Charter Oaks Benchtop Mill

thequietman said:
So just got off the phone with PM. Spoke to Matt. He was very helpful. Promised to send me a manual for the mill, and it was in my email box before I got off the phone. Placed a preorder for 727. 6+ weeks lead time, which actually works out pretty well for me. And now the wait starts.
Click to expand...

The wait can get frustrating, as many of us PM owners here know, but that will all quickly fade into nothing once it arrives. Looking forward to pics (we require those) and your initial impressions of the mill once you get it up and running. :)
 
Quick question on the accessories. Looks like the mill comes with drill chuck. And PM has $199 starter package on their site that includes clamps, 4" vise and a set of R8 collets. Is that worth getting or should I get it somewhere else? Also, what else would I need in addition to that? I'm thinking probably edge finder and dial indicator. Anything else? And what's a decent reasonably priced indicator? I've seen prices ranging from $20 to $200.
 
That all depends on what you want to use the machine for. Personally I would almost always rather have a better quality vise. For myself I chose to buy collets, clamp kit, and vise seperately. I know PM sells good quality Taiwan made collets. Not sure about clamp kit, or vise. You may want to look at a high quality vise like a glacern machine tool 5" machine vise. Im always skeptical if the manufacturer, or seller of any vise does not post tolerances.
However I know Matt is a stand up guy, and I don't see him selling you crap either. Ultimately the choice is yours, and it all depends on your budget. And how precise you would like to be with the machine.

Sent from my LG-LS980 using Tapatalk
 
Matt carries two lines of vises, the the higher priced ones are the Homge line (Taiwan). Good stuff.

I wouldn't scrimp on the vise if there's a choice as that is part of your foundation. As for edge finders, DIs and DTIs I have found the higher quality imports (like Shars or Griz for example) to be more that adequate to start with. You can always buy the higher quality ones later (difficult to have just one) as funds permit. :)
 
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Chris Bettis said:
We just sold a guy on pm from the co forum... Uhoh!
Click to expand...
Why should this forum be different? I think quite a few PM machines have been sold on the Grizzly forum as well. Maybe even a CNC machine from the Tormach forum...

CHALLENGE: get someone of the Jet forum to buy a PM....
 
Looks like Matts estimate of 6weeks was pretty close. Congrats on the new mill. You do know that we require pics once you get it, right? :D

(You could start a thread in the PM forum)
 
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