Photo Index - Powermatic Machine Co. - Model 180

Machinery Photo Index

Manufactured/Badged by:
Powermatic Machine Co.
McMinnville, TN; La Vergne, TN

Machine Specifications
Machine Class:	Wood Working Machinery
Machine Type:	Planer, Wood
Machine Size:	18"
Submitted By:	Tim Grunden

Machine Specifications
Description/Model:	Model 180
Date of Manufacturer:	1983
Serial Number:
Last Updated	10/20/2005 9:53:18 PM

Comments:

Not a real old machine, but just got done restoring this planer and wanted to share some pictures. I bought this planer via an on-line auction and quickly found that it needed a little bit of work. The bearings had just been replaced and were in very good condition, but after running a few boards through, I found that the segmented infeed roller was leaving a lot of tracks on the wood. Without much trouble I discovered the reason was that the rollers were almost frozen in place on the bar. After viewing Bob Vaughan's upload on segmented infeed rollers, I tore mine apart and found that, in addition to a lot of packed in sawdust, the springs were corroded and more than half of them (108 total) were broken. About a quarter of the rivets that are inserted into the springs were also damaged. Luckily, the bar was in pretty good shape, so after replacing a lot of springs and rivets, then cleaning and lubing, I put it back together. Re-assembly was a real pain until I discovered the secret. Check out my entry on this site for the quick and easy method.
As you can see, the paint scheme is the new Powermatic yellow vice the original gold color. I decided to go with the contemporary color and am very happy with the result. The paint is two coats of Sherwin Williams Industrial Enamel over two coats of SW metal primer. I had a hard time finding instruction and safety stickers, so I made my own using a computer, vinyl sticker paper and a color laser printer. I bought the flag sticker on ebay.
For a nice clean look, I replaced most of the nuts and bolts with stainless steel fasteners. I also replaced the power cord and switch and re-wired the magnetic starter. A previous owner used a household light switch and had the mag starter wired in a manner that bypassed all of the safety features. To top the job off, I built a heavy duty mobile base, then added the same racing stripe as on the gear cover (purchased from Powermatic).

Photo 1:

Comments: Before (as purchased)
Source:

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Photo 2:

Comments: After
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Photo 3:

Comments: After
Source:

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