# Powermatics PM 2800 the ultimate Drill Press for the modern WoodWork Shop.



## JoeLyddon

*WOW!*

Super COOL NEW drill press!

So, that's why you're selling planes! LOL

NICE!

*Congratulations!*


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## Lenny

Congratulations on your purchase and for the review. It sounds like you purchased the Mercedes Benz of drill presses. In my opinion, you can't go wrong with Powermatic. Whether a table saw, a jointer or a drill press, they do it right. Enjoy!


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## thedude50

thanks you guys I do love it and yes I agree Powermatic is the gold standard


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## Sarit

Nice review.
Are you sure your run-out was 0.012" not 0.0012"? 12 thousandths actually sounds like a lot.


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## ShipWreck

Sweet drill press. I love the table setup. The larger crank is a nice feature as well.

Enjoy!


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## thedude50

it does not say 12 thousandths it says .oo12 thousandths I am sorry if that is confusing i originally had it as .00012 which confused the editor and he said 12 thousandths it is actually 12 ten thousandths a tiny number it was the smallest run out of any drill press we have ever tested I hope this clears this up


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## thedude50

ya know what kills me is I link this to my own site and 500 people opened this and only 147 of you read the whole review now that is sad that people wont even click through to get the whole story.


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## JoeLyddon

Lance… For $1,100, that is sure a lot of Drill Press!


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## thedude50

I think it would be a great drill press if they were asking 1500 for it I would still have chosen this press it is simply the best in its class.


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## doordude

thanks dude50, for the great review. when i up grade from my 35 year old d.p. this is the i'll buy.hopefuly this summer.


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## thedude50

thanks for reading my review i do appreciate it my friend.


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## Sarit

Here is the quote cut and pasted from your article that confused me:
"I measured the Powermatic 2800 three times with a consistent run-out of less than *0.012 thousands* of an inch which is beyond good."

The issue is that you're combining the decimal notation with the wording. You really only want one or the other.
Either say 0.0012 of an inch or 12 ten-thousandths or 1.2 thousandths.
Technically, 0.012 thousands means 0.012 * 0.001 = 0.000012".


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## thedude50

I am looking into this to change the article and this is the issue I am having the same as this guy below.

*Coppied from the google forum. 
How Do You Write Ten Thousands Of An Inch?

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Put very simply, you would write ten thousandth of an inch as 0.10. It can also be written as a fraction: 10/1000. There is often a great deal of confusion when it comes to dealing with 'tenths' of inches. The exact decimal length of all measurements tends to vary slightly depending on which context you are referring to. People often get confused because those who work in engineering and machinery have a slightly different way of saying one ten thousandth of an inch.
0.0100 is referred to as ten thousandth of an inch, however, machinists often refer to 0.0001 as a tenth. Another reason people get confused is because they refer to ten thousandth of an inch as one ten thousandth of an inch which is 0.0001. Traditionally a "tenth" of an inch is 0.1, which is correct for those of you who do not work in engineering. In manufacturing, a "tenth" is .0001" or one-ten thousandths of an inch which is shortened to a "tenth" for ease of referencing.
The American system of measurement, the Imperial system, often called the Standard English Measurement (SEM) is based on dividing any unit of measure in half instead of dividing a unit of measure by ten which is done in the metric system. The Imperial System commonly works with fractions but these can be converted into decimals but can only be broken down as small as sixty fourths.
If you hear ten thousandth of an inch being said and are confused as to what they are referring to, then put it into context and think about it logically. A newsreader who is quoting how much rain a State going through a drought has received is not going to mean one 'tenth' to be 0.0001 inches. It is all about switching the two slightly different meanings to suit the situation.
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Anonymous Anonymous 96% helpful
There is always confusion when dealing with a "tenth" of an inch. In manufacturing and measurement where nearly all measurements are expressed in "thousandths" and sometimes mils (equal to .001" to confuse even more).

Traditionaly a "tenth" of an inch is 0.1" 
In manufacturing a "tenth" is .0001" or one-ten thousandths of an inch. It is shortened to a "tenth"

Where as:
0.100 is one hundred thousandths (of an inch)
0.010 is ten thousandths (of an inch) 
0.001 is one thousandths (of an inch)
0.0001 is one-tenth of a thousandths or what a machinists or mechanical engineer would say "one tenth" for short.

You need to understand who you are talking to and the context of the conversation. The weather man will say that "we received a "tenth" of an inch of rain last night". He is saying we received 0.1" of rain not .0001" of rain.

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Anonymous Anonymous 90% helpful
Great answer! The previous answer trail has been pretty funny to read the mis-understanding of this topic. If I may expand more I'll show how the naming convention changes as digits move to the left. Please follow the progression from the bottom-up on the list below:

1.0000
0.9000 is 900-thousandths
0.1000 is 100-thousandths (one hundred thousandths)
0.0900 is 90-thousandths (ninety thousandths)
0.0100 is 10-thousandths (ten thousandths) 
0.0090 is 9-thousandths (nine thousandths)
0.0010 is 10-ten thousandths OR one thousandths
0.0009 is 9-ten thousandths
0.0001 is 1-ten thousandths OR one-tenth is your a machinist

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Anonymous Anonymous 64% helpful
Put simply without any explanation one ten-thousands of an inch is written as .010

The American system of measurement is the is based on dividing any unit of measure in half as opposed to dividing a unit of measure by ten as in the metric system. The American system of measurement was originally called the Imperial measurement system also known as Standard English Measure (SEM) now known as SAE after the Society of Automotive Engineers. The American system is fractional in nature and can be broken into as many decimal places as desired but is generally only broken down as far as sixty-fourths.

The American system can be defined by dividing the numerator in half as follows.

One inch = 1.000 or 1" 
one half = .500 or 1/2" 
one quarter =.250 or 1/4" 
one eighth = .125 or 1/8" 
one sixteenth = .0625 0r 1/16" 
one thirtysecond = .03125 or 1/32" 
one sixty fourth = .015625 or 1/64"*
_
As you can see either way I write this people will be confused. This is not as simple as you would think I want to simply use the machinist number or .00012 this confused the editor and he called it 12 thousandths this would be a serious wobble in the press and that is simply not the case. I will be contacting a friend who writes technical manuals for dewalt and i will get the best way to notate 12 ten thousandths but people will still get confused as people don't do well with fractions.


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## JGM0658

I am looking into this to change the article and this is the issue I am having the same as this guy

Who is "this guy"? If you meant Sarit, don't you think it would be nice to have a bit more respect for those who read your "reviews"?

and the sentence should read:

I am looking into this to change the article and this is the issue I am having, (comma) the same as this guy. (period)

Men, for 3 years of journalism you are pretty deficient in English.

As for how do you write ten thousands of an inch, I will explain as if you were a six year old:

1/1000= .001 this is one thousand of an inch.

.001×10= .01 this is 10 thousands of an inch or one hundred of an inch. Knowing the decimal system is useful.


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## thedude50

Jgm, as you can see above it is not as simple as you think. Please re read the post. i copied buy the guy on Google as the guy I was talking about, sorry if you got lost. Also I am tired of telling people this but I am using dragon to type and often overlook saying comma or period, sorry if it screwed you up. But I was not referring to anyone who read the review. As you see the review was a work worthy of the effort to punctuate and edit.A chat room is simply that, if you cant read it please just pass on by. I don't wish to be put down by a asshole like you .


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## Sarit

To avoid confusion, one can include both notations and elaboration, like this:

… run-out of less than 0.0012" or 12 ten-thousandths (you read that right not thousandths, but ten-thousandths) of an inch…

Note: I changed the thousands to thousandths

The google forum post is kinda misleading to use in your situation.
They are trying to express ten thousandths (ie 10×0.001)
whereas you are trying to express 12 ten-thousandths (ie 12×0.0001).
The post is essentially correct in describing why this can be confusing, but it falls short on explaining what is the most unambiguous method for doing so.

FYI, I think its great that you're taking the time to research for yourself what the correct nomenclature to use. I don't take any offense to anyone who's trying to educate themselves even if that means not trusting anything I say.


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## thedude50

Sarit I am waiting to hear back from my friend he is a writer of tech manuals. I did read the dial indicator correctly so the information is correct. the question is the machinist would write it like this 0.00012 and the normal Joe would write it 0.0012 I am unclear why as to me they mean two different things. but I think your correct and I can notate this as 0.0012 and leave it alone but the question is will the masses understand the number and if they will then why did the editor freak out and call that notation 12thousandths


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## helluvawreck

I'm guite happy with my PM stuff and this is a beautiful machine.

helluvawreck
https://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com


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## Sarit

The google post doesn't mention anything about normal notation and machinist notation being different.
I'm not sure why a machinist would write "0.00012" for twelve ten-thousandths instead of "0.0012". From my understanding, there is only one notation that is universal.

Could you elaborate on how you came up with 0.00012 for machinists?


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## thedude50

*owever, machinists often refer to 0.0001 as a tenth. Another reason people get confused is because they refer to ten thousandth of an inch as one ten thousandth of an inch which is 0.0001. Traditionally a "tenth" of an inch is 0.1, which is correct for those of you who do not work in engineering. In manufacturing, a "tenth" is .0001" or one-ten thousandths of an inch which is shortened to a "tenth" for ease of referencing.*

this is the line i was talking about


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## Sarit

I get how a tenth for a machinist (0.0001) is different from a tenth in plain English (0.1). 
But you see there are 3 orders of magnitude difference between the two.
How come you only have 1 order of magnitude difference?

I think you may be misunderstanding the google post.
Machinist's most common unit of measurement is a thousandth of an inch (0.001"). This is often abbreviated as a thou.
So when machinist want to talk about a tenth of a thousandth (0.0001") they will abbreviate it to just a tenth.

Now suppose a machinist says he took off a tenth of an inch, how much did he take off? Answer: 0.1" 
What if he says he took off a tenth, how much did he take off? Answer: 0.0001"

Remember, that these abbreviations are only in the wording of these numbers. The decimal notation never changes. 0.0001" is always 1/10,000 of an inch no matter who you are.

So I still don't understand how you got 0.00012 for a machinist. 
Even 12 tenths is 12 times a tenth right?
12 x a tenth = 12×0.0001" = 0.0012"

Where is your extra zero coming from?


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## thedude50

Ok so as it went to the next number you move to the left not to the right that is what is screwing my notation up i keep thinking the 0.01 is one tenth of an inch and 0.001 is one thousandth .0001 is one ten thousandth so then i thought it would be higher or further to the right but i was wrong and your right my other guy told me the same thing it should say the run-out was 0.0012 which is 12 ten-thousandths Thanks for your kindness I will have Daniel edit the article in the morning when he calls with more stuff he wants me to do its 45 am and I am just now done with Saturdays business Thanks for all your help I was less confused when I wrote the original notation off the dial indicator now i want a digital dial indicator it will be easier to use and i wont screw up the math


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## roundguy

I wanted to buy this drill press when I was shopping for one, but for me the min rpm of 400 was too high for me.


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## thedude50

My only concern was using big forstner bits in hard hard wood like maple hard Maple and i went with a full set of Forstner bits from Fish as the disparate the heat better they cut faster and the wave does not get dull or have any trouble since they are such high quality bits they have no trouble up to 3 inches in diameter . I hope the releaves your concerns.


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## LBH

My first LJ post…. Three years since this thread started I'd like to ask recent recent owners if the PM2800B still includes the table extensions. From the pictures, I think not.

Do ya'll still like this machine and do you think it's a good value.

All-the-best

Luke


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## thedude50

The b has the option of the wings I don't know if they come stock the biggest change was in the speed control Although it has not been a problem for me. I like this press a lot I use it several times a week Its a solid performer and The press I want now is the nova DVR Drill press Cant wait for the release as I need two presses in the shop so this should fill my need.


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## JoeLyddon

Hey Dude,

Your Link to the full Review takes me to a DeWalt Miter saw review…

... appears that* your Link is NO GOOD!*


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## LBH

The truck arrives tomorrow to deliver mine. Since ordering I have read some horror stories.

I hope mine works as it would be a PIA to return a 270 lb item.


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