New Member From Langley Bc Ready To Start Lathe & Mill Shopping

[Kiwi Canuck]

I found this forum by following Mike from ZMotorsports on another forum.
He has a very nice review of both of his PM machines and I have been looking to get into outfitting my shop/garage with a few machines, so here I am.

I am a bit overwhelmed with all the options available but I believe I will purchase PM machines as that's the brand I always seem to go back to after looking at others.
I visited the Grizzly store in Bellingham and eliminated a lot of the smaller machines as options including the 3 in 1's as that was what I thought I originally wanted.

As a starting point I want to be able to produce jigs and specialized parts for my locksmith business, we do a lot of large repetitive tasks and I'd like to make our own templates and jigs, from 1/4" Lexan to 1/2" thick alum. The tech's go through them quickly as they get nicked with a router or worn out from use and they are almost useless after that.
The cost to repair them is about 1/2 the price or more of buying new, but never quite the same as the anodizing is all messed up so they look "repaired" and no one wants to use them. Also new products need new jigs and the time to market for the new jigs can be slow.

I'll also need to press hardened drill guides into them, so I will need to make those or buy them in bulk.

But the main reason I want my own machines is that I restore classic motorcycles, mostly Suzuki's from the 70's and early 80's but occasionally an old Honda CT110 has shown up needing work, so nice to be able to make what I need for my hobby and not have to wait for parts or someone else.

I have a great machine shop not far from me and they do all my current work but he's only open 8-5 M-F and I usually need stuff on the weekend and when I take something in on Monday AM I usually get it 3-4 days later or sometimes the following week.

The big kicker is the US$ exchange rate is killing me and I keep waiting thinking it will improve in our favour, but I think it's just got worse. It's about 1.35 CND to a US$ at present.

So I have 2 sets of machines I'm looking at, PM 1127 lathe and PM 727 Mill or going bigger with the PM1340GT and PM935. I would like to buy the same brand of machines, single supplier to deal with etc.

My experience with Lathes and Mills is limited to high school metal shop, and I did do a Fitting and Turning Apprenticeship as that's what was on offer for locksmiths in NZ back in the 70's, so it's been a while since I've ran either a mill or lathe.


Any feedback or advice will be appreciated.

 

[T Bredehoft]

I'm envious of your position/need. Also I applaud your interest in the PM line of machines. Matt is as good as they come, and his products match his attitude/service. Any you get will be well made, it's a common thought that the better (heavier, more well accessorized) machines are the ones to get. It's hard to do larger work on smaller machines, so get the largest you can afford and fit in your shop/budget. I'm really pleased with my PM25, but I'm working on finished assemblies you can put in your shirt pocket, or at most hold in one hand.

By the way, welcome to arguably the best hobby machinist board.

 

[MonkMan]

Welcome KC

 

[jpfabricator]

Welcome aboard!

Sent from somwhere in east Texas by Jake!

 

[tmarks11]

The big kicker is the US$ exchange rate is killing me...

There is an importer in Vancouver BC who sells the PM 935. Matt from PM at one point confirmed that this machine is coming from the same source that he gets his from. Give them a call and see if it might save you some money.

You might want to also check out their lathes.

http://www.moderntoolbc.com/products/modern-model-935vs-1-milling-machine/

 

[Kiwi Canuck]

Thanks for the replies and the lead to Modern Tools which is only 30 minutes from my house.

I did call them and chatted to a sales guy there and asked if it was OK to drop in.

Unfortunately the guy I spoke with was not very engaging once in person and they didn't have the mill shown in the attached picture. (the website shows it as in stock)

They only had larger units (Linmac) and he kept insisting a 935 is a pretty small mill/drill and I would be more interested in these larger units.

He showed me a 1440 lathe, they had 2 in stock, I asked if he knew the COO, "nope, not sure maybe China, but we do sell a lot of them to schools", I asked if they had a 1340, "nope, 1440's the smallest we have" that was pretty much it.

I think they sell a lot of their equipment to account customers and are not really setup to service the likes of me that need personal guidance and advice.

Well unless there is someone from Modern Tools monitoring this site and would like to contact me, it might be my last visit there. (never say never but first impression wasn't great)

It's possible I could certainly save a few $$ by buying from a local shop, but I'm just not that into buying on price when it comes to a technical purchase like this, I need to know they want my business and that they will work hard to take care of me if something goes sideways after the sale.

Same reason I have given up looking for quality used equipment, too many old worn out machines out there asking almost new money and I'm not experienced enough to distinguish between a great deal and a money pit.

OK that's enough of ranting for now, I do appreciate the lead and the other members welcoming me to the site.

David

 

[tweinke]

Talk to Matt before you give up, just speculating but he might might deal a bit if you want two machines.

 

[Kiwi Canuck]

Thanks tweinke, I will be calling on Matt at QMT to see what he can do for me if I buy 2 machines at the same time.

But before I get to that conversation I need to see if he can guide me as to what level of machines to look at.

I need a bit more experience or exposure to what's available and what the pros and cons are of each size model.

Wish there was a comparison chart like on a lot of websites were you can compare models online, that would at least give me a good starting point and a snapshot of the specs side by side.

Maybe I'll make one with excel.

 

[dieselshadow]

Matt and his crew are easy and down to earth. He'll be straight forward with you.

 

[tmarks11]

Too bad about Modern Tool.

Everyone will always try to help you spend your wallet empty. So here is my attempt....

A knee mill is much more useful than a square column mill, since it gives you a lot more option in how to cut and generally gives you a better finish quality. There are at least two individuals on this forum that started with large square column mills and ended up exchanging them for the PM935. Personally, I would jump straight to the PM935. Buy quality, cry once. Buy cheap, cry a thousand times!

For anyone who has space (a 12x36 lathe takes up A LOT of room), I would advocate not buying a lathe smaller than 12x36. reasons why:
- smaller lathes has a crippled Quick Change Gear Box, and you end up swapping gears every time you thread
- Smaller lathes have a bolt-on (or spin on) chuck instead of a cam lock chuck. You WANT a cam lock chuck, since it takes about 30 seconds to swap and is an industry standard so it is easy to buy different chucks.
- The following comments DON'T apply to the PM1127VF:
- most smaller lathes do not have power cross feed (which you want to give you a nice facing operation) (NOTE: PM1127 has power cross feed)
- smaller lathes usually have a higher low-end speed. Doesn't seem like a big deal to have a minimum speed of 150 rpm on a lathe.... until you are threading into a shoulder or an internal bore for the first time...

wrt PM1340GT. There is a definite step-up in quality to go to the Taiwan vs Chinese lathe. I would personally go with the PM1340GT.