Looking for my perfect size hobby mill....

wrmiller said:
Sort of like Cat 40 end mill holders for R8 machines. Typically used for heavier cuts with larger cutters. Or at least that has been my experience.
Click to expand...
I have an assortment of those I use often ranging from 3/16" to 3/4" and I am about to pick up a 1". The only issue with them is they do not work well with double ended end mills. They will work without the flat but the better results are obtained when using end mills with the flat for the screw to engage.
 
Yea, double-ended mills don't work well. :)

For serious milling you want that screw engaging the end mill. Largest end mill I ever used was a 3/4" corncob, hogging mild steel. Full width and full DOC. I remember the first time and I had the spindle speed a bit high. Getting hit with hot purple chips hurts! LOL...

(and I had to buy the boss a new end mill....)
 
@verbotenwhisky

Doing my due diligence I scoured the bright web searching for horror stories about the PM-932... I only found a few with major issues that got solved. I did find a lot of complaints found during machine setup, fit & finish, No lube or oil present, Casting sand in mating components. I did not find issues that where in such great numbers it would make the machine a high risk purchase.

It appears for the most part people find this Mill serviceable after a pre use tune-up.

Interestingly there are multiply versions of this machine with major differences that cannot be changed once purchased. 1- Gear Head, 2- Variable Speed, 3- Z Axis (Head) Positioning Motor, 4- Powered Boring "PDF = Power Down Feed" of the spindle...

Current purchase options as of 6-13-2024

PM-932V
The Variable speed model has an option -> With or without DRO.
Unlike it's bigger brother the PM-940V, PDF is not an option with the Variable Speed model PM-932V.
Z Axis (Head) Positioning Motor is also not an option on the PM-932V.

PM-932M
The manual or gearhead model comes in three flavors, + With or without DRO.
M-basic, a bare Gear Head machine.
M- Gear Head machine with Z Axis (Head) Positioning Motor.
PDF- Gear Head machine with Z Axis (Head) Positioning Motor and Power down feed on spindle.

LOL this just made making a choice even more fun.... I can have variable speed or power down feed but not both... plus what ever machine you get, you should expect issues of some type before use, :) So its wise to do a teardown and tune-up of the machine right out of the box.

Its ok, I'm thinking PDF any way, If I get a base model I cant add PDF later down the road...

Here is the best part of all that makes no sense,
The PM-932M PDF machine and base are purchased separately and total $4398.00
The PM-940M PDF comes with a Base and is $4399.00

Kind of disheartening really, unless I am reading PM's website wrong. I cant justify buying the PM-932M because the PM-940M Gives you so much more machine for basically the same price...

I've done enough research in the last two days to make my head spin...

I am going to put this Milling Machine Purchase on hold till I get my garage all cleaned out, My lathe all set up and see how much room I have left, Then come back and figure this out...

Thank you to everyone, all the help in figuring this out is much appreciated, I've learned a ton in the last two weeks - this ain't over yet...!
 
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Just a FYI, but after having owned several Chinese machines, you would do well to consider them a pre-assembled kit. If I do buy another Chinese machine for cost reasons, the first thing I will do is completely disassemble the machine, clean and inspect all components, repair/fix what I can, and then re-assemble. I did this with my Charter Oak machine and it turned out really well. It did take me a bit of time to complete though.

Best of luck with whatever you decide sir. :)
 
Mr Mike said:
@verbotenwhisky

Doing my due diligence I scoured the bright web searching for horror stories about the PM-932... I only found a few with major issues that got solved. I did find a lot of complaints found during machine setup, fit & finish, No lube or oil present, Casting sand in mating components. I did not find issues that where in such great numbers it would make the machine a high risk purchase.

It appears for the most part people find this Mill serviceable after a pre use tune-up.

Interestingly there are multiply versions of this machine with major differences that cannot be changed once purchased. 1- Gear Head, 2- Variable Speed, 3- Z Axis (Head) Positioning Motor, 4- Powered Boring "PDF = Power Down Feed" of the spindle...

Current purchase options as of 6-13-2024

PM-932V
The Variable speed model has an option -> With or without DRO.
Unlike it's bigger brother the PM-940V, PDF is not an option with the Variable Speed model PM-932V.
Z Axis (Head) Positioning Motor is also not an option on the PM-932V.

PM-932M
The manual or gearhead model comes in three flavors, + With or without DRO.
M-basic, a bare Gear Head machine.
M- Gear Head machine with Z Axis (Head) Positioning Motor.
PDF- Gear Head machine with Z Axis (Head) Positioning Motor and Power down feed on spindle.

LOL this just made making a choice even more fun.... I can have variable speed or power down feed but not both... plus what ever machine you get, you should expect issues of some type before use, :) So its wise to do a teardown and tune-up of the machine right out of the box.

Its ok, I'm thinking PDF any way, If I get a base model I cant add PDF later down the road...

Here is the best part of all that makes no sense,
The PM-932M PDF machine and base are purchased separately and total $4398.00
The PM-940M PDF comes with a Base and is $4399.00

Kind of disheartening really, unless I am reading PM's website wrong. I cant justify buying the PM-932M because the PM-940M Gives you so much more machine for basically the same price...

I've done enough research in the last two days to make my head spin...

I am going to put this Milling Machine Purchase on hold till I get my garage all cleaned out, My lathe all set up and see how much room I have left, Then come back and figure this out...

Thank you to everyone, all the help in figuring this out is much appreciated, I've learned a ton in the last two weeks - this ain't over yet...!
Click to expand...
The things I find most important to me option wise are the Hardened ways, PDF and the motor to raise and lower the head. Trust me the head on mine is heavy and the gear head is heavier, I cranked mine up and down a couple times and it is a workout. I think you are on the right track, I wanted the 940M in the beginning, ordered the 932M because the 940M wasn't available and through divine intervention I wound up with a fully loaded PM940V-PDF.

I had the same questions you had about the base and I do not understand why the 932 doesn't come with one, physically it isn't that much smaller and I had the same comments about it as you. If I were buying the 932 I would not buy is without a stand.

I just looked at the PM site and they no longer offer the 932M with hardened ways, if you trick the 932M out to the max of what they offer with the cast Iron base and do the same with the 940M with the addition of hardened ways the PM940M-PDF is only 400 dollars more, that is crazy, Id opt for the PM940M-PDF at those prices.

Any whose, What I did was to clean up the garage and put painters tape in the floor to mark off the position that I wanted the machine in, I was liberal including the accesses and max table movements to ensure it would fit as I planned it, had to scooch it about a bit here and there to fit it all...

Be safe...
 
Something you may wish to ponder since you are now well into $4000 territory and you really don't know what you are going to do with a mill.

Consider a much cheaper option as a learning tool. Something smaller and / or used in the $1000-1500 price range. Use it to learn with, figure out your real needs and then revisit the purchase of a long term mill.

Right now Little Machine Shop has the Sieg X2D on sale for $799. This is a 4.7x18" mini-mill and in no way in the class of the 932, but it is $800 and would give you something to help learn what your real needs are. Little Machine Shop is a reputable dealer of smaller machines.
Worst case you should have little difficulty selling it for $400-500 down the road, and write off the couple hundred lost as educational.
Yes this is a very small mill, but it is actually comparable in capacity to the "mill" on many of the combo lathe / mills in the 12" lathe class.
Best case maybe you find it actually does all that you need, right now it seems like you don't even have a need for a mill and are kind of guessing at your future needs.
LMS also offers an improved version under their own brand, the 3990 for $1300. Also some larger mills, but beyond maybe $1500 you are just adding more options to cloud the issue.

The other option would be finding a used RF-31 clone, these can often be picked up for $1000 or so. They are a "round column" mill which turns many off, but they offer a lot of mill for the money (used, I would never recommend buying one new). This is Grizzly's version of the RF-31 just for reference.


Not meaning to cloud the issue, but it seems like you currently have no need for a mill, with no immediate plans for one which is really causing you issues in choosing a mill.
What I would hate to see is for you to spend $5000 (which is where you will be by the time you add in taxes, shipping etc) only to find out you need something bigger (Bridgeport clone) or are only using the capacity that could have been provided with a quality mini-mill for a fraction of the price. Option 2 is the better option, but still less than ideal if your needs could have been met at 1/2 the cost.
 
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Aaron_W said:
Something you may wish to ponder since you are now well into $4000 territory and you really don't know what you are going to do with a mill.

Consider a much cheaper option as a learning tool. Something smaller and / or used in the $1000-1500 price range. Use it to learn with, figure out your real needs and then revisit the purchase of a long term mill.

Right now Little Machine Shop has the Sieg X2D on sale for $799. This is a 4.7x18" mini-mill and in no way in the class of the 932, but it is $800 and would give you something to help learn what your real needs are. Little Machine Shop is a reputable dealer of smaller machines.
Worst case you should have little difficulty selling it for $400-500 down the road, and write off the couple hundred lost as educational.
Yes this is a very small mill, but it is actually comparable in capacity to the "mill" on many of the combo lathe / mills in the 12" lathe class.
Best case maybe you find it actually does all that you need, right now it seems like you don't even have a need for a mill and are kind of guessing at your future needs.
LMS also offers an improved version under their own brand, the 3990 for $1300. Also some larger mills, but beyond maybe $1500 you are just adding more options to cloud the issue.

The other option would be finding a used RF-31 clone, these can often be picked up for $1000 or so. They are a "round column" mill which turns many off, but they offer a lot of mill for the money (used, I would never recommend buying one new). This is Grizzly's version of the RF-31 just for reference.


Not meaning to cloud the issue, but it seems like you currently have no need for a mill, with no immediate plans for one which is really causing you issues in choosing a mill.
What I would hate to see is for you to spend $5000 (which is where you will be by the time you add in taxes, shipping etc) only to find out you need something bigger (Bridgeport clone) or are only using the capacity that could have been provided with a quality mini-mill for a fraction of the price. Option 2 is the better option, but still less than ideal if your needs could have been met at 1/2 the cost.
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The 932 and 940 mills have as much or more work envelope as the standard Bridgeport mills. He has a 1236 lathe and wants a mill with similar capabilities.
 
verbotenwhisky said:
The 932 and 940 mills have as much or more work envelope as the standard Bridgeport mills. He has a 1236 lathe and wants a mill with similar capabilities.
Click to expand...

I have asked on this site before for guidelines of how to match a mill to a lathe, and mostly got answers of "it depends".
Smithy apparently thinks a mill with a capacity similar to the Sieg X2D is appropriate to pair with their 13x40 lathe. Other combo mills also match roughly similar mills with their 10-13" lathes.

The OP does not seem to have any plans for the mill. Will he be happy with the 932 or 940? Maybe, probably, but with no use case that is hard to say.

Is there a chance he is buying a lot more mill than he needs?
Is there a chance that in two years he finds himself regretting not waiting and going with a knee mill?

Maybe $5000 is not a significant amount of money to others, but I'd have a hard time spending that without a very detailed need.
 
Mr Mike said:
@verbotenwhisky

Doing my due diligence I scoured the bright web searching for horror stories about the PM-932... I only found a few with major issues that got solved. I did find a lot of complaints found during machine setup, fit & finish, No lube or oil present, Casting sand in mating components. I did not find issues that where in such great numbers it would make the machine a high risk purchase.

It appears for the most part people find this Mill serviceable after a pre use tune-up.

Interestingly there are multiply versions of this machine with major differences that cannot be changed once purchased. 1- Gear Head, 2- Variable Speed, 3- Z Axis (Head) Positioning Motor, 4- Powered Boring "PDF = Power Down Feed" of the spindle...

Current purchase options as of 6-13-2024

PM-932V
The Variable speed model has an option -> With or without DRO.
Unlike it's bigger brother the PM-940V, PDF is not an option with the Variable Speed model PM-932V.
Z Axis (Head) Positioning Motor is also not an option on the PM-932V.

PM-932M
The manual or gearhead model comes in three flavors, + With or without DRO.
M-basic, a bare Gear Head machine.
M- Gear Head machine with Z Axis (Head) Positioning Motor.
PDF- Gear Head machine with Z Axis (Head) Positioning Motor and Power down feed on spindle.

LOL this just made making a choice even more fun.... I can have variable speed or power down feed but not both... plus what ever machine you get, you should expect issues of some type before use, :) So its wise to do a teardown and tune-up of the machine right out of the box.

Its ok, I'm thinking PDF any way, If I get a base model I cant add PDF later down the road...

Here is the best part of all that makes no sense,
The PM-932M PDF machine and base are purchased separately and total $4398.00
The PM-940M PDF comes with a Base and is $4399.00

Kind of disheartening really, unless I am reading PM's website wrong. I cant justify buying the PM-932M because the PM-940M Gives you so much more machine for basically the same price...

I've done enough research in the last two days to make my head spin...

I am going to put this Milling Machine Purchase on hold till I get my garage all cleaned out, My lathe all set up and see how much room I have left, Then come back and figure this out...

Thank you to everyone, all the help in figuring this out is much appreciated, I've learned a ton in the last two weeks - this ain't over yet...!
Click to expand...
Chances are the perfect used deal will come along for you. You have the right attitude and time will be your friend in this endeavor.

Go take a look at this one to get an idea of what many think is the "best" option.

lasvegas.craigslist.org

Bridgeport Mill - tools - by owner - sale - craigslist

9x42 table, power feed, head recently rebuilt, 1hp 230v 3phase Please text only, I do not answer numbers I don’t recognize
lasvegas.craigslist.org lasvegas.craigslist.org

Learn about all the "mill" type operations that you can do with your lathe, 4 jaw will let you make round bar stock square, etc....

Good luck and keep asking questions, but if you find a good listing and want opinions you should probably start a new thread for that.

John
 
Mr Mike said:
@verbotenwhisky

Doing my due diligence I scoured the bright web searching for horror stories about the PM-932... I only found a few with major issues that got solved. I did find a lot of complaints found during machine setup, fit & finish, No lube or oil present, Casting sand in mating components. I did not find issues that where in such great numbers it would make the machine a high risk purchase.

It appears for the most part people find this Mill serviceable after a pre use tune-up.

Interestingly there are multiply versions of this machine with major differences that cannot be changed once purchased. 1- Gear Head, 2- Variable Speed, 3- Z Axis (Head) Positioning Motor, 4- Powered Boring "PDF = Power Down Feed" of the spindle...

Current purchase options as of 6-13-2024

PM-932V
The Variable speed model has an option -> With or without DRO.
Unlike it's bigger brother the PM-940V, PDF is not an option with the Variable Speed model PM-932V.
Z Axis (Head) Positioning Motor is also not an option on the PM-932V.

PM-932M
The manual or gearhead model comes in three flavors, + With or without DRO.
M-basic, a bare Gear Head machine.
M- Gear Head machine with Z Axis (Head) Positioning Motor.
PDF- Gear Head machine with Z Axis (Head) Positioning Motor and Power down feed on spindle.

LOL this just made making a choice even more fun.... I can have variable speed or power down feed but not both... plus what ever machine you get, you should expect issues of some type before use, :) So its wise to do a teardown and tune-up of the machine right out of the box.

Its ok, I'm thinking PDF any way, If I get a base model I cant add PDF later down the road...

Here is the best part of all that makes no sense,
The PM-932M PDF machine and base are purchased separately and total $4398.00
The PM-940M PDF comes with a Base and is $4399.00

Kind of disheartening really, unless I am reading PM's website wrong. I cant justify buying the PM-932M bcause the PM-940M Gives you so much more machine for basically the same price...

I've done enough research in the last two days to make my head spin...

I am going to put this Milling Machine Purchase on hold till I get my garage all cleaned out, My lathe all set up and see how much room I have left, Then come back and figure this out...

Thank you to everyone, all the help in figuring this out is much appreciated, I've learned a ton in the last two weeks - this ain't over yet...!
Click to expand...

Hi Mr. Mike,

Aren't you the guy that gave away a complete lathe, included a stand you customized, improving it greatly?

Then, you bought just about every lathe quick change tool post on the market, so you can compare them with your own hands?

Unless I'm missing something here, you clearly want quality, and aren't afraid to pay for it.

Take this for what it's worth, but instead of splitting hairs looking for the ultimate value in lesser machines, how about stepping up and just order a PM-833, and be done with the search? It's only a grand more than the cheaper china machines, and by all accounts, it's a superior machine.

I'm in the same boat as you, and that's what I'm going to do. No second guessing...
 
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