Gearing up for PM-833TV

[Rodneyk]

One thing I added to my 833TV that has made me pretty happy for the cost was a cheap misting system.
I was surprised how well a little mist keeps things cool, which means tools last longer, and the cuts are better.
Also when I got mine they had changed the mill to make accessing the spindle easier. Some people before me had to build custom tools to keep the spindle from spinning while installing tools, I can just use the provided wrench.
Currently I am making a collar to fit on the lower portion of the spindle that will allow me to hold pressure when tightening the precision keyless drill chuck. Currently I have to pull the top cap off to expose the spindle spline put the spline wrench on, and remember to remove it and replace the cap every time I change drills in the chuck. With the collar I will be able to just stick some drill rod in the collar to hold a little force while tightening the chuck. Basically it is a donut that clamps on to the lower part of the spindle when I am using the chuck.
Also Everyone tells you this, but everyone ignores it at first. Buy good endmills, cheap ones are worth less than you pay. Unless you have the means to sharpen them correctly they just add more frustration and excitement sometimes (I broke a 1/2" carbide endmill I got on ebay which was a bit scary). A couple of cheap ones to start with is okay to learn basic operations and to get used to the controls, but once you have those down you will want good quality tools.

 

[skcncx]

I was surprised how well a little mist keeps things cool, which means tools last longer, and the cuts are better.

Good to know. I plan to start with doing aluminum, and Wd-40 spray, low tech. I will have to look into a misting system, seems like a great option. I assume they don't need directly wired in or hooked up to the mill's electronics. Just psychically mount some type of arm and you have an on/off switch somewhere. I assume the mist doesn't recycle as it's just a mist.

Also when I got mine they had changed the mill to make accessing the spindle easier. Some people before me had to build custom tools to keep the spindle from spinning while installing tools, I can just use the provided wrench.

Good, I assume I'll be getting the new style, pick up in a few weeks. One thing that will likely mitigate that is I've ordered the EasyChange Royal R8 system and a few holders to start. So, it may not be a huge deal either.

Also Everyone tells you this, but everyone ignores it at first. Buy good endmills, cheap ones are worth less than you pay.

Yea, I've heard that. I've only ordered my Haas HOP 2" face mill with their aluminum inserts. No other cutting tools ordered yet. Plan to pickup a couple 1/2 and 1/4" end mills, probably from Curt at latheinserts.com. What I haven't determined is how to tell what a good end mill is... or if it's just buy a known brand name. As with all this stuff, there's a bunch of styles that can be overwhelming, but I think just 2-3 flute for aluminum will get me started.

 

[Rodneyk]

Good to know. I plan to start with doing aluminum, and Wd-40 spray, low tech. I will have to look into a misting system, seems like a great option. I assume they don't need directly wired in or hooked up to the mill's electronics. Just psychically mount some type of arm and you have an on/off switch somewhere. I assume the mist doesn't recycle as it's just a mist.

Just needs air and some "coolmist", not electronics involved unless you want. I just adjust the needle valve to suit each time. On my mill I mounted the base to the head (There are a few extra screw holes in mine from the manufacture). The arm is long enough to reach. For my lathe I mounted one to the Magnetic base I use for my indicator tools, and the base attached to the cross slide. It does not produce a lot of flow so no need for more than a rag to clean it up in most cases.

Good, I assume I'll be getting the new style, pick up in a few weeks. One thing that will likely mitigate that is I've ordered the EasyChange Royal R8 system and a few holders to start. So, it may not be a huge deal either.

I am always hesitant to add more areas for potential run out. I hope the EasyChange works for you, It seemed a bit expensive for my usage (hobby). I looked at how the Priest Power Draw Bar works, and it looks easy enough to do homemade with some time (lots of youtube videos out there) but it requires a whole different set of tools so I am still using the manual draw bar. I generally plan my projects to minimize tools changes.

Yea, I've heard that. I've only ordered my Haas HOP 2" face mill with their aluminum inserts. No other cutting tools ordered yet. Plan to pickup a couple 1/2 and 1/4" end mills, probably from Curt at latheinserts.com. What I haven't determined is how to tell what a good end mill is... or if it's just buy a known brand name. As with all this stuff, there's a bunch of styles that can be overwhelming, but I think just 2-3 flute for aluminum will get me started.

2 flutes work well in aluminum for me (although I mostly mill steel so far) I started with the set from Precision Mathews since I knew absolutely nothing. They work reasonably well. I also got a set from Amazon (little machine shop) that have worked better than expected. I bought them to have on hand for when I broke one so I could keep milling until my replacements showed up, and they were working as well if not better than the PM mills. (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002YPHSJK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

What I was told when I bought my machine was to expect to spend almost as much on tooling as you paid for the mill (including calipers, gauges, parallels, angle block, 123 block, reamers, drills...) I'd say that advice was pretty spot on. I am still adding equipment and learning which things I use most. Buy when you need something is fine today since most things are delivered in a few days... There are somethings I went overboard on that I regret such as buying the highest level of dividing head, I would have been better off with a smaller one and a rotary table. However, if I ever need to do spirals, I am all set.

I come from a woodworking background and the one thing that I had to relearn was SPEED is not your friend. Metal likes much slower speeds than wood does. Tool last longer and cut better at slower speeds unless you are using super small drill bits. I burned out a couple of good bits because of this. It is all a learning experience, have fun.

 

[skcncx]

I am always hesitant to add more areas for potential run out. I hope the EasyChange works for you, It seemed a bit expensive for my usage (hobby).

Yea, I hope it works to my satisfaction. For the master holder and 8 tool holders I was at or less than the priest tools PDB. Still expensive! It is worth an experiment based on review of others to try out before a PDB solution.

What I was told when I bought my machine was to expect to spend almost as much on tooling as you paid for the mill (including calipers, gauges, parallels, angle block, 123 block, reamers, drills...) I'd say that advice was pretty spot on. I am still adding equipment and learning which things I use most. Buy when you need something is fine today since most things are delivered in a few days... There are somethings I went overboard on that I regret such as buying the highest level of dividing head, I would have been better off with a smaller one and a rotary table. However, if I ever need to do spirals, I am all set.

I'm at 50% spent on tooling compared to the 833TV so far. EasyChange system, 4 axis DRO w/mag scales and face mill. I still need a vise/clamping solution, parallels and a couple end mills. I've been trying balance the good quality buys, not junk, but not top of the line, just good value stuff.

Just for kicks I was looking at the rotary tables and dividing heads, one day/some day kind of thing. Seems like a rotary table would be first.

I come from a woodworking background and the one thing that I had to relearn was SPEED is not your friend.

Same here, lots to learn.

 

[Rodneyk]

I only have a 3 axis DRO, I would love to put one on my quill, but it was not an option.
Installing the DRO was a challenge since I had to machine a bracket to install the Z axis AND have the power feed stops.
Most of the holes were already drilled in the machine, just finding them is not always easy since the drawing in the installation docs were not awesome. I was also freaking out about making changes to an expensive machine, I mean other tools you buy you void the warranty if you go drilling holes in it, but not maching equipment, it is considered normal to drill holes before you can use the machine. Coolest part was that the first thing I milled on my 833TV was a bracket for it.
In the end I spent more time worrying about installing the DRO than it really required to install it.
Then I spent hours learning to Tram the machine, a process that take experts minutes to do. It is all fun in the end though, and I am learning skills and getting better every time I use the machine.

 

[skcncx]

I only have a 3 axis DRO, I would love to put one on my quill, but it was not an option.
Installing the DRO was a challenge since I had to machine a bracket to install the Z axis AND have the power feed stops.

I wish PM had a 4 axis option, hence why I did not go with theirs. Got an Aikron A30. Same unit for lathe. 4th axis, once installed quill will sum/combine with the z axis. Though, I imagine, in practice I'm not sure how much that's really necessary... just as long as you have some type of read out for the quill. Either way, I'll like having one display even if I don't sum the z and quill scales.

Since I'm deferring power feeds... I'm hoping I don't have a bunch of re-dos once I install DRO scales and then later on add power feeds and related stops.

I'll be taking a similar path... enjoying the setup, learning to dial things in and some first projects for brackets and such.... Still planning to weld a custom stand for it with tooling storage drawers.