I would like to know where you found the leveling pads for your custom stand that i would like to copy. I am about to order a pm45 from Matt and your stand looks like it would work nice to raise it up a little. One more question is what are the two holes in the center for? One is .625 and the other is 1.375 with no specs. on location. Thanks for any info. Can't wait to get mine.
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My PM45M-PDF
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- Dec 13, 2012
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- 466
The holes in the center are drilled to match the holes in the base of the mill. Being Chinese they might not be the same from base to base. Will's going to have to tell you where he got the feet.
MCMASTER is a good place to find them though.
I'm getting a mill from this batch also. They've just cleared customs.
Gary
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- Nov 27, 2012
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- 7,852
Re: My First Mill - PM45M-PDF
Gary is correct. I have two of these stands & neither one of them have their mounting holes drilled the same. I used a 5/8" bolts to bolt the base to the stand hence the .625". The 1.375" hole is for the bottom to allow the bolt to fit through & enough room for a socket to hold the bolt when tightening. The two holes can be whatever size you choose. You could also just use a really long bolt to secure it to the whole tube but I didn't like that idea.
With the dimensions I made the tubes & drilling in the center of them, the holes will not line up perfectly with the holes in the stand. My dimensions were based on how much I wanted them to overhang the sides on the stand. I don't have any pics showing how much overhang I have but I can take some if you want. I made it with 1/4" overhang all around. I did not list the location of the holes because it will vary on different stands as Gary mentioned. I just made the location close to the center of the cutout & made new holes.
Here's how it looks from the bottom.
You'll also need to fill in the gap between the plate & the base, otherwise it will bend when tightening the bolts. I made spacers like this (don't mind the dolley, this is for the other stand I'm using for something else):
The mounts I used are by Mason Industries p/n MLS-1000. Realistically the MLS-500s are within spec for this mill but I prefer the MLS-1000 & I don't have deflection issues. They're always on sale at Enco & you'll also get a quantity discount if you buy 4 or more. There's free shipping right good till 2/28 for orders over $49, use code LVHVS. I also use the same ones on my lathe & air compressor. When I originally had 8 of the MLS-1000 I did have delefection issues.
In case anyone is curious about larger diameter mounts, I have a set of MLS-2000s & they're way too big for anything I would ever own. When using rubber mounts you really should buy the size according to the weight requirements to work properly.
MLS-2000 on the left, MLS-1000 on the right:
Missed this post. Curious how those would work out & I can see the advantage of having knobs. The 4 lobes would work great since they provide better grip. I really like the knobs from Mcmaster. I use them on everything I can. I usually buy phenolic knobs but the ones with the comfort grip are nice too. The knob for my power feed was a two lobe & I really hated it. Replaced it with a 3 lobe comfort grip & it feels so much better now. Just wish they had smaller diameter ones.
You can see a glimpse of it here:
Gary is correct. I have two of these stands & neither one of them have their mounting holes drilled the same. I used a 5/8" bolts to bolt the base to the stand hence the .625". The 1.375" hole is for the bottom to allow the bolt to fit through & enough room for a socket to hold the bolt when tightening. The two holes can be whatever size you choose. You could also just use a really long bolt to secure it to the whole tube but I didn't like that idea.
With the dimensions I made the tubes & drilling in the center of them, the holes will not line up perfectly with the holes in the stand. My dimensions were based on how much I wanted them to overhang the sides on the stand. I don't have any pics showing how much overhang I have but I can take some if you want. I made it with 1/4" overhang all around. I did not list the location of the holes because it will vary on different stands as Gary mentioned. I just made the location close to the center of the cutout & made new holes.
Here's how it looks from the bottom.
You'll also need to fill in the gap between the plate & the base, otherwise it will bend when tightening the bolts. I made spacers like this (don't mind the dolley, this is for the other stand I'm using for something else):
The mounts I used are by Mason Industries p/n MLS-1000. Realistically the MLS-500s are within spec for this mill but I prefer the MLS-1000 & I don't have deflection issues. They're always on sale at Enco & you'll also get a quantity discount if you buy 4 or more. There's free shipping right good till 2/28 for orders over $49, use code LVHVS. I also use the same ones on my lathe & air compressor. When I originally had 8 of the MLS-1000 I did have delefection issues.
In case anyone is curious about larger diameter mounts, I have a set of MLS-2000s & they're way too big for anything I would ever own. When using rubber mounts you really should buy the size according to the weight requirements to work properly.
MLS-2000 on the left, MLS-1000 on the right:
Missed this post. Curious how those would work out & I can see the advantage of having knobs. The 4 lobes would work great since they provide better grip. I really like the knobs from Mcmaster. I use them on everything I can. I usually buy phenolic knobs but the ones with the comfort grip are nice too. The knob for my power feed was a two lobe & I really hated it. Replaced it with a 3 lobe comfort grip & it feels so much better now. Just wish they had smaller diameter ones.
You can see a glimpse of it here:
Attachments
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- Nov 27, 2012
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Congrats! I have the same exact setup & I'm very happy with it.
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- Nov 16, 2012
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- 5,596
Hi...
When I got the PM45 a few years ago, I checked tram from sided-to-side and front-to-back and it was within +/- 0.00015".
Last year, I checked it again -and it didn't change much... There's not a lot you can do to change tram on these style of mills but in all honesty, the vast majority of your problems will be due to clamping and vise problems. If the tram were twice as far off as it is, that would still be the least of my concerns. Vises, clamping and warpage et. al is where the battle is fought.
Ray
When I got the PM45 a few years ago, I checked tram from sided-to-side and front-to-back and it was within +/- 0.00015".
Last year, I checked it again -and it didn't change much... There's not a lot you can do to change tram on these style of mills but in all honesty, the vast majority of your problems will be due to clamping and vise problems. If the tram were twice as far off as it is, that would still be the least of my concerns. Vises, clamping and warpage et. al is where the battle is fought.
Ray
- Joined
- Nov 27, 2012
- Messages
- 7,852
I trammed only the head since I had to remove it. Nod is not adjustable on this mill & is one of the only few things I don't like about the mill. I have not checked the column yet but in order to adjust it you'll need a hoist & shims.