PM1440TL VS PM1440GT

[B2]

I agree the large tpi gear box selection and changing feed directions on the fly would be very nice to have. I certainly like all of the possible tpi on my old SB. The TL would not fit through the hall and the hall way turn going in to the shop area. I even laid out the lathe foot print in cardboard and did trial runs with the cardboard of the installing transport steps ... all before I purchased machine! Also, I was pretty sure I would not be able to fit a lift in the area with the machine so I put it on casters. Maybe I should have just knocked out the wall! However, the bigger the lathe the more it, and accessories, cost.

There are always compromises. So, having a big budget is not the whole story. You have to factor in what you will be using it for. Big machines for big work parts! Small machines for small features! Most of my work parts are not large. Mills: CNC for repetition of parts or complex 3D parts. Manual machine for one off quicker results. My mill is CNC, but there are lots of small cut times I wish I could just turn the crank... not the insentive knob on the pendant. It is not set up well for manual operation. Also if you are doing a hand cut you can both feel the pressure on the crank as well as see the chips etc. Hence, you just slow down or speed up. None of this "intuitive feel" with CNC.

One can never really know what one is getting just from the web sites, manual etc. Even going there to look at the lathe is not complete. I am still learning .... one has to use the machine for a while ....

Dave

 

[Tipton1965]

Another thing to consider if you go for a heavier lathe like the TL is how to get it moved into it's final resting spot. The GT can be lowered with a lift gate according to the PM website. The heavier TL will be shipped on a flatbed and you will be required to provide the means to unload it and move it to wherever you need it moved to. Unless you own a capable forklift or front end loader you will have to either rent one or hire a company to move your new machine. This can be a substantial additional cost depending on who you hire. And if the company can only get your machine moved close to where you want it, you are still tasked with the final placement duties.

 

[Batmanacw]

Another thing to consider if you go for a heavier lathe like the TL is how to get it moved into it's final resting spot. The GT can be lowered with a lift gate according to the PM website. The heavier TL will be shipped on a flatbed and you will be required to provide the means to unload it and move it to wherever you need it moved to. Unless you own a capable forklift or front end loader you will have to either rent one or hire a company to move your new machine. This can be a substantial additional cost depending on who you hire. And if the company can only get your machine moved close to where you want it, you are still tasked with the final placement duties.

The other major consideration for me is the available space. The smaller GT can easily fit in my 12 x 20 shop in the space I have picked out.

The GT is a smaller and lighter lathe with several features I really want.

That being said, looking back over years the GT would easily handle ever project I've done. My latest project was a 11.5" sprocket but I was boring it out to 3". Then making sleeves 3" od and 50.1mm id.
I can run plenty of decent size projects on the GT. It's not like it's a mini lathe.

I agree the large tpi gear box selection and changing feed directions on the fly would be very nice to have. I certainly like all of the possible tpi on my old SB. The TL would not fit through the hall and the hall way turn going in to the shop area. I even laid out the lathe foot print in cardboard and did trial runs with the cardboard of the installing transport steps ... all before I purchased machine! Also, I was pretty sure I would not be able to fit a lift in the area with the machine so I put it on casters. Maybe I should have just knocked out the wall! However, the bigger the lathe the more it, and accessories, cost.

There are always compromises. So, having a big budget is not the whole story. You have to factor in what you will be using it for. Big machines for big work parts! Small machines for small features! Most of my work parts are not large. Mills: CNC for repetition of parts or complex 3D parts. Manual machine for one off quicker results. My mill is CNC, but there are lots of small cut times I wish I could just turn the crank... not the insentive knob on the pendant. It is not set up well for manual operation. Also if you are doing a hand cut you can both feel the pressure on the crank as well as see the chips etc. Hence, you just slow down or speed up. None of this "intuitive feel" with CNC.

One can never really know what one is getting just from the web sites, manual etc. Even going there to look at the lathe is not complete. I am still learning .... one has to use the machine for a while ....

Dave

How often have you found rigidity to be an issue?

 

[ddickey]

How wide is the bed on the GT? I'm having trouble finding that info.

Definitely not 10.25".

 

[Batmanacw]

Definitely not 10.25".

7.5"
I emailed PM.

 

[B2]

Sorry Folks. I did not mean to create confusion.

Because it was not clear to me how you wanted to define the bedwidth spec, I simply posted a photo looking down at the bed ways of the GT. I never use the end of a tape measure, but simply start at some location and then measure from there. In this case I placed the 10" mark about at the top of the front way, outside edge of where the V is truncated at the peak. Then you look to the other side and you will see that the back way. So roughly you will see that the distance between the ways is about 5 to 5.25" depending upon "exactly" how you want to measure the ways. If they were true V shape and you could measured from peak of the V to peak of the V you would get about 5". However, I doubt that any salesman would give you that number when he could give you a larger one. With the photo you can define bed width how ever you wish and still have the photo to determine the value. Note this photo is high def so just enlarge it you want to see an area better. If you want to defined it as the width of the maximum machined area that the saddle rests upon then you would get more like 7.5", but there is other parts that are not machined which add strength. So take your pick.

If you want a different photo just let me know.

Trying...

Dave

 

[Downunder Bob]

I would go for the TL every time regardless of size. Just a better machine.

 

[ddickey]

@B2 No confusion here. I said not 10.25" because the TL is.

 

[Batmanacw]

I would go for the TL every time regardless of size. Just a better machine.

For me the TL is too big to fit in the area I have available, it cost $5000 more, and the GT is big enough for what I do. I have not ruled out the TL but I have to decide if I will ever see $5000 more value in my hobby shop fixing stuff for farmers occasionally. I can do a ton on my whimpy PM1030v, but it takes a lot longer than a bigger lathe.

The TL should be significantly faster than the GT just because the rigidity will allow bigger cuts. If I was cutting large pieces of tough steel into small pieces of tough steel I'd see the benefit of the TL. I'm not hogging all day long.

The GT can take 0.1" a side on low carbon steel on a 2" to 3" diameter. For my purposes that is plenty. Sure I'd like to take bigger cuts. Is that worth $5k in my shop?

I recently had a small job where I had to bore out about 10mm out of a cast iron sprocket bore. I had to do it on my mill because my little lathe couldn't swing it.

On the GT it would have taken 15-20 minutes due to the interrupted cut. That is dramatically faster than my boring head. The TL would be able to be pushed harder but is it worth the money for me?

 

[Downunder Bob]

Fair enough, only you can make that call. All the best with whatever you decide

Have you looked at the PM12xxT or 13xxT lathes as comparison They are great machines and somewhat cheaper