- Joined
- Dec 7, 2015
- Messages
- 519
I'm new to machining and looking forward to purchasing a PM mill soon. I found this forum and PM mills while doing research on the Grizzly G0759 mill. While I don't have the experience to know better, I see plenty of threads discussing the upgrade to the belt drive system in the PM-25MV vs the plastic gears in the G0759.
Ok. Sold.
But then I discovered the PM-727M. I don't think that I'll actually need the heavier duty mill for the things I want to make (precision spinning tops, small air/steam engines, maybe a few clocks) but on the other hand- purchasing the heavier duty mill now could reasonably cover my needs for a very long time into the future. However, I notice that the PM-727M is a gear driven system.
So again, not having any actual experience in this area, I'm reaching out for some advice on these two mills. I'm pretty sure that the smaller PM-25MV will perfectly suit my needs and apparently the belt drive is smooth and enjoyable to work with. On the other hand the heavier duty PM-727M being just about the exact same capacity, yet heavier duty, could be a future-proof investment as I grow into machining. But it's not belt driven...
Can you guys shed some light on this for me? Is the belt drive the way to go? Is there good reason to buy the heavier mill even when the lighter mill will probably fit my needs perfectly? Ultimately, the $300 difference seems like a no brainer to me to go bigger, yet I lose the belt drive- and I don't know if that's a big loss or not. Thanks for any insight!
[EDIT]- Also, considering that I'm new to machining, perhaps the belt drive in the 25MV would save me some stripped gears in the 727M since I'm a newbie and will likely at some point do something dumb out of ignorance. Is that a reasonable thought?
Ok. Sold.
But then I discovered the PM-727M. I don't think that I'll actually need the heavier duty mill for the things I want to make (precision spinning tops, small air/steam engines, maybe a few clocks) but on the other hand- purchasing the heavier duty mill now could reasonably cover my needs for a very long time into the future. However, I notice that the PM-727M is a gear driven system.
So again, not having any actual experience in this area, I'm reaching out for some advice on these two mills. I'm pretty sure that the smaller PM-25MV will perfectly suit my needs and apparently the belt drive is smooth and enjoyable to work with. On the other hand the heavier duty PM-727M being just about the exact same capacity, yet heavier duty, could be a future-proof investment as I grow into machining. But it's not belt driven...
Can you guys shed some light on this for me? Is the belt drive the way to go? Is there good reason to buy the heavier mill even when the lighter mill will probably fit my needs perfectly? Ultimately, the $300 difference seems like a no brainer to me to go bigger, yet I lose the belt drive- and I don't know if that's a big loss or not. Thanks for any insight!
[EDIT]- Also, considering that I'm new to machining, perhaps the belt drive in the 25MV would save me some stripped gears in the 727M since I'm a newbie and will likely at some point do something dumb out of ignorance. Is that a reasonable thought?