Very interesting!
I am in the process of ordering some Diamont DWH. Their website and ordering process is not very transparent. Surprisingly it is not that expensive in the small quantities we would use on a column mount.
 
Last edited:
View attachment 230315 View attachment 230316 View attachment 230317 View attachment 230318 View attachment 230319 My biggest concern is the "flex" in the column. If I grab the top of the column and push back or forwards I get a lot of movement (0.005 or more) in the y-axis testing from spindle to table. The x-axis doesn't have the same problem, and it still shows up the same if I push on the head instead. I tried flexing the stand/base, but that had almost no effect. I tightened the 4 mounting bolts as tight as I could without a big cheater but it still has the problem. How much of this flex is normal? Is there a torque spec for the column bolts? Has anybody run into this before?

My PM-932 does the same thing. I get about .002 to .003 flex if I tug on the head. It has no measurable affect when taking finishing cuts so I don't worry about it.
 
I believe I ordered the same product Stefan Gotteswinter uses in his youtube video on epoxy tramming. In the US, you have to call Devitt Machinery Co. to place an order. Devitt appears to be the only US distributer for Diamant products. Ordering was quick and painless. I will see how the epoxy works when it comes in.

Devitt Phone: 1 (877) 368-1528

I ordered:
50 gram kit of DWH 310 FL: $13.00
50 gram injector: $2.50
 
IMG_5068.JPG
IMG_5069.JPG
IMG_5071.JPG
Being a retentive pharmacist, I ordered some teflon washers to fill the gap in the handle knobs. The click clack sound of my uneven rotation irritated me. :distrust:
 
IMG_5078.PNG
I tried to mill in the 12mm step in the fixture keys that came with my vise but they proved to be way too hard for my HSS end mills. I waffled on if I would make some stepped vise keys from some 4140 stock or buy some pre-made. I ended up buying some because I didn't feel like trying to harden them. Here is a website you can purchase some stepped vise keys to fit the 12mm slots on the pm-727m.

https://www.carrlane.com/en-us/product/locators/fixture-keys/step-fixture-keys
 
T-nuts do not need to be hardened or made from high alloy steel. T-nuts made from mild steel or from mystery metal will work fine in a home shop. You don't want to crank on the fasteners anyway, because you will damage the table or the T-slots. Production T-nuts are hardened, probably to give them better wearing properties and to allow them to take heavier loads without failing, even though that is a mistake. I never gronk down on fasteners going into T-slots. Break out a chunk of cast iron table and you will know why...
 
IMG_5083.JPG
IMG_5080.JPG
IMG_5082.JPG
T-nuts do not need to be hardened or made from high alloy steel. T-nuts made from mild steel or from mystery metal will work fine in a home shop. You don't want to crank on the fasteners anyway, because you will damage the table or the T-slots. Production T-nuts are hardened, probably to give them better wearing properties and to allow them to take heavier loads without failing, even though that is a mistake. I never gronk down on fasteners going into T-slots. Break out a chunk of cast iron table and you will know why...
These look like T-nuts but they are not. They are called stepped vise or fixture keys. They attach to the bottom of a precision vise. They are only T-shaped due to try to match them with the table slots, otherwise they come rectangular. They are also precisely ground and hardened. Kurt sells them for over $30 per pair but not in 12mm. They are precision milled vice keys meant to tram in your vise reasonably accurately to the table slots simply by setting them in the slots.
 
Last edited:
View attachment 230750 View attachment 230751
These look like T-nuts but they are not. They are called stepped vise or fixture keys. They attach to the bottom of a precision vise. They are only T-shaped due to try to match them with the table slots, otherwise they come rectangular. They are also precisely ground and hardened. Kurt sells them for over $30 per pair but not in 12mm. They are precision milled vice keys meant to tram in your vise reasonably accurately to the table slots simply by setting them in the slots.
I use shop made keys for that purpose with my BP vise. They are accurately made of 1018 steel to a nice fit in both vise (tight) and table (snug but sliding), and are soft so they do not ding the slots. All the exposed corners are carefully rounded in all directions so they do not scratch and ding the table or the slots. They work great and are essentially free. I have the facilities to harden them, but consider that a bad idea.
 
Back
Top