11-12 inch PM lathe decisions

mustangsal

mustangsal

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I'm about to order a PM lathe as an upgrade to a China mini. I keep bouncing between the PM-1030v, PM-1127-VF-LB, and PM-1228VF-LB. Aside from cost, and bed length, how do these really compare. Different spindle mounts, Left-Hand threads, comes with a 4 jaw chuck, etc. but what matters? What so the trailing letters mean? v vs. vf vs. lb

"What will you use it for?" - Tinkering, Making, Replacement parts, etc. I know the usual answer is the largest you can afford, but these three will fit my space in the garage with little issue.
 
The VF usually stands for Variable Frequency or Variable Frequency Drive. All of those lathes have a variable speed to them. One says a DC motor with a variable speed and the other is an AC motor with a inverter. Does it make a difference which one? I am afraid I cannot answer that.

However, be advised that all of them that you listed are from China. On PM's website, if it ends with a "T" it is most likely made in Taiwan. If your budget allows, you may want to look at the 1236T. It is made in Taiwan and just overall better.

Edit: I know this is on the PM forum, but Eisen has a bunch of 12" lathes coming in on their next shipment. Not sure about their pricing but it is generally better.
 
I own the most recent version of the PM-1127-VF-LB. Overall I've been pretty happy with the lathe. The main reason I went with the 1127 over the 1228 was because I got lucky and got a smokin deal on a barely-used lathe. If I bought new I probably would've gone with the 1228, and if money wasn't an option I would seriously consider the PM-1236T.

The 2 major complaints/annoyances I have with the 1127 are:

1. The speed ranges on the latest version are 70-380 RPM and 380-2000. The 1228 has much more usable ranges: 50-1000 and 100-2000. Looking into options to resolve this on my 1127.
2. Dealing with change gears are a hassle for threading. As far as I know, most of the lathes in this price range have change gears, but the 1228 has more gearbox options which minimizes the change gear variations. Some of this annoyance was fixed by deburring everything so it's easier to swap gears, but I'm also in the process of adding the Clough42 ELS so I can kiss change gears goodbye for good.
 
I got "talked up" from to 1030 to the 1127 here on HM. The biggest upgrades for me were that the ways are wider and more rigid and the camlock chuck mount. Having had the camlocks, I would not want to deal with the bolt on style. It's a lot like change gears vs the ELS I installed. :)

@freethink I was able to find the manual for the VFD that came with mine, and I increased the max frequency to get the motor to run a little faster. It increased the low range to about 800 RPM. I do the same thing on my Bridgeport and 2x72 grinder and it works great. A worthy mod to keep from having to mess with the belts.

As for the 1228, I can't say that there are a lot of differences. You do get more options in the gearbox, and I've heard that DC motors have better torque at low speeds than VFD driven 3 phase motors. I don't know how true that is, but I can say that other than the very lowest speeds, I haven't had any issues. It looks to be a worthy option in this price range and I hear good things, but I've never used one so I can't give much information that isn't on their webpage. :)
 
ttabbal said:
I was able to find the manual for the VFD that came with mine, and I increased the max frequency to get the motor to run a little faster. It increased the low range to about 800 RPM
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Thanks for the tip @ttabbal, that sounds like a much easier route than where I was headed (replacement pulleys/motor). Do you happen to remember what you set your max frequency to? I have the manual for my VFD so should be a pretty quick mod once I figure out what to set it to.
 
I think I set the lathe to about 100hz. I use 120 on my other machines. Never had a problem.
 
ttabbal said:
I got "talked up" from to 1030 to the 1127 here on HM.
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Glad we could help. This is exactly what I am trying to do with Mustangsal. In fact, if he doubled his budget, which I think is a very do-able, it would be best to be looking at a made in Taiwan 1440. :big grin:
 
7milesup said:
Glad we could help. This is exactly what I am trying to do with Mustangsal. In fact, if he doubled his budget, which I think is a very do-able, it would be best to be looking at a made in Taiwan 1440. :big grin:
Click to expand...

Well, I *DID* get a better machine out of it, and the OP would as well. :)

But of the machines listed, I would bump up one level, perhaps pushing the budget a little, but leaving some for some tooling. :)
 
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