# Living without Power down-feed?



## BellyUpFish (Mar 14, 2017)

I probably shouldn't be asking this, as the price difference isn't all that big, but I'm a fairly amateur "machinist" if you could even begin to call me that.

But more and more lately I find myself wanting or thinking I can justify a milling machine.

I've got a PM1030 lathe and am leaning towards a PM932M for a mill. Have to color match the equipment, I guess. Grizzly green might look funny in the shop. LOL 

Anyway, I guess I'm trying to justify the cost of the PM-932M-PDF. 

Can the extreme hobbyist live without such features?


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## darkzero (Mar 14, 2017)

I have a PM45M with power downfeed, the predecessor to the PM932,  and I had the same reasoning. I went with power downfeed cause it didn't cost much more & to add later would have to be a custom modification. I learned to mill on a BP & I loved the power downfeed feature. Not something that is used often (not for me anyway) but when I want to use it I'm glad I have it.

Downside is the quill handle configuration gets in the way sometimes. Not that big of a deal, just have to keep in mind of it during setup. The bottom handle is used to engage the powerfeed & it's the same length as the top handle. Some people shorten it, I just work around it.

One can argue having PDF is just another assembly of moving parts that can fail, I've never had a problem with mine though & I've used it for light drilling. Very handy when I had to make hundreds of these little parts with 2 drilled holes in each. I also love using it with a boring head.

I could definitely live without it though. If I could have it my way with the PM45M I have now, I'd love to have the tapping feature instead of PDF that is found on a very few version of the RF45 (don't think Matt offers it). It's not the same as power downfeed though but I think it would be much more useful.

Stefan Gotteswinter has a couple of videos on a quill power feed that he made which is very nice. Definitely a good watch. His RF45 style mill also has the tapping feature that I'm talking about.


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## BellyUpFish (Mar 14, 2017)

Yeh, I'm kinda wondering how often I'll use it. I'm already stretching to "need" something the size of the 932, but it's in the budget, so I figured I might as well max  out the budget and grow into the tool rather than the other way around.

In reality, a PM25/G0704 would probably do me just fine.


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## xplodee (Mar 24, 2017)

personally I think a power UP Feed is more desirable so you don't have to sit around cranking the wheel


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## darkzero (Mar 24, 2017)

xplodee said:


> personally I think a power UP Feed is more desirable so you don't have to sit around cranking the wheel



The mills were are referring to are not knee mills. The power downfeed  he's referring to is for the quill. Power down feeds down & when it quill reaches the depth you set it automatically retracts.


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## wrmiller (Mar 27, 2017)

Never had a PDF on my bed mills and didn't miss it. Now that I have one on my small knee mill, I never use it. Maybe someday.


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## Silverbullet (Mar 27, 2017)

There great to have when running a boring head . Or reaming operations , not expressly made for drilling but its used for drilling often.


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## darkzero (Mar 27, 2017)

It's ok to use for small drill bits. I like to drill manually for the feel & so I can peck when needed. But I have used it for drilling. I had to drill hundreds of blind holes in some parts I was making. It saved me a lot of time, plus I didn't have a depth stop at the time.


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