PM-1127VF-LB - The long wait.....

[Rich Z]

Rich,

This model is extremely popular; about the same as the 1236 and 1340GT. It's one of the better selling models and is common with prototype shops.

The one that PM carries is not the same and does not come from the same factory as the ones that other popular distributors sell; if that were the case, the order would be fulfilled by now. Matt orders these in quantity from the original factory that started making this design -they have a much better quality product. Sadly, the last batch he got from them had a defect and they were rejected. These units have grade 7 bearings, not grade 5... other things too... The copy that is commonly sold by other places is a joke compared to this machine.

If you want a 1236 to make up for your troubles, it's yours for the asking. -And if you feel the Grim Reaper doesn't want you to work on this lathe, you can indeed cancel the order... No questions asked...

Ray...

Thanks for the offer of the 1236, but I really want electronic speed control. I watched the video on Matt's site of the 1236 and it looked like changing spindle speeds was a struggle there. Plus it just is not as good of a fit as the 1127 will be where I am planning to put it. I looked at the specs and reviews of a LOT of lathes when I was considering buying this thing, and the PM-1127VF-LB I ordered seemed to be as close to ideal as I could find. That has not changed. So if I am going to get ANY lathe, this is the one I want.

I guess maybe the best thing for me to do is to just forget about this and just wait it out. Like I said, I don't have any real pressing immediate need for this thing. I just made up my mind that I WANT it. I presume that if I am out of town for a spell whenever it comes in, Matt will just hold onto mine and ship when I am back home. Since there is effectively NO ETA for this thing, I can't put the rest of my life on hold over it.

If things change on my end concerning changed priorities or health issues, well, I'll just cross that bridge when I get to it.

Thanks for your help and advice.

 

[jbolt]

We waited almost a year to get our 1127. To get it as soon as we did they upgraded us to a VF motor because that shipment came first when it was not supposed to. We are still waiting for extra back-plates. Not having a standard spindle nose is the one big disadvantage of an otherwise really nice bench-top lathe. For the life of me I don't know why they didn't put a cam-lock spindle on this machine.

J~

 

[Rich Z]

We waited almost a year to get our 1127. To get it as soon as we did they upgraded us to a VF motor because that shipment came first when it was not supposed to. We are still waiting for extra back-plates. Not having a standard spindle nose is the one big disadvantage of an otherwise really nice bench-top lathe. For the life of me I don't know why they didn't put a cam-lock spindle on this machine.

J~

So how long would you have had to wait if you didn't want to take the upgraded motor version?

Hmm. So there are going to be compatibility issues with this lathe trying to get off the shelf accessories to work with it? There aren't other backplates that would work with it?

And what about replacement parts? Not that I would use it enough to wear out anything, but nearly everything breaks eventually. And I'm a firm believer in Murphy's Law.

 

[jbolt]

The spindle nose is unique to this lathe, I'm not sure why. The spindle nose on our lathe has about 0.002" taper. The back plate bolts onto the spindle. Taking it on and off takes 5x times longer than a cam lock system due to the shallow tapper and light press fit of the back-plate. Fortunately we don't need to change chucks often on this lathe so it has not been an issue. A D1-3 back-plate cam be modified to work if need be.

I'm not sure how longer we would have waited for the non LF lathe to arrive. I don't blame Matt & Nicole as they could only tell us what they were being told. We could have gone with a the 1236 but the 1127 fit our needs better.

Not sure on replacement parts.


J~

 

[Ray C]

OK, just to let the cat out of the bag in the interest of belaying panic, doom and gloom... Matt orders these units 500 at a time. He hasn't had a part request in recent memory but, if that were to happen, he'd take the needed part from a unit in stock.

As for the backplate, whenever myself or Matt tell people about this machine, the first thing we tell them is that the backplate is an ISO style, common in Germany, Denmark etc -as that is where this machine was designed. He doesn't let anyone off the phone until they know about the spindle as we always tell people the differences between this machine and the 1236. Many folks simply make a D1-3 adapter. I do believe a Denmark fellow, about a year ago, posted here how he did his.

Ray

 

[wrmiller]

This (D1-3) mod would just be another mod I'd make to my machine. I call it "personalizing my machine", Just like I used to do with my motorcycles and cars. I always believe I can make something better. Well, that's my belief anyway, I'm sure others would disagree. :lmao:

I thought I read somewhere that a lathe is the only machine that can replicate itself, or something like that.

Bill

 

[jbolt]

OK, just to let the cat out of the bag in the interest of belaying panic, doom and gloom... Matt orders these units 500 at a time. He hasn't had a part request in recent memory but, if that were to happen, he'd take the needed part from a unit in stock.

As for the backplate, whenever myself or Matt tell people about this machine, the first thing we tell them is that the backplate is an ISO style, common in Germany, Denmark etc -as that is where this machine was designed. He doesn't let anyone off the phone until they know about the spindle as we always tell people the differences between this machine and the 1236. Many folks simply make a D1-3 adapter. I do believe a Denmark fellow, about a year ago, posted here how he did his.

Ray

Well the LB nose on our 1127 is NOT any known standard, German, ISO, British, American etc. so your statement is false. It has no taper. Both Matt and Nicole have told me exactly the same. I have heard from other 1127 owners that the non-LB models have or used to have a DIN style nose but the taper was removed from the LB model which is the case with our LB model.

I'm not trying to sell the 1127 short as it is a very nice machine but this is a reality of the machine.

J~

 

[Ray C]

Well the LB nose on our 1127 is NOT any known standard, German, ISO, British, American etc. so your statement is false. It has no taper. Both Matt and Nicole have told me exactly the same. I have heard from other 1127 owners that the non-LB models have or used to have a DIN style nose but the taper was removed from the LB model which is the case with our LB model.

I'm not trying to sell the 1127 short as it is a very nice machine but this is a reality of the machine.

J~

Yes but, the DIN style will still fit on it...

Ray

 

[Rich Z]

OK, just to let the cat out of the bag in the interest of belaying panic, doom and gloom... Matt orders these units 500 at a time. He hasn't had a part request in recent memory but, if that were to happen, he'd take the needed part from a unit in stock.

As for the backplate, whenever myself or Matt tell people about this machine, the first thing we tell them is that the backplate is an ISO style, common in Germany, Denmark etc -as that is where this machine was designed. He doesn't let anyone off the phone until they know about the spindle as we always tell people the differences between this machine and the 1236. Many folks simply make a D1-3 adapter. I do believe a Denmark fellow, about a year ago, posted here how he did his.

Ray

500 at a time?? Yikes! How long does it take to check each unit before shipping to a customer?

Ray, excuse me if I am jumping to what might be an inaccurate conclusion, but you seem to be acting as a spokesperson for Matt here. So when exactly IS the ETA for my machine? Is there even one at all? It is sounding more and more that no one knows the answer to that question. Seriously, someone had to wait nearly a YEAR to get theirs?

 

[Ray C]

500 at a time?? Yikes! How long does it take to check each unit before shipping to a customer?

Ray, excuse me if I am jumping to what might be an inaccurate conclusion, but you seem to be acting as a spokesperson for Matt here. So when exactly IS the ETA for my machine? Is there even one at all? It is sounding more and more that no one knows the answer to that question. Seriously, someone had to wait nearly a YEAR to get theirs?

No, he does not know and he has not been given a definite ETA and he has informed (by phone and email) all three impacted customers. Matt only knows when a batch of machines will arrive from China when he receives a tracking number from their shipping department. He has called to complain. It does no good. Their response is "you can cancel your order". These are coming from the factory that makes the "real McCoy" version of this style of lathe. The others are copies -or copies of copies. This factory has the market bagged-up and most of the units sold are metric units being sold in Europe. This is a very popular model in Europe...

Yes, to place an order directly with an Asian factory, you need to place large orders and commit to receive partial shipments throughout the year. For the really big lathes like 16-22" units, you need to order 25 to 50. 12 to 14" lathes are usually only sold in lots of 250. For the large and medium lathes and mills, it's possible to purchase certain options and customizations. Little lathes like the 1127 etc are sold in quantities 300-500 and these cannot be purchased with varying factory options.

Small lathes that only require inspection take about 1 hour to uncrate, test, re-crate and send for shipping. Bigger lathes and mills that require DRO installation can take 4-6 hours each.

As for being a spokesperson: Since the engineering company I was working for was bought-out and liquidated, I went into my own business of consulting, product development analysis and prototype development. Under that cover, I am now supporting lathes and mills for Matt since, in an unofficial capacity, I was doing that by default for a long time -even many years before I came to this forum. I support free of charge, dozens of people on this list and others too.

As for this model of lathe... The good news, they sell like hotcakes when they're available. The bad news, this is the second (possibly third) time this model has been delayed like this -and it's a liability that Matt recognizes. At the very least, going forward he will not take orders for this machine any more. When they arrive, he will sell them -but not take orders for the next batch.


Ray