Sieg X2 or X3?

[david_geng]

Hi,

I'm planing to get a mini/small mill and have it converted either by myself or by a supplier. The current cadidates are Sieg X2 and Sieg X3. A worry from me about the X3 is that it's a bit too heavy for me to handle by myself even when the mill's being taken apart. And I'm not sure about the quality of the X2. Is it possible to get 0.005" accuracy with ballscrews on X2? Is it as stable as X3? if not, how far from it? I would be grateful if any user could share their experiences.

Many thanks
David

[logjammer]

I have the X2 but I am selling it and upgrading to the X3 for a couple of reasons. 1: The work envelope on the X2 is way too small for me, 4x7 or something like that. 2: the machine is not near as rigid as I would like it to be, I would rather buy a machine with more mass than "baby" this one. it works very well when it is not pushed hard but it's limits are quickly met. just take into consideration what size parts you'll be making. just my .02 . If you have a concern about the X3's size being a bit much to handle think of it like this- this is a machine that will be yours for several years to come i presume, one afternoon of hiring some neighbors or friends to help you wrestle with the X3 to get it into place is a day well spent to have a piece of machinery that you will be happy with in the long run for several years.

[phantomcow2]

The X3 is a fantastic machine. You will be disappointed if you go with the X2 instead. It is not too bad to move if you take it apart.
I took the table and saddle off, and removed the column. You might as well take it apart to clean the grease off anyways.
I can easily stay within .001" with my X3

[MIKE JEFFERS]

x3 every time
as for moving it strip it into 3 bits ,base colum and head (it's worth stripping
just for a look see) and its reasonably easy to deal with .
there were a few issues with my machine ie the taper spindle bearings would'nt adjust without machining the spindle (about .002" too big)
and the quil lock was in the wrong place (couldnt shut the guard)
but apart from that it's a fine machine
think all the seig machines are a starting point to build a good machine from
my x1 has many mods to improve it and now runs very well
my x3 will get cnc'd at some time then we'll see what else needs doing.
mike

[david_geng]

mike, thank you for your reply. have you measured the runout of the X3 spindle? can it be as good as the champion 20VS from the ChesterUK, as I was quoted,

"The tolerance for the champion 20VS is as follows:
Run out of spindle hole centre line. - 0.008mm at spindle nose.
0.015mmat a distance of 100mm"

Cheers
David

[SyilAmerica]

X2 is a wonderful machine once it's been upgraded to ball screws. Also, a belt drive makes it really really nice.

That being said, the X3 is a real brute for it's size. I'm still quite impressed at it's cutting performance.

Both machines are a good choice. It would help if you could define your part size and material. That's where the differances really show.

[phantomcow2]

I measured spindle runout on several dimensions with my .0005" DTI. Putting the needle inside of the spindle, looking for runout inside, I estimate only .0001" of runout. I could only see the needle move with a magnifier.
THe X3 is really impressive for it's size. When I had it shipped to work (a machine shop), my boss laughed and call it worthy of being his 7 year old son's toy. Well, this thing can take some serious cuts. It is well designed, parts are well made (fit together nicely with the tapered pins too), but it can really hog material. Certainly not at bridgeport levels, but not as far off as you may think.
My X1 could not do that in the least, of course the X1 is 1/4 of the size. But, it was not as well designed and the general finish was not nearly as nice.

[MIKE JEFFERS]

you pays yer money and you takes yer choice
thing is manufacturers can quote numbers all day and as my experience
with my x3 shows things do go wrong , as for the chester mill i dont know
much about it but hear good things about the warco machines ,who also
do cnc'd mills in conjunction with simply cnc
might be worth a look.
mike

[Brunow]

I dream of an X3 but it's an bridge to far. (a lot of €ts! + cnc conversion costs to!) but you have a REAL NICE MACHINE FOR IT'S MONEY

[philbur]

Also talk to Arc Euro Trade:

http://www.arceurotrade.co.uk/

There doesn't appear to be much on their website but their brochure offers what looks like a very competent X3 cnc conversion. Appears to be designed and and supported by John Stevenson and Steve Blackmore. Stevenson Engineering will do the conversion for you if you want. Even if you do the conversion yourself at least you will know that everything is compatible with respect to cost/performance. This is a bigger plus for a newbie than you might think.

If you are stuck between an X2 and an X3 then it's no contest, the winner is X3 every time. This is especially true if you are going to invest in CNCing it as I think you will have similar CNC costs regardless of which base machine you select.

I've dismantled an RF40 (2.5 times the weight of an X3), moved it up and down stairs and reassembled it several times without any help, so I think an X3 should be no problem.

Regards
Phil

Originally Posted by david_geng Hi, I'm planing to get a mini/small mill and have it converted either by myself or by a supplier. The current cadidates are Sieg X2 and Sieg X3. A worry from me about the X3 is that it's a bit too heavy for me to handle by myself even when the mill's being taken apart. And I'm not sure about the quality of the X2. Is it possible to get 0.005" accuracy with ballscrews on X2? Is it as stable as X3? if not, how far from it? I would be grateful if any user could share their experiences. Many thanks David