New To The Forum. Thinking About A Pm-1030v!

[HotChips]

Hi Everyone,

I'm Pat Bain from Northern California. Just retired and getting ready to fulfill the lifetime dream of owning a lathe. I worked for a number of years as a millwright in a lumber mill, so I've had some experience with with lathes and mills. But I am by no means a machinist!

I was looking pretty heavily at a Grizzly, but reading some of the threads on the forum got me tuned into the PM's. My lathe work will be divided into just tinkering and some gunsmith work. Any thoughts on the 1030V for my purposes? Also, can anyone tell me if a 1030V will fit on a 24" wide bench and where I might get a look at the manual online?

Thanks Much -- Pat

 

[wrmiller]

Welcome to H-M Pat!

The 1030's bore of 1" may or may not be a little small for rifle work. I'm not sure, so I'll let others chime in on that. And with a overall length of 52" I have my doubts about it fitting on a 24" wide bench. You may need a little more real estate for that lathe.

Last I talked to Matt at PM, he told me that they are working on some better quality manuals for their machines, but I don't know where they are exactly in that process. You could call and ask though.

 

[mksj]

Per Bill's remarks, in this size range I would think the PM-1127VF-LB would be a better choice on all counts. Larger bore, wider bed, more Hp, larger chucks, separate feed/thread, already comes with a QCTP, etc. for not much more. All depends on what you think your future needs are going to be, your space limitations, precision level and your budget. Long term, you probably need to think if you will need different chucks (these machines are bolt on vs. Camlock of a larger machine), tooling (size and type of cutters), and what you think you may need down the line if you have bigger projects. There is a lot of gear changing on these machines, so something to consider if you are going to be doing more than a little threading occasionally.

Manual: http://www.machinetoolonline.com/files/PM-1127VF-LB_Manual_2015.pdf

 

[HotChips]

Welcome to H-M Pat!

The 1030's bore of 1" may or may not be a little small for rifle work. I'm not sure, so I'll let others chime in on that. And with a overall length of 52" I have my doubts about it fitting on a 24" wide bench. You may need a little more real estate for that lathe.

Last I talked to Matt at PM, he told me that they are working on some better quality manuals for their machines, but I don't know where they are exactly in that process. You could call and ask though.

Thanks for the input Bill, I've got a call into PM to find out how wide a bench I'll need. They are supposed to call back today!!

 

[HotChips]

Per Bill's remarks, in this size range I would think the PM-1127VF-LB would be a better choice on all counts. Larger bore, wider bed, more Hp, larger chucks, separate feed/thread, already comes with a QCTP, etc. for not much more. All depends on what you think your future needs are going to be, your space limitations, precision level and your budget. Long term, you probably need to think if you will need different chucks (these machines are bolt on vs. Camlock of a larger machine), tooling (size and type of cutters), and what you think you may need down the line if you have bigger projects. There is a lot of gear changing on these machines, so something to consider if you are going to be doing more than a little threading occasionally.

Manual: http://www.machinetoolonline.com/files/PM-1127VF-LB_Manual_2015.pdf

Thanks for the thoughtful suggestions and information. The 1030 will definitely be a bit on the small side for barrel work. I started out thinking a little over $1K for a Grizzly and I'm really pushing my budget at $2K for the 1030. I really like the 1127, but can't quite get there and still have a few $'s left for tooling.

 

[wrmiller]

Thanks for the thoughtful suggestions and information. The 1030 will definitely be a bit on the small side for barrel work. I started out thinking a little over $1K for a Grizzly and I'm really pushing my budget at $2K for the 1030. I really like the 1127, but can't quite get there and still have a few $'s left for tooling.

Just a suggestion Pat?

I and others here who have been through this will suggest you 'stretch' yourself and get the most machine you can get for the money and space you have. You can then acquire tooling a piece or two at a time as funds permit. So what if you won't be able to run the lathe for a few weeks/months. Spend that time cleaning, adjusting, and tuning it (they all need it).

You will be doing yourself a disservice to go too small on the lathe, tool it, and then find out it won't meet your needs. Then, at that point, it will end up costing you MORE money to have to go out and get into a properly sized machine for what you want to do. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt.

 

[jer]

Welcome Pat. The manual that came with my PM1030V was a copy of a copy of a copy, it is nearly unreadable. A first generation copy is on my PM wish list, I hope Matt gets one on the site so we can save/print out a copy.

I have mine on a 60" wide by 24" deep steel welding table. It is a perfect size to protect the lathe from other "stuff" banging into my new machine.

I plan to do some work on an AR or two along the line and feel the 10x30V will do what I need. If you are looking into bolt action rifle barrels it won't work. I would want a lathe larger than a 27" bed also. A friend does my barrel work on the longer barrels, than I may use on an AR, so I'm ok with my 10x30V. It is an impressive lathe, my first one, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.

I started out looking for a 7x14, then 8x16, then 9x19 and got the 10x30. A retired machinist friend, read Mentor, helped me spend way more than I wanted. LOL. I agree with Bill get the largest lathe you can afford and have a place for.

I'm sure you already know this is an addictive "hobby", I'm far from fully functional with the lathe and have been looking for a mill that I can "afford". I believe it will cost more than the lathe in the long run.

 

[Silverbullet]

Most gunsmithing lathes range in the 13" to 15" x 40 or better. Ill kick in and say the same thing by small you'll always need bigger. By the biggest one you can handle , grizzly sells a few in the 13x40 range and up advertised as gunsmith lathes. PM has a very good rep for standing behind what he sells. Plus he will work hard to get what you want and need .

 

[HotChips]

Thanks so much to everyone who has chimed in with suggestions and information. I've decided to follow the time-honored American tradition of spending more than I should and step up to purchasing the PM-1127. I would really like to get one of the larger Grizzly models for my gun work but I just don't have the space for it. My poor garage is already stuffed with wood-working tools and I'm really having to squeeze to get the 1127 in.

According to the manual my bench only needs to be 26" wide to accommodate the 1127. Can someone please confirm that for me?

Thanks again for your friendly welcome and support -- Pat

 

[Ken from ontario]

Hi Pat, was wondering if you settled for a PM-1127 or are you still looking? if you got the 1127, what's your opinion? any regrets?
I am in the same situation you were in a year ago but I'm convinced the 1228 VF-LB is the right lathe for me, the only obstacle remaining is to convince the wife.