PM30 or PM-932?

[COMachinist]

I like my PM932m PDF. Only thing is the motor and oil seals suck. The spindle seal has leaked oil from day one. And the motor lasted about 20 hr of run time. It now has a metric motor with a VFD. It runs quieter smother and I can now run carbide tooling. I can power tap within reason of coarse, and have not broken a tap in a long time, and now with the tapping head it is very useful. The head seals still leaks and I have to clean oil up every time I use it, but it gets the job done. The finish it great and with the DRO Pros it is a good hobby mill and don’t take up a lot room. I would go with Taiwan mill.
CH

 

[9t8z28]

I went with PM932M-PDF and cast iron base because the 940 at max Z-height was too tall for my basement. It just fit down the stairway into my basement. I had a wrecker come out to my house to lower it into the basement. Best decision ever. It just barely fit. It was that or take it apart and carry it down in pieces. I also made a base similar to Hozzie made but used the PM pads. The table height of the machine and handles were just too low for me at 5'8". The 3" I gained from the riser and feet was perfect for me.

 

[jbrown97019]

I have the PM30, and some days wish I'd elected to get the 932 instead. The biggest difference between the 2 as it affects me is the 5" vs 3" quill travel. Also, while the gearhead has it's own downfalls, when power tapping very slowly, it would be nice to have the gear reduction working for me. I've been able to stall out the variable speed PM30 motor doing that. That said, most any other time, the variable speed is fantastic to have.

 

[av8ter]

It might not be a bad idea to disassemble whatever mill you decide on and carry it down in pieces. I bought a 932M-PDF and it needed to be torn down and cleaned out anyways. It had a lot of sand in places it shouldn't have. I went with power down feed. I cope a lot of 1.5 inch schedule 80 pipe with an annular drill and it really is nice when I put in 4-6 hours in a session to not have to hand feed every one! I know you've probably heard it before but go with the biggest you can fit/afford. I'm already doing a couple parts that I have to cut in two set-ups as they are too long for my 22 inches of table travel. Have you thought about a DRO? I didn't think it would be any big deal but 4 months later I just ordered one. Have fun with whatever you decide on.

 

[dlinva]

So pulled the trigger on the PM-30MV with DRO and X-axis feed. Won't be here to mid-late April so gives me time to put in the 220 single phase circuit and to figure out how to move it. Right now thinking of building a weight appropriate cart that will fit through the doors (both 32"). Get the pallet put on the cart...down the slight hill from the driveway to the back yard and back patio. Cut down the pallet to fit the doors and then wheel the whole thing inside. The one dimension of the crate is 29" so it will go through the door if it is on the cart correctly.

 

[Thanatos41]

I recently got the same set up. Mine is a slightly used machine, the previous owner made a stand that a Husky tool box fits under. It put the mill table height at 48 1/2 inches and the top of the column at 79 1/2 inches. The only drawback for me is that I need a stool to adjust the z-axis, as I’m 5’7”. But I like table being high so that I don’t have to stoop.

 

[dlinva]

What size vise does everyone recommend for the PM-30? I traded some emails with Glacern and they said the 5" would fit well, but at just over 14" long there is a heck of a lot of overhang on the 8.25" table. I get that there is usually some overhang but is that too much? Just wondering what other PM-30 owners have used.

 

[macardoso]

What size vise does everyone recommend for the PM-30? I traded some emails with Glacern and they said the 5" would fit well, but at just over 14" long there is a heck of a lot of overhang on the 8.25" table. I get that there is usually some overhang but is that too much? Just wondering what other PM-30 owners have used.

Probably 4" IMO. You can reach most or all of the vise, and flipping the jaws to the outside will get you almost 8" of clamping range. You could make a 5 or 6" fit, but that is a lot of overhang and a lot of weight to handle.

 

[Thanatos41]

I have the 5” and it’s as big as I would put on the PM-30. I like this size and really haven’t have issues using it. There are some clearance issues with the vise handle and the y-axis handle if the table is slid forward (toward the column), but I’ve learned to compensate. I included the picture to give you a visual reference.

 

[fursphere]

To echo what the other folks have said, I've got a 5" Shars vise on my PM-30MV. I wouldn't go any bigger. There are probably some ops that would be better suited for a 4" vise, but a 5" does work. I think buying or making a speed handle for the vise might solve the vise handle Y-Axis interference issues. But that's a minor issue at most.