- Joined
- Nov 9, 2017
- Messages
- 222
Hello All,
For a long time I wanted to get a Bridgeport and restore/refurbish it. But, retirement finally came, the dream shop arrived (1,100 sq. ft. with heating/AC, yeah!), and I'm setting up. I have a LOT of motorcycle related projects to get to and am rethinking the old Bridgeport idea, having spent 6 months recently restoring a South Bend 9" lathe, it was a big project and ended up consuming way more $ than I originally thought.
Long story short, I'm now thinking to get a PM mill, a set up and go machine. And, lately I am going back and forth between a higher end bench mill PM-932M and a lower end knee mill PM-835S. The one thing I really want is a 3 axis DRO and if I outfit both with that option I'm looking at about $3,800 for the 932 with a stand, or about $5,000 for the 835.
I'm a hobby machinist in the true sense of the word, was around machine shops for years because of my work but am by no means an expert or professional, and will be making single one-off pieces or modifying existing parts as needed.
For those with experience with these machines what do you think? I want something nice, don't want to cut too many corners, this is my shot at having what I want. But, wondering first if I'm overshooting what I really need with both of these machines, especially the 835. Thanks for any info or thoughts!
For a long time I wanted to get a Bridgeport and restore/refurbish it. But, retirement finally came, the dream shop arrived (1,100 sq. ft. with heating/AC, yeah!), and I'm setting up. I have a LOT of motorcycle related projects to get to and am rethinking the old Bridgeport idea, having spent 6 months recently restoring a South Bend 9" lathe, it was a big project and ended up consuming way more $ than I originally thought.
Long story short, I'm now thinking to get a PM mill, a set up and go machine. And, lately I am going back and forth between a higher end bench mill PM-932M and a lower end knee mill PM-835S. The one thing I really want is a 3 axis DRO and if I outfit both with that option I'm looking at about $3,800 for the 932 with a stand, or about $5,000 for the 835.
I'm a hobby machinist in the true sense of the word, was around machine shops for years because of my work but am by no means an expert or professional, and will be making single one-off pieces or modifying existing parts as needed.
For those with experience with these machines what do you think? I want something nice, don't want to cut too many corners, this is my shot at having what I want. But, wondering first if I'm overshooting what I really need with both of these machines, especially the 835. Thanks for any info or thoughts!