PM 949 vs 935

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Batmanacw

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Ya"ll talked me into the Taiwanese knee mill....... instead of the 950.

I am looking at the 949 vs the 935.

Right now I am just a hobbiest. Most of my projects will fit on my little HF mill drill. I just want something more ridged with a knee.

I am buying this mill with the idea that if times get hard I can do odd jobs and machinery repairs for the farmers and Amish in my area. I am friends with many of them and the odd project has already started to filter in.

The bigger mill seems like a good idea with it's huge table but I have a few reservations. I don't have a forklift to unload the bigger mill and the smaller one can be lift gate delivered. The bigger mill would be a lot harder to move later. The big mill is more expensive. Most of the table may very well go unused forever.

I'm trying to figure out how badly I could need the bigger table but I'm just not seeing it as that big an advantage. I've never had to do anything big enough to need to extra table.

I'm really going to be annoyed if someone brings in a piece that needs holes drilled over a 3 ft span and I can't just use the DRO. LOL!


Anyone else deal with this quandary?
 
You will find the difference of the two is not travel, or size of the table, it is weight. Most people go with the 935 because it is more compact and it can be delivered with a tail gate. It is also "more" easily moved then a mill weighing 1000 lbs more. If you are looking at rigidity, then there is no substitution for almost doubling the weight of the mill. A bigger table is nice for multiple vises or like the other day I did work on my 6" 135 lb rotary table and didn't need to remove my 85 lb vice from the table. I have a 42" table because I previously had a small shop, but I regret not going with the bigger 50" table.

It is a difficult decision, there are many people with the 935 that are very happy with it, there are a few less so. I went through the same dilemma but wanted a full size mill, and I use every inch of Y and Z travel. Weight was a big issue when I had to move and I made special arrangements for both my mill and lathe when delivered, i.e. rented a fork lift. If you do not have the ability to unload or you foresee moving in the future, then maybe smaller is better. Getting a rigging company to deliver can be very expensive.
 
I have a Jet with a 9 x 49 table. Keep in mind that you don't have 49" of travel, way less actually because the long acme nut on the threaded shaft that moves the table. I do some repair work and have run out of travel several times. Repositioning the work accurately is a real pain and some accuracy is always lost. I often keep a 6" vice and an 8" rotary table mounted. They need separation. It takes time to get them in position so it's a time saver if they can just be left. I have a 2nd vice that I add for long work, again so I don't need to reposition the work. Which ever I've used last rides along until I use it again or gets in the way.

The other thing I run out of is Z axis. Add up the required space needed when you have the vice and reamer or boring head mounted! Doesn't leave a lot of room for the work.

Side note about useful areas & rotary tables. I got the 8" thinking it would do most of what I wanted & the 10" was way heavier. But by the time you get the work mounted, usually with strap clamps, you have run out of room. I made an 11" auxiliary table with more T slots to mount on top of the 8".

Renting/hiring a fork lift is a one time cost. Forklift capacity is measured @ 24" from the vertical face less any accessories installed like side shift. Use a 5,000# lift for a 3,000# machine. Hire someone if you've never used one.
 
I own a 935. I hindsight I would have purchased the 949. Sometime a setup requires a lot more space than you think. Example when you use stuff like a dividing head or Super spacer with a tail stock. Also I think the 949 is a more ridged setup, weight is a good thing in mills. JMO
 
I am heavily leaning toward the PM-949 TS 3 phase. PM has the vfd as well. I'll spring for the 3 axis dro and X power feed. My only problem that I need to nail down is the forklift.

There is an Amish saw mill close by and I think they have an all terrain forklift that might handle 2500 lbs. I need to see if I can pay to have someone come unload for me.
 
A couple of notes about forklift characteristics. Like I said, rated load is at 24" load center. If the mill is on a pallet and you try to lift it with the forks the center of gravity may be beyond 24". Meaning the affective load is greater than the actual wt. of the machine. My knee mill has a lifting eye on the top capable of handling the load. By using a sling you can therefore get the center of gravity closer to the forklift and easily handle the rated load. Once you get it on the ground, you can try the forks. Skid it on the pallet if it seems too heavy to lift. Another thing to consider is that when the forks are higher in the air and the mast tipped back, the load is closer to the pivot point of the machine, CL of the tires. As the load is lowered that distance moves ahead, increasing the distance to CL and making a forward uncontrolled rotation possible. If that starts the only solution is to drop the load as quickly as possible. Not good. Seen it happen. We have a 5,000# lift but it has a triple mast and side-shift so the actual rated load is 4500. There is some margin of safety included in those figures, but not much. Don't travel with the load high. Be safe.
 
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