Wondering What I Should Be Doing To Properly Setup My New Pm-932

Jim Wilson

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I picked up a PM-932V late last summer - and unfortunately a whole bunch of other projects got in the way and I'm just getting to setting the machine up now. I've been reading thru this site and a few others looking for tips and tricks on what I should to do and what I should be checking or measuring to make sure this machine is correctly setup and ready to go.

I've seen threads dealing with things everywhere from taking it all apart and replacing all the lube - to adjusting the gibs , to "tramming" it - etc.

I'll admit to being a total newbie - I've worked on mills and lathes before - but I'm hoping to get some guidance as to how to proceed on getting this setup the right way.
 
Plug it in or wire it up and make some chips! If you are a total newbie, it would be well worth your while to watch some YouTube videos on safety and basic operations. There are a lot of really good machining videos on YouTube. You could approach it like a class, one step at a time, or do project based learning -- pick an easy project, find out how to do the work, and then just do it. Lather, rinse, pick something a bit more difficult or fussy, and just keep on learning as you play with the toys. Please be careful. When in doubt, doubt! Do some research, ask on the forums, find a mentor you can trust and get along with...

Edit: I see you are new here. Welcome! There is a lot of help and advice available on this site. Use it wisely and you will not need to reinvent the wheel. Ask when something is not clear to you. We have all been there...
 
I've been reading a lot of threads here for months - but just started posting. I worked in a machine shop for a number of years - but that was probably 20 years ago now, so I still remember the basics of safety and I'm usually pretty cautious when approaching something new. I still have all my fingers and toes, both eyes and haven't broken too many bones - even after a few decades of doing things that most people would consider "dangerous" ;)

I've been watching a bunch of Youtube videos too - as you suggested, unfortunately I think I need to concentrate a little more and stop getting diverted over to watching Tormach videos and thinking : " I want one of those ".
 
Here's the machine - the first thing I did was weld up a dolly for it - so that I can move it around the barn. I just got all my work finished on the dolly - and got the base mounted and then the mill mounted on the base this past weekend.

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I'm trying to be efficient in how I use shop space - I'm used to working smaller spaces in previous shops I had - so I'm always looking for ways to take advantage of space. When I looked at the cast iron base for the 932 - the first thing I thought was " that's a whole bunch of wasted space in there".

So I found a Durham cabinet for some of their smaller metal compartment type totes that fits nicely into the opening in the side of the mill base. I had to grind out the opening a little to get some clearance for the mounting bracket (that I still have to make ) - but it should fit in there nicely.

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The important thing is just to make sure you get all the casting sand and debris out. Chinese machines are known for having a lot of bad stuff in them.
If you feel confident about judging the oil by smell and feel, and it looks decent, go ahead and do the break in with the factory oil. If in doubt just replace it. Either way, change the oil.

As to how far to dismantle the machine, take as much apart as you need to clean it up. Some of these machines can be very difficult to get the table back on and the nut tightened with out it going into a bind.
Removing the gibs is a very good idea. Most machines you can get the crud out by flooding the ways, moving the table/head and wiping up.
 
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