# New Guy looking to buy pm1340gt



## JBowlin (Jan 11, 2017)

Hello folks, been lurking and reading here for a while. I've had a Central Machinery 12x36 lathe for several years now and have done some good work with it, but I have decided to get a more precise slightly larger machine to start doing some gun work. I've been looking at the PM1236 and a few grizzly models but after talking to Matt at PM yesterday he has me thinking real hard about the Taiwan made pm1340gt. I wanted to see what the general consensus was on this machine and is the Tawain lathe a noticeable difference over the 1236 or 1440 Chinese lathe? Just trying to make an informed decision as I sold my 12x36 CM yesterday and need to get a new one on the way asap. 

Also on the 1340gt, if I go that route I'll be ordering it with the preferred package. Those who have done that how's the 3 jaw chuck? How is the tawain 4 jaw that's optional ? 

Thanks in advance and sorry for the long winded post right out of the gate. 

JB


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## marcusp323 (Jan 11, 2017)

Very happy with mine after 2 years. Use it almost daily for something. Might want to read up on other people's layouts , wiring, accessories, etc on the forum, but don't think you'd be disappointed buying a 1340GT. Can't comment on the chucks, as mine came with & aren't the higher quality ones offered now. Not a big deal, I just bought a few others, some high end & some not so much. 
You'll get the benefit of the revamped stand too. Just got done reinforcing mine & it's a lot more solid now. Harmonics don't show up with the "frequency"  they did before. I'm sure they're still present, but not as noticeable.
Mark


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## mksj (Jan 11, 2017)

Precision work is more operator than machine, but having a better machine goes a long way to making it a lot easier. If you already have a 1236, then I do not feel the PM1236 would offer anything significantly better.   I have had my 1340Gt for about 2 1/2 years and it is very easy to do precise work on it. The fit and finish is amazing at this price range. I have used several other Chinese lathes/mills, and can do precise work with them, but they do not compare to the 1340GT in overall use/quality. The same holds true for the newer Taiwanese chucks, I have the new 4J independent and it compares with my Bison chucks. A Bison will cost twice as much, the Gator chucks would be a step down in my opinion. The QMT 4J is the first chuck that I have seen that has balance weights on the inside, it runs very smoothly. I believe QMT is also selling a Set-Tru Taiwanese chuck that another PM1340GT owner purchased and he is very happy with the quality and performance. A Set-Tru chuck gives you better repeat clamping accuracy for a scroll chuck, so worth looking at if you are upgrading your machine. As mentioned above, the newer stand is much improved so overall a great machine.


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## sanddan (Jan 11, 2017)

My experience is similar to yours. I started with an ENCO 12x36 lathe, which is very similar if not the exact same machine as the CM, and then stepped up to the PM1340GT. 

The biggest difference I noticed is the general fit and finish is a lot better. The handle on the Enco tail stock wobbled when I turned it, it was either bent or more likely poorly machined. Most controls were functional but sloppy making operation vague sometimes. It did run very smooth and had minimal runout in the 3 jaw chuck but the chuck didn't have flip-able jaws but instead had 2 sets that could be swapped.  

Neither lathe stand is great as delivered. I reinforced the Enco stand by welding up a base with the leveling feet spread out for a more stable base and the columns didn't have any usable storage. It appears the newest version of the PM stand has been improved for more stiffness and added 2 more leveling feet locations, which is fantastic, but still has minimal storage. Typical for lathes in this size so not a deal breaker in any way.

3 phase is a major improvement if you go with that and a VFD. See Mark (mksj) for details as he helped me and many others on the site get their's up and running.

It's hard to say if the extra cost is worth the improvements for you but it was for me. I find running a quality machine is very enjoyable and worth the cost premium.


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## JBowlin (Jan 11, 2017)

Thanks for the replies guys, Ordered it earlier today with the stand, 3 jaw, 4 jaw and Aloris QCTP. Should be here first of next week and I can start getting it set up. I opted to not go with vfd option for now, but may do that down the road. I had a vfd on my 9x20 several years ago and loved it, but changing speeds on that one was no where near as easy as the 12x36. I do miss the soft start and instant braking though. I probably make a tool holder rack like I've seen a few times in the threads and I've got a lot of tooling to buy for gunsmithing so vfd is definitely on back burner.


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## marcusp323 (Jan 11, 2017)

I sense a spider project coming soon after you get it................


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## davidpbest (Jan 11, 2017)

I started with an Emco-Maier Maximat V10P (swiss made) which is a super nice toolroom lathe, but not very rigid (I think it weighed about 350 pounds).   Ordered the PM1340 about a year ago, upgraded it to VFD with new motor with the help of Mark Jacobs (mksj) and I love this lathe.   I'm really fussy about fit/finish and quality of workmanship, and I'm really glad I got the Taiwanese lathe.   

I did order the preferred package and also had Matt upgrade the 3-jaw to a Set-Tru type with two-piece jaws which is every bit in the league of a Buck or Bison in terms of quality.   The 4J is very fine also - no hesitation recommending these.

Keep us posted on your progress.


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## Kiwi Canuck (Jan 11, 2017)

JBowlin said:


> Thanks for the replies guys, Ordered it earlier today with the stand, 3 jaw, 4 jaw and Aloris QCTP. Should be here first of next week and I can start getting it set up. I opted to not go with vfd option for now, but may do that down the road. I had a vfd on my 9x20 several years ago and loved it, but changing speeds on that one was no where near as easy as the 12x36. I do miss the soft start and instant braking though. I probably make a tool holder rack like I've seen a few times in the threads and I've got a lot of tooling to buy for gunsmithing so vfd is definitely on back burner.



JBowlin, welcome to the forum, great choice on the new lathe.

Nice that you are able to get yours so quickly, good timing on your part to order one while QMT have some available.

I can't comment on the chucks or even the lathe as mine is still sitting in a factory in Taiwan waiting for the mill to be completed so they can be shipped together to Canada.

David.


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## tmarks11 (Jan 11, 2017)

Buy quality, cry once.  Buy cheap, cry a thousand times.

I think you will be happy with your choice.



davidpbest said:


> ...had Matt upgrade the 3-jaw to a Set-Tru type with two-piece jaws which is every bit in the league of a Buck or Bison in terms of quality


Does that have 3 or 4 centering screws on it?


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## davidpbest (Jan 12, 2017)

A few users have asked me to post more info on the upgraded chucks.   So here you go.

This is the 3-jaw Set-Tru chuck from Matt that I mentioned as on par with a Buck or Bison.   It comes with a tightly fitted D1-4 backplate which needs to be turned down about 0.005" OD on the flange to enable the chuck TIR to be adjusted via four set screws around the perimeter.   I haven't done a teardown yet, haven't felt the need, but will probably do so in the next few weeks to clean and dry lube it with Moly:






















And this shows the same chuck with a Monsterjaws.com soft jaw attached in place of one of the as-supplied steel jaws:






Here are photos of the Preferred Package 8-inch 4J chuck:

















And the two chucks side by side: 






And this is my ER40 collet chuck with D1-4 backing - my new best friend:






 Hope this helps.


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## MonkMan (Jan 12, 2017)

David, are those chuck supports made from Delrin? Very nice!


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## bss1 (Jan 12, 2017)

David's machine and set up is over the top!   

I don't have enough time on my machine to pass judgment. My previous lathe was a South Bend 10K and the PM1340GT is a different animal all together.   I can't say whether this machine is the best in its class or whatnot, but what I can say is the information and support available here on this forum regarding this particular machine is priceless. 

QMT does a great job of crating the unit but make sure they utilize some packing material between the lathe and accessories they ship inside along with the lathe. Mine came with a lot (and I mean a lot) of unnecessary chips in the paint from the accessories and chip tray bouncing around and rubbing each other.  If you do get some chips, there is no touch up paint available from QMT.  However, based upon information on this forum, I was able to take the micrometer stop to Lowes and have them color match the paint which turned out really well. The only downside is I had to purchase an entire gallon where a quart would have been a lifetime supply. I have been able to utilize the extra paint for some of the brackets and mounts that you will end up fabricating for the machine so I have been happy to have the extra paint on hand. 

Also, the crate the lathe is in comes with a secondary pallet underneath for some reason.   In my research, I noticed a lot of posts  detailing the difficulty of removing this extra pallet. I was able to get my driver to remove this extra pallet with his equipment and I had him set the primary pallet on top of some 6" sections of 4x4 so that I could get the legs of my engine hoist underneath. I think that saved me a lot of time and effort not having to figure out how to get rid of the extra pallet. 

Good luck and make sure to post up on your progress.


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## Alan H. (Jan 12, 2017)

Interesting that mine showed up without the extra pallet.  Could be a freight company requirement??  Mine was shipped via Fedex Freight.   Photos here: 
http://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/1340gt-by-fedex-to-its-new-home.52438/


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## davidpbest (Jan 12, 2017)

MonkMan said:


> David, are those chuck supports made from Delrin? Very nice!


The chuck saddles are made from King Starboard which is a brand of HDPE marine building material available from Tap Plastics.   It's similar to delrin, but less brittle, machines very easily.   I use it for lots of things as it's impervious to sun, chemicals, etc. and doesn't split or warp.    The photos I posted were taken before I finished putting the handles on the saddles - I'll take a couple more photos tomorrow and post them.   It took some prototyping with MDF to get their height exactly right so the chuck just slides on/off directly to the the D1-4 spindle mounting without having to lift the chuck or fuss around.   I'm always paranoid that I'll loose control mounting the chuck and damage the lathe beds, so these saddles have lowered my chuck swapping anxiety a lot.


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## sanddan (Jan 12, 2017)

The extra pallet is because the main pallet they ship on is too narrow to fit the pallet jack's most trucks have on them. Mine didn't come with the extra pallet and the driver had a bi$ch of a time moving the lathe inside the truck without the use of the pallet jack.


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## Old Squier (Jan 12, 2017)

Hope you love your 1340GT as much as I love mine.  I've had mine for about 6 mos.  It's one of the few major purchases I've made in quite awhile that I really feel great about.

Cheers
Squire

Sent Using Tapatalk - Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma


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## JBowlin (Jan 19, 2017)

Thanks for all the replies guys, latje came in on Tuesday and I got up on the stand and have been cleaning and piddling since. 1 question that I do have as I can't find any mention of it in the manual that came with it or the one online. Where does the light hook up on the circuit board? It's the 24v led. 

So far I'm impressed, with my .0005 dial test the spindle showed 0 movement inside or on the face, with the 3jaw chuck there was .0015 runout on the body and I manages to get that down to just over .0005. Tomorrow starts the leveling and squaring.


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## mksj (Jan 19, 2017)

24VAC light would be hooked up as shown below. You could add a fuse if desired, probably 1A.


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## JBowlin (Jan 19, 2017)

Thank you very much!
I'm sure at some point I'll decide to put a 3phase motor on this thing and go VFD and I'll really be a thorn in your side lol. 

I had a 9x20 that I did that with and really liked it, then when I got my 12x36 and had a gear box I was satisfied with it, but since I'm gonna start chambering barrels and doing gun work I could see a benefit in the lower speeds.


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## DrAsus (Jan 28, 2017)

Hey JB,

Do you have any pics of your setup? How do you like your Pm1340GT so far?


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## JBowlin (Jan 28, 2017)

I will get some pics when I get the handles done, got them all made but waiting for my dye supplier to send me the proper gunmetal grey dye that I want. The test one I did was too blue for me. 

I love the lathe, was able to get the headstock to .0001 at 8" and the tailstock as it came was .0002. I had to work on the selector knob that changes from threading to power feed but other than that it's miles ahead of the 12x36 that I had. 
One note if you go with the stand. Before I leveled my machine I had the leveling bolts in but not touching the ground and had a bit of shake at around 375 rpms. I took 1/4 plate and cut it into 2x2" squares and made inventions in them with a 5/8" drill bit and put those under the leveling bolts and the shake went away. While the new base is better than before it has to be set on feet. You can buy feet or make pads like I did and use the provided bolts.


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