# Pm1236



## Rich20 (Jul 20, 2020)

I am looking at the pm 1236 and am wondering if anyone would be willing to share their thoughts if they own one. Unfortunately the 1236 is the top of my budget and the 1236t is out of my budget. 
Thank you for your thoughts on the 1236, quality etc.


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## bakrch (Jul 20, 2020)

My biggest quality gripe is that some of my slower spindle speeds (65, 180 rpm),  the gear faces will rub a little on an adjacent gear face.

I can make a video if you need to see it. I'll even take off the top cover so you can see the wobble.  If I didn't need it so often to make parts I'd have gotten PM involved. Which,  I have 3 years remaining on the original 5yr warranty ... just need a break so I can shut down for repairs.

The quality is good enough to make nice parts,  but it looks and feels very cheap relative to Taiwan made lathes (I have run quite a few of them).

It depends what you are expecting.  I can see many being perfectly happy with it, but I regret not going 1236T.


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## darkzero (Jul 20, 2020)

I've got a PM1236 also. Can definitely tell it's made in China but mine has served me well & hasn't gave me a problem yet (11 yrs old now). I have needed to do some minor mods though. At the time I was upgrading from a HF 8x14 mini lathe. I had originally purchased a PM1127-VF, luckily it was not in stock cause a week later I changed my mind & got the PM1236. I was already stretching my budget to get the 1127.

Would I buy it today? Probably not. Price has gone up over the years & then even more with the tarrifs. So at today's price I'd probably look for something else, if budget allowed. At the time, Matt did not offer all the Taiwan lathes & mills he offers now. If he did I probably would have bought one. But I have no regrets buying mine. Never did find out the difference but mine seems to be different than most other PM1236s. There are slight differences, never seen another one like it (on the forums I frequent). I'd like to replace it one day but I have no plans do so anytime soon unless the right one comes along.


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## darkzero (Jul 20, 2020)

I just looked at my invoice for the price I paid. Granted that was a long time ago, inflation, tarrifs, no feed rod clutch or LED light on mine but wow, I'm shocked how much they have gone up & I was sitting down. It's a lot! Lets just say I could easily purchase another nice used lathe in the same size with the price difference. But that's life, prices will only continue to go up.


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## bakrch (Jul 20, 2020)

darkzero said:


> I just looked at my invoice for the price I paid. Granted that was a long time ago, inflation, tarrifs, no feed rod clutch or LED light on mine but wow, I'm shocked how much they have gone up & I was sitting down. It's a lot! Lets just say I could easily purchase another nice used lathe in the same size with the price difference. But that's life, prices will only continue to go up.


Yep,  the tariffs pretty much made the 1236T a no-brainer.

Yet,  buying mine just after the increase somehow I still chose poorly, haha. Initially,  it's pretty easy to get hung up on a few hundred bucks, and like many before me I live with this particular regret. 

Not a bad lathe, but definitely not a "forever lathe ".


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## shooter123456 (Jul 21, 2020)

When I was looking recently, I was sold on the 1236C (I added the C just so it doesn't get confusing between 1236 and 1236T).  The problem at the time was that the base package at $3599 wasn't available, and I was told it wouldn't be available any time soon as apparently they sold very few of them so they don't stock them much.  So the "preferred" package was $3999.  Also at the time (This was in April this year), the welded steel stand wasn't available for the same reason, so the only option was the upgraded cast iron stand.  That brought the total to $4298 + shipping.  The 1236T was (and is) $4299.  

At that point, it came down to features and extras and what was more important.  The 1236T doesn't really come with the bells and whistles like the 1236C, even though they were the same price.  The 1236T didn't come with a stand ($600 extra), a 4 jaw, brake, QCTP, or a coolant system.  

For me, I made the choice to get the best machine I could and get the extras later when I could.  It seemed to make more sense to start with a "better" (Subjective, but in my opinion, the 1236T is better) machine and make do without extras, than to get the less good machine with all the extras.  

If the 1236C standard package was available with the welded steel stand at the time, it would have been a much harder choice.  But when they are about the same price, that became a lot easier.


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## Rich20 (Jul 21, 2020)

It is good to hear that the quality has held up for eleven years. But it makes sense to buy the Taiwanese model if budget allows. I will be looking hard at the differences. Thank you for your insight.
I see that shooter bought the taiwanese model. Are there any quality issue with that one?


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## shooter123456 (Jul 22, 2020)

Rich20 said:


> It is good to hear that the quality has held up for eleven years. But it makes sense to buy the Taiwanese model if budget allows. I will be looking hard at the differences. Thank you for your insight.
> I see that shooter bought the taiwanese model. Are there any quality issue with that one?


It isn't perfect, but it is much better than the 1030v I have (not crapping on the 1030v, I used it happily for 4 years or so). 

My biggest complaints are:
1. The norton gearbox has a few gears that aren't sitting quite right so that when the machine is on, the handle bobs up and down.  
2. The QCTP had an undersize T nut so it would move when you tried to tighten it and it would occasionally shift while roughing which caused it to either break a tool or trash the workpiece.  The QCTP is chinese though, so maybe can't blame that one on the machine. 
3. The cover for the change gears isn't a great fit, so removing and replacing it is a pain in the butt.  Luckily, you only need to do that to switch from metric to imperial or vise versa.  

Its an excellent machine though and I have been enjoying it thoroughly.  I would get it again if only for the quick change gear box.  On the 1030v, I would do whatever I could to avoid needing to cut threads because I hated dealing with the change gears.  It also had a limited range of feeds without changing gears.  The 1236T has 40 different feeds and gears to choose from without needing to deal with change gears.  That difference is huge.


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## wrmiller (Jul 22, 2020)

Your tool post is not part of the lathe, nor made by the same factory. One doesn't have anything to do with the other. As for the gearbox issue, have you attempted to diagnose it? I suspect the gearbox on your 1236T is the same as the one on my 1340GT. Mine was a bit stiff and stubborn when I first got it, but it has broken in nicely. I won't be going back to change gears. Ever.


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## shooter123456 (Jul 22, 2020)

wrmiller said:


> Your tool post is not part of the lathe, nor made by the same factory. One doesn't have anything to do with the other.


I suppose this is true.  The way I saw it, the tool post was ordered as an option with the lathe, so I considered it part of the machine, the same way I would any of the other options.



wrmiller said:


> As for the gearbox issue, have you attempted to diagnose it? I suspect the gearbox on your 1236T is the same as the one on my 1340GT. Mine was a bit stiff and stubborn when I first got it, but it has broken in nicely. I won't be going back to change gears. Ever.


I have tried diagnosing it and so far I have not nailed it down.  It seems to have broken in a bit since I got it, but this issue is slightly different.  I have pulled it apart and I did not find anything obvious that would cause the handle be be bouncing up and down when running.  

I agree about change gears, I can't go back either.


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## bakrch (Jul 22, 2020)

I actually redesigned many of the threaded features on my parts lineup, just so I didn't have to deal with change gears.  Luckily, that was an option for me. 

It isn't even bad to change the gears at this point, but in the beginning I needed a puller to get them off until they wore in a bit. That was annoying, but much better than a sloppy fit of course. 

The Taiwanese lathes I use at work have minor issues as well, but really well built where it counts.  

A Hardinge HLV-EM would certainly be welcome in my shop, but yes more than likely a 1340GT is in my future.


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## cwheat (Jul 23, 2020)

Lots of good advice here. I bought a used older pretty worn Craftsman 8" lathe around 1980, used it a little until I retired in 1999, and looked at different makes and models to upgrade to for a while. In 2017 I ordered the 1236(Chinese) lathe from Matt after talking with him with the preferred package and installed dro. In my opinion it was the best value in many different makes I looked at over a period of  a year or so. I am not a pro or trained machinist by trade but was a trained millright by trade and worked in a paper mill for 43 years so I knew the basics and was familiar with machinist work in general. When I received my 1236 I put it together, cleaned it up, leveled it out per the instructions and the first test cut I did was check the tolerance on a shaft about 6 inches long. The difference in the diameter on that six inches was a half thousandth which is very good, in fact much better than I am a machinist. I guess what I am trying to say is that the Chinese machine will do everything and more than most people need in a lathe unless you are working to very extreme tolerances like for something on a space shuttle. Of coarse you can always spend more to get more precision, better workmanship, or more rigidity in a better or higher priced machine. I had a problem with the chinese motor on mine after about a year and Matt immediately offered to sent me a new one with nothing other than me emailing him and telling him the problem. He also gave me the option of paying a little difference and substituting an American made motor which I did. The after sales service cannot be beat with Matt's company and in my case I am very happy with my Chinese machine. Just my opinion and worth every cent you paid for it. I hope it helps in your decision.


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