immediately impressed by the quality of the paint and castings. All were first quality and I (and I'm very picky!) could not find a single thing to complain about with regard to workmanship. Assembly is easy (try to get someone to help you move this thing

around..doing it by myself was *NOT* smart!) and inside an hour
I had it together, cleaned up and adjusted per the very good owners manual. The overall impression during use is that of a
machine costing much more. Even though I felt sheepish buying a
Taiwanese manufactured machine, I do have to admit that even for
twice the money I haven't seen or used a better machine. If this
is an example of the direction that Jet is taking Powermatic then
Delta (my former favorite!) should be looking over their shoulder!

I was (and am still a little) somewhat concerned about how the
very long (66") tables will hold up under use. There is a lot
of weight sticking way out there on both ends! So, as the months
go by I'll keep an eye on the tables and check them periodically
with a machine shop grade straight edge and see if the long
in and outfeed table develop any "droop".

My only recommendation to Powermatic would be to see if a bigger
wheel for adjusting the outfeed table could be fitted. I know
you don't adjust it very often, but the current handwheel feels
too small and is somewhat out of place on an otherwise outstand-ing machine!

Right now I'd have to give this one a very solid five stars and
rate it a "Best Buy"! Kudos to Powermatic/Jet for a very solid
value!

I bought a model 54A in Sept. of 2001. Out of the box the jointer looks great. Everything goes together very well. However, the weak point is the fence. The original fence was bowed and cupped so badly that I could not get a good square joint, much less get it to align at 90 over the fence length. When the front of the fence was at 90, the back was not, which made for alignment problems. Tool Crib customer support was first rate at getting this problem resolved. Kudos for Tool Crib! This is a case were customer service kept the sale and resolved manufacturer defects quickly. Would I purchase the jointer again, (knowing Tool Crib customer service)- yes. However, Powermatic should seriously look into quality control for the fence. I would hate to see a good idea (longer beds and better motor) ruined by poor quality of a low priced part, i.e. the fence.

i bought this jointer as a replacement from an old one that i spent several months restoring. when i moved to hawaii i had to leave it behind because of shipping. but it was a blessing in a way. the adjustements on this machine are so easy compared to my old one and the long bed really makes a difference even on short pieces of wood. i did adjust the belt tension a few times because the motor was starting rough at first with a jult, but now it starts smooth humms along like my other powermatic tools.
if space in your shop is a concern i would suggest that you make a quick mock up of it before you buy it so you can see how much space it will really take up, i was a bit supprised, also if rust is a problem in your shop i would suggest an HTC tool cover or another type of breathable cover for it. i have reflattend a rusty jointer bed before and it is a lot of work.

The Powermatic 54A Jointer is awsome! The long (66") bed has been an absolute pleasure to use. It makes jointing long, heavy boards a cinch. Also, the unit spins at 6,000 rpm so you're getting 18,000 cuts per minute vs. 13,500 (4,500 rpm) on most other jointers. The knives were set perfectly from the factory. It was easy to set up by myself after a friend helped me get it unloaded. The biggest hassle to setting it up was shifting the motor mount bolts in thier mounting slots while keeping all parallel to the belt/pulley assembly.

I spent alot of time researching a jointer and found that the few extra bucks for this jointer is worth EVERY penny! From putting it together (and being dead on) to the adjustments and performance to the extra long bed, I can't tell you all how happy I am with my purchase. The extra long bed and height adjustments are worth the extra bucks alone. They have a rough adjustment for the infeed table that gets you in the ball park and with a quick turn in either direction, you can make another almost 1/32" tweak to your setting to fine tune. THe performance and cutting quality is top notch. I recommend saving your cash up for this one...I love it! <P

I purchased this jointer in Sep. 2003 and I have been very happy with it. However, what happened to one of the reviewers here, happened to me also. when using the jointer I was not able to keep the wood completly against the fence, particularly in the center part of the fence. I did what the other reviewer did and placed a straight edge against the face of the fence and found that it was concave. The center part, was about two 1/16 of an inch away form the stright edge. I contacted amazon.com and they took care of getting me a replacement stright from powermatic.
I got my new fence assambly and now the jointer is great. Thank you to the reviewer here because being relatively new to woodworking, I would not have known what to do if that reviewer had not made his experiece known.
Excellent tool, but be carefull with the fence.

I purchased the model 54A 6" jointer this past summer as a replacement for an open stand model from another company. Shipping and service from Amazon.com was prompt, the jointer arrived in good condition. Assembly was sraight forward and simple but does require the assistance of a helper to get the massive head onto the base. I have used the unit for several months now. and continue to be impressed with this machine. Fit and finish are excellent, it is a snap to adjust, and the extra long beds are all I was hoping for. A little pricey, but well worth the cost. It works well with my dust collection (a big contrast to my previous machine) leaving very little for the broom. Powermatic-Jet have a winner in this jointer,