Any user feedback about recent experiences with the Precision Matthews PM-1022V lathe?

[ChazzC]

As far as grinding HSS vs carbide I can certainly understand the convenience, but be aware that is what it is. You will get much better performance from HSS on a small lathe once you can grind tooling well. Added bonus HSS is the cheaper option excluding he need for a grinder. Grinders are a good multi function tool though, useful for more than just grinding lathe tooling.

Grinding HSS bits gives you the opportunity to make custom bits suited to what are sometimes unique situations that hobbyists face. That said, if you want simplicity and HSS you can use Diamond Tool Holders (Quinn has been using these frequently recently) and/or T-15 inserts from A.R. Warner (insert holders with HSS bits than you can sharpen on an oil stone).

 

[Aaron_W]

Not to add more confusion, but at the current $1300 the Grizzly G4000 is a pretty solid budget beginner lathe. It is by no means a great lathe, but it is decent quality, affordable, a nice size and has a large support group who have devised various improvements to the lathe. One could certainly do worse for a lathe to learn what your true needs for a lathe are.

 

[cneuor]

owning a lathe is not a marriage—no sacramental vows are required. My advice is to just buy something in the size and power class that might work for your anticipated projects and do stuff with it. If the limitations are too intrusive, sell it on and buy another. The second purchase will be a thousand times more informed

Thank you, Rick. That’s exactly what I’m doing right now. I had my very first lathe—a LittleMachineShop mini lathe—for a couple of months. After working on a couple of small projects and watching a series of Blondihacks videos, I decided to sell it and buy the same PM-1022V machine that Quinn was using. The problem is that reselling comes with a significant loss of money, at least that was the case for me.

 

[cneuor]

@Aaron_W , @ChazzC, I did previously look at this HSS tool set from Accusize. Is that the one to get?

Accusize Industrial Tools 1/2'' 8 Pcs Hss Tool Bit Set, Pre-Ground for Turning and Facing Work, 2662-2004

 

[SouthernChap]

Not a help for your 7", but Mr Pete has also delved into small lathes doing some work with a Unimat, highlighting the Sherline lathe and mill at a friends clock repair shop, and now taking a dive into the Atlas 6x18".

Yeah, I've watched Mr Pete's videos on the unitmats he's got (did you see that teensy micro-micro lathe he did a few videos on?). I'm enjoying the Atlas 6x18 restoration. I do love his 'explorative' videos, I've enjoyed his recent sensitive drill press videos.

I don't really need any of these guys to do a 'how to' on improving the Chinese 7x. There are tons, some great (Steve Jordan, Artisan Makes and the previously mentioned "We can make that better") and some bloody awful!

What I'd enjoy, is a series where one of the usual suspects gets a Chinese 7x (from a reputable importer like LMS or Grizzly) takes say the bed, headstock and tailstock castings as settleable and upgradeable (but not replaceable) and then goes to town on the thing, sparing no effort or expense (within reason).

I actually think ToT would the best person for the job, as he has the chops, the imagination and the sense of humour to take on the challenge but to be fair it's not a sensible use of anybody's time, so I can't blame him for declining!

 

[Aaron_W]

@Aaron_W , @ChazzC, I did previously look at this HSS tool set from Accusize. Is that the one to get?

Accusize Industrial Tools 1/2'' 8 Pcs Hss Tool Bit Set, Pre-Ground for Turning and Facing Work, 2662-2004

There are many options, I don't have any experience with that one, but it has a nice variety of tools. A nice thing with pre-ground is you have something to look at when you later start grinding your own.

Personally I'd probably go with the 3/8" than 1/2". I don't think you will see much if any difference on a 10x22", 3/8" is cheaper, and a lot easier to grind (less grinding required).

 

[ChazzC]

@Aaron_W , @ChazzC, I did previously look at this HSS tool set from Accusize. Is that the one to get?

Accusize Industrial Tools 1/2'' 8 Pcs Hss Tool Bit Set, Pre-Ground for Turning and Facing Work, 2662-2004

Even with a 10” lathe I’d recommend 3/8” tooling: blanks cost less and there’s less to grind away.

With regard to those sets that Accusize (and others, including LMS) sell, I don’t like them because they have some funky profiles using forged blanks and other than for grooving a regular cut off blade in a specific holder is better.

Even though only 1/4”, this set would be better as a starting set since you get finished ground bits plus a set of blanks to learn how to grind your own. Plus the profiles are basic ones, making it easier to develop your skills:

@Aaron_W finished his post while I was digging out details; I fully agree with him

 

[ChazzC]

Yeah, I've watched Mr Pete's videos on the unitmats he's got (did you see that teensy micro-micro lathe he did a few videos on?). I'm enjoying the Atlas 6x18 restoration. I do love his 'explorative' videos, I've enjoyed his recent sensitive drill press videos.

I don't really need any of these guys to do a 'how to' on improving the Chinese 7x. There are tons, some great (Steve Jordan, Artisan Makes and the previously mentioned "We can make that better") and some bloody awful!

What I'd enjoy, is a series where one of the usual suspects gets a Chinese 7x (from a reputable importer like LMS or Grizzly) takes say the bed, headstock and tailstock castings as settleable and upgradeable (but not replaceable) and then goes to town on the thing, sparing no effort or expense (within reason).

I actually think ToT would the best person for the job, as he has the chops, the imagination and the sense of humour to take on the challenge but to be fair it's not a sensible use of anybody's time, so I can't blame him for declining!

While LMS does have a YT channel, it's mostly about how-to's for what they sell (Chris Wood would be perfect for this task, but is no longer full-time having sold the business some time back - he does stop in occasionally). However, if you dig into the LMS website, you can see the evolution from the basic SIEG C2 to the latest LMS 7450 7x16 with all of the add-ons (but without the how to do it yourself videos).

 

[Aaron_W]

Yeah, I've watched Mr Pete's videos on the unitmats he's got (did you see that teensy micro-micro lathe he did a few videos on?). I'm enjoying the Atlas 6x18 restoration. I do love his 'explorative' videos, I've enjoyed his recent sensitive drill press videos.

I don't really need any of these guys to do a 'how to' on improving the Chinese 7x. There are tons, some great (Steve Jordan, Artisan Makes and the previously mentioned "We can make that better") and some bloody awful!

What I'd enjoy, is a series where one of the usual suspects gets a Chinese 7x (from a reputable importer like LMS or Grizzly) takes say the bed, headstock and tailstock castings as settleable and upgradeable (but not replaceable) and then goes to town on the thing, sparing no effort or expense (within reason).

I actually think ToT would the best person for the job, as he has the chops, the imagination and the sense of humour to take on the challenge but to be fair it's not a sensible use of anybody's time, so I can't blame him for declining!

Something I really have come to appreciate from Mr Pete's videos is (for the most part) he doesn't crap on machines and he seems to have a "show me" attitude, meaning he is willing to try something so he can form an opinion. Now there are machines and tools he has put down, but that is usually because they are right in front of him displaying their glorious badness.

He didn't approach the Unimat from the point of this thing is a joke compared to my Clausing, he made a real effort to see what the little thing can do. Same with the little ManSon. That is content that could allow somebody new to machining, who is considering a Unimat to watch and come away with "wow, that will not work for me", or "man that thing would be perfect".

He seems to be honestly amused by the 618 being a miniature version of his 12" Craftsman seen through his frequent comparisons of the parts.

 

[rwdenney]

Thank you, Rick. That’s exactly what I’m doing right now. I had my very first lathe—a LittleMachineShop mini lathe—for a couple of months. After working on a couple of small projects and watching a series of Blondihacks videos, I decided to sell it and buy the same PM-1022V machine that Quinn was using. The problem is that reselling comes with a significant loss of money, at least that was the case for me.

That loss of money represents a very low price for the learning it provided. Lessons from a machinist would have cost a lot more, even if you could find them.

I had watched hundreds of YouTube hours before the South Bend came to me, and as an engineer I already had a solid basic knowledge of the processes involved. And I already had clockmaking experience with a small watchmaking lathe. Even so, I learned more in the first hour of actual chip-making than all of that, in terms of what works and what doesn’t. But that knowledge greatly sped up the hands-on learning process.

Rick “nothing like learning in three dimensions” Denney