Looking for Advice on What to Buy

wvnitroman

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Really scratching my head trying to make a decision on which machines to buy

Grizzly G0776 verses PM 1440 GS verses PM 1440E-LB Lathe

PM 835S Verses PM 935 TS Verses PM 935 TV Mill (Had actually been looking at the Grizzly G0755 until I started looking at knee mills)

The PM 935 TS is a good bit more money than the PM 835S and the PM 935 TV is more money yet. Cost is definitely a factor since I am starting from scratch for a mill and a lathe. Thoughts???

God Bless,
Kevin
 
I think you will be asked what are your intended uses?

Are you nitroglycerin, or nitromethane?
 
LOL, a boomer, or a racer, for the nitro. Unless it's a heart type nitro......
 
LOL, a boomer, or a racer, for the nitro. Unless it's a heart type nitro......
I think between me and my son they will probably be used for a ton of one off things, probably most of which will not be large pieces. Pretty simple to use a big machine on small parts but almost impossible to make a small machine do big things.
 
Of the PM machines, anything with a "T" in the model number means "Made in Taiwan". There are many equivalent/similar models without the "T" and are thus made in China. Think of it as the difference between a Toyota and a Lexus. Pretty much the same basic cars but the one costing more has refined features, better fit & finish etc...

If cost is a major consideration, the Taiwanese machines will blow your budget pretty fast... All my PM machines are the Chinese version, purchased a long time ago when Matt only carried 1 machine made in Taiwan. They have seen a lot of semi-professional daily/weekly use and are in tip-top shape with no apparent sign of any fatigue or wearing-out whatsoever.

If you really like tools with finer craftsmanship, consider the Taiwanese units but, to keep costs in line, you'll need to look at smaller form factors.

Maybe elaborate more on what kind of things you might be working on. BTW: We love spending other people's money :big grin:.


Ray
 
If your are looking at both the 835 and 935 as an option, then I would suggest the 935 from an overall build quality standpoint of view. if your are on a very thin budget than the 835. PM 935 mill owner tends to love their mill, may tend to be a bit more compulsive of keeping their machines spotless. If you have single phase, then most individuals either go with the 935 TS version and add a VFD, otherwise I would go with the TV if you just want to plug it in and go. The ability to adjust the speed on the fly (either electronically via a VFD or mechanically) will give you much more control over the cutting/drilling operations. Installing a VFD on the mill is pretty straight forward, but figure around $500-600 when you add a cabinet, VFD, braking resistor, switch gear, wiring and terminals. There is previous postings on how to do this, QMT does sell Hitachi WJ200 VFDs and the wiring/programming parameters are readily available.

On the lathe, I would suggest considering the PM-1440BV or 1440GS. There is quite a bit of discussion on these in previous posts.
https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/yes-again-pm1440gs-pm1440bv-or-1340gt.60313/
https://www.hobby-machinist.com/thr...lathe-accessories-purchase.65157/#post-542383
 
Of the PM machines, anything with a "T" in the model number means "Made in Taiwan". There are many equivalent/similar models without the "T" and are thus made in China. Think of it as the difference between a Toyota and a Lexus. Pretty much the same basic cars but the one costing more has refined features, better fit & finish etc...

If cost is a major consideration, the Taiwanese machines will blow your budget pretty fast... All my PM machines are the Chinese version, purchased a long time ago when Matt only carried 1 machine made in Taiwan. They have seen a lot of semi-professional daily/weekly use and are in tip-top shape with no apparent sign of any fatigue or wearing-out whatsoever.

If you really like tools with finer craftsmanship, consider the Taiwanese units but, to keep costs in line, you'll need to look at smaller form factors.

Maybe elaborate more on what kind of things you might be working on. BTW: We love spending other people's money :big grin:.


Ray
Of the PM machines, anything with a "T" in the model number means "Made in Taiwan". There are many equivalent/similar models without the "T" and are thus made in China. Think of it as the difference between a Toyota and a Lexus. Pretty much the same basic cars but the one costing more has refined features, better fit & finish etc...

If cost is a major consideration, the Taiwanese machines will blow your budget pretty fast... All my PM machines are the Chinese version, purchased a long time ago when Matt only carried 1 machine made in Taiwan. They have seen a lot of semi-professional daily/weekly use and are in tip-top shape with no apparent sign of any fatigue or wearing-out whatsoever.

If you really like tools with finer craftsmanship, consider the Taiwanese units but, to keep costs in line, you'll need to look at smaller form factors.

Maybe elaborate more on what kind of things you might be working on. BTW: We love spending other people's money :big grin:.


Ray
We will make a little bit of everything, probably nothing to big. Thanks for the heads up about the "T" models. Cost is definetely a consideration but I also don't want to cut off my nose to spite my face. I want to be happy and satisfied with what I buy.
 
I went through a similar journey last year and ended up buying both Taiwan made machines, PM 935 TS Mill and the PM 1340GT lathe.

I put a spreadsheet together so I could compare all the options and in the end it just made sense to buy the best machines I could afford and ones that would fit my shop and figure the rest out later.

I'm sure I would have been happy with the standard (China made) models offered by Precision Matthews, but know I would always be second guessing myself if I went that route.

There is no right answer when it comes to machines, but the 2 items that were important for me were, variable speed and having a DRO.

I went with 3 phase motors and VFD's to get the variable speed and bought DRO's and will fit them myself.

BTW welcome to the forum and let us know if you have any other questions.

David
 
I went through a similar journey last year and ended up buying both Taiwan made machines, PM 935 TS Mill and the PM 1340GT lathe.

I put a spreadsheet together so I could compare all the options and in the end it just made sense to buy the best machines I could afford and ones that would fit my shop and figure the rest out later.

I'm sure I would have been happy with the standard (China made) models offered by Precision Matthews, but know I would always be second guessing myself if I went that route.

There is no right answer when it comes to machines, but the 2 items that were important for me were, variable speed and having a DRO.

I went with 3 phase motors and VFD's to get the variable speed and bought DRO's and will fit them myself.

BTW welcome to the forum and let us know if you have any other questions.

David
David, Do you remember what all you included in your spread sheets? I'm trying to put a couple together myself and didn't want to miss anything. Thanks, Kevin
 
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