Well, it is official. I just placed my order for a Precision Matthews PM-935TV and unbelievably, it is in stock. I was told that my timing on this purchase was impeccable, so no long drawn out stories about a 12 to 16 week back-order wait. This thing should ship out next week. I am excited but it does not come without the pain of paying the price for a new machine and accessories.
Some might ask, why Precision Matthews. For me it all boiled down to purchasing something new, verses rolling the bone on a used Bridgeport Series 1. I spent hours upon hours searching for the illusive mill I wanted, but it turned out to be tougher than I really thought it would be. Some were nicer than others, but all were old and without traveling many miles just to evaluate them, there was no telling how worn they really were. I just could not come to grips with the unknown. I even considered going with a refurbished BP mill or go through one of those used machine dealers, but in the end, I just did not trust the process. For me, it turned out to be more valuable to pay almost four times what I was planning on spending for a used BP mill for new price of equipment. I will call it peace of mind.
Items Purchased:
PM-935TV Milling Machine
DRO
ALIGN X, Y and Z Axis Power Feed
Power Drawbar
1/64 - 1/2 Ultra Precision Keyless Drill Chuck
Ultra Precision 11 Pc. R-8 Collet Set
52 Pc. Clamping Kit
Photos of receiving and setup to follow.
Some might ask, why Precision Matthews. For me it all boiled down to purchasing something new, verses rolling the bone on a used Bridgeport Series 1. I spent hours upon hours searching for the illusive mill I wanted, but it turned out to be tougher than I really thought it would be. Some were nicer than others, but all were old and without traveling many miles just to evaluate them, there was no telling how worn they really were. I just could not come to grips with the unknown. I even considered going with a refurbished BP mill or go through one of those used machine dealers, but in the end, I just did not trust the process. For me, it turned out to be more valuable to pay almost four times what I was planning on spending for a used BP mill for new price of equipment. I will call it peace of mind.
Items Purchased:
PM-935TV Milling Machine
DRO
ALIGN X, Y and Z Axis Power Feed
Power Drawbar
1/64 - 1/2 Ultra Precision Keyless Drill Chuck
Ultra Precision 11 Pc. R-8 Collet Set
52 Pc. Clamping Kit
Photos of receiving and setup to follow.