Looking for my perfect size hobby mill....

[wrmiller]

Surprised that no one has mentioned the 833TV. I have the 833T and it is a really nice mill. Cranking the Z axis up and down is a drag so get the z-axis power feed if possible. I bought a DRO from a chinese supplier for $250 and installed it myself. Took a little time but it was not a big deal. As others have pointed out though, the DRO is what I would consider a must on a mill.
Overall I am very happy with my mill.

Wasn't sure what size/work envelope the OP wanted. But for me, if I was looking at the current offerings and wanted a bench mill, the 833TV would be the one I would get. With PF on both Z and X.

If I had just slightly more room, and a bit more money, I'd get the 935.

 

[Mr Mike]

My two cents:

(4) You have heard it before, but PM’s customer support and general approach to customer care is top shelf. I wouldn’t even consider buying from anyone else. This is also why I wouldn’t buy a used machine.

Yup that is what I hear all the time.... Thanks.

Surprised that no one has mentioned the 833TV. I have the 833T and it is a really nice mill. Cranking the Z axis up and down is a drag so get the z-axis power feed if possible. I bought a DRO from a chinese supplier for $250 and installed it myself. Took a little time but it was not a big deal. As others have pointed out though, the DRO is what I would consider a must on a mill.
Overall I am very happy with my mill.

I'm looking at the 833 and 932M too and asked about it in an previous post as well, And If i get the 932M I can include DRO and PF for the same starting price as the 833TV, thats why figuring this whole thing out is daunting... Thanks

Wasn't sure what size/work envelope the OP wanted. But for me, if I was looking at the current offerings and wanted a bench mill, the 833TV would be the one I would get. With PF on both Z and X.

If I had just slightly more room, and a bit more money, I'd get the 935.

That is because I have no clue what work envelope I need, but will want to use a dividing head. And I'm trying to figure out if a 3" quill travel ( 728TV ) or 5" ( 932M ) would be more advantageous.

I can afford the 935, it looks like a Mini BP....! And super pretty. So far the 932M looks like the best deal but the 728VT looks like what I should more seriously consider... Thanks Mike.

 

[wrmiller]

I can afford the 935, it looks like a Mini BP....! And super pretty. So far the 932M looks like the best deal but the 728VT looks like what I should more seriously consider... Thanks Mike.

I've had several bench mills, with the last being a CO 9x45 monster. But I wanted something that IMO was going to last longer, while retaining better accuracy. I don't do large work, but the work I do oftentimes requires good accuracy and repeatability. And a knee mill makes it much easier to do some gunsmithing/pistolsmithing setups than on a bench mill. The 935 doesn't take up any more room than my CO 9x45 did.

And yea, I call my 935 a 'baby Bridgeport'.

 

[Skowinski]

Yup that is what I hear all the time.... Thanks.

I'm looking at the 833 and 932M too and asked about it in an previous post as well, And If i get the 932M I can include DRO and PF for the same starting price as the 833TV, thats why figuring this whole thing out is daunting... Thanks

That is because I have no clue what work envelope I need, but will want to use a dividing head. And I'm trying to figure out if a 3" quill travel ( 728TV ) or 5" ( 932M ) would be more advantageous.

I can afford the 935, it looks like a Mini BP....! And super pretty. So far the 932M looks like the best deal but the 728VT looks like what I should more seriously consider... Thanks Mike.

It sure sounds like you are going through all the mental gyrations I did. I looked, seriously, at buying everything from the 727s to the 935. In the end I decided that I was willing to give up getting more for less in order to get a full Taiwanese quality machine. So, ordered and received an 833TV, without any power drives or DRO, figuring I can add those later on my own. And I figure running the machine manually a bit first will make me appreciate those features more when I add them. I'm in no hurry.

I would have gotten a "baby-Bridgeport" PM machine if I'd have had the space, but in the end decided the 833 would be more than enough for my needs and not stick so far out from the wall into the shop, which is already getting crowded.

Good luck with your decision! I don't think you can go wrong with PM.

 

[ArmyDoc]

I think 5 inch (vs 3 inch) quill travel is important. I dont have one of these machines, but it seems to me that if you have a 4 inch drill bit, you can slip it in without changing your quill height, and still be within the 5 inch quill travel. With 3 inch quill travel, you would have to move the head up before the change, and back down after.

 

[Mr Mike]

I think 5 inch (vs 3 inch) quill travel is important. I dont have one of these machines, but it seems to me that if you have a 4 inch drill bit, you can slip it in without changing your quill height, and still be within the 5 inch quill travel. With 3 inch quill travel, you would have to move the head up before the change, and back down after.

Point taken...

 

[Aaron_W]

I'm not sure perfect exists, it is all tied to the work. Smaller mills typically have higher RPM which is a good thing for small endmills / drills if you plan a lot of small work. Big mills have bigger work envelopes and more power. Knee mills seem to be preferred, but at least one member here has a pretty good argument that for a given size the bench configuration is more rigid than the common Bridgeport style head.

As far as spindle travel that is primarily of use for drilling,, and more is probably more useful on a bench mill than a knee mill. Ideally when milling you want the spindle retracted for maximum rigidity. Height being adjusted with the knee or head, and the spindle only moving a short distance to fine tune height.

 

[wrmiller]

I'm not sure perfect exists, it is all tied to the work. Smaller mills typically have higher RPM which is a good thing for small endmills / drills if you plan a lot of small work. Big mills have bigger work envelopes and more power. Knee mills seem to be preferred, but at least one member here has a pretty good argument that for a given size the bench configuration is more rigid than the common Bridgeport style head.

As far as spindle travel that is primarily of use for drilling,, and more is probably more useful on a bench mill than a knee mill. Ideally when milling you want the spindle retracted for maximum rigidity. Height being adjusted with the knee or head, and the spindle only moving a short distance to fine tune height.

Well said, and exactly what I do.

My CO 9x45 bench mill was more rigid than my 935 is. But for the bulk of the work I do I don't need the extra rigidity of the CO. What I do benefit from more is the setup flexibility of the 935. I occasionally use a 1/2" or 5/8" end mill, but I use a 1/4", 3/16", or 1/8" end mill (regular and ball) much more often. My primary reason(s) for selling my CO and buying the 935 was to get the articulating head and the knee. It just makes things so much easier for me.

 

[Mr Mike]

I'm not sure perfect exists, it is all tied to the work. Smaller mills typically have higher RPM which is a good thing for small endmills / drills if you plan a lot of small work. Big mills have bigger work envelopes and more power. Knee mills seem to be preferred, but at least one member here has a pretty good argument that for a given size the bench configuration is more rigid than the common Bridgeport style head.

As far as spindle travel that is primarily of use for drilling,, and more is probably more useful on a bench mill than a knee mill. Ideally when milling you want the spindle retracted for maximum rigidity. Height being adjusted with the knee or head, and the spindle only moving a short distance to fine tune height.

Lol ya I should have stated perfect size for me..!

As with most things you can buy both way too little and way too much, Like the new Saw Stop I just bought... I knew 100% going in that I would need the professional size cabinet saw right off the bat based on previous knowledge and usage. At one point Iv'e had each class of saw and know their pros and cons.

Now, starting as a new beginner with a mill I would prefer not to run the whole mill machine gambit from mini to industrial wasting both money and time buying and selling Mills till the right size porridge bowl crosses my path, And being me when I do pick one I know right then to get one size up.

If I knew how big an item Id like to mill is then I would have some where to start, But I don't.

I went from a HF 7 X 14 to a 9 X 20 lathe in two weeks.. Today I believe the 9 X 20 would do 85% of what I'd like to do, and figured I could at least learn allot of my first mistakes on it, But much too soon ran into a huge short cumming... The Compound & tool holder would just buckle under most any stress... Nothing but very light cuts were acceptable, So off I go to find a bigger lathe...

BAM my prayers were answered, right there on craigslist... This beautiful 50+ year old Logan 1875 school lathe that's been in storage for the last 30 years rust and all. I had it 90% restored and almost ready to play with, But I had to donate the lathe to another person due to life events. then a year and a half later here I am again with an even bigger 12 X 36 lathe, But only cause I had some lathe time and some hands on to touch and feel,

I would prefer not to go through that whole escapade again with a Mill. Here in Las Vegas I don't know anyone with a Mill.. I have never seen one in person because there are no tool stores that sell them here.. I see them in videos but I am at a complete loss of reference.

And honestly I think that if I just start trying out milling and decide its to small or to large I wont be able to sell it except at a drastic loss because its a niche machine even more so than a lathe... I would prefer not to buy a PW-935 and find out its way bigger than I will ever need because bigger it's even harder to sell.. And while the New PW 928 VT is close, I can see a couple short comings already... Its light 370 Lbs and uses 120V power, And then theirs what appears to be the best buy the PW 932M 850 Lbs....

Lol in the end I might be better off like wrmiller says and get the Knee Mill... Thanks for the Info Man I appreciate it and all the points you brought up here.. Thanks Mike.

 

[Mr Mike]

Well said, and exactly what I do.

My CO 9x45 bench mill was more rigid than my 935 is. But for the bulk of the work I do I don't need the extra rigidity of the CO. What I do benefit from more is the setup flexibility of the 935. I occasionally use a 1/2" or 5/8" end mill, but I use a 1/4", 3/16", or 1/8" end mill (regular and ball) much more often. My primary reason(s) for selling my CO and buying the 935 was to get the articulating head and the knee. It just makes things so much easier for me.

Thank you Sir for your input It is appreciated, Lol If I only had knowledge of comparisons I would be golden. Thanks Mike.