New PM25 in the Mannex

tomw

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Dear All,

I ordered a PM25 with the DRO and X axis power feed in March, I think. It was delivered in late April, and it took me until mid May to get it installed in my shop. This machine is to be a significant upgrade from my Sherline mill.

I chose the PM25 because my shop is a very small (10' x 20') Tuff Shed (the Mannex, an annex to the garage for a man-my wife's name for the shop), with a floor that can only handle 60 lbs/sq ft of weight. Anything larger, and I would be looking at some severe floor sag. I could have modified the shop floor to take more weight, but I still would have a space problem. So, after much comparison among the smaller bench mills, I chose the PM25.

It arrived in the typical crate, which was delivered to my garage. The crate was opened, stuff inspected, and there it sat until I could get together with my brother to move it into the shop. Getting it from my garage to the shop was funny and challenging. And I have no photos. Needless to say I was icing my back for the next three days. But no animals were harmed.

We leveled the mill with some shims and my precision level, and then called it a night. The next day I fired up the lathe to check the electronicals, and found that I had one speed, high. It did not matter what position the potentiometer was placed in, it ran at max speed. I also found out that the drill chuck I ordered was not R8, which I still have to return.

I called PM, and after some monkeying around it was determined that either the potentiometer or the control board were fubar. PM then ordered a new board from the factory in China, and I left for a road trip to WI and MN. When I got back, the new board and a new potentiometer were waiting. I installed said parts, and the freaking thing worked!

My first modification of the machine was to install a tramming aid. I think I might install a second one at the bottom of head to make things more symmetrical. I also installed the X axis power feed, but can't figure out how to install the limit switch. For now, I have no limit switch as I ponder the problem.

I am now tramming and so forth. I have also made some preliminary fly cuts.



PM25 set up.jpg

Tram aid.jpg

First cuts.jpg

Second fly cut.jpg

Fly cutting result.jpg

IMG_2500.jpg

Weird display.jpg
 
Congratulatioins on your new mill. It's really a good mill for it's size/weight. I've been using mine for over two years, haven't been disappointed yet.

The "Weird Display" is your RPM. I replaced mine when it quit working.

Limit switch....Don't walk away from the machine when it's running and you won't need the limit switch. I built my own X feed, don't have a limit switch. Don't figger I need one.
 
Thanks all. I was most impressed with Matt's service. They could have sent me a potentiometer first (a $2 part) to see if it worked, then gone with the board replacement. That would have meant at least 6 weeks before I could use the machine. Instead, they diagnosed things as best they could from the videos I sent them, and then decided to go with the most certain, but initially the most expensive, fix. The only way they could have done better was sending a butler to install the new part and serve me tea.

I'm not a fan of tea, really. Rather save my money to buy coffee.

TB, I am not to worried about the absence of the limit switch. Anything done on these machines should be watched, regardless of limit switches.

Tom
 
Limit switch....Don't walk away from the machine when it's running and you won't need the limit switch. I built my own X feed, don't have a limit switch. Don't figger I need one.

I've never used one, and don't need one as I will never walk away from a machine that is running. I just cut them off and throw them away.
 
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