# Pm Questions



## HEAVYMETAL87 (Aug 18, 2016)

How's it going everyone? 

I have a few (read a lot) of questions regarding the Precision Matthews PM-727m and the PM-1022v. 
The biggest thing that I am concerned about right now is actually setting up the shop itself. I live in the desert- which would be absolute hell on the machines thanks to all the sand. My idea was to put the machines further away from the garage door- actually keep everything as far away from the garage door as I can. Am I on the right track with that? 

Does the 1022 accept 5C collets, collet closers, taper attachments and what not? Are there any on the market it can use? 

I am sure that there will be more- thank you in advance.


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## Dan_S (Aug 18, 2016)

HEAVYMETAL87 said:


> My idea was to put the machines further away from the garage door- actually keep everything as far away from the garage door as I can. Am I on the right track with that?



Yea, and get or make a cover for it!


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## HEAVYMETAL87 (Aug 19, 2016)

Well you see here is where the rub comes in: 
The back wall is small. Really small. The 727 and the 1022 are not going to fit against a 10' section of it. Not to mention I live with a blonde with a large car. 

Fitting a workbench, cabinets, and all the other fun stuff that comes with the territory into this garage is seriously making me scratch my head. 
I know that the mill will basically need a 6' wide, 3' deep space to occupy- and the lathe basically the same to have room to work. Having machines free standing always looked strange to me, but seriously I am thrown for a loop on this one.


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## JimDawson (Aug 19, 2016)

I have my lathe and mill facing each other with about 3 feet between the handwheels.  Works out well.


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## Dan_S (Aug 19, 2016)

I have my mill across the back right of the shop, with my machining tool chest in the back right corner, and then my lathe along the back right wall. Its basically an L shape, with just enough space allowed to access everything reasonably well. A lot of people find it hard to believe, but if I role all my woodworking stuff up against the walls, my wife and I can get both our cars in the garage (her Kia Sportage & my Nissan Murano). It's not a big garage either, at 21' square.


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## HEAVYMETAL87 (Aug 19, 2016)

Wouldn't the 727 need at least 60" worth of unobstructed space for the table? And the lathe about the same- as far as width? I had considered having one of the two not against the wall at all and then putting a work bench behind it. Or setting it up so that the bench would fold up when not being used on the car side of the garage.


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## Dan_S (Aug 19, 2016)

HEAVYMETAL87 said:


> Wouldn't the 727 need at least 60" worth of unobstructed space for the table? And the lathe about the same- as far as width?.



That sounds about right, I;ll take a picture of my setup when i get home tonight.


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## MSD0 (Aug 19, 2016)

I think if you covered the ways you'd be ok. Maybe run a fan with filter on a window to get positive pressure. For placement, a sketch of the garage space can help with the layout. If you want to use collets on the 1022, the easiest is to get a collet chuck and make a backplate. That's what I use on my 1127 and it's not that bad for home use, but definitely not as nice as a closer for multiple parts. I don't know of a collet closer that's ready to go, but you could make your own.


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## jbolt (Aug 19, 2016)

The spindle bore on the 1022 is too small for a collet closer system. A 5C collet chuck is the way to go. You may have to make a back-plate for it if PM does not offer one.


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## Dan_S (Aug 19, 2016)

This is how my machines are set up!


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## HEAVYMETAL87 (Aug 19, 2016)

Dan_S said:


> This is how my machines are set up!
> View attachment 134243



You win, you completely win. I envy you for living in a state that doesn't look like Tantooine/Arrakis/Saudi Arabia all mixed into one. 

I will post a horribly drawn draft in a little bit here of what I think would work- so to speak.


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## HEAVYMETAL87 (Aug 19, 2016)

Are there kits for these mills/lathes to make them CNC out there?


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## Dan_S (Aug 20, 2016)

HEAVYMETAL87 said:


> I envy you for living in a state that doesn't look like Tantooine/Arrakis/Saudi Arabia all mixed into one.



Trust me the grass isn't greener on the other side. WE get horrendous temperature & humidity shifts that can wreak havoc on cast iron surfaces. My shop dehumidifier runs 24/7/365.


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## wrmiller (Aug 20, 2016)

Yea, found a couple of minor 'spots' on the top of my compound recently. Can't wait until I get back to AZ. Nothing rusts down there.


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## qualitymachinetools (Aug 20, 2016)

Yeah no kidding, certain times here in PA it gets real bad, we have machines cleaned up for pictures and have to spray them with rustproofing within like 10 minutes after were done or it will start.    Some of these guys still can't get it through their heads that it can happen that fast. It got to the point where I was going to duct tape a can of rustlick to the photographers arm so he did not forget.    And sometimes it seems like we have a desert around here too, I have no idea where all the dust comes from, but it is a lot easier to deal with than moisture!

 To answer your question about the accessories though, there is no taper attachment available, and as jbolt said, the spindle is too small for a collet closer tube, it has to be at least about 1-3/8 for that. Its more of an entry level lathe, so does not have those options.  But really, I have a taper attachment on my lathe, and I can't remember the last time I used it. (Other than maybe to show someone how to use one) 

   People have mounted a 5C Collet chuck to the spindle with the 3 jaw chuck back plate, that usually works pretty well. The only time I use a collet is if I have a part thats already machined and don't want to mark it up, but there are other ways around that too.      

 These are nice smaller machines, the ONLY thing I can come up with that I dont care for on either is the change gear clips on the 1022/1030 lathes, (and 1127 too)    Many people use them just fine, but I am working on something better for that.    It will be just a retrofit to whats there now, actually I am trying to find Metric Shoulder Bolts with a 10mm shoulder, and a 6mm thread, but no luck yet. I think those are the ticket, I just have to find them. Every place that I check has either a 6mm thread / 8mm shoulder, or 8mm thread and 10mm shoulder.      I am here today trying to come up with something on that, but other than that part, I really like these machines.


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## JimDawson (Aug 20, 2016)

qualitymachinetools said:


> I am trying to find Metric Shoulder Bolts with a 10mm shoulder, and a 6mm thread, but no luck yet. I think those are the ticket, I just have to find them. Every place that I check has either a 6mm thread / 8mm shoulder, or 8mm thread and 10mm shoulder. I am here today trying to come up with something on that



What I have done in the past when I needed a special thread on a shoulder bolt, it to cut off the original thread, then drill & tap the body for the size I needed the screw in a long set screw or a stud.  Shoulder bolts are a bit hard to machine, but it's doable.


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## MSD0 (Aug 20, 2016)

qualitymachinetools said:


> These are nice smaller machines, the ONLY thing I can come up with that I dont care for on either is the change gear clips on the 1022/1030 lathes, (and 1127 too)    Many people use them just fine, but I am working on something better for that.    It will be just a retrofit to whats there now, actually I am trying to find Metric Shoulder Bolts with a 10mm shoulder, and a 6mm thread, but no luck yet. I think those are the ticket, I just have to find them. Every place that I check has either a 6mm thread / 8mm shoulder, or 8mm thread and 10mm shoulder.      I am here today trying to come up with something on that, but other than that part, I really like these machines.


The change gear clips are a pain to use. I was thinking about using a shaft collar instead of the clip.


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## HEAVYMETAL87 (Aug 20, 2016)

wrmiller said:


> Yea, found a couple of minor 'spots' on the top of my compound recently. Can't wait until I get back to AZ. Nothing rusts down there.



By the way, how far from the garage door should I keep the machines y'all think? 
The idea I had for dust covers was some canvas tarp hanging down from the ceiling like a shower curtain- as odd as that sounds. 

It would be really neat to make the two machines CNC- but where I could still use them manually. I work as a RADAR tech for a living so dealing with encoders, limit switches and what not isn't too far removed from what I am used to.  Are there kits out there that are compatible with these machines that won't require me to dig out any organs/send any inlaws to the other side? 

Also, is the PM-25 significantly less rigid than the PM-727?


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