Should You Buy A Cheap Mini Milling Machine? (Sieg X2.7L In-depth Review)

[@Dane33781]

Do consider the used market in your area. I was able to find a used 1980 Bridgeport model 1 for $500 within 10 miles from my home. This price isn't typical here in Florida and it did need some cleaning and adjusting but I'm glad I found it. I've found that many retired machinists are more concerned with finding a good home for the machines they can no longer use than how much money they will get for it.

[@RC-fp1tl]

Good to know, thanks. Is it kind the same for lathes? Haven’t seen a whole lot on the used market

[@Dane33781]

@@RC-fp1tl It depends on your area. You just have to keep looking.

[@TomCourtney]

This is by far the best review of the Sieg x2.7L mill that is on KZbin. Thank you for putting in the time to make it. Well done!

[@artisanmakes]

Glad it was helpful, cheers.

[@antonmursid3505]

Antonmursid🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🇲🇨

[@klubbohimself]

This video is the reason why a 124 kg crate was dumped by DHL outside my house yesterday. I live on the floor above ground level. My arms hate you... Apart from that, thanks for a super nice channel!

[@mexicanpower544]

This press has worked like a charm for my projects kzbin.infoUgkxajoEbapTfqWaadnqb04h6U576yxXp-FE . I didn't even secure it to my table top, mainly due to the fact that I was using a 15 lbs drill vise. It's not flimsy at all as to what others have claimed it to be. Make sure the locking nuts and levers are secured and there won't be any issues with light pressure and patience. I was able to drill through aluminum, plastic, and steel (steel took a while) with no problems at all. Yeah it took a little longer than a regular drill press, but I don't have the space OR the money for one.The instruction manual was worthless, but luckily assembling the press was intuitive. However, the manual would be good for ordering replacement parts if needed. There is a nice breakdown of the parts that are included in the kit. Before ordering, make sure it is compatible with your unit, it is clearly stated what models the press is compatible with.This was an excellent purchase for $40!!

[@StuffMadeHere]

Even if you can find a way to clamp an end mill in the drill chuck I've always been told that milling with a drill chuck is a big no-no. The reason being that the drill chuck is only designed to push straight down. The drill chuck is usually only held on by a taper so can go flying off (or develop runout) if you apply side force to it.

[@artisanmakes]

Not disagreeing with you, though I have seen some pretty janky set ups (not limited to ones I have done). There are a few videos on youtube where people use those aftermarket mill tables in a drill press as a makeshift mill, not that I approve of that :)

[@StuffMadeHere]

@@artisanmakes oh yeah it certainly can be done. You just run the risk of hurting yourself, or even worse your mill ;)

[@TheEvertw]

Also the bearings in the drillpress are not made for substantial side force. You will quickly destroy them when abusing the drill for milling.

[@nate6692]

If you're doing a CNC conversion - you could maybe do as much roughing as theoretically possible with an endmill on a drill cycle. That way you'd be minimizing the side loads to mostly finish passes.

[@madrox4132]

@@nate6692 Drilling with a drill is way more efficient than an end mill

[@rickpalechuk4411]

Probably one of the best reviews out there! Thanks for sharing, Cheers

[@trashes_to_treasures]

You make my day today! I’m at home super sick, close to a non-Workshop depression. So, your video comes in just right ✌️☺️

[@jeffreyhill1011]

I'm lucky enough to have a step father who is in charge of procurement for the tool and die shop at a "large aviation company" building near where we live. I have gotten a Monarch 612 and a 14, 3 Bridgeports (2 clones 1 original) a shaper a CNC lathe and mill and my 2 favorite pieces by far first the Sharp surface grinder (that sells it so far short) it retailed for $85k USD I got it because it was being phased out for $12k USD, because God forbid you take the time to sell a machine through a typical 2nd hand method. This type of stuff has allowed me to teach my two 14 year old daughters how to fabricate you in case their modeling careers fall through and their dance never gets to a professional level or they don't make it as KZbin stars. Also I'm hoping the machine oil smell will keep the boys away and the day it doesn't is the day we have a chat with the boy about his intentions as he is either "good stock" and looks past the smells and grease monkey looks or he is a fellow chip maker and I may need to either kick his ass or invite him back to the shop

[@motionsick]

I found one at a pawn shop way back and it definitely helped kick start my career making robotic components. Before that it was a drill press and angle grinder. Great learning tool as good as taking any college course. Buy one and start making stuff. I have a Bridgeport now and still have and use all my R8 tooling first bought for the mini.

[@howardosborne8647]

The Sieg mills are pretty good for quality and build. You will find a noticeable improvement in your rigidity if you bed the shimmed column joint on a metalised epoxy compound. Leave the shims in place when you bolt it back down tight after adding epoxy bedding compound.

[@catherineharris4746]

Wow this has to be the most in-depth review I've seen in a long time. Damn great job!👍👍👍👍👍

[@toxolite]

One of the very best reviews I have encountered. So much better than any of the manufacturer or affiliated ones I have seen for benchtop mills. Thank you very much.

[@one4stevo]

I had the x2. found it to small, under powered and not ridged enough. looks like your mill is a huge step up from the x2. great video

[@Munky332]

Yea but the x2 can be had for like a 3rd the price. The category this falls into is really pitted against much larger bench top mills. Grizzly had the g0704 in its basic form for around the same price as this for awhile, though it looks like they don't offer it by itself anymore, just with the overpriced stand.

[@georgescarlett2320]

Wow, mate!! Excellent "Meat and Potatoes" review, thanx so much. I've owned the Little Machine Shop's Sieg Mini Lathe for about 4 years now, and other than the "WIMPY" slop in the Crossslide movement, (the Allen Gib Screws that you point out) it's been a great little helper. God bless!

[@lathejack]

Overall it looks like a really nice machine, I also like the slightly larger Sieg SX3 mill. For the last 40 years I have been using British, American, German, Taiwanese and Chinese machinery at work and at home, but I do like some of the Chinese made machines. We are fortunate that China produces affordable new machine tools as an alternative to much more expensive machinery from other countries, as long as we don't end up with a Chinese machine with too many serious manufacturing faults. The adjusting set screws at the base of the column that you mention may not be adjusters at all, I have never seen any actual adjusters fitted on similar mills before. They may just be tapered locating dowels, the Chinese do use tapered dowels extensively to locate components on a lot of their machines and these tapered dowels have an internal thread that is used for extracting them.

[@nosuchuserid]

Nice review. I find myself comparing my purchase choices to yours. For not a lot more money (excluding accessories like the DRO) it's very possible to buy a full sized bench mill instead if you have the space for it. The working volume is considerably larger, there's more power to work with, the machine is heavier/more rigid, and overall, a full sized bench mill is surprisingly cheap for what you get even when considering purchasing a new model. The only thing you have that I don't is the fact that your head is mounted to the column on a dovetail which is a feature I would really like. My mill (a Jet) only clamps to a round column, so I can't move the head and maintain position at the same time. That's the only limitation I've run into so far.

[@MichaelLightTheRapidWrench]

Where do you recommend shopping for one in Australia. And a basic lathe?

[@markfryer9880]

No need to apologise for the length of this video, I don't think that you could do a decent review in a shorter video and this went quickly. Good and fair review Artisan! Six months of daily work use equates to heck of a lot of machine time over what average hobbyists are ever likely to achieve. If I were to get one, it would be to add to my skill set and my capabilities in steel, aluminium and plastic. I will have to put it on my wish list! Keep up the good work! Mark from Melbourne Australia

[@petermurphy3354]

@@davidwillard7334 Idiot Shouting Troll!

[@larryschweitzer4904]

Well done video. I have a Jet knee mill with an R8 collet. Works fine. In addition to the greater travels you get a ram to increase the usable Y, a rotating column that can increase the area covered or allow hanging work off the side of the table and a tilting head that can go full 90° sideways for horizontal boring. There is a key in the spindle that prevents rotation of the collet. Changing collets is simple, just rotate the draw bar one turn and give it a tap, it frees the tool. The biggest limitation for travels is in the Z. Everything you add to the spindle or table takes away Z travel. A vice & drill chuck just to start. If you add a boring head, rotary table or adjustable angle plate even more is lost. For most drilling I use screw machine drill bits. Their short length makes them much stiffer and less likely to flex. I've got two Taiwan machines and one mainland China. The Taiwan machines are considerably better made.

[@madewithscraps]

Years ago after selling my machine shop, was still determined to not be without a mill or lathe, but had limited real-estate in the garage. I purchased a LMS Hi-Torque mini mill and use it at least twice a week for assorted projects. The hardest habit to become acquainted with on mini mills and lathes is the lacking of horsepower and 5 times as much time due to taking smaller cuts. These mills and lathes mostly made in China all require tons of modifications to achieve accuracy and personal satisfaction with end projects. Over time when you are used to the lacking and tooling differences, you will wonder how you could ever survive without one. All it takes is an imagination to come up with functional power feeds, DRO use and other home made tooling for a nice end product, within .0005" tolerance. I have found these machines need constant checking and maintenance if you use them a lot, due to the steel materials being softer, but no big deal for the cheap price comparison of a Bridgeport or Jet machine.

[@robertwalker7457]

Well done, I have a 30 year old Busy Bee bench top mill, lots of people ridicule these smaller machines but the do great work within their capacity. I use MT3 collets now and it makes a huge difference in rigidity and clearance compared to the Clarke/Posi lock holder that I started with. Ausee tools has a good range. Thanks for posting.

[@artisanmakes]

Thankyou for your comment, I have ordered some MT3 collets for a quick change tooling system and i'm glad to know that they are more rigid. Cheers

[@robertwalker7457]

@@artisanmakes Be nice to see a video doing a comparison with ER32?

[@muntee33]

9:30 Handy power for a coolant pump. Or something running off a small servo motor maybe. Also get a drill n socket that fits the lock nut for moving the head. Stick it on there and pull the trigger * may pay to add a balancing weight opposite the handle. Id also dampen the resonant frequency of the table by putting some long, exposed bolts poking up through it, then form up the perimeter and pour a decent thickness concrete to onto it and fix the mill to that. Could do the samw with the legs, either filling wil sand/concrete or using them as a rigid brace for forming them up and surrounding with a pillar of concrete. Or, if you have access to heaps of batteries, making a shitload of small-medium spheres and filling the legs with those plus sand. (or attacking with an acetylene torch and melting the lead to conform perfectly with the cavity inside the legs...) Permenantly seal them then engrave a warning plaque to spot weld on informing the reader of the structure containing lead inside.

[@tedbastwock3810]

This and your 2 year lathe review are really fantastic, subd, thanks for sharing

[@Willy_Milano]

What a wonderful review. Very concise and easy to follow details for any beginner enthusiast, and probably for more experienced users.

[@ChristopheD_]

From France : Thanks for the feedback. VERY usefull. I watched and listened to all the footage at normal speed! I'm planing to buy a mini lathe and a mini mill within the next year. Christophe. Of course I subscribed....

[@EngineeringNibbles]

Which mill did you get and where in France?

[@ChristopheD_]

@@EngineeringNibbles nothing yet... workshop not ready. It will take 2 more years

[@ArfurFaulkesHake]

Use More Coolant. Doesn't matter who you are or what you do with your milling machine, as long as there are no puddles in your workshop, this advice stands.

[@jackdawg4579]

Cheers for that. I have been watching your journey with this mill with interest as I plan on getting a small mill soon. I have been leaning more and more towards one of these as you have shown the work you are doing with it. Your wrap up of your experience is really great for me, probably the only thing holding me back at the moment is the dealer here (I'm also in Oz) has them listed as out of stock.

[@petermurphy3354]

@@davidwillard7334 Stop Shouting Idiot!

[@peter2uat]

Well, the X2 mini mill in my hobby 'shop' has only 350W, and the SQUARE column is more than stable enough, even for milling steel - sharp tooling and light cuts being necessary. I must say though that I have added a 10mm stiffener plate to the rear of column and base and a poly-vee belt drive (lighting and tachometer too. My drill chuck (I use it for quick milling too) has a drawbar. Another add-on was a self release added to the spindle top, so no tapping and hurting the bearings, just a quarter turn with a small wrench and every MT3 tool drops loose. For longer and more precise usage I change to an ER32 chuck. Concerning the bearings - they are the same as in the mini lathes and are of quite good quality. If you want you may change them to (expensive) same sized roller bearings, but this may not be necessary for a machine which is not used for business.

[@taiwanluthiers]

Actually, I think in Europe and Asia they use ISO30/NT30/30 taper for large mills. Mine weights 1400kg and uses NT40 taper. They like R8 in the US because the original Bridgeport Series 1 uses R8, but honestly R8 is really puny compared to even NT30. The NT/ISO/whatever taper has a positive drive key so there's absolutely NO chance the spindle would slip in the taper, even for a very heavy cut. Plus all the industrial machines, CNC, etc. all use those. One nice thing about my mill is if I wanted to buy a VMC in the future all I have to do is cut the knob off the NT40 tooling, and stick a pull stud on it, and it's instantly BT40 compatible. I've got some BT40 tooling too and all it takes is removing the pull stud and extending the draw bar to engage the thread. That last knob isn't that important (and CNC machines don't use them) and the drive key makes sure no slippage happens. But if you are machining, get carbide end mills and forget those cheap Chinese HSS end mills. With carbide you will get much better finish because you can run your mill at very high RPM and the finish will look great. But the problem with mini mill is that their lack of rigidity means the carbide end mill will get chipped especially when machining harder materials. I've seen a difference between machining 4140 with a 4 flute carbide end mill on a Grizzly G0704 bench top mill (I think it's a Weiss mill originally), vs using the same tooling to machine 4140 on my current mill. The tool wear on the larger mill was nonexistent whereas the end mill dulled very quickly on the G0704. If you got the space you really should buy used knee mills. They will have far better capability. Mine cost about 1200 dollars because it was very used (was made in 1981). The only problem is I have like 0.8mm of backlash on it...

[@philmurphy3662]

excellent run down on this mill, thank you for your effort in putting this together

[@jonbush9533]

Looks like you got yourself an excellent machine. I have the Grizzly version of the X2 (tilt head)... they had a similar rigid column with the larger table but 25 years ago it was 3x's the cost of the smaller one. Nice idea about the extruded Al blocks... hope they're working well for you. Looks like you'll get years of use out of it.

[@artisanmakes]

Cheers, always interesting to know how long they have had these machines on the market for, how is it holding up after all these years? I think I have seen some rigid column upgrades for the x2 that I probably would have done in the event that I bought the x2. The aluminum table inserts work really well and I recommend it, so much easier to clean up and vacuum chips.

[@julianbenzaia6325]

Good information here, thanks. Try to avoid the overuse of rising and falling intonation.

[@chriszenier826]

Excellent well explained review. Thanks for taking the time to do it. Much appreciated!

[@ljprep6250]

That does indeed seem like the proper mill to purchase to actually get some work done. I've been warned off the smaller ones as being too flimsy to hold true to their cut. Very nice video with cogent info. Thanks!

[@Elias-si4fc]

Could you add a spindle flat on the table would be pretty cool project. Would be like 4 axis machine. With real spindle tooling. Which obv badass. And what could be the cheapest 4/5 axis machine?

[@andrerousseau5730]

Ever heard the expression "call central casting...."? The reason why these milling machines can be sold so cheaply is that the castings that go into them are made en masse at a central foundry then supplied to individual manufacturing companies for final finishing, each one adding their own custom detail (e.g. handwheel style, motor type, etc) to slightly distinguish their one from a competitor selling the otherwise identical same machine. Likewise, the publicity photos of a sample fully finished machine are also supplied by 'central casting' hence the reason why the way cover on yours is 'missing' (actually not, never intended to begin with).

[@artisanmakes]

I can’t comment on these machines specifically, but it’s not too different from the production of a motor casting I worked on a while back. And from what I can see from other examples of this machine, some come with front way covers others don’t. Not sure if it is luck if the draw or production date based

[@anthonycresswell83]

Another good video, thanks for your thoughts i bought a smaller version of this mill in the uk, an sx1 lp. Very similar feature set with a fixed column, i wanted to avoid a tilting column preferring the rigidity that the fixed column gives. I make smaller things and have a very small workshop and the sx1lp was the largest i could feasibly accommodate I was surprised how well it actually performed and how close to tolerance it could actually get. Went with an er25 collet chuck and recycled a proxxon drilling vice from my old machine, very similar to the one you were using which has been pretty good and hasnt suffered from jaw lift. I also use a small rotary table from my old machine which has been pretty useful Next thing to buy for it is a dro. I was also surprised how well adjusted the machine was straight out of the box, i was expecting to have to tram everything in and faff with the table gibs but it was fine. I check it before every use, old habits die hard, and have only needed to tweak it once or twice. and havent had to tram the column at all which is surprising. I paid about £800 in total for the machine, tooling, collet chuck and various other bits and pieces, so it has been reasonably good value. Only thing on this machine is that it has no way covers, so you have to sort something yourself, those things must be the cheapest bit on the machine so why they weren't included is a bit of a mystery. Maybe i just got a nice one, its not a Friday special like some of the stories about these machines ive read

[@wadeskelton7585]

Great video from beginning to end brother 👍👍

[@amanofmanyparts9120]

I don't know about the US market since I'm in the UK, but my mini mill was sold to me by a UK based company and it has the R8 spindle taper. Of course the first 'tools' I bought were the ER32 collet chuck and a full set of collets. Fortunately I was able to raid my bolt, nut, etc drawer to supply a suitable drawbar as the supplied one for the Jacobs chuck didn't fit. Then it was on to the end mills. To date there aren't many, and none of them exceed ~10mm in diameter. Being financially _embarrassed_ at the moment, larger diameters, facing mills and facing fly cutters will have to wait. My first project is to manufacture a few T nuts and hold down components to supplement the small milling vice I got off the Bay of e. Wish mine came with the quill and DRO, but the price at the time was too tempting to leave it even though it has the tilting column. My pet peeve with that, is that the scale on the column is on the opposite side to the handles, making it difficult to read while in operation. That alone is a good reason to fit a DRO!

[@GaryRowlands]

Brilliant analysis Art lots to think about, thanks for your thoughts.

[@White.Elemant]

Yes, this was a long one, but very usefull!!! Thanks mate!

[@artisanmakes]

Glad it was helpful, cheers

[@krazed0451]

Thanks for the detailed breakdown :-)

[@philippfitschen5748]

Thanks a lot for this great Video Happy New Year 🥳🥂

[@nexusofice9135]

This seems like it would be perfect to mill Gun parts at home for a hobbyist. If that sort of thing is legal in the region the person is in of course.

[@DanielGafner]

Sound a good thorough review

[@JustCuzRobotics]

I used a tormach PCNC mill a bunch with an R8 collet chuck and I still had to whack it with a hammer to pop out the tools. The tormach TTS system uses an R8 collet to grab the tool holder which is straight instead of tapered so I have also had problems with tools pulling out in heavy loading cases like running half inch endmills aggressively. Morse taper would have been way nicer. That CNC mill is at a makerspace, if I ever need my own machine I'd consider one of these Sieg mills tho. Thanks for the video!

[@marty3553]

I really loved your video thank you so much for taking the time to make it , I’m new to machinery and want to give it ago.

[@artisanmakes]

Cheers, thankyou

[@Kustom-by-Anton]

I have a project idea for you! Power feed for the head so your arm dont get tiered ;)

[@gnu2000]

Excellent vid, lots of info and fun to watch! 4x6 Bandsaw next? Your arms will thank you :)

[@bobkarstien1248]

Great review I love the videos you make they are very informative Im in the market for an X2.7 mill.

[@peterslade537]

Lots of info you don't normally get, very good, cheers

[@artisanmakes]

Glad you enjoyed it, cheers

[@ManffloFurniture黃冠寧]

这种结构的铣床简直就是玩具，他的X轴行程是可以达到500mm，但是在确保精度情况下的行程不到300mm，X轴行程越接近最左或最右，他向下摆动的虚位就越大，有些机器的虚位可达1mm！正确的结构是左右行程的底座宽度至少500mm，用线轨代替燕尾轨。

[@stevesauto1109]

Great review. Thanks. Really helpful

[@andrewbarnett84]

Thank you for this.

[@jasonbrand3788]

Just a heads up. That ISO 68 hydraulic fluid is different to ISO 68 way oil. The ISO 68 just dictates the viscosity of the oil. Way oil will be stickier and holds itself to the ways/lead screws and prevent wear. There's an eBay seller from Aus that sells small bottles of mobil and generic way oil.

[@artisanmakes]

Cheers, it's close enough for what I need, my understanding is that way oil is a type of hydraulic oil anyway. Plus it helped that I had the bottle on hand before. I've seen it used as a substitute before without issue but I'll have to check out eBay since I the local reseller only sells way oil in 10l bottles.

[@warriormes6012]

The manual for my mill requests a type of hydraulic oil for the slides too. It has a central oil pump though, so the slides get oiled every time you turn it on. For a machine without a central oil pump, like the mini lathe, i find iso 220 way oil feels better, with practically no stick-slip.

[@petermurphy3354]

@@artisanmakes I use chainsaw bar oil on my Sieg SX3L, sticky & around the same viscosity.

[@artisanmakes]

@@petermurphy3354 I have heard of that alternative being thrown around before. Not sure how it compares but if it works it works, cheers.

[@nosuchuserid]

I don't oil my lead screws. They came greased from the factory and oiling them would only wash away the grease. I may grease them periodically, but the manufacturer didn't intend for it to be accessible for lubrication. The thrust bearings for the axis', however do come with oil caps. I use way oil on those as well as the dovetails.

[@rougaddon5103]

@6:40 You wouldn’t really wanna use a Jacobs chuck while milling anyway, it’s not designed to take the radial pressure put on the tool.

[@artisanmakes]

That too

[@rjordans]

Thanks for the review! Regarding the USB led lights, Ikea has nice ones for 3€

[@artisanmakes]

I was thinking something like that, however I have a good amount of studio lighting for filming so lack of lighting isn't a huge issue, cheers.

[@RoboArc]

Any machine is better than no machine 🙃

[@Will45ACP]

Good day Sir, appreciate and enjoyed your video. I cannot say I've ever had an R8 taper tool just fall out after loosening the drawbar...however, that is only experience from 2 or 3 different Bridgeport clones, not a Chinese hobby machine although, if the taper is correctly made, should be no difference. I mention this as added info for someone

[@alexfrederick9019]

9:30 when those chips birds nest and get stuck on the carbide, the chip cutter usually needs some more feed speed

[@artisanmakes]

Yes absolutely. A mistake on my part trying to take a too deep cut

[@pentachronic]

Very useful video. Thanks.

[@CalvesPerformanceGarage]

Great video mate! I have always wanted a mill and have looked at these. Be great to add to the arsenal!

[@paultrimble9390]

Great video. In a 16’x10’ building tools fight for space so if I get one be like that. First of year maybe November or December if ole lady nice to me. Lol. Let me get early. Love video’s. Keep up good job. From ur ole hillbilly buddy stay safe.

[@bluefishactcl1464]

Thank you - good information

[@ctrlz4439]

I am pleased to see how you treat your machines and how accurate your work is. I have a newbie question - how much space above mill do need to operate it ? (I have limited vertical space)

[@erniemathews5085]

You helped me decide. Thanks.

[@jmbstudio6873]

I bought a Grizzly Mill G0704 and Lathe G0752. Are they perfect? Not really. Can they make better parts than they should? That is up to the operator. I make perfect parts with my less than perfect machines. Why? Because I use dial indicators and calipers alot. I also upgraded my lathe compound and tool post which was a massive improvement and made a huge finish difference. I use collets for milling. The drill chuck is only for drilling, though I have used it for some quick milling that didnt need a perfect finish. Shars Tools is a great place for top notch items.

[@henrydando]

instead of this mill i would recomend the Hafco HM-46B. For only about $100 more you get a fair bit more Z height, double the power in the motor, almost 4x the weight (rigidity) whitworth and metric arbours, a geared spindle, an included Carbide facemill and in my opinion a higher quallity machine (alot less plastic). I got the hafco machine for $2700 NZD or about $2450 AUD, a bit more but in my opinion its worth it

[@artisanmakes]

Looks like the price is a little higher now, but having looked at one in the hafco warehouse, they look like a hook piece of kit. Probably more comparable to a siege X3 than a 2.7. Cheers

[@GreenBambooify]

R8 does stick. But not too bad. 2 small brass tap. It fall out. R8 is key so gotta find the key to go all the way in. So that key can go bad if you not key correctly.

[@artisanmakes]

Interesting, I have not used r8 before, but I watched a few videos with a guy that used R8 is a bridgeport or something similar and the tools didn't stick at all. Still probably leaves better then mt3, cheers

[@mackk123]

bought one new and the z column was knife thin at the top where the dovetails met the metal. I returned it but the store was hesitant and gave me troubles. Got a second one, same thing but at the bottom of the column where the bolts hold it. A bridgeport style mill is the best choice when possible...

[@artisanmakes]

Sorry to hear about that, not a problem with mine bit that is a risk with these mills. I'd always love to get a knee mill but they aren't common here and I'm not sure about the price the would command. Plus I'm not even sure it would be possible to put it in my workshop. Cheers

[@mackk123]

@@artisanmakes they need to design a mill that fits right into a modern garage, or change the housing codes to make the garage doors a tad higher

[@Xtafa]

Many thanks, you halted my purchase of the smaller model

[@scurvofpcp]

Put some washers on those mounting bolts holding that bad boy down to the table,

[@tinker5349]

Nice I might buy one, thanks for sharing your thoughts and the video.

[@delmarrey9077]

What I found is the spindle bearings are loose causing chatter and lack of accuracy. And there’s too much backlash in the table screws. You have to be real careful climb milling. Maybe I’m just spoiled from using Bridgeport mills. It’s basically a glorified drill press.

[@blaksin]

Hey mate great info

[@justaguy4788]

I just got a Weiss VM25L with R8 collet, which is very similar to this. It's no Bridgeport, or even Acra, but works great for a benchtop unit

[@spudnickuk]

Nice milling machine, I would stay well clear of Brushless motors, as I and many of my friends has had so many top brand tools that all have packed up within 2 years and my brushed tools are still working after many years of use on a daily basis. We are now getting trading standards involved as were being ripped off.

[@artisanmakes]

Very interesting to hear your experience on those motors. Cheers

[@SteveC38]

Nice Video!

[@Brian18741]

Thanks for sharing 👍

[@Yaroslav_Tselovanskyi]

I WANT IT!

[@tallyman15]

Great review.

[@Pushyhog]

im here! thanks,,, filmography great

[@fixitfaster]

Great Great video.... I'm thinking of buying a mill and your video has really put me in the picture. Thanks for sharing and your time.

[@artisanmakes]

Glad it was helpful, cheers

[@larryjanson4011]

so far every video on these lathes and milling machines. is about rebuilding them. when they come brand new, out of there shipping crates. i sometimes could use one or two of these “toys” but the cost and lack of space to put them. says save my moneys. then seeing how much more money and time to rebuild them to make them any good. says i keep keep my money. but other than a couple projects i might do for my model trains. what could i make with them? the power tool in and of it’s self is cheep compared to every thing else needed. i do not have a spare $6-$7,000.00 USD laying around.

[@yt66228]

The spindle to table distance is the killer for me on the small mills. You need more distance than you can get on this type of mill. R8 still needs a tap to remove collet.

[@iansalmon5614]

Great to watch just bought a TGMD400 Geared head drill/milling machine and no one has info 9n how to use it...I'm stupid enough to not use things until I understand them. Can anyone help.

[@crabmansteve6844]

What I've always heard is "Buy the biggest machine tools you can afford and/or have space for.

[@artisanmakes]

Absolutely, availability where I live also is a factor which limits the machines I can get access to, but bigger is usually the way to go.

[@crabmansteve6844]

@@artisanmakes I've placed mock orders to Australia just to fully wrap my head around the nightmare ($$$) that is shipping for you guys, I really don't envy ya'll. Lol

[@mootan2]

Very informative channel so much so i bought the SIEG SX2.7L , would i be correct in my measurements for the linear scales X=700 Y=500 Z=400 any advice greatly appreciated, keep up the good work.

[@artisanmakes]

You probably dont need that much for the x and y. Whatever the table movement it. I think you could safely go 500 or 600 for the x and 350 or 400 for y. Just make sure that is correct, it has been a while since I bough mine. I got the 700mm X linear rails and they almost didnt fit on the table

[@mootan2]

Thanks for your time , love the channel

[@mikehudick7074]

....I've never have any need to mill cheap Minis !!

[@makersmark5607]

Check Out: Stefan Gotteswinter Tramming a milling machine with epoxy BTW: They make epoxy filled foam kits for shimming your spindle tram. Believe it or not shimming like that is a common solution on many machines, even high end machines. The epoxy fill makes it so the weight bearing is evenly distributed across the epoxy once it has cured. Basically you trim it in then fill the gap with epoxy. The foam keeps the epoxy from overflowing.

[@sussexstreet5471]

Nice video, very informative. Can I ask if you compared Sieg to any other brands? I am looking at buying my first mill and I am comparing sieg with similar spec hafco machines. E.g SX4 vs HM46B. The sieg seems more expensive for similar specifications, is the build quality better? (Cast iron bed vs steel etc?)

[@artisanmakes]

Unfortunately I have not, my only experience with small mills is this. Best I could segguest is to look at videos at all the machines and pick what best suits your needs. Cheers

[@SpatialGuy77]

G’day. Nice video - again. What else have you done with the mill & lathe except made parts for the…mill & lathe. lol. Joking, your parts are always great to see. Also, much cheaper to buy a mill with cheapest motor and then replace the motor with a more powerful brushless. They’re cheap as chips! [The USB ports: one is for charging your phone and USB port 2 is for loading your CAM files. 😉 ] Hey, I got a “temporary pleated black blind” from Spotlight. About 6ft x 6ft for $15. GR8 way cover! Just cut what you need. 👌 A quick question: what is involved in increasing the Y axis movement? Is it doable? (within reason as everything is ‘doable’) Michael, Albury NSW

[@artisanmakes]

Hehe i do make other stuff in the workshop but I tend not to film it because I don't think its too interesting. Love the pleated blind idea, definitely a DIY approach

[@artisanmakes]

Not too sure about a practical way of increasing the y travel. You'd probably have to modify the lead screw and the lead nut to allow the table to move further forward. Not sure how practical it would be

[@someotherdude]

The other issue with a gear driven head is the sheer noise it makes. And it's not a 'quality' noise, it's an awful noise.

[@artisanmakes]

Interesting, the gears on the mini lathe were pretty quiet and I believe it's a similar set up. Cheers

[@someotherdude]

@@artisanmakes well, it's a question of perception I suppose, but I've certainly heard loud gear drives in both electric hand drills and lathes, and I say gear noise makes a tool seem cheap and weak more than any other attribute. Similarly, if you have to hear an electric 'hum' from a lathe, you want to hear a low, smooth hum and not a loud raspy hum. It's very headache-inducing.

[@youngsandwich967]

can you put a link with the er32 chuck brother that would be dope

[@giantpune]

I had a cheap sieg mill (harbor freight). It was worth it up until the point when it broke at about 18mo old. The cost of repairing them and the short lifespan made it not worth it overall. I sold mine as parts for cheap and replaced it with a better quality Taiwanese mill with a 5yr warranty.

[@stancooper5436]

Interested to know the brand/model of mill you ended up with if you don't mind sharing.

[@giantpune]

@@stancooper5436 Precision Matthews PM-728VT.

[@stancooper5436]

@@giantpune Thanks buddy. I have heard good things about PM, unfortunately not available here in the UK.

[@stevelamperta865]

why do we need to switch over to milimeters ? Inches was working just fine ! Now when someone gives specs in mm I have no idea how big something is !

[@bryanknecht513]

Why dont you use a wather and oil coolant. We use that and it keeps everything from not rosting and greases the rails and kepps them clean. The whater in the mixture keeps parts cool.

[@someotherdude]

I use a misting type coolant nozzle, ti's a total win. You cool with the airflow and the coolant, a gallon of coolant will last like 5 years, and there will just be a little puddle you can wipe up with a couple paper towels. Much better than flood coolant for the hobbist. Also uses very small airflow, even a little air compressor can easily handle it. Flood cooling can make a mess

[@conorm571]

How does the machine fair milling steel?

[@artisanmakes]

It certainly can do it without much hassle. I use 12mm roughing endmills and I can take 3mm DOC and almost a full width of cut in mild steel, though I do have a flood coolant set up to do thatn

[@Fantastika]

I wonder why not buy a used mill ive seen some bridgeports go for less than 1.6k

[@BasementEngineer]

Many of these mini-mills that I have seen in friend's work shops, have a fundamental design fault: The column is too weak to resist bending and torsion forces. All columns I have seen are of the C-channel type, which does not have good properties to resist the mentioned forces. Look at a Bridgeport mill and see how massive these were for a spindle with a 1.5 or 2 HP motor, compared with a mini-mill having a 1 HP motor. For decent work, even at the hobby level, these machines lack rigidity in the column.

[@DavZell]

I tried to keep track, but I'm not sure I caught it all. What did the basic setup cost you when you included: the mill, your chosen collet/mount system, vises, and DRO? And did I miss anything? I excluded the bits/end mills intentionally because I thought they might vary by person, but I suppose that a ballpark starter set cost would be good. I presume you are using your local dollars, too, correct? Thank you for another interesting video.

[@artisanmakes]

No worries, the mill by itself was $1,800 AUD, DRO kit was $200, collet chuck and collets were $80, parallels were $70, vise was $100, in total the cost plus a few end mills was $2,300 aud for the set up, although you can save $200 initially and purchase the dro at a later date. Cheers

[@DavZell]

@@artisanmakes thank you!