PM-1660TL

[jbolt]

I was all ready to buy a Morse Taper #7 dead center. I planned to use the part of the dead center that has the exact same outer dimensions as my reducing sleeve, but cut to length to allow for a 60° nose at an appropriate working length. The idea here is to just have a solid dead center (i.e. no reducing sleeve). Not that there’s anything wrong with reducing sleeves!

However, I took a close look at the dimensions of the reducing sleeve, and I saw that a 7MT dead center would only be able to be pushed in (to the spindle nose) for only 1/2” until the dead center reached the point where it couldn’t go in any further.

I HAD thought that the supplied reducing sleeve may have been a shortened “MT7 outside and MT4 inside” socket (or collet). This is NOT the case because the smallest diameter of an MT7 (2.7500”) can only be pushed in to the spindle nose for a distance of 1/2”.

I now believe that the outer dimensions of the reducing sleeve supplied with the PM-1660TL do not correspond to a shortened 7MT shank. It MAY have the same ANGLE of taper as an MT7, but most of the length of the reducing sleeve has a diameter that is too small to be found on a #7 Morse taper.

I just bought a 12” length of 3” diameter cold rolled 1018 ($66 delivered), and I will attempt to make a dead center. I will copy the outer dimensions of the reducing sleeve and then extend that taper angle out several inches to a 60° tip. Not my first choice of material, but it fits my budget.

Cliff Notes version: This lathe appears to have a spindle nose with custom dimensions, perhaps because in order to obtain a 2.55” spindle through hole, 6MT is too small and 7MT is too big.

This is the same issue on the PM1440GT spindle. With a 2.06" bore and a D-5 spindle nose an MT5 is too small and an MT6 is to large so they supplied a custom reducer sleeve with a MT4 taper. PM calls it a MT5.5 which is not a standard taper.

 

[erikmannie]

This is the same issue on the PM1440GT spindle. With a 2.06" bore and a D-5 spindle nose an MT5 is too small and an MT6 is to large so they supplied a custom reducer sleeve with a MT4 taper. PM calls it a MT5.5 which is not a standard taper.

Yes, I have been closely following the parallel thread about that.

I would like to know the dimensions of the reducing sleeve on a PM-1440GT as I can see myself cutting & selling stubby dead centers for people like myself that love face plates & want to work with a “one piece” dead center.

I will be making two “6 1/2 MT stubby dead centers” after the holidays. I will make a thread about it.

 

[erikmannie]

The 14” face plate that I bought on eBay for $180 delivered arrived today. It is a winner.

Look at the amazing packing job by the Seller. This is what I will store in for the rest of my life.

 

[jbolt]

What is the issue with the faceplate using the factory supplied reducing sleeve for the MT4 center?

I generally don't use a face plate for driving a lathe dog, only for holding awkward parts that cant be held in a 3 or 4 jaw. Face plates have rpm limitations which don't always work with what's being turned.

On the occasion I need to turn a long taper I use a setup similar to this. The photo below is on my old Smithy 1324 Granite which was my first home machine. I do something similar on my PM1440GT.

 

[jbolt]

I would like to know the dimensions of the reducing sleeve on a PM-1440GT as I can see myself cutting & selling stubby dead centers for people like myself that love face plates & want to work with a “one piece” dead center.

I would be happy to get you dimensions but my shop and equipment has been packed up and is sitting in storage at our new place in Oregon. It will be close to another year before we make the move and I will be able to start unpacking

 

[ddickey]

Sort of what I just went through. Just got my lathe back after ~8 months.

 

[erikmannie]

Update on this lathe:

(1) Out of nowhere, my Dad offered to pay off my 26.25% APR institutional loan, and instead pay him 7.5% interest which saves me a LOT in interest. My Dad is a lifelong woodworker so he gets it. It is not a coincidence that I am all about working in the garage; I became like my Dad & Grandpa.

(2) I parted a piece of 3” diameter 1018 round stock today. It went very quickly.

(3) I checked all my “lathe prep” tasks off of the list: changed oil in gearboxes, leveled the machine, got flood coolant system going, got all of the tooling that I wanted (except a 12” forged steel chuck with a huge center hole which will be entirely unaffordable for 2-3 years).

(4) I get a lot of visitors who come to see the big lathe, but so far nobody has wanted to try it out.

(5) I am working on “one-piece MT 6 1/2 dead centers” now. Very fun!

(6) The flood coolant system with cutting fluid (Mobilmet 766 Neat CF, an oil) in it is fantastic, but a little messy as one would expect.

(7) I have not yet tried the taper attachment.

 

[matthewsx]

Your dad is awesome, use some of the money saved to do something nice for him (like build some custom woodworking tools).

John

 

[erikmannie]

Your dad is awesome, use some of the money saved to do something nice for him (like build some custom woodworking tools).

John

My Dad & I are carbon copies of each other, as was his Dad. We are pretty selfish & put our tool purchases first in line in the family budgets. Point being, my Dad has already bought himself everything that he wants. Having said that, I will hook him up with something special that he can’t buy.

 

[xyz]

I ordered the PM-1640TL on July 14, 2021. Since then, they installed the DRO and the taper attachment.

They will ship it tomorrow. Final leg of the shipment will be via a company that uses a flatbed and a forklift.

The size of the crate is 74 inches tall; 42 inches wide; and 90 inches long.