833T & 1340GT Questions

Is there any down fall to not installing the panel between stands on the lathe? I'm not seeing how 8 small screws would add that much rigidity to the stand plus the lathe itself doesn't make contact in the middle. I haven't contacted Precision Matthews yet but my panel is pretty scuffed up from shipping. I was thinking just leaving it off and using the area for a tool box as it seems like a lot of wasted space.
 
Jason812 said:
Is there any down fall to not installing the panel between stands on the lathe? I'm not seeing how 8 small screws would add that much rigidity to the stand plus the lathe itself doesn't make contact in the middle. I haven't contacted Precision Matthews yet but my panel is pretty scuffed up from shipping. I was thinking just leaving it off and using the area for a tool box as it seems like a lot of wasted space.
Click to expand...

Yes, contact Matt about it.

But, you would be surprised just how much rigidity a panel with small fasteners can add to a structure. Houses come to mind....

John
 
I going to use it. Got an idea in my head on how to replace, make a shelf, and probably make it more sturdy. It will be a project after everything is up and running.
 
I had a Enco RF30 clone for 20+ years. It did me fine for my home and hobby projects. I got the bug to replace the bench mill with a Knee Mill. I found this forum and Precision Mathews. I really liked the PM-935 TS it would fit in my shop and would be a very good replacement to the Enco bench mill. I did my research and asked questions and was told about the differences between the J head machines ad the gear head machines. I was concerned about the noise from the gear head machines. I was not able to hear one of them run and I knew what a J head mill sounded like so I decided to buy the PM 935 TS mill. I am VERY happy with my PM-935 TS mill. I use the mill for hobby projects for home. I do not use it to do high production work or to try to make money. I do not make high precision parts. I mostly work with 6061 aluminum and mild steel. I bought a VFD for the mill and it is very easy to go from high speed to low speed. Yes, the J head has it's quirks, Yes, the head could be mounted to a heavier ram. But for what I do with the mill it is a HUGE upgrade from the Enco bench mill.
If you are looking for a mill to do production work with or for high tolerance work then the PM-935 is not your machine. If you are looking to make parts at home for a hobby or to support other hobbies then it is a darn good machine.

Just my 2 Cents
Roger L
 
rogerl said:
I had a Enco RF30 clone for 20+ years. It did me fine for my home and hobby projects. I got the bug to replace the bench mill with a Knee Mill. I found this forum and Precision Mathews. I really liked the PM-935 TS it would fit in my shop and would be a very good replacement to the Enco bench mill. I did my research and asked questions and was told about the differences between the J head machines ad the gear head machines. I was concerned about the noise from the gear head machines. I was not able to hear one of them run and I knew what a J head mill sounded like so I decided to buy the PM 935 TS mill. I am VERY happy with my PM-935 TS mill. I use the mill for hobby projects for home. I do not use it to do high production work or to try to make money. I do not make high precision parts. I mostly work with 6061 aluminum and mild steel. I bought a VFD for the mill and it is very easy to go from high speed to low speed. Yes, the J head has it's quirks, Yes, the head could be mounted to a heavier ram. But for what I do with the mill it is a HUGE upgrade from the Enco bench mill.
If you are looking for a mill to do production work with or for high tolerance work then the PM-935 is not your machine. If you are looking to make parts at home for a hobby or to support other hobbies then it is a darn good machine.

Just my 2 Cents
Roger L
Click to expand...

I had a CO 9x40 mill that was more rigid than my 935TS. So what? I'm not the type that buys a machine and then has to make mods to make it more rigid. I do mostly small projects in aluminum/steel/brass/titanium, and pistolsmithing which is NOT hard on machines. But accuracy is required, on both my lathe and mill. I have a 3-axis DRO on my mill with a digital touch probe that gets me less than a half thou positional or dimensional error. Some folks don't like it, but it works for me. :)

I upgraded to the 935 to get the knee and the articulating head for ease of setups. It is rigid enough for what I do. I too have a VFD on mine and leave the belt on the 3rd pulley most of the time. Smooth and quiet. :)

I could say the same thing about my 1340GT, in that I don't need a lathe this big. I loved my little SB1001, as it was a good size for what I do, and very accurate. I upgraded to the 1340GT (w/VFD) to get the Norton gearbox. If I had the money available, I would have skipped the 1340 and gone with either the Griz or Sharp Hardinge clone as that would be a perfect lathe for what I do.

Not everyone needs or wants the same things in life. And that's cool. :D
 
Update: The mill and lathe are installed and under power.

There were some snafus with the lathe. USPS damaged the box Mark Jacobs sent with the goodies inside and completely broke the proximity sensor for the micrometer stop. I ordered another one and got it replaced. One of the leveling holes on the head stock cabinet was not tapped and PM sent me a tap. I got that fixed and all the wiring complete only to find out that the safety switch and cable for the micrometer stop was damaged in shipping as well. Mark is sending me a new cable and I filed a damage claim with USPS.

I can run the lathe with the override button pressed. I installed a single motor pulley with a BX25 belt and an Aloris QCTP. I checked the spindle run out with no chuck and my Starrett test indicator with .0005" graduations didn't even move. Unfortunately I have .002" run out with the chuck in all 3 mounting positions.

Mark was kind enough to have my shop name engraved on the control panel.
 

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Sounds like you are making good progress. If you want to borrow an M5 precision test bar to align the head let me know. I’m anxious to see the 833 under load.
 
Oh yeah I have one of those.
Mine is not very good. The bar is very straight but the taper not so much.
 
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