shoot summ
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jun 8, 2010
- Messages
- 2,970
I do alot of work in the garage(shop) across many different disciplines, metal, wood, mechanic, etc. Like many on here I am landlocked in the city and don't have room for my ideal shop so I make do with a 3 car garage. I have 2 motorcycles, and my wifes car has to come in at night. All of this to say I am very space conscious. One of the on going issues I seem to have is a work platform, I end up using my table saw as a work space and it is less than ideal. So a couple of months ago I started looking at alternatives. I wanted something that could possibly support a small planer, and also provide a solid work surface. I ended up getting the PortaMate PM7000 after doing some research. I didn't need a miter saw stand as I have the MSUV already and like it alot. I did end up getting 2 vises with the PM7000 and a number of the machine mounts.
So after having in a couple of months I though I would give it a review.
Likes:
It provides a great, solid surface to work on with the vises. The onboard power strip is a nice feature as well. I have plans to make a work table that either clamps to the vises, or uses some machine mounts. This will also double as an outfeed table for my table saw. So far I have mounted my scroll saw on mounts, and intend to mount my Dewalt 13" planer, and all of my bench grinders/buffers. I've been building an entry door for my house out of oak and the PM7000 has been the work horse while I cut the mortises and fit the tenons for the door. In addition it has been great as I have been putting a straight edge on the 1/4 sawn white oak I am using. The extensions work well for supporting longer stock and adjust easily.
Dislikes:
Compared to the MSUV it isn't terribly easy to fold and store, and it tends to want to tip when I have it stored on end, I intend to resolve this by attaching some "feet" to the extension arms to help support it. The machine mounts are a little small for my planer and I have to build a "platform" to compensate for the size of the planer. The feed rollers work but are a little small.
Overall I am very happy with the purchase, in addition I had an issue with one of the vises and HTC quickly took care of it for me.
So after having in a couple of months I though I would give it a review.
Likes:
It provides a great, solid surface to work on with the vises. The onboard power strip is a nice feature as well. I have plans to make a work table that either clamps to the vises, or uses some machine mounts. This will also double as an outfeed table for my table saw. So far I have mounted my scroll saw on mounts, and intend to mount my Dewalt 13" planer, and all of my bench grinders/buffers. I've been building an entry door for my house out of oak and the PM7000 has been the work horse while I cut the mortises and fit the tenons for the door. In addition it has been great as I have been putting a straight edge on the 1/4 sawn white oak I am using. The extensions work well for supporting longer stock and adjust easily.
Dislikes:
Compared to the MSUV it isn't terribly easy to fold and store, and it tends to want to tip when I have it stored on end, I intend to resolve this by attaching some "feet" to the extension arms to help support it. The machine mounts are a little small for my planer and I have to build a "platform" to compensate for the size of the planer. The feed rollers work but are a little small.
Overall I am very happy with the purchase, in addition I had an issue with one of the vises and HTC quickly took care of it for me.