NE1 have experience with PM or Little Machine shop Milling machines?

[stuckinohio]

So,

I am currently sorta shopping for a vertical mill/milling machine. Have done lots of looking around on The Little Machine Shop site and their Mini Mill buyers guide. I have also done some searching on the Precision Matthews site at their Benchtop mills.

I notice that LMS offers a 1 year warranty whereas PM offers a 3 year warranty. Has anyone had anything warranty repaired from either company? Lathe or Mill

Anyone have experience with a mill from either company or both companies?

I would love to have a 1 HP motor so I'd be looking at getting at least a:

PM25MV or a 5500 HiTorque

(yes, I know a lot of people prefer a vintage Bridgeport or something similar. I dont have the equipment to get it in the garage, don't have the knowledge to properly test one or ID what is wrong with it and really don't have the room)

 

[KBs Pensnmore]

I had a copy of the ones you have up there, the one I had uses plastic gears inside, I swapped for the metal ones, they both gave trouble, I couldn't wait to get rid of it.
Checkout the ones you're looking at to make sure. The gears are the same as used in the 7 X 12 lathes.
Kryn from Down Under

 

[stuckinohio]

I had a copy of the ones you have up there, the one I had uses plastic gears inside, I swapped for the metal ones, they both gave trouble, I couldn't wait to get rid of it.
Checkout the ones you're looking at to make sure. The gears are the same as used in the 7 X 12 lathes.
Kryn from Down Under

Kryn,

Thank you for that feedback. Plastic gears doesn't seem to make much sense does it? I'll be sure to watch. It's somewhat hard to discern from some of the advertisements, so I'll ask the dealer if I can't figure it out!

What did you go with in the end?

 

[Manny]

I bought the 5500 about a year ago. Always wanted one. I love it. Little machine shop ships super fast and they respond to email questions very quickly.

Make sure you have help setting it up. It is very heavy.

I would suggest you also consider the power feed. Its pricey but makes things alot more consistent and easier.

Manny

 

[bmachin]

Hi Lewis,

I bought the LMS 5500 but have not really used it yet so cannot comment based on personal experience. I bought it on the recommendation of Frank Hoose of Mini-lathe.com based on a 5 part YouTube review which starts here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kz5NL3034hg

Note that this is the original Sieg version. The LMS version differs in minor details.

Bill

 

[stuckinohio]

Manny,

Do you do any work on stainless steel?

 

[stuckinohio]

Bill,

Thank you for the link. I'll check them out.

 

[Manny]

Manny,

Do you do any work on stainless steel?

On the mill mostly for drilling. But you certainly can as long as you take light cuts and have the right tooling.

I usually find myself working mostly with low carbon steel and aluminium also Brass and copper.

I also have a 9x20 Jet metal lathe which I have used to turn and drill 302 with. Nothing lately.

http://www.penturners.org/forum/f13/atrax-303-stainless-slightly-modified-92770/

 

[KBs Pensnmore]

I had the X2 mill and the 7 X 12 mini lathe, my brother gave me, as wasn't using them. He then asked for them back, I couldn't get them into the car fast enough. Funny thing though, everyone I speak to that has one, reckons they're fantastic.
Would never recommend any of them to anyone, even my worst enemy,

 

[BKelley]

I have LMS 8 1/2. X. 16 lathe and their 3990 mill both have given me great service. The people at LMS are helpful and good to deal with. I have a lot of accessories for the mill including a rotary table and auto feed unit. I've worked with aluminum, brass, steel, and stainless with both machines, no problems.

Ben

 

[stuckinohio]

I had the X2 mill and the 7 X 12 mini lathe, my brother gave me, as wasn't using them. He then asked for them back, I couldn't get them into the car fast enough. Funny thing though, everyone I speak to that has one, reckons they're fantastic.
Would never recommend any of them to anyone, even my worst enemy,

It is funny that some people love them and a few people don't!

I think I am going with the Precision Matthews. I think some of the specs are better and it seems like it has some exellent modifications. I just don't want to buy something that I might ever need to replace because it doesn't do everything I want it to. I am a hobbyist, but I will be doing plenty of stainless and who knows what else! Also, the warranty appeals to me.

Now I just have to save up....

 

[stuckinohio]

Well, as a follow up, I decided to go with Precision Matthews PM-727V (basically because the PM-25 was out of stock!)

It arrives Monday