Looking for a mill

I'm quite keen to pick up a mill for small metal work. Two things come to mind. First is build it! Second, and probably more realistic right now is Buy it!

But there don't seem to be many if any viable little mills, let alone CNC ones.

It doesn't have to be CNC, manual is fine for now. I had considered this but apparently it's not very accurate. To allow one axis to move loosens a second axis and makes it wobble. Seems like a huge flaw to me.

I'm a bit lost generally, so any thoughts would be appreciated.

Stumbled across these people (I'm in the UK) and found this mill which seems like a possibility for three axis (It's got x,y,z). I'd really like to be able to rotate the item being milled as well, so that's four axis???

Also stumbled across this. It has a variety of add ons including a divider plate which works both laying down and standing up. Tiny but positive.

There's a list of some CNC Mill conversions and other projects on the Shapeoko site: [www.shapeoko.com]

Hi
I have the SIEG X3 manual mill that suits my hobby purpose. I was planning to convert it to CNC but haven't done it so far. SEIG have the X3 as CNC as well. I´m building a cnc router/3D printer where its bacially the controls left to be hooked up.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/22/2014 05:05AM by poppy_au.

Yes, their actual cnc version is about a billion pounds, madness! I do like the x3 though,

If you want a mill that you will actually use, you should forget about the round column type and go for the dovetail column type. You might also be interested in a belt driven spindle instead of gear, being more silent and being easier to maintain.

Proxxon MF70 is _very_ small. If you deduct the 2 x cutter diameter + a bit of clearance, there is not much left Y wise. Quality is no better then any other machine out there, to justify the price (though you would expect a big deal when you see it labeled Proxxon).

4th axis can be easily achieved by adding a rotary table, which usually can be placed both horizontal and vertical on your milling machine table.

If you are in Europe, especially UK, best source would probably be arceurotrade or amadeal.

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http://www.i3d.ro

Yes, I had a chat with Arc Euro Trade, and I'm thinking about one of the seig mills they have. There's a lot of information on the web about converting them to CNC too, which is nice.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the Peatol (Taig) mill. these mills are very accurate and very well built. They are also easy to upgrade to CNC and with proper care should last a life time.

[peatol.com]

They are good for milling anything from PCB's to 4140 steel. Personally, I would go for the larger model with the 12" (300 mm) X travel. If your going to CNC it, get the manual mill and do the conversion your own self and save a few hundred. Remember, you will already have the mill to make all the stepper mounts and such. Google Taig mill (Taig is the original manufacture) and see what others say about them.

Mark

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From FreeCAD To The Real World- Demo video using FreeCAD and featuring the Smartrap 3D Printer

I guess no one wants to pay 1k GBP for a tiny mill

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http://www.i3d.ro

I have a Clarke CMD200 from Machine Mart which is basically a Seig X2. Good little mill, although the electronics packed up after a week but Machine Mart replaced the whole mill immediately with no problems.

Z

That list of CNC machines and mill conversions is now (more-or-less) available at:

[www.reddit.com]