I admit...I did it...PM 1640E-LB

johnwell

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Before I start...I will NOT discuss my sanity here!
Other than that I probably should talk to a professional, but oh well...:))

After quite an extensive search on ebay and craigslist and forums I decided to email Matt from Quality Machine tools to see if he had any used lathes hanging around. Promptly emailed back with the announcement 'nope, nothing decent except a fairly new PM 1640E-LB'. Well, what I was looking for was to 'upgrade' from a 7X12....and somehow this didn't qualify as an 'upgrade', initially, in my mind...more like "are you nuts??"
Going from 85 lbs toy to a roughly 1900 lbs toy kinda feels like "you can, but I wouldn't make it public". Yet here I am...uhhh...confessing that I did just that and so I bought it from Matt. Good deal, hopefully for both of us, but it made me feel good. :)) Would I go as far as stating it as a sane decision..probably not, but no hobby expense is...right? RIGHT? Hehheh.
On top of this one might argue that it's probably better if they lock me up is the fact that none of you have seen where I aim to place it in my garage, which completely defines the insanity of such project.
On that note I'd like to point out that, although the members here seem like a seriously friendly, helpful and knowledgeable bunch, it also became somewhat disappointing to read/watch here.
I'm talking pictures posted here...is it really necessary to post pictures of those clean, organized and nicely arranged shops on here? HA! Rub it in, go ahead. Needless to say that IF I post pics on here they may be edited without background or floor, so you know.
About the machine, that Matt plans to ship out next monday already, I think, and thinking about the garage, this would qualify as one of the better times to break out in a full blown panic.
When I told my wife's dad that he was going to help me when it arrives...he, casually, asked what I was going to do with such a large machine.......well....no idea.
I am a heavy lift crane operator and they generally don't do lathes and such professionally. Do I love to tinker with machines and metal and the like? Absolutely! Do I have big plans for such a monster lathe? Absolutely not! None, nada, niks.:nuts:
I'm not into guns or even knowledgeable enough for that, but who knows? I brought a bunch of real big bolts from work (wind turbines) so I have plenty steel to destroy.
Which brings me to the fair conclusion that I spend quite a sum of money on senseless behaviour, but I totally justified (in my head) that it's a hobby...period!
So now it all makes sense, right? I think so...:rofl:
Fair warning though...I 'may' have a ....few...questions here and there in the very near future...although!!! I watched enough Youtube vids and read on forums that I consider myself quite the professional.
Sorry, but I really need to think like that to justify this ...hobby... to convince my wife that there is no other way.
On the same note she seems, disturbingly, pleased that I'll spend countless hours 'out of the house'...but that's a whole other subject.:))
Please don't judge me too harsh if I ask questions that may reveal that I am not so professional as I may seem in my mind. In my defence though...I'm 55 and a (genuine) Dutch import guy and therefor it can not be excluded that short term memory loss and other delusional patterns may occur in my questions and/or posts. I thank you for your patience with me upfront!
Wish me luck with this endeavour...I need it....Hehheh

John
 
Best of luck John. :)) You'll love your new toy.
 
Go BIG or go home and play dress up with your Barbie dolls, congrats John I like your bravado!
 
Thank you Coolidge.
I like you already by calling such a well thought through decision (0.03 seconds) bravado....lol
 
Nice machine. Ive been looking into. Bigger machines the last few months the pm1640 lb and the pm1640hd are serious considerations. I would loves to hear your impressions as you learn your machine.

Rich
 
What a great lathe to have available. Question, do you have the power to run this size machine? 7.5 hp watch out electric bill. The only area that it seems short on is the quill travel, 2 1/4 is not very much. That is the ***** I have about my Heavy Ten. It only has 2 inches of spindle travel. Even the 12 inch machines have a 3.5 or so of travel. It sometimes makes drilling and turning between centers a little bit of a pain.

Paul
 
That is a LOT of lathe there...

And I was concerned moving up from a 1236 to a 1340GT was an extravagant step into too large a machine... :)

I, also, will be watching the thread to hear how you like the 16x40 lathe.

BTW: messy and tight shop... please do not kid us...
The cool pics of the guys with dream shops... well that is the 1%-ers... :lmao:
Most of us have to move things around from time to time... to do specific operations... :pondering:
Many a successful hobbyist has the space of a one-car garage (or the wifey will not relinquish the other garage slot)... so they get only one slot.

I am concerned about the electricity issue... get Matt to fit it with a VFD... then you can run it from 240 single phase... probably need a special circuit though... A rough calculation is 30+ amps... which is a clothes dryer or elec water heater circuit... However you need a bit of reserve for start-up power... so I would consider a 40A circuit... which is 8-GA wire.

Remember... Pictures... or it did not happen... LOL
 
What a great lathe to have available. Question, do you have the power to run this size machine? 7.5 hp watch out electric bill. The only area that it seems short on is the quill travel, 2 1/4 is not very much. That is the ***** I have about my Heavy Ten. It only has 2 inches of spindle travel. Even the 12 inch machines have a 3.5 or so of travel. It sometimes makes drilling and turning between centers a little bit of a pain.

Paul

Paul I lost ya phone no can you email me again on account i'm a heading to you know where} Sam{ Visicoach @comcast.net. (I don't know about that PM stuff}
sammy Dighton
 
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