# Finally pulled the trigger: Ordered a PM932V/PDF



## GA Gyro (Oct 6, 2014)

Started looking at machines in late July... read and read and read and read...

After considering many machines, settled on the following:
PM1340GT lathe
PM932V/PDF Mill
And a year or so down the road, find a used Bridgeport and rebuild it.

Thought hard about getting a PM935TV now and let the Bridgie go... However having a smaller head style mill has its advantages.

Ordered the 932 today; Matt has one left... has my name on it now.  I estimate it will take about a week to prep and get it to the freight lines.  Then probably a week give or take to the burbs of Atlanta GA.

Looking forward to the first of two machines... I have lots to do, to get the shop ready.
Will do a "Receive, Un-crate, Move-in, Set-up, Clean, Chips" (RUMSCC; I guess that is pronounced rumse ????) additions to this thread as time goes forward.

The Mill will be a B-day present (Oct), and the lathe looks like a (late?) Christmas present.

Question for you folks who have a PM45/932:  How much floor space should I plan for it?  Probably want two estimates:  The size it covers with the table in the middle, and how wide to allow for table movement.  THX in advance for input!!!

GA


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## zmotorsports (Oct 6, 2014)

Congrats on the machines.  When I originally placed my order that was the same combination that I ordered from Matt, PM1340GT and PM932PDF.  It was about a month later when I changed from the 932PDF to the 935TV knee mill.

If memory serves when I was talking to Matt about the footprint of the 932PDF it was 36" depth by 68" width for full travel of the table in the x-axis.


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## GA Gyro (Oct 6, 2014)

THX Mike.

I really struggled with the 1236 vs 1340GT decision... then almost upgraded to a 935TV... However one really should stick to a budget... which I had already blown.  The mill upgrade would have been an extra $4K+... just a little too much at this time.  

I figure I can find a used Bridgie and rebuild it for something in that range or a bit more.  Advantages to having a small and large mill.

For the short term, most of my work is gonna be Aluminum, so the beef and strength of a larger mill is not essential short term.

Started a thread for the mill... will post the "RUMSCC" (receive, un crate, move in, set up, clean, chips) as they happen.


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## zmotorsports (Oct 6, 2014)

Ya, I know about the budget.  Blew the hell out of mine but my wonderful wife wanted me to be happy and I was only planning on purchasing equipment one last time.  Glad I had my first one though, to learn on and to know what I wanted in the my next and last purchase.


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## SheffS4 (Oct 8, 2014)

zmotorsports said:


> Ya, I know about the budget.  Blew the hell out of mine but my wonderful wife wanted me to be happy and I was only planning on purchasing equipment one last time.  Glad I had my first one though, to learn on and to know what I wanted in the my next and last purchase.



That seems to be a common theme around here (blowing through the budget) :lmao:


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## Rbeckett (Oct 8, 2014)

Ga, Gyro don't forget to take pics of it all and confirm any shipping damage that could possibly occur.  Mat is a real stand up guy and so is Ray C if it does have damage Matt will send out replacement parts the same day in next day mail...Plus Ray is on site a lot and you will probably forget the bridgy due to the excessive price even for machines that need a total rebuild and ways scraping.  Just some thoughts that might help you if you get in a jamb, plus we are always here to try and answer your questions intelligently too.

Bob


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## GA Gyro (Oct 8, 2014)

Rbeckett said:


> Ga, Gyro don't forget to take pics of it all and confirm any shipping damage that could possibly occur.  Mat is a real stand up guy and so is Ray C if it does have damage Matt will send out replacement parts the same day in next day mail...Plus Ray is on site a lot and you will probably forget the bridgy due to the excessive price even for machines that need a total rebuild and ways scraping.  Just some thoughts that might help you if you get in a jamb, plus we are always here to try and answer your questions intelligently too.
> 
> Bob



THX for the input Bob... appreciate it!

The mill is going to one of my supply houses, has a back-up dock.  The manager is gonna deliver it to my home with his truck and pallet jack... I will owe him and his sister dinner out (they run the supply house)... which IMO is a deal!!!   Plan to inspect it at the supply house and re-crate for delivery to my home.

This will be the RUMSCC thread... so in a day or so, will post my ideas for a stand.  Planning on something similar to the 'cradle' another owner did for their 935TV.  

On the Bridgie... Probably will start studying them over the winter (time available)... and decide if that is a good road to travel.  If not... there is always a 935 or 949... both are Taiwanese, both would be good machines.  
Mike (Z motorsports) posted somewhere, he thought Matt said the 935 has the same head as the 949, with a smaller frame, knee, and of course footprint and weight.  If I go that route... then it seems the question would be; how large a machine based on the size of work.
If the budget would have allowed it... I would be getting a 935 now...  We all have to live within our budgets... 

As to Matt and Ray... talked to both of them a bunch... good guys!  Actually bought the machine through Ray, he has more phone time than Matt does.  
(Sorry for the issues Ray has had to deal with lately... glad they have more help at the marina).
Ray talked to me for an extended time twice, he was very helpful!  Ray is a 'hands on' guy, knows lots and is willing to share it.
(THX Ray, for the phone time).

The issue now is space for the machines... need to get that project done...


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## Rbeckett (Oct 8, 2014)

So where is the RUMSCC  thread at?  I even typed it in as a search and it comes up with your original post when you pulled the trigger.

zzzbob


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## GA Gyro (Oct 8, 2014)

GA said:


> THX for the input Bob... appreciate it!
> 
> The mill is going to one of my supply houses, has a back-up dock.  The manager is gonna deliver it to my home with his truck and pallet jack... I will owe him and his sister dinner out (they run the supply house)... which IMO is a deal!!!   Plan to inspect it at the supply house and re-crate for delivery to my home.
> 
> ...



Sorry... guess that did not stick out.

Will add some stuff on the stand when I have time... I doubt the mill will be here until later next week or the following (Oct 16-17 or week of Oct 20).  
Along in there, the weekends of Oct 17 and Oct 24 are aviation fly-in gatherings out/town... so my schedule is already crammed.  
Hope I have the space ready... however building the stand is gonna take some time also.

THX for your interest... please comment any time you see something you have a thought on...  
PS--Some years back, I helped moderate an HVAC/R forum... fun to do!


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## GA Gyro (Oct 8, 2014)

Finished the calls early today; spent a few hours working on the basement.  Should have it ready for at least the mill... probably better the lathe is a ways down the road.  

Here are some thoughts I had for a base/stand for the mill:
Go to this thread: http://www.hobby-machinist.com/showthread.php/21032-Ordered-a-PM-935TV-This-Week 
Scroll down to post #19.  Note the box frame with a 'shoulder' or 'cradle' inside the box.
Now go to post #21, shows the finished base.  
I am thinking to build something similar, using these castors:
http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/149511/WoodRiver-Machine-Leveling-Caster-Plate-Mounted-4-Pack.aspx
Under the base frame.  
The goal is to be able to move the mill when I need to, however set feet solidly when it is in place.  
The company has larger casters which will hold more weight.... still considering using the larger ones.
A guy at CNCzone used 4 of these under a CNC-ed RF45... worked fine. 

If this works out... may build one for the lathe also.   

Thoughts, ideas, questions, discussion???  
All are welcome!  Would rather think this out with some smart minds... than waste the time and $$$... and do it over.  

THX 

GA


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## catoctin (Oct 10, 2014)

I really liked the castors you noted from Woodcraft but couldn't find them in a weight handling capacity for the PM 935 (>1500 lbs plus base).  I spent a lot of time researching castors and ended up going with the Albions which are surprisingly US made.  Their profile is also reasonably small (3" diameter).  They were on sale from Zoro (G0998155) for roughly $41 and can handle 1200 lbs each.


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## GA Gyro (Oct 15, 2014)

Question for you guys that own 45/932 mills from PM/QMT:

I have been reading threads of mills, both recent and past deliveries; many of the owners found varying amounts of crud in different places.

Should I plan to partially (or fully) dis-assemble my machine, inspect it, clean it, oil it, then re-assemble it... when it arrives?
(Or maybe I should just blow my budget wide open and get a 935TV... LOL; I am sure there would be some issues with a Taiwanese mill also.)
Not fussing... just trying to have a reasonable expectation as to time and schedule allotments.  

THX

GA


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## darkzero (Oct 15, 2014)

catoctin said:


> I really liked the castors you noted from Woodcraft but couldn't find them in a weight handling capacity



Check out Footmaster Leveling Castors. I've always known that company to be the originals for those type of leveling castors.


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## zmotorsports (Oct 15, 2014)

GA said:


> Question for you guys that own 45/932 mills from PM/QMT:
> 
> (Or maybe I should just blow my budget wide open and get a 935TV... LOL; I am sure there would be some issues with a Taiwanese mill also.)
> THX
> GA



I say blow the budget to hell and get the PM935TV.anic:  I can't testify to the PM932/45 but I have seen a lot of them on here and owners seem to like them a lot.  As far as the RF45 clones go, I think the Precision Mathews are the cream of the crop.  I too had originally ordered a PM932PDF but after about a month of worrying whether or not I made the right call, my wonderful wife just gave me permission to upgrade to the knee mill and be happy.

I can testify that the PM935 is a fantastic milling machine.  Everything I had expected and then some.  I see this providing decades of life easily.  The overall build quality and the fit and finish is very high end.

_On edit, I mentioned Matt's/QMT's RF45 clone being the cream of the crop.  The only other one I personally would look at in this class and think hard about is the new one from Charter Oaks.  With its' 12" of Y-axis travel that would be tempting and make for a tough decision._


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## GA Gyro (Oct 15, 2014)

darkzero said:


> Check out Footmaster Leveling Castors. I've always known that company to be the originals for those type of leveling castors.



THX Will...

Amazon has 53 pages of casters... 

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&ke...vptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_7xsd9s8mxp_b

Found a unit that is rated for 1100# (generally the total rating for 4 is the same as 2X single rating).  This should be more than adequate for rock solid stability.

THX again!

GA


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## GA Gyro (Oct 15, 2014)

zmotorsports said:


> I say blow the budget to hell and get the PM935TV.anic:  I can't testify to the PM932/45 but I have seen a lot of them on here and owners seem to like them a lot.  As far as the RF45 clones go, I think the Precision Mathews are the cream of the crop.  I too had originally ordered a PM932PDF but after about a month of worrying whether or not I made the right call, my wonderful wife just gave me permission to upgrade to the knee mill and be happy.
> 
> I can testify that the PM935 is a fantastic milling machine.  Everything I had expected and then some.  I see this providing decades of life easily.  The overall build quality and the fit and finish is very high end.
> 
> _On edit, I mentioned Matt's/QMT's RF45 clone being the cream of the crop.  The only other one I personally would look at in this class and think hard about is the new one from Charter Oaks.  With its' 12" of Y-axis travel that would be tempting and make for a tough decision._



The knee mill (larger, heavier, more pricy, and major issues getting it into the basement)... however the Taiwanese quality is just bugging me.  When I finally decided to spend the $$$ for the 1340GT... was happy I did.  It is tough justifying the cost of both of these: 1340GT and 935TV... however the quality is just bugging me.  

Guess I will have to send Ray/Matt an Email this evening and get them all stirred up... grin.

Will post what I find out/decide.

GA


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## Rbeckett (Oct 15, 2014)

Ray needs a good roust from time  to time.  Nothing suits him more than helping folks get the right machine for their needs today and well into the future.  And if Ray says it it is just about for sure the gospel at least as far as he knows for sure.  If he doesn't know he will defer till he gets an answer from Matt.  Good luck and enjoy which ever you do decide on, but I really would prefer the larger Knee mill if you can fit it into the budget without eating Ramen for the next 6 months...

Bob


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## GA Gyro (Oct 15, 2014)

Rbeckett said:


> Ray needs a good roust from time  to time.  Nothing suits him more than helping folks get the right machine for their needs today and well into the future.  And if Ray says it it is just about for sure the gospel at least as far as he knows for sure.  If he doesn't know he will defer till he gets an answer from Matt.  Good luck and enjoy which ever you do decide on, but I really would prefer the larger Knee mill if you can fit it into the budget without eating Ramen for the next 6 months...
> 
> Bob



THX Bob!

I had bugged Ray to death... kinda felt like I may wear out my welcome as they say...
Was gonna settle for an 'RF45' clone now... and rebuild a Bridgeport later.  Then I get to reading the threads (again) where folks had to take apart their machines and clean out dirt, grit, dust, etc... then 're-manufacture' this part or that part.  
Seems to me it would just work better to get a Taiwanese machine now... and let most of that time be spent making parts and $$$... 

I am not naive about this... I fully realize any machine is gonna have some issues... and the Taiwanese ones are no exception.  
From what I read... the PM machines are the Cadillacs/Lexus' of the Asian hobby market.  
However honestly... it has been bugging me for over a week... Gonna have to find out if I can upgrade... 

THX again for the heads up!

GA


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## zmotorsports (Oct 15, 2014)

GA said:


> The knee mill (larger, heavier, more pricy, and major issues getting it into the basement)... however the Taiwanese quality is just bugging me.  When I finally decided to spend the $$$ for the 1340GT... was happy I did.  It is tough justifying the cost of both of these: 1340GT and 935TV... however the quality is just bugging me.
> 
> Guess I will have to send Ray/Matt an Email this evening and get them all stirred up... grin.
> 
> ...



Yep, I was in the exact same boat.  The 1340GT was an easy decision but was at the high side of my budge with that and the 932PDF when I ordered it.  My wife could see the turmoil I was going through for a few weeks.  I then sold a trailer that I was no longer using and some parts for my race car that I sold earlier in the year so it freed up a few extra dollars and the wife wanted me to get the machines that I would be happy with.  That allowed me to call Matt about three weeks after my initial order and change from the 932PDF to the 935TV.  Now after having the 935TV for a little over a month, I think it was the right decision.  I am not putting down the 932/45 as they are very capable machines, I am just a little more anal about quality of tools and equipment than most.

Good luck in your quest.  Please be sure to post up pictures of everything when you get it in and set up.  We like looking at tool and machine porn.


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## Falcon67 (Oct 15, 2014)

GA said:


> Question for you guys that own 45/932 mills from PM/QMT:
> 
> I have been reading threads of mills, both recent and past deliveries; many of the owners found varying amounts of crud in different places.
> 
> ...


I would expect some of that.  You may need to anyway to check certain things. I've taken apart and cleaned the cross slide and 3 jaw to make sure that the crud was out.  Still need to do the saddle but its pretty smooth and accurate as is. The gear box was also worth cleaning on this lathe.  Lots of gunk in places, lots of cosmolin.


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## mksj (Oct 16, 2014)

I would recommend getting a 935TV if space and size (weight) is not an issue, the quality issue is a big deal. I just can't get over the quality difference between the PM1340GT and my BF-30 (RF-45) type mill in use. Maybe at some point I will get a better mill. In general every time I buy lessor quality, I end up spending more in the long run because it either doesn't last,  needs to be repaired, or gets replaced with something better. It is at a price point, but with the better quality tools/machinery, your more likely to keep it for a long time. At my age, it will most likely be the last time I need to buy it.


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## GA Gyro (Oct 16, 2014)

Well... I appreciate all you guys recommendations...

Talked to Matt today... a 935TX is on the way (no TV's available).

Here is a list of what I ordered:
PM935TS
Accessories:
*Halogen work lite
*X axis power feed
*2X 5" vises
*11 pc R-8 collet set
*Clamp set (not on acc sheet)
*Easson 3X '12' DRO
*Z axis power feed

Matt had it ALL in stock... so it will be prepped and shipped soon.
May even have it before the end of the month.

THX again guys for suggesting I look seriously at the Taiwanese mill...
Now BOTH machines are Taiwanese.

Just for grins... anyone know of a Taiwanese 7x12 bandsaw... LOL

This will be my last post at this thread... a new thread titled: "Updated mill order: Matt and Ray graciously allowed me to change from a 932 to a 935" will be posted:
http://www.hobby-machinist.com/show...hange-from-a-932-to-a-935?p=237212#post237212


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## darkzero (Oct 16, 2014)

GA said:


> Just for grins... anyone know of a Taiwanese 7x12 bandsaw... LOL



Ask Matt, I talked him months ago  & he told me that he ordered some 7x12s from Taiwan for evaluation or something. Not sure how that went. I hear not all of the Rong Fu bandsaws are made in Taiwan anymore but not for sure about that. 

I have an MSC version 7x12 RF style bandsaw, I don't think it's made in Taiwan but it does use all imperial fasteners like many Taiwan machines do & like my old 4x6 Taiwan made bandsaw. But the quality seems like Taiwan, much better than the HF 7x12s I looked at. If I hadn't got a great deal on mine locally I would have waited for Matt to buy from.


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