Help me spend my money! It’s mill-shoppin’ time...

[darkzero]

Oh, I looked at that one a loooong time. Really everything I'm asking for, but unless I find a thousand bucks in the sofa cushions, it's out of the running.

I hear ya. I drooled over it for a while also when it first came out. I still would like one but the desire has dwindled over the years. Not ready to spend to spend that kind of money right now. I'll hold out to see what other models come out in the future.

From your choices...

My PM45 is basically the same as the 932 except the 932 has more luxury features but no coolant system. Not that matters, you could always add one if needed & I have never used mine. It has done everything I have asked it to. Wish I had one more higher spindle speed but 2000ish is not bad. I don't use the power down feed a lot but when I do I'm really glad I choose to get it.

835 would be great if you have the room for it. I know I don't where I'm currently living. But if you would have to modify the base to get it to fit in your workspace, not sure I would personally do that. 8 haven't looked at the specs of it but if it doesn't have nod adjustment that might be a deal breaker for me. If I were to get a knee mill, I would prefer to have nod adjustment & PDF.

The 833 looks like a nice machine. Made in Taiwan which is a big plus & it has more Y axis travel than the 932. I wish I had more Y travel sometimes. One shot lube is nice too. Again I love my PDF but it wouldn't be a deal breaker for me. But then again to me it's like one of those things where if you had it, you wouldn't want to be without it. Like the foot brake on my lathe. I don't use it much but the next lathe I get will have to have one. It is kind of expensive IMO. Although I'd like to have a Taiwan machine next I'd probably choose the 940 instead for less money.

932 is a decent machine. Again my PM45 has been serving me well but there were not very many choices back them from PM, none of the Taiwan machines were available back then. Definitely get the PDF if you go with this one. 932 is nice that it comes with a power Z as well as the others, wish I had that. If budget is an issue this would be a good choice cause it'll leave a lot more room for you to buy tooling. And you will need lots of tooling.

 

[mmcmdl]

You rang ? Did someone say " help me spend my money " ?

 

[darkzero]

Well if you got ceiling height issues, you could always cut a hole! Just be sure to send the wife on a nice vacation while you are doing it.

This jig borer was was huge, much bigger in person than it looks in the pics. Was in really nice condition. Sadly I think it might have got scraped. Would have cost way more to get the thing out of the building & moved from the location than what he was asking for it.

 

[cathead]

Dang! That's a nice looking machine. I have an 8 inch rotary Kurt vise that came off a jig borer. I just need the other piece..............

 

[higgite]

You rang ? Did someone say " help me spend my money " ?

Woohoo! My favorite pastime... spending other people's money. I'm quite good at it, if I do say so myself.

But, enough about me... to the task at hand. The answer is simple, buy option #2. Why? Because it costs the most. It's science.

You're welcome,
Tom

 

[markba633csi]

Knee mill, hands down. Hands up if you have any questions
-Mark

 

[luxige]

It sounds like you have some height issues? I had a similar problem, although apparently a harder ceiling at 6,6" which made most knee mills a hard no for me short of putting the head up through the kitchen floor (a hard no from my wife). So many knee mills mount the motor above the head which makes them very tall.

There are some shorter knee mills out there used, Clausing, Rockwell, Millrite, but staying with new, Grizzly is the only one I know that offers a knee mill in the 6 foot tall range, they have a smaller 6x26 and larger 8x30. G0678, G0695, G0729, G0731 and G0822. They are a long way from a Bridgeport or the PM835, but compare well to large bench mills with the added benefit of having a knee. Sorry to throw a wrench into your options. A Clausing found me and for my space it really was the perfect machine.



Don't dismiss the idea of two machines. It is true that you can make small parts on a big machine, but it can be more pleasant to make them on a small machine. Also let's you focus more on a good generall machine and not worry so much about finding one good for all things, then look for a small mill if you seriously get into small stuff like clocks.

Thanks, Aaron.
I had considered most of the Grizzly machines and decided that they all were either too big, or had too many compromises I’d regret later. I took another look at the ones you suggested and came to the same conclusion again. That G0822 comes pretty darn close, but I really think the work envelope would prove to be too small. If you price it in terms of $/unit of work volume it’s actually a fairly pricey machine. That tall base unit just eats up too much space, it’s a shame. I do admire the space-saving configuration of the drivetrain, with the inverted motor hanging out in the back. In fact, I have toyed with the idea of rebuilding the PM835 into a similar configuration. The motor couldn’t go all the way at the back, the ram is too deep. But it could be hung to the left side of the head, just aft of the head bolts, which would allow access to all controls. Would have to reverse the motor rotation. Hmm, maybe that idea is back in contention... Although I’d be burning the warranty, I assume.

I’m definitely on board with multiple machines! One of my first complex projects, which is currently simmering on the back burner, will be a clockmaker’s lathe.

 

[luxige]

I hear ya. I drooled over it for a while also when it first came out. I still would like one but the desire has dwindled over the years. Not ready to spend to spend that kind of money right now. I'll hold out to see what other models come out in the future.

From your choices...

My PM45 is basically the same as the 932 except the 932 has more luxury features but no coolant system. Not that matters, you could always add one if needed & I have never used mine. It has done everything I have asked it to. Wish I had one more higher spindle speed but 2000ish is not bad. I don't use the power down feed a lot but when I do I'm really glad I choose to get it.

835 would be great if you have the room for it. I know I don't where I'm currently living. But if you would have to modify the base to get it to fit in your workspace, not sure I would personally do that. 8 haven't looked at the specs of it but if it doesn't have nod adjustment that might be a deal breaker for me. If I were to get a knee mill, I would prefer to have nod adjustment & PDF.

The 833 looks like a nice machine. Made in Taiwan which is a big plus & it has more Y axis travel than the 932. I wish I had more Y travel sometimes. One shot lube is nice too. Again I love my PDF but it wouldn't be a deal breaker for me. But then again to me it's like one of those things where if you had it, you wouldn't want to be without it. Like the foot brake on my lathe. I don't use it much but the next lathe I get will have to have one. It is kind of expensive IMO. Although I'd like to have a Taiwan machine next I'd probably choose the 940 instead for less money.

932 is a decent machine. Again my PM45 has been serving me well but there were not very many choices back them from PM, none of the Taiwan machines were available back then. Definitely get the PDF if you go with this one. 932 is nice that it comes with a power Z as well as the others, wish I had that. If budget is an issue this would be a good choice cause it'll leave a lot more room for you to buy tooling. And you will need lots of tooling.

Thanks for the very detailed and useful info!

You mentioned the 940M. It has the power I want and a truly huge work space, plus PDF. I took it off the list mostly because the price starts to get to Taiwan machine territory (833T/TV). I think I’m better off giving up the downfeed to get a higher quality machine. But frankly, that’s just a guess on my part. This thread will hopefully help me get a clearer picture of the tradeoffs.
Also, the 940M is out of stock.

I’ve been pre-buying tooling for a while, so my remaining budget won’t be affected by that. Other than maybe needing to get a bigger vise depending on choice of machine.

Btw, the 835 does have all the typical knee mill head movements - swing, extend, tilt, nod.

 

[luxige]

Woohoo! My favorite pastime... spending other people's money. I'm quite good at it, if I do say so myself.

But, enough about me... to the task at hand. The answer is simple, buy option #2. Why? Because it costs the most. It's science.

You're welcome,
Tom

Thanks, Tom, for the “advice.”
Actually, this might work. I could show this thread to my wife: “Hon, the numbers don’t lie. See, right here Tom says...”

Nah, she’s not as gullible as me.

 

[luxige]

Knee mill, hands down. Hands up if you have any questions
-Mark

Agreed, Mark.
If only I had the vertical clearance for the 835S. So I do have a question for you: if you were in my shoes, would you cut a big slice off the base of that machine to make it (sorta) fit?

I have also considered cutting a hole in the basement slab, excavating a bit, and pouring a new footing.