# Help me spend my future budget!  Help a newbie out!!



## Earlkonig (Oct 16, 2014)

Hey guys!  I will be getting in to the awesome hobby of machining.  My experience level is basically none.  I have done some drilling with a mill/drill at work.  I have a 4x6 bandsaw, a welding machine, a harbor freight 13" drill press, and many other various tools.  I have been looking at this point for 1.5 yrs at my many options.  I have looked at some CNC options and don't think it's an option ATM.  I want a good lathe and mill.  A RF45 is the minimum I will go for a bench mill.  I would like a dro for both, but I need tooling, vises, turn table, dial indicators, test indicators and everything else.  I am not expecting anyone to list everything one would need to get started, I just want you guys keep that I mind when suggesting tools.  The budget is $10K and nothing will be added for a while since I had to negotiate this budget with my wife.  I don't think she will be receptive to adding other machine cost any time soon.  I will be making this purchase April 2015 so I still have plenty of time to do more research.  I will be cross posting this between the Grizzly forum so let's keep this centered on Precision Matthews products if possible.  Thanks for your time and help!


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## zmotorsports (Oct 16, 2014)

To help us give you a better idea on machines and tooling could you give us some idea of what exactly you will be machining.  Anything such as items or sizes will be helpful to recommend size of machines as well as accessories.


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## Earlkonig (Oct 16, 2014)

Definitely.  I have interest in model engine building, gun smithing, custom PC water cooling, 3d printing, robotics, some automotive projects, make repair parts for some old farm equipment we have, and other misc. projects.  I know this is a pretty broad list and materials will vary.  I would think steel, aluminum, copper and maybe titanium after I get a class d fire extinguisher.  Also I have an interest in knife making.  Sorry if this doesn't help and I appreciate your time.


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## jpfabricator (Oct 16, 2014)

Hello fellow Hendersonian! When you talk the missis into the funds, look me up for a helping hand.
Jake Parker


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## chuckorlando (Oct 16, 2014)

Before I looked at any machine I would make a list of every toy you want. Like rotary table, dividing head, mag base, etc, etc. Everything. Then price it all for what you intend to buy. Dont price a harbor fright indicator if you plan on a starrett. The subtract that money right from the top. Then from there you can find your machine budget. I see alot of guys blow it all on machines and cant buy a vise.

I think I would consider a pm45 though if it fit the budget. Or bigger. But the 45 comes in a cnc version so I would suspect a conversion down the road would be easy. Though the price I seen for the 45 already cnc was really nice.


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## zmotorsports (Oct 16, 2014)

Okay we at least maybe have a starting point to get input and get a conversation going on sizes and products.

You mentioned farm equipment and automotive as the largest work envelope.  If you are looking at an absolute maximum of $10k to include lathe, mill and tooling/accessories I am assuming you are looking at Chinese equipment.  Taiwanese equipment would put you over that with just the lathe and mill without any tooling to use.

Based on your work envelope I would say a 12x36 as your minimun size lathe and I would suggest the PM45PDF to encompass the work envelope as far as milling machine.  The PM1236 is a very popular choice among many forum members and has high reviews.  If you could swing something just a tad lager the PM1440E-LB has a larger spindle bore and there are some members on here who have just taken delivery of theirs and they appear to be well equipped.

Hopefully some members who have these machines will chime in and give personal first hand experiences.


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## jpfabricator (Oct 16, 2014)

Are you deadset on new, or if the price was right would you consider used?

Jake Parker


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## Earlkonig (Oct 16, 2014)

jpfabricator said:


> Hello fellow Hendersonian! When you talk the missis into the funds, look me up for a helping hand.
> Jake Parker



WOW!  This is a small world.  When the time  comes DEFINITELY!  This will make this a little easier having someone  close by that can help out.  Do you have any PM equipment Jake?  If so  and you dont mind it would be pretty awesome to lay eyes on something  before I buy.



chuckorlando said:


> Before  I looked at any machine I would make a list of every toy you want. Like  rotary table, dividing head, mag base, etc, etc. Everything. Then price  it all for what you intend to buy. Dont price a harbor fright indicator  if you plan on a starrett. The subtract that money right from the top.  Then from there you can find your machine budget. I see alot of guys  blow it all on machines and cant buy a vise.
> 
> I think I would consider a pm45 though if it fit the budget. Or bigger.  But the 45 comes in a cnc version so I would suspect a conversion down  the road would be easy. Though the price I seen for the 45 already cnc  was really nice.



Chuck I am working on a spread sheet  since I have so much time on my hands between now and march.  I have  been slowly adding things here and there just for the reason you said.  I  could by a chinese bp clone, but probably wouldnt have enough money to  get everything else.



chuckorlando said:


> Before I looked at any machine I would  make a list of every toy you want. Like rotary table, dividing head, mag  base, etc, etc. Everything. Then price it all for what you intend to  buy. Dont price a harbor fright indicator if you plan on a starrett. The  subtract that money right from the top. Then from there you can find  your machine budget. I see alot of guys blow it all on machines and cant  buy a vise.
> 
> I think I would consider a pm45 though if it fit the budget. Or bigger.  But the 45 comes in a cnc version so I would suspect a conversion down  the road would be easy. Though the price I seen for the 45 already cnc  was really nice.





zmotorsports said:


> Okay we at least maybe have a starting point  to get input and get a conversation going on sizes and products.
> 
> You mentioned farm equipment and automotive as the largest work  envelope.  If you are looking at an absolute maximum of $10k to include  lathe, mill and tooling/accessories I am assuming you are looking at  Chinese equipment.  Taiwanese equipment would put you over that with  just the lathe and mill without any tooling to use.
> 
> ...



I  was leaning towards the PM1236 and PM45PDF.  How would a PM45PDF stack  against a smaller style knee mill like the PM836?  Space is semi limited  as in i have 50" for the wall to where a negotiated boundary in the  garage that leaves my wife room to walk around.  Against that wall I  have 18ft.  Just a heads up.



  Thanks.




jpfabricator said:


> Are you deadset on new, or if the price was right would you consider used?
> 
> Jake Parker



Not against used at all.  I have no experience on what would be a great buy and what would be a disaster.  I heard that getting ways scraped could make a lot of "deals" found turn into money pits.  I guess my apprehension is my own ignorance.  IF someone could point me to some good, ready to go equipment, I would be willing to at least look that route.


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## GA Gyro (Oct 16, 2014)

Hi, and welcome to Hobby Machinist forum... I think you will find lots of friendly folks here who will listen and suggest things.

I came to this forum in early July... I was at a similar place to you... albeit the machining goals were different.  
I fiddle with and fly EAB aircraft (think barnstormers... LOL), as well as making non-aviation related custom parts for folks.  

I started with a desire for a PM1127 and a PM25 (well, the preceding mill to the PM25... Matt improved the product, it is now called the 25). Then after a lot of study... decided to upgrade to a PM932/PDF (a nicer version of a PM45).  Then decided to upgrade to a 1236 lathe.  This kinda fit my budget... until I got to looking at the machines in person (local folks)... First I bit the bullet and upgraded to the 1340GT lathe... then after a few weeks of indecision upgraded to the PM935TS mill.  Both of these are Taiwanese made machines, the quality is a HUGE step up.  
IMO these three combinations are good groups:
1127 and 25
1236 and 45/932
1340GT and 935TS/TV
Depending on whether your needs are mill or lathe intensive... might mix and match.  

From someone that has studied this for close to 4 months...
Your budget may be a little soft... 
With around $10K:
You can get the 1127/25 with lots of tooling 
You can get the 1236/45-932 with a little tooling
Or you cannot get the 1340/935 for even more than your budget with no tooling

Now lets talk a little about machine size:  The reason a machine tool is massive and heavy is something called chatter.  
The operation of cutting metal is in reality somewhere between chiseling and scraping... precisely controlled gouging might be a sloppy way to invision it.  The more DOC (depth of cut) one takes, the more the tool tends to want to vibrate (or chatter).  Now cast iron is really good at absorbing that chatter, so it does not result in a wavy and rough finish of the cut.  
The little machines will take little cuts, but chatter with larger cuts.
The middle machines will offer some more strength while taking deeper cuts
The Taiwanese pair noted above, will take a little more DOC, yet do it with more precision... and they are just built to tighter standards.  Note the 1340GT G=gunsmithing, T=Taiwanese

While we are talking about precision and accuracy:  Something to understand:  The ability to make a precision part (hold tight tolerances) is as much--if not more--the operator... than the machine... and this takes lots of time to learn.  
However a well made and well maintained machine helps.

If it were me... given your list of things you want to do... 
I would look seriously at the 1236/45-932 (with the PDF feature)... and figure on spending more as you need specific tooling.  
You can start off with not a lot of tooling (you will need measuring tools and basic cutting tools)... then add things (rotary table) as you need them.
BTW: Amazon has lots of stuff, and it is relatively competitive (not machines, tooling).  Get a Prime account... freight is free.  

Here is a thought:  You can always get more tooling... however it is hard to get more machine without upgrading... 

And here is something to consider:  QUALITY!
Matt's PrecisionMatthews machines are subtly a cut above... little details which become quite noticeable if they are missing.  And Matt is a wonderful guy to work with.  If it were me, I would not let flashy deals get my attention... one usually gets what they pay for... regardless of the fluff.

Hope all this helps, please feel free to ask all the questions you want... someone will do their best to answer them.


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## markknx (Oct 16, 2014)

If you can when you get ready to buy hold a bit of your budget back so once you are set up and realize you will need this or that you still have the funds.Consider HSS instead of Carbide in the begining, cheaper more flex able. Also leave room for books. I found reading up on basic machining help me understand what feature, and tools were needed, what could be built at home, and what could wait. Don't be fraid to check e-bay and creigs list for deals. I started with just a lathe and later added a mill. slowly have been adding thing ever since. Mark


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## Earlkonig (Oct 17, 2014)

GA said:


> Hi, and welcome to Hobby Machinist forum... I think you will find lots of friendly folks here who will listen and suggest things.
> 
> I came to this forum in early July... I was at a similar place to you... albeit the machining goals were different.
> I fiddle with and fly EAB aircraft (think barnstormers... LOL), as well as making non-aviation related custom parts for folks.
> ...



The Taiwenese tools are something i looked at and they are nice.  I cant afford to buy both.  Maybe one but not both.  You have offered some great points to reflect on and I have been thinking the PM932 and PM1236 combo pretty hard.  I hope he has the 1440LB on sale next year.  That is a pretty sweet deal on that lathe atm.


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## Earlkonig (Oct 17, 2014)

markknx said:


> If you can when you get ready to buy hold a bit of your budget back so once you are set up and realize you will need this or that you still have the funds.Consider HSS instead of Carbide in the begining, cheaper more flex able. Also leave room for books. I found reading up on basic machining help me understand what feature, and tools were needed, what could be built at home, and what could wait. Don't be fraid to check e-bay and creigs list for deals. I started with just a lathe and later added a mill. slowly have been adding thing ever since. Mark



BOOKS!  I actually asked for machinist books last year for Christmas from family and came up dry.  I am definitely going to try that again this year!


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## catoctin (Oct 17, 2014)

Ahh the sweet smell of budget creep.  You might want to consider ordering the lathe or mill now and the other later.


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## chuckorlando (Oct 17, 2014)

There is no reason one cant out fit a shop very very very well for 10k. My shops doing pretty good on far less. IMO if you can only get one machine with the size I would buy a bigger mill. I have a 2000lb mill and a 300lb lathe and they make parts together all the time. They dont even fight with each other when working they get along so well ahahahahaha. Granted I really want a lathe that can pull off .1 or more for a DOC, my little machine works just fine.

I say bigger mill cause I seem to have more stock to remove on a mill. Pockets, slots, angles, cut offs all on the mill.

I dont know your situation or how hard or easy you can scrounge up funds. I know a roto table will set you back a few hundred to north of a 1000 depending on size. That can take alot of guys months to buy. Yes you can tool up as you go but if it will take you 2yrs to scrap up the tools to make a part your machines are paper weights....

If you will be able to sneak in tooling after with no issues, by all means buy the biggest machines you can get in the budget. But if not then buy tooling. I would rather have half the lathe and twice the tooling then twice the lathe and 1 hss bit and no way to sharpen it... You seem to feel you got 10k and then the wife is putting the foot down. If so get your blessing in while you can

Although if I had 10k I would buy a pm45cnc and just watch it run till I could afford a end mill ahahahaha


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## jpfabricator (Oct 17, 2014)

Sorry EarlK I do not have any PM machines. Im still in the building and tooling stage myself.
I have a 1/5 Bridgport clone ( millrite) and dont think I could ever down grade to a benchtop unit. I would definantly get a knee mill. 
If I had to do it all over again I would have bought the 9x20 new, as the machine I got has no tailstock, 4 jaw chuck, steady rest, follower, or a reversable 3 jaw. None the less I have enjoyed it greatly.

Jake Parker


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## zmotorsports (Oct 17, 2014)

You mentioned the small knee mill PM836 in relation to the 932.  If you are at all contemplating between the bench mill and a knee mill, I highly recommend getting the knee mill.  That was one of my two biggest concerns when purchasing machines this past year.  I was used to a BP clone at work and was struggling with going to a benchtop style.  I am not bashing benchtop mills/drills but after working with a vertical knee mill I thought even though it was a step up from my Smithy at my home shop, it wouldn't be as nice as the knee that I get to use at work.

Hands down best decision I made.  It is awesome to have nicer equipment at my home shop than we have at work.

If you even contemplating the PM836, you may want to get with either Matt @ QMT or Ray C. here on the forum as they have a few of them left that they have discounted quite heavily.  They will have tilt but not nod which is the same as the benchtop mills you are looking at but differ from a traditional Bridgeport head.  If memory serves with what they have the 836 discounted to it was something like only about $1400.00 difference between the 836 knee mill and the 932PDF becnhtop.  Might definitely be something to consider but at those prices they may not have them for long as I don't think Matt will be ordering any of the 836's in the future.


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## GA Gyro (Oct 17, 2014)

Earlkonig said:


> The Taiwenese tools are something i looked at and they are nice.  I cant afford to buy both.  Maybe one but not both.  You have offered some great points to reflect on and I have been thinking the *PM932 and PM1236 combo* pretty hard.  I hope he has the 1440LB on sale next year.  That is a pretty sweet deal on that lathe atm.



That is a good combo... :allgood:

That pair have the ability to hog off metal at a fair rate given their size and price. 

Some other folks mentioned books... good idea!  There are endless little details of setting up things, cut angles, grinding tools, feed/speed/DOC amounts, ways to accomplish the task properly (lots of ways to do it, which way gives the results you want)... etc... which take time to learn.  
Choosing to read up on it for months before the machines arrive would be helpful IMO.
And then there is reading around here at Hobby Machinist... I have learned a bunch here. 

Welcome to machining... sounds like you will enjoy it!

GA


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## jpfabricator (Oct 17, 2014)

The Henderson library has some books (limited) about tool grinding and sharpening. 

Jake Parker


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## Earlkonig (Oct 17, 2014)

jpfabricator said:


> The Henderson library has some books (limited) about tool grinding and sharpening.
> 
> Jake Parker



That's great to know!  Thanks!!


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## TomS (Oct 17, 2014)

Just scanned the Quality Machine Tools website and it appears the PM-45 has been discontinued.  The only listed option for a large benchtop mill is the PM-932.  Still not a bad option as the PM-932 has a few desirable features that were not available on the PM-45.   

Tom S


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## mattthemuppet2 (Oct 17, 2014)

I'd buy the best machines I could afford with the bare minimum of tooling to make them useful, then add tooling after that. It's a lot easier to get a better vise or face mill than a bigger/ better lathe or mill  My tip on the tooling would be to get anything specific to the machine (chucks, rests, power feeds etc) with the machine, used or new, and get the universal tooling as you need it afterwards. You can get a lot of good tooling for little money on eBay/ CL, but anything specific to the machine (D1-4 6in 4 jaw for example) would be a lot harder to find. I think that there's a tendency to plan for every eventuality when you have a budget that size, but you're better of getting the basics set and accumulating what you need when you need it.

Another thing to consider too are DROs, especially for your mill but also for the lathe. Can be pricey, but a great investment.


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## Chip (Oct 17, 2014)

You could keep an eye out on craigslist and ebay. Things of interest pop up from time to time. Of course buying used has its share of pitfalls.

On ebay you can run a search within a specified mileage radius.

On craigslist you should search your surrounding area plus Dallas and Houston.


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## chips&more (Oct 17, 2014)

You mentioned your experience is basically none. That tells me If you go CL shopping or anywhere for used tools/machines. You might be better off taking along someone with trade experience. There are too many “car saleman’s” out there! Please be careful and good luck in your hunt.


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## Earlkonig (Oct 17, 2014)

Edited for breaking my own rule.  Oppps.


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## dave2176 (Oct 17, 2014)

Earlkonig said:


> What about the g0695 in the place of the g9901?  Opinions?



Oh,oh. Now we're mixing the Gs and Ps. It is a nice looking little Taiwanese mill.

 Dave


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## Earlkonig (Oct 17, 2014)

dave2176 said:


> Oh,oh. Now we're mixing the Gs and Ps. It is a nice looking little Taiwanese mill.
> 
> Dave



I'm sorry wrong thread.  Let's keep the P's here.  Sorry


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## tmarks11 (Oct 17, 2014)

chips&more said:


> You mentioned your experience is basically none. That tells me If you go CL shopping or anywhere for used tools/machines. You might be better off taking along someone with trade experience. There are too many “car saleman’s” out there! Please be careful and good luck in your hunt.


Way too many "machine refurbishments" out there done with a rattle can of gray paint sprayed haphazardly across machine, screw heads, and label plates.  If you are "lucky", a hand scraping job designed to give you that "fish scale" new mill look on the bed... except it was done to get rid of wear marks, not flatten the ways, and actually makes them worse.

It is amazing how a $7 can of paint adds $1500 to the price tag...


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## Earlkonig (Oct 17, 2014)

tmarks11 said:


> Way too many "machine refurbishments" out there done with a rattle can of gray paint sprayed haphazardly across machine, screw heads, and label plates.  If you are "lucky", a hand scraping job designed to give you that "fish scale" new mill look on the bed... except it was done to get rid of wear marks, not flatten the ways, and actually makes them worse.
> 
> It is amazing how a $7 can of paint adds $1500 to the price tag...



Good to know tmark.  I'm a little aprehensive  because of stuff you just pointed out.


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## chuckorlando (Oct 17, 2014)

If used is an option, it aint that hard to learn what to look for and how to check them. And IMO if your wanting to make parts, learning to and carrying it out is really not that difficult. With your budget you could slide into a fine fine used machine. Or an expensive turd if you dont do your part. It's no more difficult to tram in the mills head then to check for sag and slop in a table. No harder to tighten a spark plug then to check for and adjust the gibs.

I'm not saying buy used at all. But I am saying you should not be afraid of them either. With 10k in machine tools, you sure shouldn't be afraid to learn how to check a machine with a indicator IMHO


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## marcusp323 (Oct 17, 2014)

Think I'd stay away from THIS used, however
http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/tls/4718735232.html


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## chuckorlando (Oct 17, 2014)

little wd40 she be good as new AHAHAHAHAHAHA


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## Chip (Oct 17, 2014)

Wonder how well this would rate as a choice to the more experienced members: http://houston.craigslist.org/bfs/4716626415.html

I'm somewhat considering it myself.


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## Earlkonig (Oct 17, 2014)

chuckorlando said:


> little wd40 she be good as new AHAHAHAHAHAHA



May need a little scotch bright with that wd40!  Lol.  BTW I would run from that thing like the plague!


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## markknx (Oct 18, 2014)

marcusp323 said:


> Think I'd stay away from THIS used, howeverhttp://seattle.craigslist.org/see/tls/4718735232.html


Would run from that price for sure, might consider 1/10 that price. Mark


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## visenfile (Oct 18, 2014)

When you ask family members for exotic (to them) books and tools as gifts you should supply them with specifics, e.g., Title author,  site and pn for tool.  Takes the surprise out of the gift, but you'll get what you want.


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## chuckorlando (Oct 18, 2014)

Yea I provide the link to the tool. They way there is no confusion. I dont need a surprise I need a tool. Or book or what ever it is. I would rather have one 20 dollar tool I want then 200 dollars in things I dont


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## Earlkonig (Oct 18, 2014)

visenfile said:


> When you ask family members for exotic (to them) books and tools as gifts you should supply them with specifics, e.g., Title author,  site and pn for tool.  Takes the surprise out of the gift, but you'll get what you want.





chuckorlando said:


> Yea I provide the link to the tool. They way there is no confusion. I dont need a surprise I need a tool. Or book or what ever it is. I would rather have one 20 dollar tool I want then 200 dollars in things I dont



I agree and I did last year.  The said party didn't want to spend the money on shipping so it didn't happen.  On a side note what is everyone's opinions on shars precision measuring equipment (tdi, dial indicators, mircrometers, calipers, and etc.)?


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## chuckorlando (Oct 18, 2014)

You can get way way more for your money buying used on ebay. I got about 2k in starrett and mitty's for about 2-300. Drop and test indicators, mics, height gages all that good stuff.

That dont mean shars is not good. I dont know


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## marcusp323 (Oct 18, 2014)

Just bought an Aloris tool post off ebay for about 1/3 the price of a new one. All my dial indicators, mics, & calipers came off there too. Good deals to be had if a guy is patient.


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## coolidge (Oct 18, 2014)

marcusp323 said:


> Think I'd stay away from THIS used, however
> http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/tls/4718735232.html



Yeah but its a Leblond so its worth $5k even if it did spend the last 10 years tipped over in a farm field. /sarcasm


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## Earlkonig (Oct 18, 2014)

So it looks like I will be getting a rf45 clone and a 12x36 lathe, unless a great deal on used equipment falls into my lap. At least now I can cad out my garage space and prepare for next march!  Quick question about the g0750.  Is the gear box with it similar to the one on the pm1236?  I'm not trying to stir anything up, I just wanted to take advantage of the knowledgable audience. Thanks!


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## GA Gyro (Oct 19, 2014)

I think those two machine sizes are good choices.  They offer the ability for some hefty DOC cuts (within their class), yet will not break the bank.  
One can always assemble their stock of tooling as they go.  Look for estate sales and bulk tooling deals (usually a garage shop or excess stuff).  Kinda like a bag of goodies... for a deep discount... and most of them are useful.  Sometimes one gets to pick through them and negotiate a price.  

On the machines, here is my $0.02....

While the machines may look the same on the outside... they may or may not be the same under the hood.
What I mean is subtle things like hardened/ground gears, high tolerance bearings, better oil seals, and lots of subtle details that are not noted... yet could add up to a LOT of maintenance later.  NO machine (even a $100K industrial machine) is perfect... however quality is not always the same from one manufacturer to another.  
I guess what I am saying:  better IMO to not get caught up in 'spec wars'... it may NOT be an apples to apples comparison.


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## dave2176 (Oct 19, 2014)

Looking at the charts in PM1236 photos and the charts on the G0750G they appear to have the same gearing. Personally,  I would choose a Norton gear box like the PM1340GT/G4003G or something more capable. It is easy to say you will never cut 112 tpi but if you think you want to dabble in gun smithing you will appreciate the .0011 per revolution that 112 tpi translates into. The 60 tpi of the enclosed gear box will get you .002 per rev.

Not even 0.02  worth,
Dave


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## compsurge (Oct 30, 2014)

Looks like tool holders and vises haven't come up yet?  I love my Glacern R8 ER25/16 tool holders, 3" FM45, keyless drill chuck, and a pair of 4" vises.  I believe they are made in Taiwan (possibly China) and are of outstanding quality and have an excellent surface finish. It's almost Black November (Glacern's take on Black Friday), so be sure to take a look!  Maybe see how the "Hobby Machinist" pack fares pricewise.  It might be enough to get you started.  You likely won't need a full ER collet set either, so pick up a few 3/8" and 1/2" as those are my most common end mill shanks.

I figured my mill (PM-30MV-L) would suit me well for several years before upgrading to a larger machine.  I spent good money on quality tooling, though I did go back and forth between buying several R8 ER collet holders or going straight shank TTS (Tormach Tooling System) style.

Look on eBay for a used Criterion or other boring head in good shape.  I picked up an 3" indexable boring head from Shars.  I took a chance on it, since the used heads alone on eBay at the time were $350+ (now they're $60 all day long?!).  I slightly regret this purchase for the slop on the screw making adjustment tricky, but the inserts do cut well and I have gotten good results. If I can rig up an antibacklash setup, I'm sure it will be just peachy.

As for budget, my machine was not much cheaper than a PM-932 ($1900 delivered), and with all of my tooling and CNC conversion components, I sit around $4500-5000.  It's definitely possible to get the PM-932 with 3-axis DRO and tooling in that same budget (3-axis DRO is about the same as a CNC conversion).

Knee vs. Benchtop?  If the PM-836/935 is as good as they say it is, Knee   Especially if you're primarily going to be using DRO and manual operations.

For CAD/CAM, I've been getting into Autodesk's Fusion 360.  If you get it before November 8th, they will upgrade you to the Ultimate package for $300/year vs. the full $1200/year.  They have a lot of YouTube tutorials and it is fairly quick to pick up, though I'm still in the mindset of SolidWorks.  I don't know if you need software, but it's something to consider if you haven't planned on it yet.


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