PM-25MV delivery and setup pictures, power feed issue.

erikmannie said:
Regarding taps, I have always wanted some, but I always spent my money on other tools. I have a few loose taps that I got from my Dad, but I don't even have a tap handle yet.

My next purchase is parallels, V-blocks and metrology equipment (e.g. micrometers, dial indicators).
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Okay, you really are starting from scratch ... enjoy the ride! :)
 
mikey said:
There should be a simple bracket that looks like an inverted "T". Use that with the hard stops.
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A bracket that I fabricate? I am just sending an email to PM about whether or not one needs to remove the x-axis stop levers.

Honestly, at this point I am mostly curious about what percentage of people that buy an x-axis power feed don't use the limit switch.
 
Something about the pics in post #38 doesn’t look right. I don’t have a PM mill, but on my mill, the limit switch doesn’t travel with the table. The LS is mounted to the table base, not to the table, and the stops hit the limit switch to stop movement. In other words, the way yours appears to be mounted, the LS travels to the stops while on mine, the stops travel to the limit switch. Are you sure you have it mounted in the right place?

I found the instruction sheet for the PM-25MV from PM’s website. If you look at Figs. 5 & 6 of this link, I think you’ll see what I’m talking about.

Tom
 
higgite said:
Something about the pics in post #38 doesn’t look right. I don’t have a PM mill, but on my mill, the limit switch doesn’t travel with the table. The LS is mounted to the table base, not to the table, and the stops hit the limit switch to stop movement. In other words, the way yours appears to be mounted, the LS travels to the stops while on mine, the stops travel to the limit switch. Are you sure you have it mounted in the right place?

I found the instruction sheet for the PM-25MV from PM’s website. If you look at Figs. 5 & 6 of this link, I think you’ll see what I’m talking about.

Tom
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You make a very good point. I’m sure that you are right. There are no holes there in the mill. I will email Precision Matthews and ask if I should drill and tap the mill there for mounting holes.

So what is the general consensus about not even using the limit switch?
 
You might want to post your question about limit switch use as a separate thread. It is buried here and folks who are not following your thread will not see it.
 
I will start another thread soon when I can get some time.

I called PM about this. They said that you do have to either (1) drill and tap holes in the saddle, or (2) make a custom mounting plate and use the two holes that are already there where the silver "zero" indicator is.

The tech at PM said that the best way to go was the drill and tap route.
 
mikey said:
Erik, those round X-axis stops in your picture are important. They allow you to positively stop a cutter at a precise location for repeated cuts, like the end of a slot in a thick work piece that requires you to take several passes to fully cut through.
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I think it may have become clear in the intervening conversation, but just to be certain: the limit switch block replaces the index key against which those round stops would run to index a precise location, as @higgite mentions. Following PM's install instructions, and unless I'm missing something that I want to learn for my own PM-30, you have to choose between limit switches and the hard index stops.

erikmannie said:
Regarding taps, I have always wanted some, but I always spent my money on other tools.
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Not to tell you how to spend your money, but only as information... A cheap set of common sizes of metric taps should set you back $10 or less. At least if you are tapping aluminum or plastic, spiral flute taps are nice in my opinion. You can chuck them in the mill and rotate it by hand instead of a handle, in many cases.
 
When I needed some unusual T nuts for my rotary table (to mount a chuck on it) I made them out of 6061-T6. Much easier to fabricate than steel and they work fine. If I was changing configurations every day perhaps they would be problematic but I don't remove that chuck often enough to be an issue.

Having an assortment of 6061 has been very handy for lots of things.
 
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