Pm-1228vf-lb

I own an 1127Vf - the chuck is indeed a bolt-on. I hated it at first, but I change between the 3- and 4-jaw all the time and I've gotten good at it. i can change chucks in about a minute. The procedure is to loosen all the nuts a good bit, slide the chuck out so you have more room between the chuck studs aand headstock. Use a dental hook tool - spin the nut off, grab nut and washer with the tool. Installation is the reverse - put chuck in half way, start all nuts and washers, seat the chuck, tighten the nuts. It really isn't so bad.

My Sharp 1118H has a cam-lock chuck. It has the disadvantage of only being properly mounted for forward OR reverse rotation. I turn in reverse frequently for some pocketing operations as it is much easier to see what's happening on the far side.
 
gheumann said:
...My Sharp 1118H has a cam-lock chuck. It has the disadvantage of only being properly mounted for forward OR reverse rotation. ...
Click to expand...

I don't think I follow you there, gheumann. Is there another direction besides forward and reverse?
 
The PM1228 is a Sieg SC10, it is the larger cousin of the SC8 sold by DroPros.
I have an SC8 that I purchased months ago that I finally was able to get up on the bench and cleaned 3 weeks ago.
I still plan to do an in depth review of the lathe here after I get back from vacation in several weeks.

There are a lot of very good points about the SC8, but the speed controller is not one of them.
As a person who routinely removes guards from my machinery, I regard the speed controller on the Sieg as a serious safety issue.
There is no way to change the speed before start up. So, if for example, you decide to clamp some irregular object to the faceplate, run the lathe with out the faceplate to make sure the speed is not sitting at 2000 RPM. It spins up pretty fast and the controller is very slow to operate.
The PM1228 is still probably a better route to go if you plan to move a chuck from the lathe to the mill, then back to the lathe again. There is no taper on the SC8, and I assume no taper on the PM1127. The SC8 chuck fits loose enough that you can just feel the play between the spindle nose and the chuck, so it will never go back on where you took it off. On the other hand, the D-8 spindle on the SC10 is expensive, and the Morris taper appears to be very true on the SC8.

I plan to replace the speed controller with knobs as soon as I can get around to researching it. Not only do I distrust the reliability, it is a true safety hazard, inconvenient, and irritating. I regard it as nothing more than a sales gimmick. If you buy the SC8 or SC10 (PM1228), I suggest you make plans to retrofit something with knobs immediately. It might be possible to add a "set to 100rpm" button, dunno.
The speed sensor is on the motor itself, not the spindle, so you can get slower or faster speeds by replacing the sheaves, which I also plan to do. The spindle sheave on mine has nearly 1/8" of wobble. It appears that there is enough room and the tensioner roller is wide enough to make replacement step pulleys that are +/-30% or so from factory, which would expand the speed range to 70 - 2600, slow enough for threading to a shoulder and fast enough for carbide tooling.

Sorry I have been too busy lately to get the lathe up and running and write the review. I will also make a thread on the inexpensive and very sturdy bench I made for it. Like I said, there is some very good things about the Sieg SC8 (and some are shared with the SC10), and a few bad things.
 
joshua,

I’m looking forward to your in depth review. When you do it, please include two items regarding the speed controller safety issue that you mentioned. When you stop it with the emergency stop, does it not restart at 100 rpm by default? And, if you turn the selector switch on the control panel to neutral, can you not start the motor and adjust the speed without the spindle turning?

My relabeled SC4 has similar controls and does both of those things. Not the most efficient way of changing speed "offline", but it does overcome the safety issue. I’m curious if SIEG changed the operating characteristics for the SC8. And would like to hear from Franko about the PM1228 controls.

Tom
 
higgite said:
joshua,

I’m looking forward to your in depth review. When you do it, please include two items regarding the speed controller safety issue that you mentioned. When you stop it with the emergency stop, does it not restart at 100 rpm by default? And, if you turn the selector switch on the control panel to neutral, can you not start the motor and adjust the speed without the spindle turning?

My relabeled SC4 has similar controls and does both of those things. Not the most efficient way of changing speed "offline", but it does overcome the safety issue. I’m curious if SIEG changed the operating characteristics for the SC8. And would like to hear from Franko about the PM1228 controls.

Tom
Click to expand...

I just went and looked at it. It does indeed operate as you have stated.
Turning off the lathe via the emergency switch or via the lathe/mill selector switch does re-set the RPM to 100.
I feel much better about the controls now, thank you.

I have not actually put the lathe into service yet. I found a broken part during cleaning, and the lathe is currently partially dis-assembled. Full details will be in the review, I will just say at this point that DroPros handled it extremely well (as we expect), and Sieg exceeded my expectations on how they handled it. Service and support had been one of my concerns. As far as I know DroPros is the only SC8 dealer in North America, and QMT is the only SC10 dealer in the USA. Sieg came through pretty impressively.

-Josh
 
That's how my mill works. It only allows speed change while it is running. If you want to slow it down, it has to spin up to the last set speed first before you can reduce speed. When you first boot it up, the default speed is 100 rpm.

I don't have any plans to modify the 1228 until I get it and see how it performs. If it is like everything else I own, I'll probably make some modifications, eventually. Although, I haven't done much to my mill or the G4000. Power feed and DROs on the mill and a upgraded compound mount on the lathe.
 
I buckled. I had funds earmarked to add a DRO to the PM25 being delivered with the PM-1127VFLB I ordered,
but as no pre-installed 3 axis was slated to be available until much later this year I opted to use the funds to
step up to this lathe. As of 30 minutes ago there was one left in this batch...
 
Well, if they are almost out, that must mean there was a batch to start with; good news. I'm not nearly as worried about the speed controls as I am the lack of switch at the apron; the lathe I've used until now has a really convenient lever at the apron base to crank the spindle on/off, so you don't have to reach across the spindle/swarf all the time. Rigging up some sort of remote switch over there may be the first modification I'll make.

The lathe may cost a good bit more than the PM1127 (stand costs more, and no 4-jaw chuck, so the 'real' price differential is probably closer to 500$ for those of us starting out) I suspect most of us buyers were previously considering, but PM does at least have a decent deal on the quick change tool post set you can get with the machine, to the tune of about fifty bucks less than I've been able to find elsewhere. My expectation is that extra 2HP and cam lock spindle will greatly stretch the utility of the machine, effectively making it a 12x36 with a chopped bed. With a few functional improvements like spiders, taper device, toolpost Foredom mount, quick-retract AXA tool holder, and a dog clutch (if possible), the thing should be quite versatile. At least for my modest needs.

TCB
 
Dan_Austin said:
I buckled. I had funds earmarked to add a DRO to the PM25 being delivered with the PM-1127VFLB I ordered,
but as no pre-installed 3 axis was slated to be available until much later this year I opted to use the funds to
step up to this lathe. As of 30 minutes ago there was one left in this batch...
Click to expand...
I just called this afternoon to change from the 1127 to 1228 as well. Nicole said there were two more left, when I spoke to her. :)
I'm excited to get the lathe and my new PM25 mill as well! Sounds like it will only be a matter of a few weeks before both of them arrive. I've waited for years to get them, so tens of days more waiting seems pretty doable. :)
The DRO will have to wait for me too. I'll let the dust settle before buying that.
 
Everyone is talking about these 1228 lathes but I cannot find any pricing or pics of them on QMT site.
I'd like to see one from different angles, specs and pricing before I actually talk to someone.
In other words, I want to see it in writing before I buy. Anyone on a phone call can say what you want to hear about something but when you actually get it, it is not what they said it was.
Been down that road to many times and return shipping is a pain.
 
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