Another obligatory New PM-833TV and PM-1340GT Ordered!

[skcncx]

I'd return that machine and get your money back. I went through a similar ordeal with an improperly machined Y axis on my 833TV mill and spent months and hundreds of hours convincing them of the issue. They eventually agreed to change out the mill with a new one and I waited 7 months for that to arrive. When it arrived I made sure to inspect it thoroughly and found the column (nod) was out of square to the table .015" over 10". I sent them a video and their response was simply "I swear they move during shipping". No offer to fix or exchange it. I said i would re-shim the column just to get a working mill, and asked if they could send me some shims. They said they didn't have any and basically sent me to buy shims to fix a brand new (second time!) Machine.....

I sure hope I have better luck with my 833TV mill that's ready very soon (supposedly) to be picked up.

 

[Christianstark]

Latest video. this shows the no gib fitment on the saddle.

 

[Lucas E]

Parts certainly can shift after machining. I purchased a Drill Press and the table was noticeably concave. After several days of trying to level it using sandpaper (I didn’t know about surface grinding then…) I got a replacement part under warranty.

The machining marks on the table showed it was finished by a process which would have been unable to make the table concave, which leads to the conclusion that the part warped after manufacture.

Oh absolutely, it's extremely common, but should be caught and rejected by quality inspections if it happens. There are ways to mitigate movement by altering the manufacturing process like rough machining, stress relieving, and then final machining.

 

[Christianstark]

Oh absolutely, it's extremely common, but should be caught and rejected by quality inspections if it happens. There are ways to mitigate movement by altering the manufacturing process like rough machining, stress relieving, and then final machining.

in my situation, I am not in the least bit opposed to doing some work to get things as precise as I can. I welcome it. Helps me learn my machine, and it is cathartic for me. But when I present evidence of a root cause, I want support in tackling the root cause. When a precision test bar is telling me the head is adjusted properly, I have a massive problem with someone telling me to adjust the head out of alignment so I can cut a flat face, and then shim the tail to cut a straight cylinder, when dealing with the cross slide will get me 90% of the way to happiness.

 

[davidpbest]

in my situation, I am not in the least bit opposed to doing some work to get things as precise as I can. I welcome it. Helps me learn my machine, and it is cathartic for me. But when I present evidence of a root cause, I want support in tackling the root cause. When a precision test bar is telling me the head is adjusted properly, I have a massive problem with someone telling me to adjust the head out of alignment so I can cut a flat face, and then shim the tail to cut a straight cylinder, when dealing with the cross slide will get me 90% of the way to happiness.

I like your attitude. I have always considered these lower end machines, even the ones from Taiwan, to be kind of "kits" with a lot of potential, and worthy of fine tuning if you want a tight accurate machine. This is why I tear them down and do my own alignments and modifications as required. When you get to a PM-1440TL lathe or an Acra LCM-50 mill at $15K+, the quality and QC upscaling is really evident - different league entirely.

 

[Lucas E]

I like your attitude. I have always considered these lower end machines, even the ones from Taiwan, to be kind of "kits" with a lot of potential, and worthy of fine tuning if you want a tight accurate machine. This is why I tear them down and do my own alignments and modifications as required. When you get to a PM-1440TL lathe or an Acra LCM-50 mill at $15K+, the quality and QC upscaling is really evident - different league entirely.

Unfortunately this is not how they are advertised by Precision Matthews.

 

[Christianstark]

Matt is ordering a new cross slide. Not sure how long that will take, but I can get by with what I have for now as I have plenty to do that does not require facing.

 

[Rodneyk]

Any thoughts on this?

Remember those precision level must sit still for a while when taking readings. Movement in any direction can cause the bubble to move as the fluid gains motion. I am NOT saying that this is what is happening, but just remember to let it sit for a while before reading the level...