craftex mini mill

[dertsap]

I'm looking for some feedback and I was curious how many people are using the craftex mini mill http://busybeetools.ca/cgi-bin/picture10?NTITEM=CT133, i picked one up yesterday to play with at home and it's a pretty darned solid little toy , it seems to handle a 1/2" endmill pretty well , I was going to wait and buy a much bigger mill but i decided one of these will be good enough for what i need at this point of time , i especially like the fact that if i need the room i can toss it out of the way in seconds

I did some searching on the forum and i didnt come up with much , is anyone using the craftex ? if so is there anything to be aware of

[hoss2006]

It's another Sieg X2 with different paint and labels.
Here's a good review with features and accessories.
Hoss

[dertsap]

thanks for the link ,looks like i need to do a complete tear down and clean it up judging by the sand in those pictures , I figured its the same machine as the x2 , ive seen others that were identicle but with a different name , what I'm curious about is if the quality control is the same for all of the companies that sell these things or if some have high standards and other companies take and sell the factory rejects .
I have only had a short time to check it out and I'm impressed with what i see in it , considering its size its a pretty solid little setup

[dertsap]

today I decided to mill a 3"x1" block of aluminum down to nothing for the heck of it , I used an hss 1/2" 4flt , Ive always been used to much larger machines and I'm impressed with the size of cut i can take with ease , and the finish is great , so i think its a keeper

[Robert G]

I too am interested in a Craftex mill but I am looking more at the larger knee mills even though I am mainly a hobbyist. They look like they will do a fine job but it would be nice to get some feedback from some people that have had them for a while. Maybe someone more in the know than myself would have some suggestions to alternatives - hopefully someone in Canada where I am from because of supply issues. I have had some experience with the round column mill/drill machines and find them lacking in many ways. Maybe I should start a new thread(?).