# Got A New Pm Mill Comming!



## JR49 (Nov 13, 2015)

Anyone who read the thread by 3dshooter titled "New PM727 mill", will remember me telling 3d that I was very interested in his thread because, I had been looking, and was planning on getting that very same mill as an "end of radiation gift" to myself. Well, last Monday was finally the end of the 9 weeks of daily treatments, and although the side affects will still be with me for quite some time, at least the 3 hr. per day trips are over !!! Now, to get myself that gift. Although 3d was good enough to answer all my 727M questions, I spoke to Matt a couple times last week, and was convinced that the 727 was the best choice for me to have a mill that would* most likely* do everything I need, while not sending me to the "poor house". I almost ordered it on Friday, but My incredable wife took me out for lunch and to a few stores, and by the time she got us home it was to late back east to call so she quickly suggested that I call first thing Monday morning. I forgot to mention that my wife was the one who originally started this whole "End of radiation gift" excuse to buy myself a mill. She also went with me to every treatment (I'm a lucky man, but not JUST because of my wife).

OK, I'm finally getting to the good part (hope you"re still with me). This past Saturday, My son came down from L.A., and his brother (they are twins, in there 40's), also came over to help me celebrate no more treatments. While talking they mentioned that it was a good thing that Mom kept me out on Friday, because if I had called Matt, he would have been really confused. You see my sons had already ordered my PM mill, as a combination getting through treatments gift, and early Christmas gift!! After a minute of being stunned and thinking to myself "wow, I must have been an OK dad", I hugged my boys, thanked them repedeatedly, and then asked if they new when my new 727 would ship. This was their answer, " Oh dad, we screwed up, we didn't get the 727. We got you the PM 932M-PDF, and also the milling package, hope that's OK ? All I could do was to hugg them again and say " I can live with that" !! I've got some really great kids, Don't I ? So, I spoke to Nicole @ PM on Monday, to give her all my information, and I got an E-mail today that it had shipped. It won't get here ( just outside San Diego) till end of next week, but that's fine, cause I have a lot to do to get ready, including building a base to raise it up some (I'm 6' 3"). Actually, It might have to sit in the crate for a while because, with the primary side affect of this radiation being fatigue, I will probably only be able to work in the shop a little bit each day. Hope this long winded tale was worth it for the surprise ending. I was surprised beyond belief! Thanks for reading, happy machining, JR49


----------



## David VanNorman (Nov 13, 2015)

Good for you . May God bless you.


----------



## kf4zht (Nov 13, 2015)

That's a great surprise!

I would have felt bad if you said you tried to order the 727 and some jerk in GA bought the last one


----------



## mksj (Nov 13, 2015)

Congratulations and what great sons. FYI, the radiation knocks people down (fatigue) after treatment is completed, so don't feel bad if you have no energy for the next couple of months. Don't fight it, just eat well and slowly build your health and strength back.


----------



## Plas62 (Nov 13, 2015)

Congrats on completing your treatment and the new mill. It was good to read how your son's surprised you with it.


----------



## Franko (Nov 13, 2015)

Great news all around, JR!


----------



## zmotorsports (Nov 13, 2015)

Congratulations and YES, you have some great kids.  You should be proud.

Mike.


----------



## wrmiller (Nov 13, 2015)

Outstanding!


----------



## Rich V (Nov 13, 2015)

Congratulations on your new mill. Yes I would say you raised your sons well indeed!
Best wishes for a speedy recovery.


----------



## GA Gyro (Nov 13, 2015)

First off... Glad you are through with the radiation treatments... that stuff sucks!
And yes, you have GREAT kids and wife... not much more one could ask for!

On the mill... you will like it!  QMT/PM makes good stuff... and Matt does an outstanding job of taking care of his customers.
Sure, a few things slip through the cracks... yet if it is mentioned... it gets taken care of.

Keep us posted... and we LOVE pictures!


----------



## AirWolf (Nov 13, 2015)

Congratulations on completing that grueling phase of dealing with that nasty disease! And it made a lump in my throat reading about your wonderful bride and those two great boys you have! You are indeed a very lucky man!! 

Just take it easy "working" in the shop - take it slow and enjoy "puttering around" instead of working..

God Bless and a speedy recovery to you!


----------



## Chris Bettis (Nov 14, 2015)

Glad you're done with that. I couldn't imagine what you have gone through. 
And congrats on the new mill! Im sure you will enjoy it thoroughly. 

Sent from my LG-LS980 using Tapatalk


----------



## AirWolf (Nov 14, 2015)

JR...

out of curiosity just how tall would you need to build the base for that particular mill for your height? I'm thinking about getting a mill right after the new year and was wondering about that aspect of it.


----------



## JR49 (Nov 14, 2015)

AirWolf said:


> JR...
> 
> out of curiosity just how tall would you need to build the base for that particular mill for your height? I'm thinking about getting a mill right after the new year and was wondering about that aspect of it.



Air Wolf,          well, first of all, you need to know that I have never even laid my hands on a mill, so my advise isn't worth much.   However, I have read, and read, and read all the threads that I could find on this great forum, and the general opinion is that the table height of 34" leads to sore backs after a session of machining.  One post I read, the OP said he raised his 932 by about 5-6", and , when asked, he said he was 6 feet tall.  Based on that, and a number of other posts, and also, simply holding a tape measure up in front of me, I'm thinking that 8 to 10" would be perfect for me.  Of course that decision was made easy because I happen to have a few lengths of 8" tall structural I beams laying around that I brought home from a job I was on before I retired.  I figure on welding the I beams into a frame that the mill base will bolt on to, and once I add  leveling feet to the bottom, it will raise the table about 10"
   One thing to be careful of---whatever mill you are considering, find out what the maximum height is with the head (if it's a bench mill) raised up to the max.  You don't want to hit the  ceiling.  In my case, the 932 pdf max height is 82", so if I make a base 10" high, My back will thank me, and my garage ceiling will be safe.  Hope this helps, as I have received SO MUCH advise on this forum, that I would really like to start "paying back".  One piece of advise that I guarantee is correct,  Whatever questions you have, THIS is the BEST place to ask!!  Good luck, and happy machining.  JR49


----------



## mikey (Nov 14, 2015)

Congrats, JR, on the new mill but most especially the conclusion of your treatments. I hope the treatments dealt with the condition and that you have a long and happy life. The way your family chose to surprise you says a great deal about the man you are. Let me join the others in heartfelt congratulations!!!


----------



## wrmiller (Nov 14, 2015)

Regarding the question of height: I have a similar mill and I find that having the x and y axis handles high enough such that my forearms are somewhat close to horizontal works out well from a comfort perspective. This height will vary for any given person and machine combination, but in my particular case, that puts the milling table somewhere around 44-45" off the ground. Ideally a couple more inches would be near perfect, but my setup is not too bad in that I don't have to bend over too far when trying to closely examine something in the vise.


----------



## AirWolf (Nov 14, 2015)

Hmmm

good point Bill... makes quite a lot of sense.    I also have read others with the mill raise it anywhere from 6"- 8"...  

JR - seeing what Bill said about having your forearms horizontal on the controls, where would that put your measurement at??


----------



## JR49 (Nov 14, 2015)

Funny you should ask that now AirWolf, because I just read Bill's post which makes perfect sense to me (thanks for that Bill).  So, I stood up from the computer and measured.  With my forearm horizontal,  my hand is right at 45", and It occurred to me that anyone setting up a mill should follow Bill's advise, because, although he didn't say how tall he is, what matters is not only height but also arm length.  I expected my measurement to be higher than that (at 6'3") but I have really long arms (have trouble finding shirt sleeves to fit).  So I'm going to make the base 10-11".  Also FYI, I'm planning on having the 2 side beams (parallel with Y axis) the same width as the mill mounting holes, while the front and back beams (parallel with X axis) will be wider than the mill base, for more side to side stability.  OK, Instead of talking about it I need to get out there and DO IT!  Happy machining,  JR49
EDIT,  Any thoughts on how much wider  than the mill base the "outriggers" should be for best stability ?


----------



## wrmiller (Nov 14, 2015)

I'm 6'3". Short legs (32" inseam) long torso and arms.

AirWolf has been to my little shop. I think I'm a bit taller than he is?

Edit: I measured my forearms at 44-45 from the ground when parallel. FYI...


----------



## AirWolf (Nov 14, 2015)

wrmiller said:


> I'm 6'3". Short legs (32" inseam) long torso and arms.
> 
> AirWolf has been to my little shop. I think I'm a bit taller than he is?
> 
> Edit: I measured my forearms at 44-45 from the ground when parallel. FYI...



Yeah Bill you are a bit taller than me...pretty much like everyone else on the forums..... like about 8" higher altitude... 

sniff sniff


----------



## lpeedin (Nov 16, 2015)

Congrats on the completion of Chemo as well as being an awesome parent!  I hope that my sons will feel the way about me that kids do about you.  Congrats on the sweet new mill.  I am sure you will love it.  One thing about it, this forum is extremely helpful and these machines have been tested over and over.   Let me know if I can help you in any way.


----------

