x3 opinions

[wizard]

Originally Posted by phantomcow2 Well this will stay a manual mill for at least 2 years. I i ever need something made, i just use the CNC bridgeport at school. I much prefer the square column, which is why this mill attracts me.

Well if you have no neeed for CNC that is good. At the reate that things are changing with respect to software and hardware two years could result in something much better than the X3 for CNC'ing anyways. I would not be surprise though to find yourself more interested in CNC than you think at the moment. Once you start thinking in that mode it impacts how you see projects.

The weight was a concern to me too actually, im guessing its about 250-275 pounds. But, i htink it looks well designed. The column alone is probably 2.5x wider than my micro mill...

I was thinking closer to 300 but either way it is one the light end for a benchtop mill. Due to better engineering it should be a much better machine than what you have now.

The variable speed really attracts me, thats what I am used to and just cant imagine going to something with 6 fixed speeds or something like that.

At this moment I can't comment on the variable speed. There even seems to be some mistakes on Grizzlys web site as the top speed can be either 2000 or 4000 rpm, depending on what you read. In any event you won't be able to expect a lot of torque out of this machine as the DC motor is of limited horse power.

I would love to buy a Rong Fu, or the ZAY from Lathemaster, but i just cant justify that cost.

That is an issue I'm wrestling iwth at the moment. I'm slowly (very slowly?) building up a shop and got a 9x20 about two years ago. Getting a mill has been a priority, right behind house repairs, vehicle repairs, and other assorted distractions including building a garage. As it is I'm somewhat size limited based on the need to move the hardware into the cellar. So what ever I get has to be easy to disassemble and move - and cheap.

As to the other mills do keep in mind the possibility of CNC. I think it is a good idea to buy hardware suitable for that.

Dave

[phantomcow2]

I do keep the possibility of CNC in mind, ive seen some amazing retrofits for this mill.

I think manual mills are fun to tinker with, and i often just design parts as I cut, so I like manual mills for that. If i need a part that is only practical with CNC, i use the CNC bridgeport at my school.

IM not expecting huge torque from the 3/4Hp motor. It did say drilling capacity 1", and thats pretty good. Still, my current motor is 1/5HP.
What i was thinking of doing is just replacing the motor with a 1.5HP treadmill DC motor. Cheap, dirty, but they work nicely. ANd that would add some serious power .
I know one guy replaced the 1/5HP motor for hte micro mill with this 1.5HP and said it runs very smoothly