PM-833TV and PM-1340GT Delivery Today

I thought I'd updated everyone on my progress. I have the mill nearly squared away. I opted for the self install on the DROs, so I've spent many hours now having fun with that. I've had to machine two brackets to mount them appropriately. The Z bracket is final, but I'll have to machine a new Y bracket. I machined a small piece of aluminum that I coupled with two of the other brackets that came with the machine to get the Y functional. A bit of a pain. I'm really curious to know how PM installs these when you pay the $400 fee. I also got the X and Z power feeds installed. Everything seems to be working well.

For anyone with a PM-833T/TV, how hot does your spindle get on higher RPMs? At ~2000 RPM the spindle is hot to the touch, but not so hot I can't hold my hand on it. At 3000+ RPM it gets hot enough that it's uncomfortable to touch for more than a moment. Seems that this is probably out of spec... The manual says this:

Especially during the first 10 hours of running time check that the spindle runs smoothly, without excessive heat build up (the spindle will run warm when used at high speeds over long periods, but should not be uncomfortably hot). Overheating can be due to excessive grease, see above, or an overtight spanner nut at the upper end of the spindle. Call Precision Matthews for guidance.

So maybe the spanner nut is a little too tight...

The lathe is on its stands and waiting for some love (and a vast amount of cosmoline cleaning). Beyond the normal setup/alignment I have the DRO to install and the whole VFD cabinet to put together (and controls to rewire). I imagine it'll be a while before the lathe is up and running!
 
That is too hot. Typically a surface temp of about 120-130f is normal. At that temperature, you should be able to hold your hand on there without feeling like you are getting burned. At 140f, you won’t be able to hold your hand on there for more than a few seconds. You can try loosening the preload slightly, it might not take much, then run it again and see how the temperature changes. Make sure you let it completely cool in between test runs so you are getting a valid comparison.

You can try spinning the spindle by hand and see how much rotation you get before and after adjustment to give you an idea of how much you have adjusted it. Preload is a balance between rigidity at low speeds and ability to run at high speeds, so you don’t want to go too loose for high speed operation that you take away all the heat increase since that will reduce your rigidity at low speeds.
 
PM-1340GT Lathe Update
I got the lathe up and running last night and turned my first chips today. This was my first time using a metal lathe ever... and boy is it fun! As I stated earlier I had opted for the 3-phase version of the machine with a VFD install. I studied the heck out of Mark's schematics and enclosure documents along with the lathe's control board schematics that are found towards the end of the manual to fully understand how the circuits were working and how I would need to wire things up. I opted for the two way jog joystick with 2-stage braking. Everything went very well. The VFD and all of the controls work as expected. A big thanks to Mark Jacobs for all of the excellent information he has put out there on the VFD conversion... I would not have attempted the VFD conversion if it weren't for the information he has put out there. I am extremely pleased with the VFD option. The jogging, braking, and speed control at the twist of a knob are wonderful to have. Thanks again Mark!

I still have the DRO to install. Looks like that will be a bit of a chore given the optimal place for the scale on the carriage blocks the use of the cross slide set screw lock. I really like sanddan's solution, so I'll probably do something similar (unless someone else has some ideas I should see):

http://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/installing-dro-on-pm-1340-gt.48653/


cheers,
Craig
 
WOW that was quick to get the VFD done.

Take your time on the DRO install it's not too bad, I did the same install and had the cutout to operate the cross slide lock bolt.

You will need an extension for your drill bit and tap for the mounting block for the read head on the cross slide though.

I have some photos of my install, not awesome but hopefully you will get another perspective.

www.hobby-machinist.com

New Member From Langley Bc Ready To Start Lathe & Mill Shopping

I build model airplanes and often take 3-4 years to complete one. Always great to see a thread finished.
www.hobby-machinist.com www.hobby-machinist.com

PS The DRO install starts on page 15 but I see a few photos are not showing up for some reason.

David.
 
Hi Craig,

Glad it all worked out for you, the VFD is a real game changer on the lathes.

I prefer to add the cross slide lock to the other side using the follow rest mounting bolts. No fumbling for wrenches and very easy to adjust, I end replacing all the allen locking screws with level locks.
www.hobby-machinist.com

ERL-1340 Cross Slide Lock for DRO Equipped Lathes

Often when doing tight tolerance work one needs to lock the cross slide to get consistent diameters along the length of the cut. My ERL-1340 was fairly tight when new, but over time I did noticed slight shifts in the cross slide position from my original setting. I am using glass scales, and I...
www.hobby-machinist.com www.hobby-machinist.com

Mark
 
Thanks Mark. I had seen a post with the lock on the other side like you have done.... the post had commented about using the steady rest mounting holes for the bracket... I think they meant to say the follower rest... and from your link above it looks like you simply remove the lock if you need to use the follower rest.... excellent. I was hesitant to use this solution because it blocked the follower rest, but as you point out, simply remove the lock if needed. Good stuff. I'll use this solution instead!
 
Hey Craig,

Glad you got it all up an running. You might want to check out what I did for the DRO install on the 1340. I wanted the magnetic scales on the X and Z pointing face down, and also wanted to integrate a drag-chain into the setup for the cabling and Fogbuster air/coolant supply to the cross slide. It's all documented here, including how I dealt with the carriage locking screw. Now that I've had it in use for four years, I'm thankful I took a little extra time to get the DRO mounted the way it is.
 
I put my cross slide lock on the headstock side, too. I also used 3M 9495MP tape for the cross slide and tailstock rather than screws. I figured I'd try that first to see how well it held before drilling a tapping. It's been well over a year and no issues.
 
Congratulations Craig.
I know we would love to see your new machine tools set up in your shop. Pics please.
You mentioned, this is the first time running a lathe.
Please be aware, you have a gear head lathe. They are not forgiving when it comes to their operation. They are powerful machines.
Please be aware of the lathe safety rules.
There are plenty of videos on Youtube.
Have fun and be careful.

Gavin does a good job with this video.
 
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