Rich,
This model is extremely popular; about the same as the 1236 and 1340GT. It's one of the better selling models and is common with prototype shops.
The one that PM carries is not the same and does not come from the same factory as the ones that other popular distributors sell; if that were the case, the order would be fulfilled by now. Matt orders these in quantity from the original factory that started making this design -they have a much better quality product. Sadly, the last batch he got from them had a defect and they were rejected. These units have grade 7 bearings, not grade 5... other things too... The copy that is commonly sold by other places is a joke compared to this machine.
If you want a 1236 to make up for your troubles, it's yours for the asking. -And if you feel the Grim Reaper doesn't want you to work on this lathe, you can indeed cancel the order... No questions asked...
Ray...
Thanks for the offer of the 1236, but I really want electronic speed control. I watched the video on Matt's site of the 1236 and it looked like changing spindle speeds was a struggle there. Plus it just is not as good of a fit as the 1127 will be where I am planning to put it. I looked at the specs and reviews of a LOT of lathes when I was considering buying this thing, and the PM-1127VF-LB I ordered seemed to be as close to ideal as I could find. That has not changed. So if I am going to get ANY lathe, this is the one I want.
I guess maybe the best thing for me to do is to just forget about this and just wait it out. Like I said, I don't have any real pressing immediate need for this thing. I just made up my mind that I WANT it. I presume that if I am out of town for a spell whenever it comes in, Matt will just hold onto mine and ship when I am back home. Since there is effectively NO ETA for this thing, I can't put the rest of my life on hold over it.
If things change on my end concerning changed priorities or health issues, well, I'll just cross that bridge when I get to it.
Thanks for your help and advice.