my new lathe ... Precision Matthews 12x36 ...

[Maglin]

Will,
My PM1236 should be here in a few weeks. I like how you set yours up. Now that you've had it for a while what do you think about using the stock hold down holes for your leveling feet? I'm going to make some hockey puck leveling feet and am debating on just using the stock places provided to bolt the machine down or to make leveling base out of 1.5" square tubing to place the feet farther out from the center line of the lathe.

How do you like the DRO? I also got the DRO and am pretty excited to not have to read dials and worry about the backlash so much anymore.

Jeremiah

 

[Davo J]

Hi,
I personally would recommend taking them out to at least the front and rear edges like I have done here.
http://www.woodworkforums.com/f65/lathe-mill-adjustable-feet-pictures-114836/

As is said in that post I just cut some scrap 100 x 100mm square tube down the centre making it into channel. It also raises the lathe which is much needed if you are around 6 ft tall.

My feet are fine where they are, but I wouldn't want to go any further in like using the factory holes in the ends.

Dave

 

[wquiles]

Will,
My PM1236 should be here in a few weeks. I like how you set yours up. Now that you've had it for a while what do you think about using the stock hold down holes for your leveling feet? I'm going to make some hockey puck leveling feet and am debating on just using the stock places provided to bolt the machine down or to make leveling base out of 1.5" square tubing to place the feet farther out from the center line of the lathe.

How do you like the DRO? I also got the DRO and am pretty excited to not have to read dials and worry about the backlash so much anymore.

Jeremiah

(Sorry for the late reply - lots of recent travel due to my day job.)

It is a great question, specially now that I had my 12x36 for a couple of years. If I were doing this again, I would NOT simply raise the lathe with the Mason feet and stop there. The cabinets on this size lathe (not just the PM, since they are pretty much identical) are too light and flimsy, so I don't feel the lathe is stable enough. It gets worst when the lathe is then raised several inches as I have done, and then not bolt to the ground. Plus, the bases (even with the Mason feet) are not wide enough (front to back), so the whole thing is not as firm/stiff as it needs to be.

What I would do different and/or what other improvement comes to mind to improve surface finish, lower vibration, etc.?

1) Bite the bullet and have a welded, square-box steel constructed, platform/wide base for each stand, but still use the Mason mounts to provide some compression/isolation.
2) Fill with concrete each of the bases for added weight/rigidity
3) Welded or bolted steel braces between each platform (the stock thin, sheet metal piece between the bases is a joke)
4) Bolt both bases to the ground - provide a true solid foundation.
5) Remove motor from the back of the lathe, and mount separately using a longer belt (actually belts, since there are two of them) - this will provide further isolation. When I do my VFD conversion using the larger/heavier 5HP Baldor motor that I have, this is exactly what I have in mind.

The problem is time - actually lack of time to do what I would like to do, so for now I (reluctantly) keep using the lathe "as is".

Regarding the DRO: I absolutely LOVE it. Can't/won't use the lathe without one. You of course still have the backlash (you would need ball screws line on a CNC machine to get rid of that - which for a manual lathe is not needed), but the accuracy and repeatability that the DRO provides is worth every penny!

Will

 

[tino_ale]

Just wondering, is there a safety feature on the lead screw and the power feeds to prevent damage to the lathe if you crash the tool into the workpiece ?

I remember seing a feature that was based on a coupling assembly featuring small spring loaded balls sitting in a V-groove that would snap out of their groove to limit the torque applied to the feed/lead screws.

Does the prevision matthew 12x36 have such a feature ?

 

[wquiles]

No. No provision built into these. You are pretty much on your own 🙁

 

[tino_ale]

That's really unfortunate, but could be fixed relatively easily I suppose.

http://www.usinages.com/tours-f23/tour-6236x1000-t11621-150.html

That's another chinese machine (a bit larger though) that has such provision. The feature is implemented on the power feed bar so it works on both axis power feeds. It's nothing more than a V-groove interface and springed steel balls really.

No provision on the lead screw though. Too bad, that means one can't power thread to a shoulder relying on this feature.

 

[Clark]

The 24 VAC GX4 bulb on the PM136 light burned out.

What are you guys using to replace it?
There seems to be options with LEDs, Halogen [like original], and Xenon.

 

[wquiles]

The 24 VAC GX4 bulb on the PM136 light burned out.

Yup, very common problem. I have been in contact with various owners of the PM series lathes and it is unfortunately a very common occurrence. Being a EE I could not help wonder why, so after some simple measurements I found out that the transformer being used to generate the voltage for the bulb was actually not 24 volts, but closer to 28-29 volts, so basically the bulb is being overdriven a LOT, and on top of that the filament gets a lot of vibrations from the lathe itself => not a great combination to longevity.

Since putting another bulb is simply asking for the bulb to go out again when you need it the most, I simply re-used the housing, and made my own LED-based "lamp". In my case I have 4x warm 3 watt LED's in a flood configuration, which provide good light for the distance involved (lamp is usually a foot to two feet away from work surface). Check details on post #515 of this thread.

 

[Clark]

Thanks for the response.
Wait, you owed me one. This thread got me to BUY that lathe🙂

The effort for me to put a ballast resistor in series with the LEDs and the transformer secondaries is small, but for me to design a buck converter is too many hours.
Here is one of my little videos

 

[wquiles]

Thanks for the response.
Wait, you owed me one. This thread got me to BUY that lathe🙂

Glad I was able to "help" out :devil:

 

[darkzero]

The 24 VAC GX4 bulb on the PM136 light burned out.

What are you guys using to replace it?
There seems to be options with LEDs, Halogen [like original], and Xenon.

Yup, very common problem. I have been in contact with various owners of the PM series lathes and it is unfortunately a very common occurrence.

Interesting, I had no idea the stock bulb doesn't last very long. How many watts is the stock bulb?

I barely used the stock lamp & replaced it with a larger light. It's 50W & it's noticeably bright than stock (I think the stock one is 25W?). I originally had an even larger one similar to the ones that come on the 14-16" PMs & Grizzlys but it was too big. That's ok, I have a another plan for it. I also have a second same size lamp on a mag base that I used with my 8x14.

I haven't blown a bulb yet & I tend to leave them on for hours, sometimes forgetting to turn them off when I go in the house or make a trip to the hardware store. I would have thought at least the mag base lamp that I used with my old lathe would have blown a bulb by now. I have 10 spare bulbs that I got for only a few bucks so I'm good for a while.

Naturally I also thought about going LED too but I actually prefer the warm color of the halogen for use with the lathe. Funny cause I prefer cool tint flashlights (not too cool) & I'm still not a fan of warm tinted LEDs. I have not installed any flourescent lighting in the garage yet & with these two lamps I'm happy with them.


(Photo taken with the P&S flash on)

 

[wquiles]

Interesting, I had no idea the stock bulb doesn't last very long. How many watts is the stock bulb?

yup, 25 watts

Naturally I also thought about going LED too but I actually prefer the warm color of the halogen for use with the lathe.

Me too - I also like the halogen - that is why I have a mix: I have a fixed 50 watt halogen (same as you, in the same spot as you!), and then have the 4x LED that moves with the carriage. I also have a smaller "spot" LED with a flexible neck that allows me to see deep inside tubes/hosts/etc, and that gives me even more light on the cutting edge when needed:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?248732-small-portable-shop-LED-light-...-turbo-modded&highlight=

And since the little spot light is also magnet mounted, I can use it anywhere in the shop where I need light for projects:

Will

 

[precisionworks]

That's a 12v halogen from Electrix, made in USA. Not quite as nice as the $200 LED light on the mill but very nice for $60 new on eBay (half of retail).

 

[tino_ale]

According to Dorian datasheet, a 12" swing over bed lathe should be equiped with a AXA holder... but I see you guys have got the BXA larger model.

Is there a specific reason to that ? Aren't your holders touching the the bottom of the tool post ?

 

[wquiles]

According to Dorian datasheet, a 12" swing over bed lathe should be equiped with a AXA holder... but I see you guys have got the BXA larger model.

Is there a specific reason to that ? Aren't your holders touching the the bottom of the tool post ?

Theory is one thing. Reality is that the best size for the 12x lathe is the BXA size. The tool post is larger and stiffer, and same for the tool holders, which go up to 3/4" width. It is true that for a few tools you might have to touch up the bottom of a tool holder for them to go low enough to center properly, but so far that has not been necessary for standard lathe tools - I only had to do it for the 1" tools, which are really CXA size, so it is to be expected that some work is needed in those rare cases 😉

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?250581-BXA-tool-holder-for-1-quot-shank-tools-.../page3

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?278264-simpler-BXA-holder-for-3-4-quot-and-1-quot-shank-tools-...&p=3886010#post3886010


Bottom line: get the BXA. It is the right one for the 12x 🙂

Will

 

[tino_ale]

Would some 3/4" tools require to mill the bottom of the holder or is it just the 1" size that is problematic ?

Could you please measure the height from the top of the compound to the chuck centerline ?

 

[wquiles]

Would some 3/4" tools require to mill the bottom of the holder or is it just the 1" size that is problematic ?

Correct. So far every 3/4" tool has been OK, but the 1" tools are more likely to need the "adjustment".

Could you please measure the height from the top of the compound to the chuck centerline ?

I will try over the next day or so to give you an approximate measurement on my PM1236.

 

[wquiles]

Could you please measure the height from the top of the compound to the chuck centerline ?

I measured approximately 3.83" on my PM1236 lathe.

 

[tino_ale]

Thanks a lot. AXA vs. BXA is an important choice for those who don't have a mill to touch-up tool holders!
Not 100% sure yet but the PM 12x36 will most probably be my choice too.

 

[BVH]

I'm still a newbie at this but I can add that none of my Dorian or Chinese (Phase II) BXA holders bottom-out on my PM1236 compound, including the heavy duty, taller holders that Will cites.