New Pm-935 Coming Soon!

+1 on the recommendation for the 6" vise. Here are a few stats that may help with your decision.

According to Glacern's website, the distance from the clamping ears to the back of the vise is the same for both the 5" and 6" versions. Therefore, you shouldn't gain or lose any more travel toward the column with the smaller 5" vise. However, you will loose a significant amount of capacity with the 5" vs the 6" vise. The 5", per their specs, only has a jaw opening capacity of 5" vs 8.95" on the 6" vise. If their specs are correct, that's a significant difference.

I am not sure if the vise jaws and accessories are the same for a Glacern as they are for a Kurt, but if so, there will be a world more of new and used accessories available for the 6" vise vs the 5".

I have a 6" Kurt and have used the 8"+ of jaw opening capacity on numerous occasions.
 
Lots of good advice and info here. I just ordered a 5" Gacern, before seeing the last couple posts here.

That's ok though, I'll lose a little capacity, gain a little table space. I guess everything is a win/lose proportion battle.

I love how quiet it runs, the head and motor are very smooth. This motor is way quieter than my lathe motor.
 
Ken, I studied the Glacerns to death before I ordered one for my 935. I chose the 5".

The 6" vise body hangs over the front of the table by 3 additional inches as compared to the 5". Since the 935 is not a full size mill, this hangover tends to cover the Y axis crank. The 2/3 size 935 mill is also a bit low so that overhang over the crank can be even more problematic.

Here are snippets of the clamping sizes for the 5" and the 6". As Brad points out the 6" is about ~4+" on average bigger in all configurations. If I had bought a bigger mill, I would have gone with the bigger vice but the 935 is less than a full size machine and that overhang was the deal breaker for me.

Glacern 5 vise.JPG


Glacern 6 vise.JPG
 
My Glacern will be here Thursday. The first project on this machine will be a Remington 700 Action Fixture

Like this:
306-65f_1.png
 
I should have clarified that I have a Millrite which is not an apples to apples comparison. It is a similar type of machine if not a little smaller. The 6" vise does indeed hang over the front side, but on the Millrite, this hangover is of no consequence. The bottom of the vise is on the same plane as the top of the table. None of the handles on the front of the Millrite are engineered whereas the handles extend above the table top level, so there is no problem. I even currently have my vise offset to the left side of the table. As a matter of fact there is several inches of clearance as seen in the attached pic.

IMG_5942.JPG


With the ram on the Millrite, I can get to the outer reaches of the vise with no problem, or flip the part around to work closer to the fixed jaw side if so desired.

I agree if PM's handles would tangle with the bottom of the vise then the smaller model would be the best choice. I guess I just assumed the clearances would be similar. Sorry for the lack of upfront clarification on my specific machine. Good luck with the PM. It's a sweet looking machine. I have been considering upgrading to one to go with my PM1340.

Brad
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Even on a full size knee the handles will tangle, the only way around that is to get a speed handle. You can also play with the ram travel by extending it further out. One needs to look at the width of the table and also at the travel of the Y axis, and if you can use the usable clamping range of the vise. Since the 935 and full size knees have 12" of Y travel, I would recommend a 6" wide vise, most have a maximum clamping range of ~8-9 inches. Having an extra 1" in the width of the jaws goes a long way to holding longer stock more securely. Since the 6" vise is one of the most common sizes, it gives you a wider opportunity for jaws, parallels, etc. that fit this size. I would think a longer overhang is more beneficial, since the handle is less likely to hit the knee. If you want something with a shorter overhang, then maybe look at a 6" CNC.
 
Certainly agree on the accessories aspect of a 6 vs a 5. For example, there is not a speed handle available that I have found that fits the 5" Glacern. So the option is to make one if you want one. So that is on my list of 100's of things to do. I know a gent that considered getting a batch made and selling them but I don't think he's pulled the trigger yet.

Parallels are another challenge but at least Tormach sells some of those.
 
There was someone here (Darkzero?) selling aluminum speed handles for 5" vices. I bought two for my 5" Kurt.
 
Bill, those are long gone. I asked Will several months ago and he had none left. Maybe I'll get a batch made?
 
Well darn, that's too bad. Given the popularity of the 5" vise with the hobby machinist crowd, I would think someone with a CNC would be doing them. :)
 
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