Powermatic Model 87 Metal Cutting Bandsaw - Whose Variable Speed Drive?

The Powermatic Model 87 Metal Cutting bandsaw employs a variable speed drive.
Can someone advise which brand of VSD? Lovejoy, perhaps?

I know of one that has a damaged pulley unit (the drive side). The matching
sheeve unit (driven side) looks rough, too.

A price list from the sixties pegs these components at less than $30 ea. I imagine
that replacement prices today will be somewhat higher.

Some images that might help identify the brand of vsd used by Powermatic

Courtesy of jpm49c (JalopyJournal)


Courtesy of tfoley (here on PM)



.

My guess would be on Browning but it's just a guess. Others to check would be Martin Sprocket & Gear, TB Woods (probably Lovejoy these days).

Since there are (at least) six pulleys in that photo, I can only assume you mean the variable pulleys, both the driving and the driven.

When you dismantle the assembly, you may find part numbers on the pieces. That would be your best case scenario, for identification, at least.

The DoAll pulleys are made of Bakelite, which implies that coating your metal pulleys with a self-leveling epoxy or polyester resin may be a good start towards removing the roughness of your existing pulleys.

Good Luck,
Steve

I bought an early 60's Model 87 in the mid 90's, missing parts from the drive train. I called Powermatic, the support guy said some parts were no longer available ... and then mailed me copies of the original manufacturing drawings for those parts :-) A friend and I made replacements. The drawings made no mention of 3rd party drive components - maybe the cone sheave halves were sourced, but most if it was at least designed in-house, if not made in-house.

matt_isserstedt said:

My guess would be on Browning but it's just a guess. Others to check would be Martin Sprocket & Gear,
TB Woods (probably Lovejoy these days).

Click to expand...

Thank you. I have noticed your past posts about the two Powermatic bandsaws in your family.
(BTW, if you do not already have them, there are manuals for the Model 87 saw and its Model
600 welder online.)

Can you see any markings on the drive/driven units of your 87? I had not seen the machine
in question when initially posting - I have seen it since but was under time pressure and did
not notice any markings.

Lovejoy has quite a useful catalog about variable speed drives HERE. There is also an
Interchange Guide and some Installation videos on the same page.

Toolbert said:

I bought an early 60's Model 87 in the mid 90's, missing parts from the drive train. I called Powermatic,
the support guy said some parts were no longer available ... and then mailed me copies of the original
manufacturing drawings for those parts :-) A friend and I made replacements. The drawings made
no mention of 3rd party drive components - maybe the cone sheave halves were sourced, but most
if it was at least designed in-house, if not made in-house.

Click to expand...

Thank you. Do you still have the Model 87 and the drawings?

In the Powermatic 87 manual, there are several exploded assembly diagrams of the machine.
These diagrams detail the components within the case of the High-Low Speed 'Transmission Box'
(p/n #8170). However, the diagrams merely show complete sub-assemblies for the Variable Speed
Pulley Assembly, Upper C'Shaft and Lower Variable Speed Pulley Assembly (p/n #8903 & #8905).

To me, this suggests 'we built the H/L transmission and here is what we filled it with' but 'we
bought the variable speed pulleys - we do not service what is inside them'. This thought dovetails
with your post - the VSD pulley units were purchased and adapted to work on shafts and castings
developed in house.

.

S_W_Bausch said:

... I can only assume you mean the variable pulleys, both the driving and the driven.

Click to expand...

Yes, I have been refering to these using Lovejoy's convention of calling the
'drive' unit the Variable Speed Pulley and the 'driven' unit the Variable Speed Sheeve.

S_W_Bausch said:

When you dismantle the assembly, you may find part numbers on the pieces. That would
be your best case scenario, for identification, at least.

Click to expand...

At time of the OP, I had only seen photos of the machine. Now after a
brief inspection, I can say that identifying marks on the VSD are not glaringly apparent.
As you suggest, disassembly may reveal more information.

S_W_Bausch said:

The DoAll pulleys are made of Bakelite, which implies that coating your metal pulleys
with a self-leveling epoxy or polyester resin may be a good start towards removing
the roughness of your existing pulleys.

Click to expand...

Hard to imagine Bakelite being durable enough in such an application, but if anyone
would know how to get it right, DoAll would.

These pulleys appear to be ferrous. Their faces have light surface rust. The belt
has been run in a fixed position for quite some time with the result that a groove has
developed - perhaps it can be cleaned up by turning?

.

My DoAll bandsaw pulleys appear to be as steel as the front bumper of a '58 DeSoto.

I notice that the opportunity to edit a post appears to be time-limited. So here is
a correction to the OP.

EddyCurr said:

I know of one that has a damaged Sheeve unit (the driven side). The matching
Pulley unit (drive side) looks rough, too.

Click to expand...

To illustrate, I am writing about the Variable Speed Drive Sheeve on the upper right of the
following image (with the lever arm across it) and the VSD Pulley at the lower right (behind
the fixed sheeve driven by belts from the motor.)

Courtesy of jpm49c (JalopyJournal)


.

EddyCurr said:

The Powermatic Model 87 Metal Cutting bandsaw employs a variable speed drive.
Can someone advise which brand of VSD? Lovejoy, perhaps?

I know of one that has a damaged pulley unit (the drive side). The matching
sheeve unit (driven side) looks rough, too.

A price list from the sixties pegs these components at less than $30 ea. I imagine
that replacement prices today will be somewhat higher.

Click to expand...

Using the US Gummint inflation Calculator $30 in 1965 is $218.66 in 2012.

If the parts are all there, I'd put them on a lathe and tidy them up.

Paul

In the Powermatic 87 manual, there are several exploded assembly diagrams of the machine.
These diagrams detail the components within the case of the High-Low Speed 'Transmission Box'
(p/n #8170). However, the diagrams merely show complete sub-assemblies for the Variable Speed
Pulley Assembly, Upper C'Shaft and Lower Variable Speed Pulley Assembly (p/n #8903 & #8905).

To me, this suggests 'we built the H/L transmission and here is what we filled it with' but 'we
bought the variable speed pulleys - we do not service what is inside them'. This thought dovetails
with your post - the VSD pulley units were purchased and adapted to work on shafts and castings
developed in house.

Click to expand...

My manual dated 1966 is consistent with the above. Its a 20 year hazy memory but I vaguely recall Powermatic selling me a reasonable priced replacement for the 8903 upper variable pulley assembly, and then us making the rest of the upper half parts - the shaft and shaft housing/bracket and a few other wee bits, and buying the bearings and fasteners.

I appear to have prints for the upper shaft, upper shaft bracket and the thrust bearing assembly where the crank pushes on the end of the non-spring-loaded pulley.