Thee Mill Debate Continues

[chris mabbott]

Howdy all,

Just an update to this thread…. Today I finally made up my damn mind and ordered the Seig super X3 mill, phew, what a relief 😆

Now I have to set up my SS bench for it to arrive as it weighs in at almost 200k. I want to mount my bench on heavy industrial ball bearing wheels, so I can move it around if needed, ya know how work areas tend to grow and morph, they’re in constant change and, dare I say “improvement”

I just want to say a big thank you to Mr Pierce who gave me lots of good advice which was a huge determining factor in my final decision. Also to everyone else who I molested with never ending questions and youtube links 😆

Its amazing because I’ve been working around this field for the past 30 yrs, but did I pay attention…… of course not 😳 I simply handed the requirements to the trusty machinist, smiled and nodded my head, then went for coffee 😆

Don’t expect any wondrous miracles to appear, ya know, like the kinda things that come out of Williams, Paul, Bob’s shops, my first project will be….?? Jesus, I don’t know, I even forgot the lie I told my better half to justify the expense and space consumption 😆

[khoward279]

congratulations on your mill. I do suggest though in my opinion skip the HSS endmill and buy carbide you won’t regret it.I’ve been a toolmaker a long time and its my choice. Good luck.

[chris mabbott]

Thanks, I’m very happy with the mill although the relatively low rpm can be an issue when figuring out sfm.

I’ve since seen and played with the other model I was looking at, the optimum and I can attest to its good quality build and feel. Right out of the box it was clean, fully lubed and extremely smooth. But it is noisy with the brush motor, one of the reasons I went with the sieg. Although now optimum offers a dc brushless.

Those are finished in Germany, they actually are and it shows..

[bernie weishapl]

Chris I know what my better half would say if I told her I wanted/needed a $2K mill. 😆

[chris mabbott]

Bernie I think she would say the same as mine did, it’s the standard response to us 😆

[gerene]

I was considering buying a mill as well. Since I have a Taig lathe, I was looking into the Taig mill. I know that it is a rather small mill, compared to the ones you guys are talking about, but I do have space and weight limitations in my shop which is upstairs and has a wooden floor. Does anyone have experience with the Taig mill or has an opinion on it?

Jan

[chris mabbott]

Jan, welcome to the confusing world of choice of milling machine..
As you know from your previous searches for a lathe, there are so many opinions and reasons, all valid, but it ultimately comes down to, as you know,

1. The projects you plan on doing
2. Will you eventually need a larger machine
3.space, weight, noise etc
4. Price

Taig is a good brand and I’m sure if your using it for tiny parts and drilling that it would suffice perfectly…

[daryn]

One thing to consider carefully is table size, with the mounting of dividing heads and tailstocks etc., even the normally used step blocks and toe clamps can take up a fair bit of room leaving little space for the workpiece itself, so it’ll probably need to be a little larger than you may fist think!
I’ve just adapted a larger table for my combination machine for this very reason!
Kind regards
Daryn

[bernie weishapl]

Yes Chris I think we are on the same page. 😆 After being married 47 yrs. I know all to well what the answer would be.

[daryn]

With regards to her indoors, you just need to tell her that it was $150 cheaper than a competitors mill and therefore she has the balance to go clothes shopping!
Never fails!!!

[bernie weishapl]

😆 Good one Daryn. Yes it does work at time but with mine if I spend $2k then she wants $2k. 😆

[chris mabbott]

That sounds like a very reasonable arrangement, better than 90/10 NOT in our favor , now that would be an expensive mill 😆

[david pierce]

Jan,
Go to Tom’s shop page and take a look at his mill. I have one exactly like it and it is an accurate industrial quality machine. The physical size is about the same as the Taig and Sherline mills but it is a heavier duty cast steel machine that can utilize standard machine shop accessories. I bought mine several years ago for $450.00 new in the crate. I don’t know off hand what the other mills cost but I think they cost more than that. This mill uses a standard clamp set for that table slot size, R-8 collets, boreing head, angle lock vice, 4″ rotary table with dividing plates adjustable angle tables and so on. The accessories do not come with the basic mill and have to be purchased separtely from other sources, but they are available if you want them. It even has a crank feed so you can precision bore with it. Most, but not all, of the operations that can be done on a standard Bridgeport can be done on this mill but on a smaller scale.
david

[gerene]

Thanks David, it sure looks very nice and sturdy. Can you give me more details about the brand and type (could not read it on the picture) or a link to some technical specs?

Jan

[daryn]

Hey Jan, looks like a sieg mill to me,
Wiess do another of similar size that I have,
You get a lot of metal for you’re money with these import machines!
Quite often they seem to need a little fettling to run smoothly but the the machining on them seems to be good, seems as if production costs are kept low by very swift assembly. . .
Daryn

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