PM lathe guys - help me decide between 1228 and 1236

Upgrading to a 3 Phase Motor & VFD is moderately difficult. That being said, I DID IT & I'm about "dumb as a box of rocks" when it comes to electricity & especially electronics. If/when you get there, feel free to contact me for any assistance I might be able to provide. There are several extremely knowledgeable folks on this PM forum. One will even build a system for you (I do not know the cost.). Really, though, it is not that difficult.

There is a motor wholesaler about 45 minutes from where I live (Delaware) who has the best prices on motors & accessories that I could locate on the web. They were great to work with. Here is a link to the dealer. They carry a direct replacement motor for the 1236.

http://www.electricmotorwholesale.com/

Best to you,
Jerry in Delaware
 
+1 on length of bed.
12x36 is a good middle of the road size lathe.
Two operations you will encounter on the lathe is drilling and reaming, when you add the drill chuck and a reamer to the tailstock they eat up bed length fast.
 
IMHO, if you can afford the 12x36 model, then that would be the way to go.

Disclaimer: I'm only just now getting into the hobby myself, so I'm by no means an expert, but during all the research I've done in the past year or so the one thing I've found that seems most common is to "Go with the biggest machine that you can reasonably afford and you can't go wrong".

Don't forget that there's a bunch of other stuff - tooling, clamps, measuring equipment etc. etc. etc. ad infinitum - that you'll need too. It never ends, there's always somethin' else to shell out the bucks for. Kinda like buying/owning a ski-boat! ;)

On a positive note, the one other common comment that I've found, and have verified through personal experience, is that Matt over at Precision Machine is a dead-straight-shooter who says what he means and does exactly what he says he'll do, and then a little extra on top of that!

It's just incredibly rare for an internet seller to have ZERO negative feedback or bad customer experiences reported, especially considering how long he's been in business. I haven't found that to be the case for any other machinery seller (or, generally, internet sellers of any type, for that matter).

He seems to be goin' at it full-bore 24/7/365 and I can tell you that he's put up with a huge amount of dithering, waffling and mind-changing from me and it doesn't seem to bother him at all. Personally, if I were him, I'd have told me to go jump in a lake a long time ago!

Best wishes and good luck with your purchase,

JP
 
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BFHammer said:
Im getting ready to purchase my first metal lathe. At this point I am close to information overload - I have read every thread and watched every YouTube video I can find.

I'm new to the machining hobby and it is a hobby - it doesn't pay any of the bills. I'm an experienced woodworker and woodturner and have some experience with welding and metal fab. My uses for the lathe will be small projects/parts and really just building my machining skills. I don't do any gunsmithing/barrel work.

My most recent leaning has been to the 1228 first and foremost because of the variable speed and also because I don't need the extra capacity. Although looking at the two packages the outfitted 1228 will essentially be very close in price to the 1236 package.

For you 1228 users what shortcomings does it have - what would you like it to do that it won't or what does it struggle with. Do you find it not rigid or powerful enough for facing, parting, knurling?

For the 1236 guys how much would you prefer VFD (soft start, better control, smoother)? I've seen a lot of threads about converting the 1236 but I really don't want to buy it with an immediate project on the to do list. Not to mention the extra $.

Thanks in advance for your input - all comments are welcome, I have learned so much already here just lurking and reading - looking forward to gaining some experience so maybe I can contribute to the conversation.
Click to expand...

For my money I would always recommend the you buy the biggest (within reason) that will fit in the space available, and the best quality you can afford I would even go so far as to say, come down in size a little if it's still big enough for what you want/need, so as to be able to afford the better quality. If you are looking at a chinese machine compare it with a Taiwanese of the same specs. the Taiwanese Machines are usually much better quality for only a little bit more in cost. Happy shopping.
 
My advise isn't worth much as I am a machining newbie, but I went through the same thought process when I bought my Lathe. I was between the Grizzly 1224 and 1236. At the end of the day I went with the 1236. I was concerned about moving the heavy lathe around, but the difference in weight isn't enough to worry about. It was also a very small cost difference. You can always change the motor in a lathe, put on a nicer chuck, but you can't make it longer. I would get the longer one and not think twice about it...especially after you add tooling to the tailstock. A nice keyless drill chuck with drill bit is gonna eat up a solid 6+ inches of that length alone.
 
BFH, I went back and reviewed the specs on both and although the 1228 is a step up from my 1030, (which I like a lot), I would go with the 1236. I have been trying to decide on which lathe to replace the 1030. I started looking for a home lathe around three years ago and finally up-sized, (with the help of a machinist/gunsmith friend who was very helpful with spending my money, he has a Sharpe 1340), to the 1030. Well they all were right get the biggest you have room for and can afford. I have long since out grown the 1030 and want a larger machine. The 1236 is the smaller of the two I am considering now. I now consider a 1.5" bore minimal for my present needs, (I am looking at the 1440E LB too, not very much info on this one). I will probably get the 1236 if I can get it in a 3 phase configuration, just my preference.

If you get the 1228 with a base, and QCTP only it would be more money than a 1236.

They both will serve you well, especially the longer bedded one, imo.
 
Thanks for all the comments guys. I have been meaning to update this thread.

I opted for the PM1236 which I ordered last month - it seemed to be the best value and my experience with other equipment is that I have ultimately regretted going smaller. Since I was placing an order I went ahead and signed up for a PM-923M mill also. :grin:
They gave me a deal on combined shipping for the two machines so they will be headed my way when the next batch of PM932s arrive - hopefully in the next few weeks.

I'll update when they arrive which is hopefully soon, otherwise I might go broke from "tooling up" in the meantime! :eek 2:
 
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