Re: Advice for first mill
Wow, so the PM25-MV has come a long way since I purchased mine a few years back. I would have FAR preferred the new column mounting arrangement to the old way (just like the G0704) and a built in poly-V belt drive and BLDC motor is a nice touch but they still list the speed as 2250RPM. Seems odd.
Anyway they are nice machines and have some additional power beyond the Gizz mill but I'd echo the sentiment that there is no inherent quality advantage to them. Mine had some of the same issues you see on the 0704. KBIC clone Motor controller failed, Z gib was a mess, bent, poor contact and Z slide rocked when the Z locks were set. However the X/Y was great. Square travel as good as I could measure and flat within 0.0005" over the whole table. A couple thou of table rise from the leverage when you crank it out to the ends. I never got the stated 7" travel, even with the way cover removed. But 6.7" was a whole lot better than the 3.8 to 4" of the X2 I had before.
Matt was very good at working to fix issues but availability was an issue back then. I'd have to remind him at times to follow through. I think they got really swamped when these became popular and demand outstripped ability to deliver. Still, it has been a great machine. It eats AL like it's plastic and it can machine steel at a rate that doesn't make me want to slit my wrists from boredom while waiting. Roughing endmills are very useful when working steel. Any time I go back to use the little X2 for something it's amazing how much these mills spoil you. The X2 feels like rats gnawed out the parts in comparison.
CNC: Making incorrect parts and breaking stuff, faster and with greater precision.