Powermatic PM1500 15 inch Bandsaw Review

I provide a detailed review of the Powermatic 15 inch bandsaw.

[jameswilliamjones]

Nice, thoughtful review. Appreciate you ‘showing’ rather than ‘selling’ the item.

[MartyBacke]

Thanks for your comments Ken. For some reason I'm not able to directly respond to your comment, so I'm writing a 'fresh' comment.

You are absolutely correct regards my dust collector hookup. If you view the commentary on the Lumberjocks link that I include in my description, you will see that I moved my dust collection hose to the top port and have left the bottom port open. Dust collection is now great.

I do ramble a bit on some of my videos, and have subsequently tried to tighten things up. It's a process, and as in all things in life, will hopefully get better with more experience.

[andyvan]

the Window for the tensioner is a SAFETY feature, as to save the blade from excess wear due to the tension, if you are not using it, you "slack" the blade, BUT you MUST run at full tension, so this window is a check to see if the blade is in or OUT of tension, so you can start the band saw in complete safety.

[paulpaul]

This was a great review. I wish I had followed my initial impulse and bought the same unit that you have. I ended up buying a Rikon 14-350 and I have to say, I don't believe the quality matches what you have. I"ll have to live with what I have now but with regret. Having a great tool in your shop can really change your outlook about using it.

[hunterdogztc]

Marty:  I too have the Powermatic 1500 Band Saw, and without question, it is the finest piece of woodworking equipment I have ever used.  It is so much closer to the 18" than ANY 14" saw.  I agree with the previous observation on the dust collection.  Initially I had mine hooked up as your is in the video and as a result, I experienced poor performance.  Once I (solely through trial and error) changed the orientation of the 'Y', I experienced a significant improvement in dust extraction.  I love ALL my woodworking tools and I have a real fondness for Powermatic.  The 1500 stands head and shoulders above them all however.  My ONLY complaint is that they are surprisingly top-heavy and even with a good mobile base, I find that I must exercise great caution while moving it lest I end up wearing it on top of my crumpled body on the shop floor.

Very thorough review on your part.

[FWI]

Congrats on your new bandsaw... Thanks for taking the time to make this video and for sharing with us... Keep the Vidz coming..

Take Care, Michael Frey

[MartyBacke]

Thanks for the comments mmanut. If you find some nice compatible handles and knobs, let me know your source and I'll probably do the same.

[BOOMER]

Looks like a good saw. 2 things I wish you had checked. One, the flatness of the table and two the runout of the drive wheels. The Laguna 18" seems to have a problem in those areas. Just put a scale on the table and use a feeler guage under the scale to check for flatness. Use a magnetic base with an indicator on the drive wheels to see how true they run. Thanks for the review.

[mmanut]

Quality tool. I'm a fenatic about those little things like that plastic handle and knob. I'm upgrading very soon as well, my first thing I'm changing are those plastic handles. Take them off and see if you can replace them with some after market handles made out of cast with chrome finish. I have the 14 inch Delta with closed base with 11/2 hp motor. Changed my belts to link belts with turned pulleys. The rizer block and all the after market do dads ala tensioner, carter bearings etc, etc. After all that it still isn't anything like that new Powermatic machine. The bottom line is you get what you pay for, most of the time. You have my new saw, thanks for the great break down. 
Vinny

[perjohansson]

First, thank you for a very well executed review.
I might be a bit off here, but I’m surprised by the comments regarding square tables and wheels throwing. If it would concern a metal lathe or milling machine it would obviously make more sense, but these are woodworking machines we are talking about here and tolerance is basically on a lower level. On the other hand, when it comes to the wheels I understand that vibrations needs to be considered. Further it is of course really neat to have a bandsaw or woodworking machine with zero tolerance, but I doubt it would make any notable difference when looking at the cutresult.

[theoriginalpunisher]

That's a very good review and nice saw. I've been looking to upgrade my 14" saw, so timely. I believe most bandsaw fences should be replaced with after market fences. Your dust collection solution is exactly what I would have done as well. I guess the price is what it is. Wood working is a costly hobby. Great full I can do it.

[charlesboone]

Thanks for the review of the PM1500. I am in the process of trying to determine which bandsaw to buy and this is high on the list. I have narrowed it down to the PM1500 or the 1800. I think the 1500 would more than suite my needs. I do have some concerns about the table size and motor. I am very interested in doing a lot of resaw with this machine. I want to make my own lumber, at least that is my goal at the moment.

[karpenterken]

Marty, thank you for including so much content on the PM1500 bandsaw.  I found it very useful.  Now for some constructive criticism, if you wouldn't mind.  You have the dust collection connections wrong and I'm sure that's a big reason for not getting good suction at the top port.  You're asking the Y fitting to suck air in practically a U-turn.  The Y fitting should be at the end of both port hoses, near the floor with single port of the Y facing towards your dust collector for proper airflow.  Second, I think you would do better to write down your talking points on large cue cards and follow them throughout the video instead of trying to think about what you want to say while doing the video.  Hope that helps!

[KarlBunker]

3:53: That side-by-side made me laugh.

[hanksme]

Absolutely beautiful I would have one if it fit in my budget You will have many years of dependable device. I very much enjoy woodworking but if I were younger I would have a portable sawmill anyway I have a 16" jet that I use for resawing and I love it. I built a sled that fits in the miter track that works great. I look forward to seeing projects using your new bandsaw

[joeleonetti]

I've just saved up enough so I could purchase this saw. I want this saw primarily to be able to resaw 14" wide boards. I'm already working near that width. This will be my only bandsaw. Eight years down the road are you still happy with this saw? Is there any other saw on the market that tempts you? Many thanks for your review on this.

[charlesboone]

Marty, thanks for the review. I am currently in the market for a really good bandsaw. I was turned on to PM, when I bought my second lathe (3520B). I love the lathe, even though it was pretty expensive. That is my main reason for buying the PM product line. I am currently looking at the 1500 and an 8" PM jointer. My only concern is the size of the table. I plan to resaw some large logs and am a bit concerned with the size of the table. Do you do any log milling?

[debandmike]

Go Unisaw! Still perfect, never an adjustment after 25 years. I have looked at the tin garbage lineup of bandsaws, the usual brands, and am now considering paying an additional $1k for the Powermatic. 1k will come and go but a quality bandsaw will last forever as you say. the comparison to the delta is not really legit, its a different size and class. But keep the Delta, its still great for smaller tasks. Frustrating that there are only two or three reviews on youtube for the PM1500. wonder why.

[qwk]

Thanks for the nice review. I just bought one and wanted to know what base  you added to your band saw?

[thepuppetstv]

I have to say i thought your review was well done...however, it was so good I decided to get this saw. I purchased the saw in december of 2014..i can prove this with amazon screenshots....I finally set up the bandsaw in my shop sometime at the end of January. The switch went in the first 3 weeks..company sent new switch...the motor blew out in april...they had to replace motor...machine never cut right...the guides are terrible. I was told not to allow dust get into the machine..HHAHHAHA... the motor sticks way out from the table and wood and dust rain down on the motor. I have been building furniture for years and work professionally. (this account has nothing to do with my profession..we also make puppets for stopmotion videos)...I really wish I could help as many people to avoid the powermatic series of products. Both the bandsaw and jointer we purchased were useless. I was lucky to be able to sell them on consignment two years later from a large equipment dealer in PA. This is a hobby machine at best. Grizzlies offer great bang for the buck for hobbyists. For the lower end of a real industrial bandsaw..try a Cantek...we have straight line rip saw that is cantek and it is truly like a tank...all cast iron...this powermatic is far from a tank and nothing more than a commoditized product from asia.