Customer Reviews

Powermatic 2042377 Mobile Base for Model PWBS14 Band Saw

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

 

 

Yes, the steel base is fairly well made and solid, but I can't give the entire product more than 2 stars.

The three issues I have with this unit are:

* The wheels are really cheap. I expect I'll be changing them out before long.
* The brakes for the wheels are very poor engineering. Yes they work, but come on is this the best the POWERMATIC engineering staff can come up with? In this instance I am using the term engineering loosely!
* The price charged for this item is out of line with the quality of the materials and quality of the manufacturing. This item is more along the lines of a HF unit selling for $29.99.

To my fellow rater, "No it isn't you. One expects a level of quality above the rest when they purchase a POWERMATIC product, unfortunately for the consumer POWERMATIC did not deliver that with this product!"

Yes, it could be better, but it's not and because it's POWERMATIC it should be better!

This base is designed to fit the curved front base of the Powermatic 14" bandsaw. In use, it handles the weight of the saw and rolls very smoothly. That is of course what it is suppose to do, but I couldn't give it 5 stars.

The wheel locks go from inconvenient to absurd. The large swivel caster has a lever on it but it is not designed to be foot activated. This style lock on a power tool is a bit out dated. The absurd comes when you look at the locks on the other two wheels. What you get are a thumb screws that get tightened against the tread of the tire. I know Fred Flintstone stopped his car by dragging his feet ... but come on Powermatic, this is not a cheap base!

This mobile base is well made and solid, but I can't give it more than 3 stars.

My biggest issue with it may not actually be the fault of the base. It's that the bandsaw rocks a bit. This could be the cabinet or the mobile base, but since they're supposed to be manufactured to work together, it's not a forgivable sin. Wedging shims in the corners has pretty much solved the problem, but I don't think I should have to do that with a premier tool like this.

The other issue I have is with the two non-swivel wheel locks. Simply a threaded bolt (with a knob) that contacts the wheels to lock them. It works fine but to me seems like cheesey engineering.

Other than that, the base does what it's designed to do.

Nonetheless, maybe it's just me, but I expected more from this product.

This not only was a necessity for my limited space but also a Great Value. This carriage is a high quality product custom made for this Saw, no worry of it slipping off it also smooth rolling for easy placement the pivot caster locks beautifully in place you can feel confident the saw will remain stationary when using it.

Armand Desjardins.

This is the best type of portability to use with my new Powermatic 14" Bandsaw. This unit came assembled and works very well. I'd recommend this unit to anyone interested in having their power tools mobile. I can take this unit outside of my small shop, controlling saw dust within my small shop. All my heavy power tools are mobile.

Very handy piece of machinery! I have a large shop and tend to work in different locations depending on the project so the ability to move the saw to where it's needed is a real plus. The base works smoothly, locking it is a simple matter, and it is very stable. I think this should be considered a must have option unless you are sure the saw will remain in one spot forever.

This base made the perfect addition to my PW bandsaw. Although the wheel brakes are a little dated in design or concept, they work well. This base fits the PW 14" bandsaw very well and works even better.