PM-833T stand height

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Rhizome

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Hi. I took delivery of the PM-833T last week. I did not buy the PM stand because I plan to build my own using rectangular steel tubing, but don't have time right now to learn how to weld. I am going to build a stand using 2x4 lumber that I already have. A rough sketch is attached. It shows 24-inch height, but I have enough stock for 33-inch height. Top is double 3/4-inch plywood with hardboard laminated, so adding 1 3/4 inches to overall height. I can't decide on the height of the stand. I am 5'9" average. I am thinking a comfortable working height would be where I don't have to bend down to reach the part being milled.

What height is your stand for this mill? What is the height from the base of the mill to the jaw of a Kurt DX6 vise (mine is being shipped)?

PM-833T wood base.jpg
 
Consider the height of the drawbar in your planning - you’ll be reaching up there all the time until you implement a power drawbar.
 
I also recommend you stiffen the wood stand by gluing plywood to all four the sides. With an 800 pound mill on top, the potential for racking is pretty high. I mention this from my own experience with an RF-45 on a wooden stand with mortise & tenon joinery like you show in your drawing. That setup will be very top heavy. Be safe.
 
My stand is 36-1/2" floor to base of mill. I am 6' and with the vise on it I would not really want it any shorter. However, being that you are 3" shorter than me, I would make it a couple of inches shorter.
As Dave mentioned, I would be very concerned about utilizing a wood stand to support the mill. If you are going to go that route, use panels on all sides that are glued and screwed. If you do not want to go that route, A half lap joint glued and bolted MIGHT be strong enough. As a woodworker of 30+ years the mortise and tenon joint is a good joint but I would not trust my machine on them.
 
Thanks David and 7milesup. I think I will make my base about 32 inches total height. I want to get the mill off the pallet, up on a stand, hence the decision to use wood for the time being. The previous drawing is a rough draft, which I used to calculate the amount of 2x4 lumber I need for the stand. As it turns out, I have enough with a more than a few board feet extra. Version 2 of this stand is illustrated below.

PM-833T base v2_01.jpg

Mortise and tennon joinery with dowel pegs once completely glued up. The top is double 3/4-inch plywood, laminated with hardboard. The purple panels inside are 3/4-in plywood. Where the sheet meets the solid wood frame, it will be screwed into the frame to add rigidity and to minimize racking. This applies to side, top, and bottom panels.

PM-833T base v2_top.jpg

Top view. The top section is essentially a torsion box. The cross braces will also be M&T joinery. Dovetail joinery is an option, but will take more time!

PM-833T base v2_bottom.jpg

Bottom view. A mirror of the top.

PM-833T base v2_back.jpg

Back view. That large sheet of plywood will also be screwed to the frame structural component to minimize racking. The only side without plywood sheet secured to frame is the front, reason below. This should be adequate supporting this mill for a few months while I learn how to weld!?

I plan to build drawers inside the stand for tooling storage. The weight will make this setup less heavy at the top. For now, I may have to use a step stool to reach the draw bar. Eventually, I plan to add DRO, power feed, power draw bar, etc. to this mill. I am new to the world of metal machining.
 
Rhizome said:
Thanks David and 7milesup. I think I will make my base about 32 inches total height. I want to get the mill off the pallet, up on a stand, hence the decision to use wood for the time being. The previous drawing is a rough draft, which I used to calculate the amount of 2x4 lumber I need for the stand.

I plan to build drawers inside the stand for tooling storage. The weight will make this setup less heavy at the top. For now, I may have to use a step stool to reach the draw bar. Eventually, I plan to add DRO, power feed, power draw bar, etc. to this mill. I am new to the world of metal machining.
Click to expand...
I'm really a woodworker for the past 60 years, specializing chef's kitchens, so unless you just love making M/T joinery, half-laps should do fine, or even domino joinery with the plywood stiffeners provided they are screwed and glued. You will be glad you put drawers below. One of my biggest gripes about all the lathe stands is that if there is ANY storage below, it's behind a door and you have to get down on your knees and dig around to find what you need. That's why I built my own lathe stand. Your revised drawing looks great if you want to put furniture-quality joinery into it. I'll be interested to follow your postings here about your experience with this mill as I'm trying to decide whether to buy and 833TV for cnc conversion or build a cnc mill from scratch.
 
Nope, nothing fancy like Fusion360. This is built in Sketchup, free version, which does not have a layout option.

Here is a final 3D concept below. I enjoy cutting M&T joinery, so will most likely use my hollow chisel mortiser. Space is a premium in my garage shop. This drove the decision not to purchase the PM stand. Instead, I planned to build my own metal stand and put drawers below the machine, but this will have to do as a temporary solution. I tend to place accessories and tooling of each machine near or next to it. There is roughly 8 cubit feet of storage in those 6 drawers. It will be some time before I fill up the drawers with tooling. The best thing is that this project will consume all the 2x4 lumber and plywood left over from other machines' crates!

PM-833T base v2_02.jpg


David, I have followed your lathe project here and on flickr. It is very impressive what you can do, but that is not a surprise. I have plan to get a metal lathe to compliment this mill. Thank you for sharing!

Now, to the mortiser!
 
Square mortiser? Check this out. Make one for your mill and sell the mortiser to generate cash for lathe tooling. LOL
 
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