Need suggestions for first mill

[particleman]

Hi everybody, this is my first post I have been doing alot of reading and searching the past few days on this forum and many other sites about benchtop mills. I am really impressed by the CNC conversions that people are doing with these mills. I am trying to decide which mill and lathe to buy. To be honest this is my first mill and I'm looking forward to jumping into one and doing a CNC conversion. I have been looking very hard at the sherline 5400 series until I came across what people where doing with the sieg X2. Now I'm pulling my hair out trying to figure out which one is better for me.

To give you guys a good idea what I will be doing. I will 100% for sure be converting whichever mill I get to CNC. Speed is NOT an issue for me as I will not be doing production work with it. I am into RC hobby stuff I can see lots fun making RC parts. I can also see doing smaller gun parts. 4th Rotary axis IS something I want to get later on if not initially.

The sherline is appealing to me as it seems like a well built machine, especially for a first timer. I have similar thoughts about their lathe. My concern with the sherline based on what I've read is the backlash that can develop? Is this an issue or fixable? I also like the CNC stepper motor mounts that are available with the sherline.

I'm also considering the SIEG X2 mill, but my main concern with this mill is the very small Y travel 3.5"? The Sherline has 7". I would think that only 3.5" will limit greatly what can be done. That is the BIG issue I have with the X2. The X2 also seems like it isn't much cheaper if any to convert than the sherline since you need to buy the $500 conversion kit to do it right.

Keep in mind this is my first mill (and whichever lathe I buy) and money is a factor, these seem to be in my price range. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[twocik]

If I had to decide again, I'd buy the Tormach!

I went with the X1 just to get my feet wet and than converted to CNC later. Bought all of the upgrades, LCD screen & computer, extended X & Y tables, DIY coolant flood system & enclosure, collets + drawbar, etc.. I probably spent anywhere from $2500.00 - $3000.00 on everything.

For about double the price I would have had a really rigid system, that's capable of cutting almost anything. You have to ask yourself do you want to make parts or spend time upgrading your machine. Don't get me wrong it was a great learning experience and is great for cutting smaller parts, but I'm moving on to larger parts and harder material.


If anyone is interested I'm probably going to sell my whole X1 CNC setup.

[widgits]

I wouldn't purchase one of these super baby mini mills
When it comes down to it horsepower and weight have
a great advantage for rigidity when you take a cut
The round column import mills do much better for this fact alone
but you lose position when you move the head up or down
This is a pain if the tools have a great difference in length
(A drill is usually longer than an end mill)
But if the tools are all within 2 or 3" of each other for length
this doesn't become too big of a problem
If you start to think about possibly purchasing a import (Taiwan)
brand machine jump on the Harbor freight website
They have a baby knee mill fo about $1500
It has a short stroke on the quill but it doesn't suffer from
the problems I mentioned above
Weighs about 1000 lbs so a engine picker can stuff it into
mommas minivan
(I speak from experience here)
And the head can tilt on one axis
Grizzly sells this same machine for almost $3000
Could make a nice little home CNC if done right
Look around and consider your options
A used round column can be had for $500 used
$1000 spent the right way could buy a decent electronics pack for it

Take you time
study the machines
Then look for a good used one maybe

But stay away from the paperweights!!!

Later
Widgits

[HimyKabibble]

Particleman(?),
I was in your position several years ago. I ended up buying an X2, and converting to CNC entirely on my own. It was a fun, and very educational, project. I'm now at the point of understanding, and being frustrated by, the many limitations of small, lightweight machines. My solution was to bite the bullet and spring for a full-size knee mill, which will arrive any day now. The point is, don't underestimate how much under-buying will cost you in time, frustration, and lost productivity. I made my choice because I found I was spending half my time fighting the limitations of the machine, rather than doing useful work.
If I were in your position, and I was *sure* I'd never want to do "big" work, I'd still go for the biggest, beefiest machine I could afford. I'd suggest you look at the X3. It's not hugely more expensive than the X2, but is an order of magnitude stiffer, and makes for a very nice CNC conversion. No matter what you do, at the end of the day, you'll have far more money in the CNC conversion, tooling and accessories than in the basic machine itself, so don't scrimp on the machine.
Don't feel like you *have* to buy a kit to CNC whatever machine you buy. Doing the conversion yourself is not that hard, or expensive. Again, go for the best parts you can possibly afford, don't try to do it on the cheap, or you'll end up regretting it. I'd suggest min. 450 oz-in motors, Gecko drives, and a 48-72V high-current unregulated power supply. The motors, drivers, power supply and ballscrews can all be had for around $500. homeshopcnc.com is an excellent source for most of the parts. If you want to save some money, and slightly reduce effort, keep the leadscrews, and make up some adjustable nuts. This will still give low backlash, but the nuts will require periodic adjustment.