# Various Mill Questions.



## wm460 (Apr 1, 2015)

I am still looking around for a mill just about made up my mind leaning towards the Seig SX3L from Aussee.

1, Are the Auto feed/power drive worth getting?

2, I have most the gear I need for my lathe, What is the basic tooling I will need to get started on the mill?

3, A what hight should the table of the mill be?

4, Is this rotary table any good?

http://www.machineryhouse.com.au/R0065

:wall::wall: Cheers,
Mark.


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## bazmak (Apr 1, 2015)

Hi,i bought the sx2lf,see my thread.The sx3 was a bit too big for my requirements.R8 spindle is the best with a collet chuck and full ser of collets.I bought er32. 80mm vice is good.I made my own rotary table.It works well
and is indispensible


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## Swifty (Apr 1, 2015)

I know a lot of people love power table feed, I've got a bridgeport size mill with feed, but rarely use it, I'm happier to wind the table by hand on most parts?

Paul.


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## DJP (Apr 1, 2015)

Buy everything that you can as there are no limits and no justification required once you own a milling machine. Even if only used once, a special tool or cutter is worth it's weight in gold.

I have found boxes of treasured milling cutters that are sold off at estate sales. Nobody wants this stuff anymore as 3D printing is more leading edge for the younger generation.

He who dies with the most milling cutters wins. There are bonus points for carbide.

Welcome to the dark side.


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## ShopShoe (Apr 1, 2015)

wm460,

I have an X3, which is the older, simpler version of what you have. I think you will find the extra Z height useful.

You want to mount it at a height where the handwheels end up more or less at elbow height. You will want as rigid a table as you can get, so heavy-duty construction of same.

It is probably best to set aside some of your tooling budget and get it up and running and make a few simple things before you know what else to buy.

Power feeds are useful and helpful to get a good finish, but I don't have mine yet as I have had other tooling to buy.

I would suggest starting with:

Heavy and precise Milling Vise (Vice). I saved money by not getting a swivel base for mine.

Clamping set 

Parallels

V-block set

1-2-3 Blocks (Or metric equivalents)

Assorted End Mills (In US terms, centercutting 2-flute and 4-flute, perhaps you use the term "slot drills" instead for some of these)

After you have studied the cutters you could buy, and based on the shank sizes of what you want, decide whether to get  collets or end-mill holders to fit your R-8 taper. Above is the recommendation to get ER32 collet holder to fit the R-8 and ER32 collets and that is also good. I got a comprehensive set of R-8 collets and End-Mill holders to fit my most-often used tooling shanks.

Drill chuck and arbor. Even though one probably comes with your mill, it will not be satisfactory. You will not regret a quality chuck: Albrecht and Jacobs (Industrial, not homeowner) seem to be quality brands. Definitely buy a new R-8 arbor for the new chuck.

Wiggler, Edge-finder, or something similar to line up your tooling to your work.

Slitting / Slotting saw and arbor. (You can make the arbor)

Fly Cutter (You can make one)

Boring Head and Boring bars. (Some people have made boring heads)

Just to be thorough, if you don't have a dial test indicator, you will need one to set up you vise or work on the table. I am assuming you have the measuring tools you need.

I can't comment on that particular rotary table.

Best of Luck.

--ShopShoe


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## tornitore45 (Apr 1, 2015)

Hold on to buy a drill chuck End Mill Holders and R8 collets. If you buy am R8 collect chuck ER32 or ER25 you may never need the other stuff.  An ER collet can grip any size drill bit, without requiring a lot of head movement to install the Drill Chuck.  End mill holders (weldon) may be useful to reach down between obstruction but is a rare need.
I bought the X3 without power feed and immediately motorized the Z axis, cranking the head it get old fast, then I motorized the X axis; Y axis is still manual.  I have a six inch cheap vise with swivel base that has sat under the bench since I bought it.  A 3" import machinist vise filled my need.  They are ground on all surfaces; can be mounted on the side and at any angle eliminating the need for a swivel base and the associated loss of Z.
Do not rush to buy more that the other folks have listed, wait to see what your project and preferences require then buy the best you can afford.


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## rodw (Apr 1, 2015)

I have the SX3 and  I like it a lot. I think the list Shopshoe has given you is pretty complete. I don't have the 123 blocks. Mine has an MT3 spindle. I don't have the power feed and it is mounted on  the Factory stand. I have the same rotary table and they are fine but I had to mill out the slots  bit so it would fit the T slots to mount it upright.

Mine came with a chuck and I've since added a keyless one plus ER32 collets. I also have 5c collets and collet blocks for it which I use for workholding.. As its been said, you don't need everything at once.

So my essentials would be vice, parallels, indicator, ER32 collet set, set of endmills, edgefinder. Check if your drawbar is metric or imperial before you buy any MT shanked tools. Mine was imperial so I made a metric one and settled on all metric shanks.


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## ronboult (Apr 2, 2015)

Hi Mark
I also have a Sieg SX3 which does most of what I require. My main desire is for a power feed on the Z axis rather than the X. It takes a large amount of winding to raize and lower the head for cutter changes etc. I have a Vertex 4" vice on my mill and I think it is about as large as can fit on this size mill. Also my mill has a R8 spindle which I think is much better than a morse taper for ease of collet removal. 
I had a look at the rotary table you listed and it seems very similar to my Vertex HV6 ( http://www.machineryhouse.com.au/R006) with one exception. The Vertex has three T slots in the table which allows a 3 jaw chuck to be mounted without a backing plate. This can be important on small mills without a lot of head height. In contrast the RT you list has 4 slots and would be better if you want to mount a 4 jaw. If you can fit a backing plate and still get your work under the cutter either would be suitable.
Enjoy your new mill
Ron
Brisbane


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## rodw (Apr 2, 2015)

Silly me, I thought that was a Vertex table but its another inferior brand. I did however see the chuck mounting plate the other day and think it would be a cool addition as I have bought the chuck. It is a bit frustrating to have to set the table up and then repeat for the chuck. The Toolmaster plate centres  on the MT taper.

If you follow the arduino threads you will find that the whole concept of division plates is obsolete.

Agreed that the 6" table is the maximum that will fit only after modifying but to me a 4" table would be restrictive. Maybe forget about the RT for now and get the ER32 collet blocks from Ausee instead. I think they also do a spindexer fixture as well.


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## Blogwitch (Apr 2, 2015)

I don't have one of these smaller machines but an 836, like a mini bridgeport, and I have noticed that over the years, especially the last 10, some things have become almost a necessary requirement to be fitted to a mill.

The first are DRO's, these have revolutionised how we operate our machinery, and have given us a massive leap in general tolerance retention on our machines. I used to work to 0.002" in the early days, and although not required, I can actually work to 0.0002" if needed, a thing that couldn't really be achieved a few years ago, especially within our shops with worn out machinery sourced from industrial suppliers.

Now the second largest jump has been in the use by us modellers of power feeds.
I had used them for many years in industry, so knew exactly what to expect.
When I became rather disabled, having hardly any use in my right arm, I took the decision to have power feeds fitted to all axis on my then new mill.
Instantly surface finishes improved no end in ALL materials, to such an extent if I see any machining marks on my work, I know that there must be something wrong in my process. One of the biggest bonuses I have found is in the Z axis. If I am boring, the surface finishes that I get could almost be mistaken for having been ground.
Because of this revelation, I actually use my mill for a lot of jobs that normally would have been done on the lathe as not only are they easier to set up, the finishes that I get with power feeds just cannot be beaten.

John


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## wm460 (Apr 3, 2015)

Thanks for your replies, I will have a lot of questions later.

Bazmak, any good tooling places in Adelaide?
Also places to buy steel, Ali etc.


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## bazmak (May 10, 2015)

Hi Mark, local suppliers of tooling limited.Ebay has Oszme stores at Biekenhead.Prices ok with free postage.Surnam metals very good at Gepps cross way Massive stock of non ferrous will ship Lots of offcuts.Where are you and what are you looking for ?


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## gus (May 11, 2015)

*Mill Table Power Feed*
Thought I would need one but after DIY one successfully and running smoothly. I hardly used it.
Just like Paul Swifty,I went back to cranking the hand wheel.
*Rotary Table.*
Too costly landed in Singapore.I DIY two. The first was a flop. However lessons learned from the 'flop'' helped me to DIY a very good,solid and working RT.Plans came from DeanPhotographica.com. Dean built the 4'' RT using Taig Mill and Lathe. Took a bit of time to figure out how graduate the table and hand wheel and also the letter stamping jig so as not to have letters nodding/jumping.
I am about to make another just to cut spur gears. The dividing/indexing plate will also DIY.

Welcome to this very helpful HMEM Forum.


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## Jan_Rune (May 11, 2015)

wm460 said:


> I am still looking around for a mill just about made up my mind leaning towards the Seig SX3L from Aussee.
> 
> 1, Are the Auto feed/power drive worth getting?
> 
> ...



I got the SX3. I think its great value for money.

1. As another one said here if autofeed is needed it must be for the Z axis. Its time consuming to crank it up and down. Only benefit for the X-axis must be surface finish. I removed the nut on the handle on mine. When i facemill or do some flycutting i just remove the handle and chuck up my battery drill for instant power feed. 

2. A good vise. I got a 4"/100mm Kurt copy and i think the 4" is the vise that fits the SX3 best. ER32 collett chuck, preferably with a 3/4 shank and get a Tormach TTS R8 collet. And you will probably need a drill chuck, preferably with a 3/4 shank as well. I really like the Tormach TTS system if you didnt notice  Maybe an edge finder as well. I find the electronic ones best as you dont have to care about backlash when using it. 

3. I got mine at 950mm/37" and i think thats ok.


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## wm460 (May 12, 2015)

bazmak said:


> Hi Mark, local suppliers of tooling limited.Ebay has Oszme stores at Biekenhead.Prices ok with free postage.Surnam metals very good at Gepps cross way Massive stock of non ferrous will ship Lots of offcuts.Where are you and what are you looking for ?


-

I am in Tennant Creek, Northern Territory, just got back from a couple of weeks in the Adelaide hills.

I will look up Surnam metals, I would have driven past them a couple of times.

I was looking for 4" X 1/2" Ali flat bar found some 3/8" in Mt Barker.


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## bazmak (May 12, 2015)

Hi Mark,Surman metals.tel 0882599402.Alum to 500dia,flat 160x25 and plt to
300 thk .All grades.Will ship by courier.Lots of offcuts.I went to get some cast iron,very impressed.Its a 90min drive for me so will order over the phone next time.Steel suppliers are numerous.They will sed you a brochure of stock and sizes if you request.Offcuts are priced by weight.CI is $5/kg.Alum $10
Brass @16.Copper and bronze are more expensive
5 greenfields drive.SA 5107 just off Salisbury Highway.Well worth a visit
make a list. Regards Barry


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## wm460 (May 13, 2015)

That is a real neat looking rotary table Gus, well done. Thm:Thm:

I know what you mean about the cost of freight.
Melbourne to Alice Springs is 2,256.6 km the freight was $304.55 the extra 500 km to Tennant Ck they wanted an extra $450.00, and the bloody truck goes straight through Tennant to get to Darwin.

So I left my trailer in Alice and picked the mill up on the way back from holidays.

Great idea using your drill for power feed Jan.

Thanks for the phone No etc Barry.


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