Noob gettin' into the hobby

jpooch00

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Jan 19, 2017
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Hi everybody.

I'm getting into this hobby after a lifetime of 'thinking about it". I'm pretty much settled on a PM 1236 lathe and PM 938M mill, both with the preferred packages and no optional DRO's, and also some of the packages for both machines from Travers along with some other misc. stuff.

Probably pulling the trigger in Feb.

Any and all advice, warnings, tips etc. will be sincerely appreciated! If there are any issues with these companies, or anything else that you might not be comfortable with posting publicly, please PM me with your thoughts, experiences or concerns.

Like I said, I'm a noob & I need all the input I can get!

Thanks y'all

JP
 
Excellent company to get equipment from, they will do you right. Unless you are going to purchase else where you might rethink not getting DROs.
 
I don't think you will be dissatisfied with your purchases, but if you can swing the extra cash, you might want to get the DROs too. Personally, I do just fine without a DRO on my lathe, but I think I would be lost without one on my mill. If you want to learn the 'old way' of doing things, working off of the dials, you can still do that too, even with DROs installed.
 
I have a 1236 & a 932. I have the 3 axis DRO on the mill, & use it every time I turn the mill on. The only thing I would do differently would be to only get a 2 axis DRO for the mill (if available). The Z axis is essentially worthless, due to the coarseness of the adjustment.
I do not have a DRO on the lathe.

Jerry in Delaware
 
Well, I asked for advice, so I guess I'll be getting the mill with DRO's installed.

I guess a little more $$$ pumped in now will pay off in the future. Sadly (for my wallet) that 1340GT lathe is lookin' pretty good too at this point.

Thanks for the info and advice, guys.

Cheers,

JP
 
DRO is the way to go if you can swing it!
 
Quality Machine is a great company to deal with. I have no regrets with the mill I purchased from them


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Thanks again, guys.

I called QM yesterday just to check stock, and the gentleman I talked to was knowledgeable & helpful. I'm looking forward to doing business with them.
 
Well, I asked for advice, so I guess I'll be getting the mill with DRO's installed.

Good choice. Milling without a DRO means you are counting hand wheel turns for precision. Which can be painful given the size of the piece you are working on.

Turning without a DRO is not nearly as painful, since typically you are only moving the cross slide 0.020" each time, and you can track carriage movement with a magnetic backed dial indicator if you need a precise measurement.
 
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