# PM932 PDF Mill ordered last week



## WeirdBeard (Feb 26, 2014)

This is my first mill, I wanted to get one I wouldn't "grow out of" too soon. Not sure if I actually needed the PDF, but from a lot of your posts on here, it sounds like I won't be sorry the few times I do need it. Plus Matt was out of the 932M and I didn't want to wait for the next shipment. I'll be using it for some 80% lowers, motorcycle parts and anything else I can think of. 

You guys have been extremely helpful in determining which mill to get! Matt was just as awesome on the phone as everyone says he is. Thanks!

I'll be hitting up DavidH about some DROs soon too. The mill won't be shipped until April so I've got time to buy the rest of the stuff I'll need to get started. I'll be asking lots of questions since I'm new to this but I'm excited!


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## WeirdBeard (Feb 26, 2014)

I'll post pics when it arrives, the unboxing and set-up. Right now I'm working the mobile stand with levelers and more importantly on making enough room for it in the garage, so if you want to see it's parking space or stand, I'm happy to show that.


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## chuckorlando (Feb 26, 2014)

Sweet. It's a fine looking mill. I never used PDF. But even when I aint using the power feed on the table, I find it very nice just for moving the table back for the next cut or to Mic the part or just to get things out the way. I can tell you what, if I had a power knee on the mill, I would use it ALOT and I mean ALOT.


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## Plas62 (Feb 26, 2014)

If you can afford it before April when your mill ships, I would recommend having Matt add the DRO package that he offers. I had Matt install the two axis model on the PM932M I purchase last fall and am glad I did.


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## WeirdBeard (Feb 26, 2014)

Plas62 said:


> If you can afford it before April when your mill ships, I would recommend having Matt add the DRO package that he offers. I had Matt install the two axis model on the PM932M I purchase last fall and am glad I did.



I'm kind of at the limit of my budget, but what is the advantage of the DRO package he offers. I know they can guide you in cutting radi, but I'm not sure what else they can do.


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## drs23 (Feb 26, 2014)

WeirdBeard said:


> I'm kind of at the limit of my budget, but what is the advantage of the DRO package he offers. I know they can guide you in cutting radi, but I'm not sure what else they can do.



I can testify that the DROs will take the guess work out of: Did I wind it back enough to take out the backlash? Now where was I? Is this line exactly on the mark? Is it just a hair that I can't see to the left? Is it a hair that I can't discern to the right? That makes a difference.

Then there's the: Zero it on whichever axis you're working with, or both, mic where you're start point is and then go to EXACTLY where you want finished size, leave a few hundredths, get your crocus or emery cloth and polish to EXACT size and you're done. The first time. With no dead scrap.

Don't ask me how I know. :whistle:

I haven't looked at a dial in the last 5 months.

It's so simple, even I CAN DO IT. 

Bite that 'ittle bitty bullet (relative of course) and you won't know how you did without it. At least that was my case. But then I'm a newbie dummy. But they sure take a lot of the "dummy" out of it. I just got my mill cranked up yesterday and the 3 axis DROs will be installed soonly.

Hope that helps answer your question.

Dale


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## Ray C (Feb 26, 2014)

DRO on a mill is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

For most practical purposes, it's only needed for X and Y directions.  I have Z on my PM 45 and don't believe I've ever used it.  I do however user the quill DRO all the time -but for setting the base height of the head, it's not all that necessary.

When professionally installed, the scales are firmly attached and give extremely repeatable results right down to +/- 0.0002".  If you aspire to maintain cuts within 0.0005" your base resolution must be 1/2 of that so, granularity of 0.0002 is all that's needed.  As mentioned earlier, I don't often need to (or desire) to get mill cuts within 1/2 thou but, at times, it's nice to get things as close as possible.  I generally shoot for +/- 0.00075".  Without DRO, it's pure luck to get it that close.  With DRO, it's easy to do once you practice and know how -and of course, it depends on the mill, the material etc...

As for functionality, I use three functions.  Line drilling, circle drilling and datam point setting.  DP setting just means making a marker spot and being able to return to it later.  It's possible to store many such locations.  These are the only functions I use -along with the build-in calculator from time to time...

I'm told the graphics ability of the ES-12 is nice but, I've never seen one powered-up.  I get by just peachy with my ES-8 which is about 4-5 years old now and working perfectly.

Ray


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## WeirdBeard (Feb 28, 2014)

Well, after reading all of your insightful comments and watching YouTube video after YouTube video to learn what DROs allow you to do, I bit the bullet as was mentioned. Not a tiny bullet, but one that I think is worth it. I called up Matt and ordered a 2 axis Easson to be installed. They're awaiting shipment on them right now, but they said they'll have them in plenty of time to install on my machine in time for the April delivery. I may not use all of the functions right away, but (hopefully) as my skills progress, it will help me do things I don't even know I'll need to do in the future. That's what I'm telling myself anyway.

Everytime I come on here I learn something and lighten my wallet.

Thanks, I think.


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## WeirdBeard (Apr 8, 2014)

Just got the email today saying that it's been shipped and should be here any day now. Stay tuned...


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## joehatz (Apr 10, 2014)

I just picked up the PM-932M-PDF from Precision Mathews last week and had them install the Easson 3 axis DRO.
The DRO is the same as the Dro Pro's DRO. I had this on my last mill. I couldn't even think of having a mill without a DRO now that I have had one.
Precision Matthews were great to deal with and had everything ready for pickup as promised.
The unit was well packed and everything was there that was supposed to be in the box.
Set up was a breeze and I had the machine unloaded and set up and running in next to no time. Everything worked as it should.
After levelling it up and tramming the table I was set to go. 
This is an excellent machine for the price with nice features, I am sure you will enjoy yours and it was a wise choise to add the DRO.


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## Ray C (Apr 10, 2014)

It's nice to hear you folks are happy with the machines and they're surviving the shipping process.  Transportation: that's where most of the headaches arise...  If it makes any difference to know this, I hardly get any calls for setup or post sales issues on these machines.  -Just a few normal questions and the never-ending request for tips and tricks...  

One thing I'd like to pass along to any future owners...  going forward, I'm strongly recommending the 4" vise vs the 5". I've recommend it to all previous clients but some opted for the 5" and now, folks are reporting some regret.  All is good, the 5" is still useable but managing the table space and positioning of the rear jaw is not desirable.  For those who have the 5" vise, I'm in the process of designing an adapter plate to make it more versatile.  The drawings will be given-away free.

And just to let folks know, there currently is no factory variable speed option for the 932. 

 FWIW, when you have power table feed, you can get away with fixed speeds a little easier because, you just set the spindle speed to the nearest appropriate value then, tweak the table speed to find a smooth, chatterless feedrate.   This technique is hard to do with hand operation of the crank because our humanly unsteadiness causes the bit to engage and disengage due to unevenness of the table travel.  Variable table speed fixes that problem.  If variable spindle is an absolute must, there is a separate 3 phase motor and VFD that can be purchased outright and installed yourself later on.  The motor is the same RPM as the stock motor so, overall spindle speeds don't change.

BTW, the PM45CNC product platform is doing well.  I get an awful lot of questions about CAD/CAM stuff but, the number of technical issues related to initial setup (now that we've created a new user guide) is nil.

...  Thanks for your patience with the supply issues and enjoy your equipment.  -Be safe...

Ray


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## zmotorsports (Apr 10, 2014)

Thanks for the information Ray.  

I just read the WeirdBeard and JoeHatz are receiving or have received their 932 mills.  Did another shipment just show up?  I have sent an email to Matt inquiring about mine but have not heard back from him yet.  When I placed my order for mill and lathe on March 17th he said he had two 932PDF's left.  

Also, do you know if the 1340GT's are on schedule for delivery around the first of May?  I spoke to Matt on March 7th when I got my original quote and he mentioned he should have the shipment in 8 weeks.

Thanks.

Mike.


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## WeirdBeard (Apr 11, 2014)

zmotorsports said:


> Thanks for the information Ray.
> 
> I just read the WeirdBeard and JoeHatz are receiving or have received their 932 mills.  Did another shipment just show up?  I have sent an email to Matt inquiring about mine but have not heard back from him yet.  When I placed my order for mill and lathe on March 17th he said he had two 932PDF's left.
> 
> ...



Mike,
I ordered mine waaay back in February and wasn't able to take delivery until this week. When I ordered mine Matt mentioned they weren't expecting anymore until May or June I think. Not sure if that's changed since then...

But it did show up today!!  The shipping company gave me a 10am-5pm window. So it showed up at 4:30, of course. Everything held up well during shipping. I'll take a few more pics tomorrow as I set it up on the mobile base and unpack the rest. I just ran outta time today.


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## Ray C (Apr 11, 2014)

Hi All...

The machines people are receiving now are from the last batch PM received in late Jan or Feb.  FWIW, most machines sell-out to the tune of 50-80% before they arrive in PA.  Usually, we don't know the exact quantity of what machines are coming until the broker sends us the tracking number and Customs papers.  The quantity of a particular model could vary between 15 to 40 and we usually receive 2 to 4 types of units in a shipment.

It would be nice if we could get a more uniform supply but, I'm sure you realize, it's not cheap to arrange cargo transport over the ocean.  Also brokers can get better pricing for multiple container orders and, multiple containers are less likely to get lost along the way.

I happen to know the next batch of 932s and 1440 B-series are arriving in the 3rd and 4th week of May (respectively).  The 1340GT's come from Taiwan and they should be arriving at roughly the same time but, the last time I asked Matt about this, I didn't specifically inquire about the Taiwanese shipments.

Currently, we have a handful of PM1236 units and two 1440 ELBs.  The 1440 ELBs went from 10 to 2 in a few days.

Matt is trying to get all new sales channeled through me as, he's busy working on some surprises for you guys...

Ray


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## zmotorsports (Apr 11, 2014)

Thanks Ray for the follow up.

I am still waiting to hear back from Matt to find out if he locked me into one of those 932's that he had left when I placed my order back on the 17th of March, then ship it with the 1340GT which he figured would be around the first May.

Mike.


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## zmotorsports (Apr 11, 2014)

WeirdBeard said:


> Mike,
> I ordered mine waaay back in February and wasn't able to take delivery until this week. When I ordered mine Matt mentioned they weren't expecting anymore until May or June I think. Not sure if that's changed since then...
> 
> But it did show up today!!  The shipping company gave me a 10am-5pm window. So it showed up at 4:30, of course. Everything held up well during shipping. I'll take a few more pics tomorrow as I set it up on the mobile base and unpack the rest. I just ran outta time today.



Looks great.  I am anxious to see pictures of it all set up and making chips.  As well as we expect a full and complete review of the machine.:bitingnails:  Not to put any pressure on you but we will be "patiently" waiting.

Mike.


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## WeirdBeard (Apr 13, 2014)

I got it up on the mobile base I made, but my not so freakish height (6'2") has caused a small problem. I wanted the table height to be up alittle higher, as has been mentioned on these machines, but my base plus the stand and "drip pan" equals more height than my engine hoist has the ability to do. I can't put on the "drip pan" so it's going without for now, since I'm not running any automatic lubricating system. I'm sure I'll figure out how to get the extra lift needed at some point (as always, any thoughts or suggestions are appreciated) but for now this is how it'll sit. I'll need to grab some shorter bolts though. While I've been slowly savoring opening up the various boxes and looking at things, doing the "what the heck is this for?" My wife has suddenly found a few things for me to take care of around here. Since she's been very cool about my latest purchase (it's an investment, honey) I'll take care of those first before I can go out and play. Can't figure out why my pics are sideways...


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## Leagle (Apr 17, 2014)

This may be too late to do you any good, but regarding your question about what a DRO can do for you, go on YouTube and search for Easson DRO.  There is a series of videos from DRO Pros which explains every facet of what the DRO can do for you.


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## drs23 (Apr 17, 2014)

WeirdBeard said:


> I got it up on the mobile base I made, but my not so freakish height (6'2") has caused a small problem. I wanted the table height to be up alittle higher, as has been mentioned on these machines, but my base plus the stand and "drip pan" equals more height than my engine hoist has the ability to do. I can't put on the "drip pan" so it's going without for now, since I'm not running any automatic lubricating system. I'm sure I'll figure out how to get the extra lift needed at some point (as always, any thoughts or suggestions are appreciated) but for now this is how it'll sit. I'll need to grab some shorter bolts though. While I've been slowly savoring opening up the various boxes and looking at things, doing the "what the heck is this for?" My wife has suddenly found a few things for me to take care of around here. Since she's been very cool about my latest purchase (it's an investment, honey) I'll take care of those first before I can go out and play. *Can't figure out why my pics are sideways...*



Here ya go:













Yeah, that gave me a crick-N-the neck. )


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