New Guy looking to buy pm1340gt

[JBowlin]

Hello folks, been lurking and reading here for a while. I've had a Central Machinery 12x36 lathe for several years now and have done some good work with it, but I have decided to get a more precise slightly larger machine to start doing some gun work. I've been looking at the PM1236 and a few grizzly models but after talking to Matt at PM yesterday he has me thinking real hard about the Taiwan made pm1340gt. I wanted to see what the general consensus was on this machine and is the Tawain lathe a noticeable difference over the 1236 or 1440 Chinese lathe? Just trying to make an informed decision as I sold my 12x36 CM yesterday and need to get a new one on the way asap.

Also on the 1340gt, if I go that route I'll be ordering it with the preferred package. Those who have done that how's the 3 jaw chuck? How is the tawain 4 jaw that's optional ?

Thanks in advance and sorry for the long winded post right out of the gate.

JB

 

[marcusp323]

Very happy with mine after 2 years. Use it almost daily for something. Might want to read up on other people's layouts , wiring, accessories, etc on the forum, but don't think you'd be disappointed buying a 1340GT. Can't comment on the chucks, as mine came with & aren't the higher quality ones offered now. Not a big deal, I just bought a few others, some high end & some not so much.
You'll get the benefit of the revamped stand too. Just got done reinforcing mine & it's a lot more solid now. Harmonics don't show up with the "frequency" they did before. I'm sure they're still present, but not as noticeable.
Mark

 

[mksj]

Precision work is more operator than machine, but having a better machine goes a long way to making it a lot easier. If you already have a 1236, then I do not feel the PM1236 would offer anything significantly better. I have had my 1340Gt for about 2 1/2 years and it is very easy to do precise work on it. The fit and finish is amazing at this price range. I have used several other Chinese lathes/mills, and can do precise work with them, but they do not compare to the 1340GT in overall use/quality. The same holds true for the newer Taiwanese chucks, I have the new 4J independent and it compares with my Bison chucks. A Bison will cost twice as much, the Gator chucks would be a step down in my opinion. The QMT 4J is the first chuck that I have seen that has balance weights on the inside, it runs very smoothly. I believe QMT is also selling a Set-Tru Taiwanese chuck that another PM1340GT owner purchased and he is very happy with the quality and performance. A Set-Tru chuck gives you better repeat clamping accuracy for a scroll chuck, so worth looking at if you are upgrading your machine. As mentioned above, the newer stand is much improved so overall a great machine.

 

[sanddan]

My experience is similar to yours. I started with an ENCO 12x36 lathe, which is very similar if not the exact same machine as the CM, and then stepped up to the PM1340GT.

The biggest difference I noticed is the general fit and finish is a lot better. The handle on the Enco tail stock wobbled when I turned it, it was either bent or more likely poorly machined. Most controls were functional but sloppy making operation vague sometimes. It did run very smooth and had minimal runout in the 3 jaw chuck but the chuck didn't have flip-able jaws but instead had 2 sets that could be swapped.

Neither lathe stand is great as delivered. I reinforced the Enco stand by welding up a base with the leveling feet spread out for a more stable base and the columns didn't have any usable storage. It appears the newest version of the PM stand has been improved for more stiffness and added 2 more leveling feet locations, which is fantastic, but still has minimal storage. Typical for lathes in this size so not a deal breaker in any way.

3 phase is a major improvement if you go with that and a VFD. See Mark (mksj) for details as he helped me and many others on the site get their's up and running.

It's hard to say if the extra cost is worth the improvements for you but it was for me. I find running a quality machine is very enjoyable and worth the cost premium.

 

[JBowlin]

Thanks for the replies guys, Ordered it earlier today with the stand, 3 jaw, 4 jaw and Aloris QCTP. Should be here first of next week and I can start getting it set up. I opted to not go with vfd option for now, but may do that down the road. I had a vfd on my 9x20 several years ago and loved it, but changing speeds on that one was no where near as easy as the 12x36. I do miss the soft start and instant braking though. I probably make a tool holder rack like I've seen a few times in the threads and I've got a lot of tooling to buy for gunsmithing so vfd is definitely on back burner.

 

[marcusp323]

I sense a spider project coming soon after you get it................

 

[davidpbest]

I started with an Emco-Maier Maximat V10P (swiss made) which is a super nice toolroom lathe, but not very rigid (I think it weighed about 350 pounds). Ordered the PM1340 about a year ago, upgraded it to VFD with new motor with the help of Mark Jacobs (mksj) and I love this lathe. I'm really fussy about fit/finish and quality of workmanship, and I'm really glad I got the Taiwanese lathe.

I did order the preferred package and also had Matt upgrade the 3-jaw to a Set-Tru type with two-piece jaws which is every bit in the league of a Buck or Bison in terms of quality. The 4J is very fine also - no hesitation recommending these.

Keep us posted on your progress.

 

[Kiwi Canuck]

Thanks for the replies guys, Ordered it earlier today with the stand, 3 jaw, 4 jaw and Aloris QCTP. Should be here first of next week and I can start getting it set up. I opted to not go with vfd option for now, but may do that down the road. I had a vfd on my 9x20 several years ago and loved it, but changing speeds on that one was no where near as easy as the 12x36. I do miss the soft start and instant braking though. I probably make a tool holder rack like I've seen a few times in the threads and I've got a lot of tooling to buy for gunsmithing so vfd is definitely on back burner.

JBowlin, welcome to the forum, great choice on the new lathe.

Nice that you are able to get yours so quickly, good timing on your part to order one while QMT have some available.

I can't comment on the chucks or even the lathe as mine is still sitting in a factory in Taiwan waiting for the mill to be completed so they can be shipped together to Canada.

David.

 

[tmarks11]

Buy quality, cry once. Buy cheap, cry a thousand times.

I think you will be happy with your choice.

...had Matt upgrade the 3-jaw to a Set-Tru type with two-piece jaws which is every bit in the league of a Buck or Bison in terms of quality

Does that have 3 or 4 centering screws on it?

 

[davidpbest]

A few users have asked me to post more info on the upgraded chucks. So here you go.

This is the 3-jaw Set-Tru chuck from Matt that I mentioned as on par with a Buck or Bison. It comes with a tightly fitted D1-4 backplate which needs to be turned down about 0.005" OD on the flange to enable the chuck TIR to be adjusted via four set screws around the perimeter. I haven't done a teardown yet, haven't felt the need, but will probably do so in the next few weeks to clean and dry lube it with Moly:

And this shows the same chuck with a Monsterjaws.com soft jaw attached in place of one of the as-supplied steel jaws:

Here are photos of the Preferred Package 8-inch 4J chuck:

And the two chucks side by side:

And this is my ER40 collet chuck with D1-4 backing - my new best friend:

Hope this helps.