# info on a King PDM-30 drill mill



## Brian H (Mar 27, 2021)

I'm looking at purchasing a used PDM-30 king mill drill.  I'd like to upgrade from my PA mini mill and this is a pretty good price. Any one with one of these that can enlighten me on pros and cons would be appreciated. Opinions on this mill?


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## YYCHM (Mar 27, 2021)

Brian, that looks to be your typical RF30 clone.  It's a big step up from a mini-mill and what I stepped up to from my mini.  If the price is right you won't have any regrets.  Being a round column machine it has a quirk that many shy away from and that being you can't reposition the head without loosing your setup.  @David_R8 made a guide for his RF30 that eliminates a lot of that issue.

What kind of money are you looking at if you don't mind sharing.

Craig


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## David_R8 (Mar 27, 2021)

@Brian H, @YYCHM has the details correct. The PDM mills are pretty much the same any RF30 mill. 

I’m happy to share details of what I built for my mill. It’s fantastically accurate, I can raise and lower the head and keep accuracy to .001”. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Brian H (Mar 28, 2021)

YYCHM said:


> Brian, that looks to be your typical RF30 clone.  It's a big step up from a mini-mill and what I stepped up to from my mini.  If the price is right you won't have any regrets.  Being a round column machine it has a quirk that many shy away from and that being you can't reposition the head without loosing your setup.  @David_R8 made a guide for his RF30 that eliminates a lot of that issue.
> 
> What kind of money are you looking at if you don't mind sharing.
> 
> Craig


He is asking $1200. I spoke with the guy selling it to arrange to go look at it. All he has ever used it for is a drill press so I feel its had a fairly gentle life so far.


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## Brian H (Mar 28, 2021)

David_R8 said:


> @Brian H, @YYCHM has the details correct. The PDM mills are pretty much the same any RF30 mill.
> 
> I’m happy to share details of what I built for my mill. It’s fantastically accurate, I can raise and lower the head and keep accuracy to .001”.
> 
> ...



Thanks David. If/when I get the machine home and set up I will gladly accept your knowledge/expertise helping with that. I need to run a 220v feed to where I set the mill up and will need to reinforce the floor area of my shop where it's going to sit. (I have a wooden floor in my shop and I'm a bit apprehensive about the weight causing stability/vibration issues)


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## David_R8 (Mar 28, 2021)

Brian H said:


> He is asking $1200. I spoke with the guy selling it to arrange to go look at it. All he has ever used it for is a drill press so I feel its had a fairly gentle life so far.



That’s not an unreasonable price given your location. 
I paid that for mine and it was likewise only used as a drill press. 

Total weight is about 500 lbs for one of these units. 
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Brian H (Mar 28, 2021)

David_R8 said:


> That’s not an unreasonable price given your location.
> I paid that for mine and it was likewise only used as a drill press.
> 
> Total weight is about 500 lbs for one of these units.
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Could you tell me what taper the spindle is? I looked on the King website and it shows MT3/R8. Since the fellow that owns it has never taken the drill chuck out he couldn't tell me. Were they available with either taper?


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## David_R8 (Mar 28, 2021)

Mine is from 1980 and has an MT3 taper. 
If it’s a newer PDM-30 it will likely have an R8 taper. 
Best to check by popping the chuck out. 
Easy to do by loosening the drawbar slightly and giving it a sharp rap. An R8 will release easily, an MT3 will take a bit of a harder rap. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Dusty (Mar 28, 2021)

@Brian H this might help,  

https://files.kingcanada.com/catalog/products/instructionmanualxm/PDM-30 manual-eng.pdf

and an attached manual for older mill/drill.


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## YYCHM (Mar 28, 2021)

Dusty said:


> This might help, attached manual for an older mill/drill.



https://www.kingcanada.com/en/produ...ling-machines/pdm-30-milling-drilling-machine

@Brian H This states R8 but check it to be sure.  Does the machine you're looking at have the base as well?  Come with any extras, vise, DRO, power feed etc etc?


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## Brian H (Mar 28, 2021)

Dusty said:


> @Brian H this might help,
> 
> https://files.kingcanada.com/catalog/products/instructionmanualxm/PDM-30 manual-eng.pdf
> 
> and an attached manual for older mill/drill.



Thank you


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## Brian H (Mar 28, 2021)

YYCHM said:


> https://www.kingcanada.com/en/produ...ling-machines/pdm-30-milling-drilling-machine
> 
> @Brian H This states R8.  Does the machine your looking at have the base as well?  Come with extras, vise, DRO, power feed etc etc?



Yes, it has a stand and a small drill press vise. He did say there were a few bits that came with the mill. He wasn't sure exactly what they were. I'll take a look at what he has when I go look at it. As for the taper it depends on what documentation you read. It seems that the age determines if it's MT3 or R8.


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## Hruul (Mar 30, 2021)

From the last time I checked that is about half the price of a new one.  If it is in good shape that is a good deal in my opinion.


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## YYCHM (Mar 30, 2021)

Hruul said:


> From the last time I checked that is about half the price of a new one.  If it is in good shape that is a good deal in my opinion.



Currently listed in the KMS flyer as $2199 save $400.  Stand available $279.95 Reg $299.99.


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## David_R8 (Mar 30, 2021)

@Brian H the second manual Dusty posted is the manual for the mill I have.


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## phaxtris (Mar 30, 2021)

YYCHM said:


> Currently listed in the KMS flyer as $2199 save $400.  Stand available $279.95 Reg $299.99.




Is that in the April flyer ? Looks to be 2399$ "300$" off


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## YYCHM (Mar 30, 2021)

phaxtris said:


> Is that in the April flyer ? Looks to be 2399$ "300$" off



April 1-30th.  Just got it yesterday in the mail.


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## phaxtris (Mar 30, 2021)

YYCHM said:


> April 1-30th.  Just got it yesterday in the mail.



good deal, if you can get one, i ordered one from them on the 18th and have yet to hear of it coming in....on a side note i wonder if they will price match it to there current flyer, im defiantly going to try seeing as i paid 200$ more and probably wont even get it until april, lol


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## David_R8 (Mar 30, 2021)

phaxtris said:


> good deal, if you can get one, i ordered one from them on the 18th and have yet to hear of it coming in....on a side note i wonder if they will price match it to there current flyer, im defiantly going to try seeing as i paid 200$ more and probably wont even get it until april, lol


I would try. 
I have struck up a good relationship with my local KMS store manager and definitely get service above and beyond.


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## phaxtris (Mar 30, 2021)

David_R8 said:


> I would try.
> I have struck up a good relationship with my local KMS store manager and definitely get service above and beyond.



im thinking its possible, there price match policy is within 30 days of original purchase, and says nothing excluding there own flyer, crossing my fingers....thats 200 bucks for other stuffs


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## YYCHM (Apr 19, 2021)

@Brian H What became of this?  Did you get it?


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## Brian H (Apr 20, 2021)

Unfortunately someone beat me to it.


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## Everett (Apr 20, 2021)

Bummer, I was kind of hoping you would get it.  The RF-30 clones are quite handy machines once you get to know their quirks, and there are usually ways to work around the quirks.  Probably would have still kept mine if I had room at the time.


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## Brian H (Apr 25, 2021)

Everett said:


> Bummer, I was kind of hoping you would get it.  The RF-30 clones are quite handy machines once you get to know their quirks, and there are usually ways to work around the quirks.  Probably would have still kept mine if I had room at the time.



I have found it very difficult to find used equipment that will work in my little shop. I should have jumped om this one a bit faster I guess. By the time I had done my little bit of research it was too late.


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## DPittman (Apr 25, 2021)

Brian H said:


> I have found it very difficult to find used equipment that will work in my little shop. I should have jumped om this one a bit faster I guess. By the time I had done my little bit of research it was too late.


Been there done that!


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## Tomc938 (May 7, 2021)

David_R8 said:


> @Brian H, @YYCHM has the details correct. The PDM mills are pretty much the same any RF30 mill.
> 
> I’m happy to share details of what I built for my mill. It’s fantastically accurate, I can raise and lower the head and keep accuracy to .001”.
> 
> ...




Depending on how things go Monday, I may well be in touch...


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## David_R8 (May 8, 2021)

Tomc938 said:


> Depending on how things go Monday, I may well be in touch...


Happy to help any way I can!


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## Kilohertz (Mar 5, 2022)

David_R8 said:


> Happy to help any way I can!



Hello David,

I am getting ready to buy one of these mill/drills that needs some work/reassembly and I am wondering if it is not too much work, could you post your mods to this unit that makes it more accurate, please and thank you. You mentioned it in your earlier post.

Cheers


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## David_R8 (Mar 5, 2022)

Kilohertz said:


> Hello David,
> 
> I am getting ready to buy one of these mill/drills that needs some work/reassembly and I am wondering if it is not too much work, could you post your mods to this unit that makes it more accurate, please and thank you. You mentioned it in your earlier post.
> 
> Cheers


Sure, the first thing I did was to buy a good quality vise, in my case a 4" Glacern. There are certainly less expensive vises out there and they may be fine but the quality control tends to be wanting. So it's a bit of a gamble on getting a quality unit with minimal jaw lift under tension.
The second thing I did was to build a system that locks the head in place when it's raised and lowered. That way I didn't have to worry about refinding position if I ran out of Z height during an operation.
Here's the thread:
https://canadianhobbymetalworkers.com/threads/rf30-head-alignment-guide.2555/

Other than that, I use a ER30 collet chuck and TTS toolholders. The latter are a bit of a luxury but they have helped workflow by allowing me to keep oft used endmills etc in them and I can just pop them into an MT3 (my machine is MT3 spindle not R8) collet in the spindle.


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## Kilohertz (Mar 5, 2022)

Thank you. I am going to look at / pickup the machine this coming week. I'll let you know how I make out.

Cheers


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## Kilohertz (Mar 6, 2022)

Well crap! I just received pictures of the unit and found out more about it. It's missing some significant items.

It was bought new about 2010, never used, they planned to convert to CNC and started to install the kit but gave up for unknown reasons. The unit is mostly complete but missing some key items. The motor, the motor pulley, the vertical handwheel, the front panel with drill depth indicator and power switch. The jack screws are out for X and Y and bolts are missing, jack screws still there as are the hand wheels. I have priced out the items based on the King Canada web site 2020 parts list as without the motor comes to around $500. I was planning on putting a 3~ motor on it anyways, should be able to find one cheap locally. The key item is the stepped pulley. Hopefully the other items are stocked by King, I'll email tomorrow.  I'm not sure if this vintage would be R8 or MT3?? The main spindle bolt is loose so I'm guessing it's R8. Also this one is made in Taiwan.

What are your thoughts now? What are these going for these days, good used? I'm guessing around $500-800 CDN in good shape? This one has the stand as well. 

Cheers


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## DPittman (Mar 6, 2022)

Kilohertz said:


> What are your thoughts now? What are these going for these days, good used? I'm guessing around $500-800 CDN in good shape? This one has the stand as well.


I'd say double that for good used


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## phaxtris (Mar 6, 2022)

used one in good shape here in Alberta is easily 1500, and it would probably be sold within minutes, i would say a more average price would be in the neighborhood of 1800, for a stock machine, no dro, no vfd, minimal accessories

 so if you can pick this thing up for say 500$ or less, put another 500 to get it back to functional condition you would be laughing


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## Kilohertz (Mar 6, 2022)

Okay, I have a Q about the motor pulley. It's $220 plus taxes and shipping, call it $300, stupid for the original pulley. So if I am going to put a VFD and 3~ motor on it, I should be able to use a single step pulley on it, right? That would still leave me 3 belt speed changes and the rest by VFD. Does this sound like a reasonable solution? If so, that leaves me some freedom for the motor and shaft size.  I may also be able to find an aftermarket multi-step pulley.

Again, input from the wiser much appreciated.

Cheers


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## YYCHM (Mar 6, 2022)

Kilohertz said:


> Okay, I have a Q about the motor pulley. It's $220 plus taxes and shipping, call it $300, stupid for the original pulley. So if I am going to put a VFD and 3~ motor on it, I should be able to use a single step pulley on it, right? That would still leave me 3 belt speed changes and the rest by VFD. Does this sound like a reasonable solution? If so, that leaves me some freedom for the motor and shaft size.  I may also be able to find an aftermarket multi-step pulley.
> 
> Again, input from the wiser much appreciated.
> 
> Cheers



I don't think you can belt change between a single step pulley and a multi step pulley, you would have to re-position the single step (up/down) every time.  When I converted to 3ph with VFD, I belted for 700 RPM and haven't changed that in two years now.  So Ya, the right size single step pulley will do 90% of what you require.

Do you have a lathe?  Turning a pulleys is also an option.

BTB - Are all the gibs and lead screw nuts there?  I see the y-axis gib on the stand.


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## phaxtris (Mar 6, 2022)

Kilohertz said:


> Okay, I have a Q about the motor pulley. It's $220 plus taxes and shipping, call it $300, stupid for the original pulley. So if I am going to put a VFD and 3~ motor on it, I should be able to use a single step pulley on it, right? That would still leave me 3 belt speed changes and the rest by VFD. Does this sound like a reasonable solution? If so, that leaves me some freedom for the motor and shaft size.  I may also be able to find an aftermarket multi-step pulley.
> 
> Again, input from the wiser much appreciated.
> 
> Cheers


I don't see why that wouldn't work, I don't know if you would still end up with the same range....it might be better, the vfd combined with one of those hall effect tachometers and it would be up and running, if you found it to be a problem you could always make a step pulley in the future


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## Kilohertz (Mar 6, 2022)

Cool, thanks guys for hangin' in with me tonight.

Well what I was thinking is if I put a single pulley so it runs on the bottom groove of the intermediate, then that leaves me the top 3 slots for variable speed. Also wouldn't need a long shaft motor.  I know VFDs don't have a ton of torque below about 30% so if I gear it so that the VFD is happy, then the top speed will be whatever it happens to work out to be, holy cow, call the grammar police.

Yes, I have 2 lathes, Hercus 260 and Cinci Hydrashift 13x48.

Think I'll just go get it this week and figure things out as I go.   

Cheers

PS any idea when they changed from MT3 to R8? or was it an option?

PPS yes I too saw the gap between the table and the bed, hoping it's all there, will find out this week. asking less than $500

PPPS CRAP, one more thing missing, the quill return spring, left side of the head...another $100.


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