# A PM25 for Christmas



## wrmiller (Dec 24, 2013)

Managed to get it up on the tool box and scrape the paper off the table. I'll finish cleaning this morning and check the column/spindle/table interface. Other than cleaning off the table and a little red 'stuff' off the ways, this is how it arrived.

The tool box was also one of my presents. 

Bill


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## mattthemuppet2 (Dec 24, 2013)

sweet! Looks like a really neat machine and a great Christmas present. How much, unless it came with a "this is a gift" invoice


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## wrmiller (Dec 24, 2013)

OK, I'm taking a break because I think I'm chasing my tail a bit trying to align this thing. This means opinions welcome. :LOL:

I checked the spindle to column and well, I think it's OK the way it is. I've not used this method before, so someone check my figures. Stuck a half-inch piece of stainless in a R-8 collet and here is what I came up with:

About a half inch below the column, I can detect no movement on my DTI. Moved the head up 4" and I get about a .00075" swing on the indicator. I 'assume' this is good enough? This was from the factory BTW.




Then I set up to check the table to column. Put my little DTI holder in a 3/8" collet and lower the head to so I get needle movement. Zero the dial, then go to swing over to the left side of the table. Oh oh... the fixture hits the table swinging over?!?! Yipes!  anic:

Background: When the mill arrived, the stand was strapped onto the top of the machine's crate, and had collapsed the top cover and was trying to get cozy with the mill. I'm thinking the column took a big hit. It looks like the column is tilted like crazy to the left. 

So after I calm down, I grab a 10mm allen wrench and attempt to loosen the four bolts holding the column to the base casting. Don't know the torque setting on these grade 8 bolts, but I had to take a hammer to the allen wrench to get these suckers loose. That was after I bent my pump handle for my shop hoist trying to use it as an extender. Sheesh...

Anyway, after much fiddling around I managed to get the x-axis to just over a half thou swinging a 7" radius. So does this mean I'm under a thou if I translate 14" in the x-axis?




I'm done for now. Need coffee and something to munch on. I think I screwed up though, in that I probably should have checked/trammed the Y-axis first because if it needs shims I'm going to loose my X-axis alignment when I attempt to stick those suckers in.  :banghead:


Oh well, I'll mess with it Thursday as I'm off this week and through New Years Day. 

Enjoy tomorrow everyone,
Bill


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## Ray C (Dec 24, 2013)

You're doing well...[

On the first measurement where you're getting 0.00075", I presume that means total deflection -which translates to 0.000375" which is just shy of 4 tenths.  -Not bad!

If you're getting half thou over 7" on the table, that's darn good too.

Check things again in a few weeks after 20 hours of cutting time.

Good luck with it!

Ray





wrmiller19 said:


> OK, I'm taking a break because I think I'm chasing my tail a bit trying to align this thing. This means opinions welcome. :LOL:
> 
> I checked the spindle to column and well, I think it's OK the way it is. I've not used this method before, so someone check my figures. Stuck a half-inch piece of stainless in a R-8 collet and here is what I came up with:
> 
> ...


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## wrmiller (Dec 27, 2013)

Well, I screwed up.

I didn't do the spindle-to-column tram right. Didn't know what I was looking at I guess. Anyway, as I was doing some other setup things, I noticed the head didn't appear to line up with it's mount to the column very well. Then I discovered the pivot bolts holding the head to it's mount were not exactly real tight. Damn...

Sure enough, the head had tilted during shipping, not the column. So, after mentally slapping myself in the head a few times, I grabbed some fresh coffee and started over. All better now.  

Found a three bolt head mod at Hossmachine, so I will do that sometime in the near future. Then the belt drive, bearings, etc., etc..

I just like tinkering I guess.

Bill


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## Ray C (Dec 27, 2013)

Bill,

It's all good and is a great learning experience.  It's also nice to see someone take a step back, put on a fresh cap -and think it through before posting threads about "how this "%^&" machine sucks and has inherent problems"...  For this reason, it's very tough to sell to the "newby" market -but you just earned some wings.

When you learn about the machine this way, the knowledge will carry over as you use it.


Ray


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## wrmiller (Dec 27, 2013)

First mill with a tilting head assy. Won't make that mistake again. I'll just make different ones...  :lmao:

Would be kinda cool if I could design a scaled down version of the mount on a Bridgeport. Maybe a worm gear mechanism for tilt and nod.

Something else to kill brain cells on.

Bill


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## Rbeckett (Dec 27, 2013)

Bill,
I think once you get it trammed in you are going to really like the Pm machine.  I bought an Edge Pro Tram while it was on sale and it is slicker than glass and should do an excellent job.  Since your machine is brand new getting one now will allow you to keep an eye out for wear creeping in and changing your values.  Once the gib strips all wear in and get fully polished and seated that adjustment will last for a good long time.  Enjoy the new machine and don't forget to post up some pics of your first project too!!!

Bobber


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## wrmiller (Dec 27, 2013)

Hey Bobber,

Yea I've seen those, thanks for the heads up. 

I've had my eye on the micro-tram from Accudyne. That way I only have to watch ONE dial.  :lmao:

Bill


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## jbolt (Dec 27, 2013)

Nice looking machine there Bill. Congrats! I really like the blue paint in the table ways. Won't be that pretty forever but it sure looks good now!

Jay


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## wrmiller (Jan 12, 2014)

Update: Mill is now sitting on 3/4" plywood and 3/8" steel plate, bolted to the toolbox, and the DRO is installed. I hate installing glass scales. Maybe it's easier on bigger machines. And I've also done the 3-bolt and tramming aid mods.

I still have to tram the vise, and make/install some levelers for the toolbox. The floor is a bit uneven over here so I bought 2 48" long pieces of 2" square tubing and will run these under the box with 1/2" allthread on the ends to level the box, and will tie the two tubes together with allthread at each end to make it a bit more stable. No welder, so I have to do things the hard way.  :shrugs:


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## SENC (Jan 12, 2014)

Looking good, Bill.


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## wrmiller (Jan 13, 2014)

Thanks Henry. Did you notice the little handle I made for the quill? Didn't like those big levers that were on there. It's not much, but it gives me a bit more room on that side of the head.

As I'm sitting here looking at the picture, I'm thinking i might make a couple of small steel plates and mount them horizontally at the back corners of the table for those magnetic lights. They look a bit goofy hanging on the head, but my eyes do like having all that light on the table.  

Bill


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## itsme_Bernie (Jan 13, 2014)

That thing looks sweeeeet!!  

What's it like to work with so far?

Bernie


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## chuckorlando (Jan 13, 2014)

Man thats an awesome christmas gift right there. Both the mill and the box. Far as it being out.... We got 6 new bridgeports at school and I'm here to tell ya, them things was so far out it was not even funny. Head tilted, turned, leaned and anything else that could move needed trammed in. I thought it was a real good learning experience though for sure.


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## SENC (Jan 13, 2014)

No, I did not notice the quill handle mod until you pointed it out - I was too busy admiring the lights (truly) and thinking through how I want to setup lighting.  I do like the smaller handle, though.


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## Rbeckett (Jan 13, 2014)

Where did you get them magnetic lights??  Those are way slick and could be moved from machine to machine when using various ones in the shop.   I could cut down on my tool addiction and spend more on my new air gun addiction...  Just bought another 1000 rounds of ammo and have only shot about 10 shots so far through the gun... I have been trying to get a spread of all the weight and configurations in the sweet range of the rifle so I can do an empirical test to determine which pellet shoots the best and most accurately.  It's a good thing pellets are so cheap....

Bob


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## wrmiller (Jan 13, 2014)

itsme_Bernie said:


> That thing looks sweeeeet!!
> 
> What's it like to work with so far?
> 
> Bernie



I haven't really used it much yet. Still getting her set up. I have made some test cuts and even with the toolbox being a little unstable right now, it is night-and-day different from my little LMS mill. The extra mass really does make a difference. And I'm really liking the larger table and 4" vise I put on it. I'm fairly certain I had this stupid grin on my face the whole time.  :LOL:





Rbeckett said:


> Where did you get them magnetic lights??  Those are way slick and could be moved from machine to machine when using various ones in the shop.   I could cut down on my tool addiction and spend more on my new air gun addiction...  Just bought another 1000 rounds of ammo and have only shot about 10 shots so far through the gun... I have been trying to get a spread of all the weight and configurations in the sweet range of the rifle so I can do an empirical test to determine which pellet shoots the best and most accurately.  It's a good thing pellets are so cheap....
> 
> Bob



I find them on Ebay every now and then. Delta is the brand I think. Bought one for the little mill and liked it so much that I decided to get a couple for this one. These things actually have a decent strength magnet on them that holds when cutting. The one on the little mill goes back and forth between it and the lathe when I need more light over there. 
Air gun? Just what you need...another hobby. :roflmao:

Haven't played with an air rifle since I was a kid. Good thing I don't have any room to shoot one in the back yard. 

Bill


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## wrmiller (Jan 13, 2014)

Still moving stuff around a bit, but this is my play room. The little  mill is going to be moved onto the stand that came with the PM25 and sit on  the other side of the lathe. The area where it's sitting now will be set  up as an inspection/setup station. Off to the right in the picture are  my grinder/buffer stations and another workbench that I use for building  golf clubs and other misc work. My new 4x6 bandsaw should be here this  week, and it will sit to the left of the PM25.

Bill


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## SENC (Jan 13, 2014)

Good looking setup, but too durn clean!!!


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## Ray C (Jan 13, 2014)

SENC said:


> Good looking setup, but too durn clean!!!




LOL, yeah.  And get that car outta there.  Cars don't belong in garages...  s'amatter with you?   :LOL:

Ray  :+)


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## SENC (Jan 13, 2014)

That, too!!!



Ray C said:


> LOL, yeah.  And get that car outta there.  Cars don't belong in garages...  s'amatter with you?   :LOL:
> 
> Ray  :+)



By the way, got an email today my PM20 is in route!  Unfortunately I may not be able to take delivery until next week.


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## wrmiller (Jan 13, 2014)

LOL...yea, yea. I get it. Should have seen it Sunday. Had tools laying around with chips flying everywhere.

I've always kept a clean shop. Probably a carryover from my days of running an avionics shop for Uncle Sam's Misguided Children. That and my pistolsmith mentor always demanded we clean the shop at the end of the day. I got used to walking into a clean shop each morning. Kinda liked that. 

That Jeep keeps the other two company. My Camaro can't get up the street when there's snow on the ground. It's a great car for AZ (where I moved from), but it sucks up here in the winter time.

In AZ I played golf every weekend, all year round. Here I have to have indoor activities for several months of the year, hence the creation of my new play room.

Bill


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## wrmiller (Jan 13, 2014)

SENC said:


> That, too!!!
> 
> 
> 
> By the way, got an email today my PM20 is in route!  Unfortunately I may not be able to take delivery until next week.




Cool! Let me know when you get your new toy home. I think you're gonna like this metal working stuff. 

Bill


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