Hello guy's,

Just had a quick questions for anyone that knows. Was wondering if the Harbor Freight # HF93885 is the same machine as the Grizzly G0463? The specs are different but appear to be the same machine. Have read alot of reviews and info on it but no one has said one way or the other. Alot of articles and reviews go back and forth, but have not been able to find a yes or no answer yet. Can anyone with the Harbor Freight machine confirm this for me?

Thanks
Dave

Those are both the Sieg X3 mill. Grizzly is showing the newer version with the bigger table, while the HF is showing the older version. I do believe that HF is selling the new version but just has not updated their picture but I may be wrong.

They are both Sieg X3's, but the HF model appears to have the shorter column as well as shorter table. Can't see any other differences besides, of course, paint.

Alan

REAL dimensions on Harbor Freight 93885 Mill
I am a proud owner of the Harbor Freight Sieg X3 mill. [Harbor Freight #93885 . I brought it home from the freight dock today. Harbor Freight got Yellow Freight to send from Calif to Texas for $65.
Harbor Freight has created MAJOR CONFUSION in what you are buying.
Truth:
1.The Mill IS dimensioned exactly the same as the Grizzy sieg x3 item G0463.
2. The Harbor Freight online dimensions and advertising ARE TOTALLY WRONG. The Harbor Freight online Manual is TOTALLY WRONG. Discription is for the model manufactured by Sieg several years ago.
3. The Harbor Freight Manual packed with my mill is also WRONG and is identical to the one one their website which gives incorrect specs.
4. Download the manual and spec sheet for the Grizzly G0463 and that is what I bought from Harbor Freight (except in Red paint) I'm going to print the Grizzly manual so I will have an accurate manual!
5. The mill table IS 21 5/8 inches long like Grizzly mill instead of 17 5/8
as shown in Harbor Freight specs.
6. All critical dimensions for travel and ball screw length seem to be the same as the Grizzly mill.
I looked for hours on CNCZone for someone who had actually seen that the mills are actually the same and only found a post by Chris from Little Machine Shop. He had been in the Sieg factory in China and saw that the Grizzly and Harbor Freight were identical but for paint. That was good enough for me so I blindly ordered the mill knowing I might have to cut off my y & z ballscrew to make it fit if he was wrong. He was correct and I am very happy that my cncfusion kit will fit my mill without being cut down. I even have the terrible red waxey goo to remove so off I go to the auto supply to buy orange oil and wd40 to do cleanup.
Before buying online I checked with both local Harbor Freight Stores and they both said this mill is catalog only purchase.

I called HF for parts and got a run around. When I called Grizzly for some lathe parts (obscure ones too that we broke due to onset of stupidity), we had the parts in 2 days.

I'm a fan of Grizzly for no other reason than the issue of service.

When you need/want a part, talking to someone who has the breakdown and, more importantly, HAS THE PART IN STOCK is worth a lot to me.

I think i am going to pruchase the superx3 from grizzly, my local harbor freight store has in stock the x3, so ctalog only seems a bit disturbing, as most of thr hf phone people really suck..

- Grizzly's outta stock on X3. ETA: Feb 02 (arriving @ Grizzly warehouse)

- ditto for SX3. ETA: Feb 15th

- HF _has_ X3 in stock, with regular 10+ biz days ~$65 delivery

- if you need a replacement part, you can call Grizz or HF, neither cares where you got the original mill and will be happy to sell you the part you need. I'd call Grizzly first

I called Grizzly today and cancelled my SX3 order, then called HF and ordered an X3. Saved $400 or so. Tilting head, direct belt drive and Z-scale didn't impress me much, but it was having to wait for 40 days or so, that worried me the most :)


The reason I didn't order from HF to begin with, was the mass confusion around just what the hell they carry. Seemed to be a midget version of "true" X3. Now that we know they are identical.

My local Harbor Freights don't carry X3 in stock. I spoke to managers and was told they can not order one for the store, they only sell what gets sent to them.

Anyway, I don't worry much about ordering from HF. I got mini-mill, mini-lathe, 9x20, MIG, TIG - all from HF, and never had any issues.

did harbor freight give you a deal or anything? as grizzly xs price is cheaper to begin with...i am thinking that hf will nock at least 20% off just for asking.. i may just get the hf x3 as well, whoever is cheaper is were im buying it for sure...

Does anyone know if Grizzly ever runs a 20% off coupon like HF does? With this coupon the mill will be quite a bit cheaper at HF.

Thanks
Dave

Girizz doesn't ever have a 20% off. And they won't match HF's price.
They do have a sale every now and then, but the discounts are never even
close to 20%.

If your local HF store is nice nuff to carry X3, boy are u lucky ! Cause
then you can have the 20% off and may be save even more by talking
to the manager . And you don't have to pay the $67 delivery charge.

But, you get hit with local tax.

2 of HFs I have in my area (NJ) carry a whole lot of larger machinery, but
not the X3. Prolly has something to do with it being a new item and Sieg
not making nuff to spread em around the country.

I don't have ANY problems buying HF. All of my machinery is perfectly color-matched :) - that's a bonus.

I am very new to both mill and lathe work. I have a Griz mini mill with belt drive and Little Machine shop power feed kit on the table. I know my mill needs lapping and the X Axis power head needs a boost. I saw somewhere an article or ad about a man who modifies the circuit board for more torque and also adds a cut off switch. His article sounded like just what I need but now I can't find the article, ad, or whatever it was. When I tried the Industrial Hobbies website they said they were being sold and I didn't find the article on lapping. Can anyone lend a hand?

kgphilli

the industrial hobbies link link on lapping is at
http://www.industrialhobbies.com/howto/mill/mill_tips_index.htm
It is down the page about half way.
I just wet sanded with wet-dry sandpaper like a car paint shop would, with increasingly fine paper. I stopped at 600 grade paper and things seem nice but I'm no expert either. My table moves with cnc controlled motors and since I replaced the jack screws -bronze nuts with ballnuts-ballscrews it takes much less energy to move table plus increased accuracy. I have double ballnuts on x axes. Putting in ballnuts might slick things down where your x drive motor would be fine and you can get better accuracy too.

Thank you chipsweeper. I did as you suggested and also found Uncle Rabid in Missouri who will increase the torque on my Powered X axis unit. The Industrial Hobby site also had good instructions as to lapping the ways even though I.A. has been sold and they are in the middle of the transition.
Thanks again.

kgphilli

I'm still a little skeptical about ordering from Harbor Freight.
You are talking about this item:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93885

I would hate to order it, and have it be wrong.


Has anyone received anymore online Harbor Freight coupons to use? I had so many around christmas time, but now I dont get any at all. I'm wanting to buy a trailer as well from Harbor Freight.

I was going to lap the ways on my lathe, because it kind of looked like peeled bark, just for an example, but my friend who is a cnc machineist said absolutetley not, that is what holds the oil in the ways, you do not want them baby smooth as the oil will just run off....


as for the local hf, i was in there and i was mis spoken they do not carry the x3..

I think I will go on and lap my ways and see if I can find a good grease with teflon or similiar in it to cut down the friction. I will install ball nuts and matching screws when I become smart enough to try CNC.

Ken