Introduction & Mill Selection Advice Needed

[addertooth]

WRMiller,
I am laughing at myself at for not noticing it is you. My fellow local Arizonan. I will be back in town in about 3 weeks. If you want to come by and look at the PM-728-VT, then please let me know. As close as you live, you ought to come by and check it out. Hopefully I will have it off the pallet and on the stand by then (it will get used for making feeds for fountain pens). The weekend of the 21st of November would be perfect. I can show you some of my restored pens while you are here (and a few dozen that are mid-process). I have a cousin of the 5200 (the 5100 family 7350) which I use. It has DROs installed on the tailstock, cross feed and compound. I really like the DRO on the tailstock, as it is easier to bore pen stock to a very specific depth with no drama and guessing. It also has an independent 4 jaw chuck which is great for gripping square blocks. The DRO on the compound makes it much easier to make a good 3-lead thread on the barrel and cap. I am still waiting on some nice patterned Hard Rubber stock from Ranga Pens in India. International Post in India is at a FULL stop, so international shipping is ultra-iffy out of India at this time. The mill will also be used to make some dies, to shape pen clips.

 

[TX COWDOC]

. For some reason, many people here cannot fathom scaling your machine for the intended use.
They assume you will move onto larger projects and become disenchanted with a smaller lathe/mill.

Good point. I would contend that there is also a subset of members here that are in the "If I had it to do over again, I would have...." camp. Like many things in life...(the 1st gun safe, the 1st tool chest, etc.) we want something bigger a few years / chips down the road. As can be seen on this forum, I waffled back and forth on both my lathe and my mill. Ultimately I received lots of great feedback and am happy with my decision. For me it was a PM1236 and a PM833T. Enjoy your search and post your setup you get it delivered!

 

[wrmiller]

I have a PM935TS and a PM1340GT and they do everything I want. I have no need for larger machines. TBH if I could find someone who was willing to trade me a Hardinge HLV with digital threading, I'd take it in a heartbeat.

The only reason I have a mill the size of the 935 was to get a fully articulating head and knee, with overall good quality. Mission accomplished.

WRMiller,
I am laughing at myself at for not noticing it is you. My fellow local Arizonan. I will be back in town in about 3 weeks. If you want to come by and look at the PM-728-VT, then please let me know. As close as you live, you ought to come by and check it out. Hopefully I will have it off the pallet and on the stand by then (it will get used for making feeds for fountain pens). The weekend of the 21st of November would be perfect. I can show you some of my restored pens while you are here (and a few dozen that are mid-process). I have a cousin of the 5200 (the 5100 family 7350) which I use. It has DROs installed on the tailstock, cross feed and compound. I really like the DRO on the tailstock, as it is easier to bore pen stock to a very specific depth with no drama and guessing. It also has an independent 4 jaw chuck which is great for gripping square blocks. The DRO on the compound makes it much easier to make a good 3-lead thread on the barrel and cap. I am still waiting on some nice patterned Hard Rubber stock from Ranga Pens in India. International Post in India is at a FULL stop, so international shipping is ultra-iffy out of India at this time. The mill will also be used to make some dies, to shape pen clips.

Send me a PM when you're ready and I'll drive over.

 

[Kiwi Canuck]

I suggest going with the Taiwan made machines, 728VT or the 833TV which is in stock.

I couldn't get over the difference in the fit and finish, the Taiwan made machines are just so much better finished and feel right in the hand.

The Taiwan machines also have a 5 year warranty versus 3 years for the Mainland China models.

Welcome to the forum and let us know what you choose.

BTW, the extra inch or two on the 833 might come in handy, I have a PM935 and I run out of table on some projects by the time I get everything setup and clamped, usually making brackets or similar and need to unclamp and rotate or reposition the piece which is time consuming.

David.

 

[bburns0909]

Thanks for all the feedback. I think I'll go with a Taiwanese machine for sure now. Seems like I'll be happier with the fit and finish. I'll post when I decide on the final version and options. Thanks!

 

[bburns0909]

I decided to go with the PM-728VT w/DRO and placed the order this week. I'm looking forward to the delivery, getting set up and seeing what damage I can do. Hopefully they take delivery and ship out fairly soon.

 

[wrmiller]

Gotta have lots of pics after you get it!

 

[Larry$]

Good suggestions. Do go with a Taiwan mill! & DRO. The powerfeed helps make a more uniform surface. Some things take way more Z area than what you might expect. Do some layouts by drawing what pace is required for things like a boring head with the bar and the work in place. Another space eater is a rotary table on edge or semi universal indexing unit set vertically with a chuck. Combine that with a boring head and you can see the problem.
I had gotten my knee mill as part of a buyout. I soon discovered that a mill w/o a lathe was an incomplete system. 4 years ago I bought a PM1440HD lathe. Chinese with some typical Chinese issues but generally OK. PM took care of issues fine. You will "NEED" a lot of accessories for both. I've done a fair amount of repair work and have been glad I've got the size machines I do. But for my playaround "work" bigger than needed. Have fun.

 

[Kiwi Canuck]

Good call on the DRO, they are awesome to use and I love the line hole and circle functions, I use both more than I expected.

Great choice on the machine as well, the variable speed is a nice feature to have, makes finding the right cutting speed a breeze.

David.