G’day everyone,
Today I am going to be giving my thoughts on my Mini Mill that I have been using for almost half a year now. I bought it near the end of May 2021 and I have used it almost every day, making many little projects and lathe upgrades, many I have shared here on he channel.
Having used long enough, I now feel comfortable sharing my experience with this mini milling machine. Ill go through its specs, capabilities and quirks, as well as the pros and cons that I have run into. I will also try and give an assessment to the question, is an import mill like this worth it. I will also try and compare this mill to the more popular, but smaller Sieg X2 and SX2 variants, and detail why I chose this mill over those.
They are a large investment and still run the risk of quality issues. I hope you find this video useful.
Cheers.
Mill: Sieg X2.7L
Lathe : Sieg C3 7×14 Mini lathe
#mill #millingmachine #minimill
Timestamps
0:00 – Introduction
0:49 – Why I Bought A Mill
1:35 – Dimensions and Work Area
4:33 – Costs
5:53 – What You Get With The Mill
9:04 – Quality And Quality Issues
11:56 – Spindle, Morse Taper And Drawbar
15:10 – Quill And DRO
17:07 – Motor And Spindle Belt Drive
17:53 – Solid And Tilting Column
18:50 – Control Panel
19:34 – Mill Table And T – Slots
21:58 – Dial, Handwheel And Leadscrew
24:32 – Way Cover
25:00 – Table Drainage Port
25:23 – Milling Performance
27:28 – Was It Worth It? – Conclusion
source
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!
Thought i would share my experience with mini-mills v/s an actual Bridgeport. Unless you’re doing very light duty work on very small parts, suck it up and get a real Bridgeport (if you have the room) they made a small table version. After doing all the upgrades available for my mini mill to make it half way usable, i would have spent the same as i did eventually on a used Bridgeport. These mini mills just do not have the torque to drill or mill anything with any authority besides small alum/brass parts. I had an R8 spindle mini mill and it just couldnt do what i needed.. (hot rod chassis and related work) Good used Bridgeports are still out there, yes youll need a phase converter but i was so much happier with a real machine.. learn from my mistake!!
If getting a mini mill get a PM-728
And don't waste your time on the other junk.
I like to watch your stuff, I have just ordered one of these x2.7L, looking at DRO scales, can't seem to find 700mm x 200 scales, I have a set up on my lathe but thought it would be easy to just but another set of scales and use the same DRO, can you let me know your set up as it seems to have the 700mm on the table? regards Roscoe
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.
warco wm16
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!
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。
I wonder why not buy a used mill ive seen some bridgeports go for less than 1.6k
What terrible and annoying sounds, made by you.
Looks great for 80% lowers
I'd say if you know your feeds and speeds/work holding and fixturing it's worth it.
Great video enjoyed it very much.
No, and No. They are dreadful. Get an old used real tool.
How do you go with the MT3 collet chuck in the lathe without a drawbar? Does it come loose?
@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.
Amazing
I’m bloody sick of adverts when I’m trying to watch this
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.
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.
Fortunately, it is configured with an R-8 spindle so boring heads, R-8 collets, and holders of all kinds for R-8 spindles are standard and available. You don't use end in drill chucks.
It's a mill drill not a milling machine
Is there a way to PM you?
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
….I've never have any need to mill cheap Minis !!
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.
can you put a link with the er32 chuck brother that would be dope
0:21 did you remove the earth pin on that plug ⚡?
I had one a few years ago and the quality was very bad nothing runs true, and a lot of slop in the screw threads DON'T WAST YOUR MONEY from a buyer
Kerosene is toxic. It is a carcinogen as well. Pretty mush all of the petroleum distillates are toxic and carcinogens other than mineral oil and that goes through a lot of purification and distillation steps.
Betteridge's Law of Headlines: No.
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.
Many thanks, you halted my purchase of the smaller model <3
Great video from beginning to end brother ??
As so many others have said, this is a realistic, honest, comprehensive, user oriented, and in-depth review. That is to say it is what a good review should be. And thanks for the idea of using single edge razor blades for shims. Clever, and easy to insert.
i payed the same for a lagun ftv1.. LOL
Aca en Perú no se puede usar Kerosene como lubricante de corte porque lo prohibieron. Los narcos lo usaban para sus fechorias.
Damn that accent
TL;DR: It's worth it for any beginning hobbyist.
excellent run down on this mill, thank you for your effort in putting this together
Put some washers on those mounting bolts holding that bad boy down to the table,
???
Dude, you're complaining about the sharp edges on some of the parts and cutting your hands, but you leave an end mill loaded into the collet for some of your pictures. Obviously you removed the vice and cleaned the mill possibly with the end mill in the collet. If you cut yourself, you have no one to blame than yourself.