Precision Matthews PM-935TV Is Ordered

[mameola]

Well, it is official. I just placed my order for a Precision Matthews PM-935TV and unbelievably, it is in stock. I was told that my timing on this purchase was impeccable, so no long drawn out stories about a 12 to 16 week back-order wait. This thing should ship out next week. I am excited but it does not come without the pain of paying the price for a new machine and accessories.

Some might ask, why Precision Matthews. For me it all boiled down to purchasing something new, verses rolling the bone on a used Bridgeport Series 1. I spent hours upon hours searching for the illusive mill I wanted, but it turned out to be tougher than I really thought it would be. Some were nicer than others, but all were old and without traveling many miles just to evaluate them, there was no telling how worn they really were. I just could not come to grips with the unknown. I even considered going with a refurbished BP mill or go through one of those used machine dealers, but in the end, I just did not trust the process. For me, it turned out to be more valuable to pay almost four times what I was planning on spending for a used BP mill for new price of equipment. I will call it peace of mind.

Items Purchased:
PM-935TV Milling Machine
DRO
ALIGN X, Y and Z Axis Power Feed
Power Drawbar
1/64 - 1/2 Ultra Precision Keyless Drill Chuck
Ultra Precision 11 Pc. R-8 Collet Set
52 Pc. Clamping Kit

Photos of receiving and setup to follow.

 

[Dabbler]

You won't need any upgrades on that package! Nice score!

 

[skcncx]

In stock, ready to ship is sure nice to hear!

I've been on the wait list for a 1340 GT since Oct 2022.... it's been delayed another month, so hopefully end of August now!

No doubt there are good deals to be had, timing & location has never been in my favor. Paying more for new and known condition could ward off many hours and cost of parts when re-building an older piece of equipment. My neighbor paid $800 for a Bridgeport and the seller delivered it for free... but then the re-build and sourcing parts started. It's funny, in conversations he'll say he only paid $800, what a deal (and it was!) but then never accounts for all the other purchases and time to get it up to snuff. No fault to anyone, I do the same psychology and when I convince my wife it was such a good deal .

 

[CaZMaN]

I ordered a 949-TV back in... uhhh.... sometime near 2017. I *LOVE* this machine. For my hobby needs, this is a fantastic work envelope, fine rigidity & HP. Did 3ph + VFD. I decked out like you did - all 3 power feeds, DRO, power drawbar (later - when I realized how short I am and how tall this machine is), etc. Using this mill is a joy.

 

[verbotenwhisky]

Well, it is official. I just placed my order for a Precision Matthews PM-935TV and unbelievably, it is in stock. I was told that my timing on this purchase was impeccable, so no long drawn out stories about a 12 to 16 week back-order wait. This thing should ship out next week. I am excited but it does not come without the pain of paying the price for a new machine and accessories.

Some might ask, why Precision Matthews. For me it all boiled down to purchasing something new, verses rolling the bone on a used Bridgeport Series 1. I spent hours upon hours searching for the illusive mill I wanted, but it turned out to be tougher than I really thought it would be. Some were nicer than others, but all were old and without traveling many miles just to evaluate them, there was no telling how worn they really were. I just could not come to grips with the unknown. I even considered going with a refurbished BP mill or go through one of those used machine dealers, but in the end, I just did not trust the process. For me, it turned out to be more valuable to pay almost four times what I was planning on spending for a used BP mill for new price of equipment. I will call it peace of mind.

Items Purchased:
PM-935TV Milling Machine
DRO
ALIGN X, Y and Z Axis Power Feed
Power Drawbar
1/64 - 1/2 Ultra Precision Keyless Drill Chuck
Ultra Precision 11 Pc. R-8 Collet Set
52 Pc. Clamping Kit

Photos of receiving and setup to follow.

I have had a couple bridge ports and rebuilt one of them, if I ever do that again it will not be because I want a mill to use, I spent less on my new PM940-PDF, not counting tooling.

Did you get the yellow feet or are you planning to bolt it down? I bought the yellow leveling feet and I really like it setup that way.

 

[mameola]

I ordered a 949-TV back in... uhhh.... sometime near 2017. I *LOVE* this machine. For my hobby needs, this is a fantastic work envelope, fine rigidity & HP. Did 3ph + VFD. I decked out like you did - all 3 power feeds, DRO, power drawbar (later - when I realized how short I am and how tall this machine is), etc. Using this mill is a joy.

I was seriously considering rebuilding a Bridgeport, but I think the used (not is such great condition) options are seriously overpriced. I certainly did not like the uncertainties that come with purchasing something that very likely was heavily used, even if it is being advertised as the opposite. Buying something $1,500 to $4,000 was a risk I just decided not to take.

Ordering the power drawbar was all about my 5-8" height. I was going to hold off and order it later, or even build a custom one myself but decided, what the hell. Just get it ordered and it would be one less thing to deal with later.

I did not purchase the yellow leveling feet because I wasn’t sure of the mounting/fit of them. The base looks too tall for the 3” threaded studs on the leveling feet. I feel like more needs to be done to make them work. I figured I would just wait to see what I have once it is in my shop. A photo of your setup would be much appreciated.

 

[verbotenwhisky]

This is mine, I have made a few modifications since this was taken such as adding an additional arm section to the DRO mount to bring it toward the front of the machine. As you can see it has the yellow feet, they are not a hold down, they rise for leveling with a thick rubber base which does well at vibration isolation. I have these feet under my lathe as well and am putting a set under my compressor.

 

[mameola]

View attachment 455586

This is mine, I have made a few modifications since this was taken such as adding an additional arm section to the DRO mount to bring it toward the front of the machine. As you can see it has the yellow feet, they are not a hold down, they rise for leveling with a thick rubber base which does well at vibration isolation. I have these feet under my lathe as well and am putting a set under my compressor.

Very nice. I really like those leveling feet and have had my eyes on them for awhile. If I use them I will defiantly need to design sometime to make them work. As you can see in the stock image I've attached, the base on your machine is much different the base on the PM-935TV. I did see a setup posted by Davepbest at https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/935-floor-base.70746/page-6 that looks like it will work nicely.

 

[verbotenwhisky]

Very nice. I really like those leveling feet and have had my eyes on them for awhile. If I use them I will defiantly need to design sometime to make them work. As you can see in the stock image I've attached, the base on your machine is much different the base on the PM-935TV. I did see a setup posted by Davepbest at https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/935-floor-base.70746/page-6 that looks like it will work nicely.

I see what you are saying. That is a nice looking machine and the setup in the link looks nice and functional.

 

[CaZMaN]

David's work is always top-notch. I chose not to do the feet on my 949TV because I'm only 5'7". I don't need it ANY taller than it is. I also got VERY lucky - where I placed mine is flat (no rocking) and level (go figure). There are a lot of threads here for bases / feet for the 935/949 mills.