Saunders Power Drawbar kit on a PM935TV

The impact wrench does it for you.
 
John is a good man and glad you were able to support him, but why in the world didn't you build your own? :)
 
Option to build one from scratch if so desired is certainly a good option and it appears that many have done so. There are numerous go-bys out there, including John's. John even points a couple out in his video of the prototype.

For me it was simply the material cost and function were attractive plus it saved me some time. The materials are sized properly with outstanding appearance, delivered in one box, and ordered with one click.

Plus, as you point out, I like supporting good folks.
 
A 6" vise is overkill for a RF45 style mill. A 4" is more appropiate for that size mill & IMO 5" max. I have a 5" GMT vise on my PM45 & it's slightly too big. Not enough Y axis travel to make use of the 5" full capacity. Better to save your money rather than getting something too big & most importantly the weight. I take my vise of the table quite often, a 6" is still light enough for me to be carried by hand but I'm glad I have a 5". I also have a 4" vise as well. I prefer the 5" though.

But those GMT 6" Premium vises are pretty nice. I'd love to have one but don't need one on my current mill. But if you plan on upgrading to a full size knee mill in the future than the 6" will be perfect.


Here's what the 5" looks like on my mill.
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I couldn't even complete this cut without my bellows & DRO scale getting in the way. Not enough Y travel & the 5" vise is not even maxed out.
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Here's what a 6" vise looks like on another PM45 (gt40's)
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Hey guys.....how is Saunders fixing the vertical rods to the Al base plate? Press fit? Set screws?
 
Mine is a press fit. Current bases are counterbored and the posts are screwed in
 
Before buying John's PDB, you might want to watch this starting at 6:35 in the video:

Watching that might help set your expectations. I know John, have a great deal of respect for him, own a few of his products. They are functional and good value, but not in the category of "refined" or "elegant". I have debated buying his PDB, and scrapping the Harbor Freight butterfly wrench for a better unit like Alan H did (see above). Instead I've decided to build my own version based on the CompEdgeX version implemented by Colin:
(part 1) and
(part 2). I like the compact nature of that design and the remote control lever that can be placed in a more convenient location. Obviously a lot more work and may not be your cup of tea, but check it out.
 
I saw AvE's review as well. I was planning on building one. My mill isn't a B'port or clone. Easier to just make instead of modify.
 
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