PM 728VT question

[yota]

new member here. retired and got a sudden urge to tinker with metal. picked up a 1953 South Bend 9A lathe about a year and a half ago and now I'm looking for a mill to play with. no milling experience. my question: at 1hp with belt drive and variable speed does the 728VT have enough power and weight? I will likely be playing with small projects at first but may end up doing more, esp to do with restoring old machinery which sometimes need parts made and also may end up trying to make accessories out of mostly aluminum but possibly some stainless for marine use (I live on the gulf coast of florida). I just used a lot of words like "may" and "might" so we'll see how it goes.

at age 68 I won't be doing any CNC conversions so that is not a consideration for me at this age I don't want to regret my purchase and need to upgrade in a couple of years. I like the VT728 as it is made in Taiwan and not china. it also has some nice features. but, I wonder if I would be better off with a gearhead mill in the 2 hp range. more weight for stability, more power and I don't think the lower speeds would be an issue?

although I love old machinery I do not want a Bridgeport or anything that big. I have the room but just don't want to deal with it.

I've done a LOT of reading on this but I welcome your input. thanks.

 

[Aukai]

I have a Grizzly G0755, I like that it has a slightly bigger work area. I have a 4" vise toward one end, and I'm able to clamp other work on the other area without disturbing, and having to re tram the vise. That's my feeling on size.

 

[T Bredehoft]

I'm a retired Tool & Die Maker, purchased a PM25 mill a few years ago and haven't yet found a job too big for it. Granted I'm not rebuilding a Steam Locomotive, but I have worked pieces 18" long on it. I have encountered small problems with moving the head up and down, but with the square column I don't loose X-Y zero, just time. I would expect you won't have any problems with normal sized pieces.

 

[yota]

I have a Grizzly G0755, I like that it has a slightly bigger work area. I have a 4" vise toward one end, and I'm able to clamp other work on the other area without disturbing, and having to re tram the vise. That's my feeling on size.

that looks like a very capable mill. on back order like most.

 

[mksj]

Need to think of the work envelope that you need and travel. Two key factors often is the Y travel (you can loose another inch or more from the DRO scale), and sometime even more with a larger vise. The other important factor is the maximum table height to spindle, this is can be a real issue if trying to tap or tooling/chucks that reduce the available height. I have a full size knee and I am constantly maxing out both of these axis and my parts are not that large.

Quite a few people tend to go with the 833-TV which has a Y travel of 11" and a maximum spindle to table height of 21.5" which is getting close to that of the knee but with a smaller foot print. Good speed range, although it is a single speed belt drive which limits the low speed torque. Cranking the head on these heavier bench tops is a real chore so probably consider X and Z motor drives. You can also get by with a bigger vise on the table, all comes down to the type of work you plan to do.

 

[yota]

I'm a retired Tool & Die Maker, purchased a PM25 mill a few years ago and haven't yet found a job too big for it. Granted I'm not rebuilding a Steam Locomotive, but I have worked pieces 18" long on it. I have encountered small problems with moving the head up and down, but with the square column I don't loose X-Y zero, just time. I would expect you won't have any problems with normal sized pieces.

coming from a tool and die maker that is very reassuring. thanks!

 

[yota]

Need to think of the work envelope that you need and travel. Two key factors often is the Y travel (you can loose another inch or more from the DRO scale), and sometime even more with a larger vise. The other important factor is the maximum table height to spindle, this is can be a real issue if trying to tap or tooling/chucks that reduce the available height. I have a full size knee and I am constantly maxing out both of these axis and my parts are not that large.

Quite a few people tend to go with the 833-TV which has a Y travel of 11" and a maximum spindle to table height of 21.5" which is getting close to that of the knee but with a smaller foot print. Good speed range, although it is a single speed belt drive which limits the low speed torque. Cranking the head on these heavier bench tops is a real chore so probably consider X and Z motor drives. You can also get by with a bigger vise on the table, all comes down to the type of work you plan to do.

good point. I looked at the 883 models, by the time you add the power feeds it is quite a bit over what I want to spend. The 932M looks interesting and comes with power X and Z for 2650.00 but PM told me over the phone that they have no idea when they will get any of their chinese mills in stock. they have at least heard from their Taiwanese supplier and are guessing end of august (for now). thanks.

 

[yota]

any feedback from those who own the 728VT?

 

[SRay53TxTn]

Yota,
I am 60+/retired and wanted to have a lathe and mill in my 1/2 side of my garage - Wife won't give up her garage real estate. I was also limited to 120v so I opted for a PM 1228LB lathe to start with and a year later added the PM728VT mill. These are both my first pieces of equipment for my hobby area and am learning every day and having immense amounts of fun.
I thought about the PM25, however, due to a retirement package payout and selling some old car parts I stepped up to the PM728 after lots of research and conversations with Precision Matthews folks. I have had no issues with the mill on any of the projects and pieces that I've milled on it and very precise for my needs. I have to check my speeds and cutting rates on certain materials, however, great bench mill for my needs and skill level.
Here's a pic of them both in the back corner of my garage. I really spend a lot of time there and am enjoying the heck out of both lathe & mill.

Can get more pics and/or measurements if you need them.
Have fun!

 

[yota]

SRay, great set up you have, very organized. what do you think of the stand for the 728VT? I watched a you tube vid and the guy says not to buy the stand as it is tippy or something to that effect. I was thinking of welding up a stand out of angle iron if that is the case.