Taig or Sieg

[boutrous]

I can get a Taig or Sieg mill.

Which is the better choice?

Accuracy....

Materials capability..


Thanks for guidance.....


Gary

[hoss2006]

This will open a can of worms no doubt, everyone has their own opinions.
It's like what car is better Ford or Chevy. (Dodge)
Basically it comes down to money.
Lowest on the cost would be a Sieg X2 (approx $500) it will need a little adjusting of the gibs to get .001 tolerance
but you can get an R8 spindle (bridgeport standard tooling) but it has the smallest work area (about 9x4)
next is the Taig (approx $815) good tolerance .001 out of the box, small tooling capacity (ER 16),
medium work capacity (12x6 model 2019)
Third is the Sieg X3 ( approx $1200 super X3) good tolerance .001 , R8 spindle,
largest work area (21x6 super X3)
The more you spend, the bigger tooling you can run and the bigger work area to use.
If there was a company that combined the Taig fit and finish and the X3's capacity for around $1000 or so, they would sell like hotcakes.

[pastera]

Third option is the Seig X1 micromill with the X&Y extensions.

This will give you 13x5 (330mm x 130mm) for under $500

Aaron

[Pretorien]

I have an X2 and have used (and am planning to buy) a Taig - observations:

The X-2 requires constant attention to hold tolerance and, in my opinion, is not as rigid as the Taig. The result is that while the tooling capacity is nominally larger than the Taig, you need to be very careful with tool size and cut to avoid having the cutter pull the workpiece out of whack.

For small work, the spindle speed of the X-2, even with the belt drive, is too slow.

The rack drive on the X-2 Z axis makes it a very useful precision drill press, particularly when fitted, as mine is, with DROs - a lot of what I do requires drilling holes with tightly defined relationships (tighter tolerances than the workpiece shape) and it works very well for that.

[Stepper Monkey]

Definitely a can of worms here, but I agree you should not even think of the X1 or X2, both are problematic and clearly inferior to the Taig. If you only need a moderate size and capacity mill, just buy a Taig, it is really the only clear option for that size range and budget. If you want or need bigger tool, work envelope, and milling capacity, go with an X3. It is really the only clear option in that size range and budget. Anything less than the X3 or a Taig usually turns out a complete waste of money, and/or much more of a headache than it is worth and a huge money pit to modify up to basic adequacy.

[SpeedsCustom]

I'm loving my new Taig!

-Jason

[hoss2006]

If you ever want to take advantage of some cool features such as
Endmill capacity over 3/8 inch
Tormach Tooling
Power Drawbar
Automatic Tool Changer
Large Boring Head
Indexable Surfacing Mills
Then the R8 spindle of the X2 and X3 is clearly the way to go.
You can save $100's on the LMS ATC for the X2 versus the X3 or follow along here to build your own.
Alas, the Taig is incompatible. It's best suited for REALLY tiny parts.
Oh crap, look at the worms.
Just kidding