# Some questions about a Taig mill



## jdsackett (Apr 5, 2011)

HI guys. I'm in the market for a small milling machine. Have been looking at the SX2, X2, and Taig. Sherline looks a little too small. By the time you get an X2 set up and a belt drive on it, you can get an SX2 that already has a belt drive and a larger motor.
   I checked out a few sites about the Taig and am kinda leaning towards one of those. Right now you can get one on sale with a vise, small set of collets, a couple of end mills and free shipping. Probably not much of a vise, but would probably work until i bought or made one. Cost would be about the same as a micro-mark with shipping, maybe a few bucks cheaper. I have a larger milling machine, so work envelope is not a problem. I want a smaller one so i don't keep eating small tooling. Feel on my machine is not the greatest for little tools.
    Now, i have looked for a manual for the Taig and havn't been able to find one. So, have some questions. It looks like the z travel is controlled by a handwheel on top of the machine. Is that correct? Is that the only Z control you have?? If so, how is drilling holes with one of these guys??
    How much distance per revolution is there on the x, y and z? What are the graduations?? .001? 
    How much tune up is needed out of the box?? I have a couple of Chinese machines, and there is quite a bit of tuning to do before you cut metal.
    Is it worth the money to get the larger motor option? I Have no plans to cnc, so it will just see manual use.
    The tooling plate looks interesting. Does anyone have one that can comment on those?
    Appreciate any help here fellas. Noplace around here i can go put my hands on one and check it out. Thanks. Regards, j.d.


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## Deanofid (Apr 5, 2011)

jdsackett  said:
			
		

> I checked out a few sites about the Taig and am kinda leaning towards one of those. Right now you can get one on sale with a vise, small set of collets, a couple of end mills and free shipping. Probably not much of a vise, but would probably work until i bought or made one. Cost would be about the same as a micro-mark with shipping, maybe a few bucks cheaper. I have a larger milling machine, so work envelope is not a problem. I want a smaller one so i don't keep eating small tooling. Feel on my machine is not the greatest for little tools.


I have the standard Taig mill. I've owned Sherline in the past, and have used the other small china mills out there. The Taig outshines them all. If it didn't, I would have bought something else.

The vise that comes with it is not much, but usable until you make or get something better.
See my webpages for lots of Taig projects, including making a screwless vise, rotary table, and dividing head, among other things.



> Now, i have looked for a manual for the Taig and havn't been able to find one. So, have some questions. It looks like the z travel is controlled by a handwheel on top of the machine. Is that correct? Is that the only Z control you have?? If so, how is drilling holes with one of these guys??


The Z is controlled by the dial on top. Drilling holes is simple as cranking it down, then cranking it back up.



> How much distance per revolution is there on the x, y and z? What are the graduations?? .001?


All the dials are calibrated in true inch, .001" per grad and .050" per dial rotation. The leadscrews are real inch screws, not metric with funky dials cut to match.



> How much tune up is needed out of the box??


NONE. Bolt it together, comes in three pieces. About 15 minutes. Tram the column and start cutting! The gibs and leadscrew nuts are set properly at the factory to begin with. No messing around. No grease all over the place, either.



> Is it worth the money to get the larger motor option? I Have no plans to cnc, so it will just see manual use.


I've used the standard 1/5 hp Franklin motor that came on mine since I got it some years back. Will run a 3/8 end mill through 1/8 in deep passes in 1018 CRS with no problem.




> The tooling plate looks interesting. Does anyone have one that can comment on those?


I have one that I got from A2Z. I leave it on the X table all the time and love it. Has a gob of holes for mounting things. Very handy.

Dean


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## kuhncw (Apr 5, 2011)

Hello JD,

Dean did a fine job of answering your questions while I was typing my answer up. I'll go ahead and post what I wrote anyway.


I've had a Taig 2019CRER mill for several years and been very pleased with it. The Taig is nearly ready to run right out of the box. You do some assembly, tram it in, and you are good to go. You won't have to due a bunch of tune up as it is a well made machine. I added steppers to mine when I got it so I have no manual experience with the machine. 

There is no operataor's manual for a Taig. However, there are a couple helpful groups such as the Taig group on Yahoo. The Taig Owner's Club is another group dedicated to Taig machines. 

Nick Carter has a very extensive Taig related website at www.cartertools.com and Jeff Birt is another helpful fellow when 
it comes to questions related to a Taig machines. You can find Jeff at http://www.soigeneris.com Both Nick and Jeff sell Taig machines and I've dealt with both. They are good guys. The Taig factory will also talk to you and answer questions.

The only Z axis control is the Z lead screw. Probably not great for a lot of drilling on the manual machine if the holes are very deep. I have a stepper on the Z, so that makes drilling pretty easy.

I think the optional motor would be a good upgrade but you might want to ask Nick or Jeff as I've never had the standard motor. I see Dean says the standard motor works well.

The lead screws are 5/8 - 20 thread, so one turn is 0.050 inches and the Taig site says the collars are graduated in 0.001 increments.

The tooling plate is a great idea. I have one and would not want to give it up. The plate protects the mill table in addition to being great for holding down work

You might want to buy a couple spare belts. They last well unless you get them out of alignment. 

Those are my thoughts and opinions on the Taig mill. 

If you have more questions, just ask.

Regards,

Chuck Kuhn


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## jdsackett (Apr 6, 2011)

Thanks for the info fellas!!! Just what i was wondering. One other question. Is the tooling plate strong enough to mount a vise on??
   Dean, your website is awesome! I spent a couple of hours there yesterday, and am going to borrow (ok, steal) a couple of your drawings. Have another question. On your screwless vise you have a couple of L brackets holding it to the table. Is that all you're using?? Is it rigid enough??
    Thanks again guys. Very helpful and much appreciated. Regards, j.d.


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## kuhncw (Apr 6, 2011)

Hi JD,

Taig says their tooling plate is 5/8 thick. This is plenty strong to mount any vise you'd use on a mill the size of the Taig. 

Let us know what you decide.

Regards,

Chuck Kuhn


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## bronson (Apr 6, 2011)

I just wanted to say that i own a taig mill and am also very pleased with the purchase. Unlike the cheap machines when you turn a taig dial .001 you get .001. I have had my taig about five years and the only thing i had to do is replace the headstock bearings this year and i bought the best bearings they sell that size and it was $25 can't beat that. All the adjustments on the mill are very easy to do. I am very happy with my taig. Check this site out he uses a taig mill and lathe http://www.modelengines.info/.


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## Twmaster (Apr 6, 2011)

And I'll toss my pair of worn out pennies on the pile....

I too have a Taig mill. I love the thing. Everything mentioned above is spot on. Assemble, tram, make chips.

Nick Carter (www.cartertools.com) sells a tooling plate that I think he produces. I have one. It's more than strong enough to mount a vise to. 

You may also want to buy your machine through him. He is a dealer for Taig. He's also a really great guy as well. You cannot beat him for customer service.

I cut slots in 1018 CRS all the time with my mill. 

Vise hold down is easy. I have a pair of clamps I made that stick into the cross holes in the vise. Never had a vise move during a cut. Ever.


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## Deanofid (Apr 6, 2011)

jdsackett  said:
			
		

> Thanks for the info fellas!!! Just what i was wondering. One other question. Is the tooling plate strong enough to mount a vise on??
> Dean, your website is awesome! I spent a couple of hours there yesterday, and am going to borrow (ok, steal) a couple of your drawings. Have another question. On your screwless vise you have a couple of L brackets holding it to the table. Is that all you're using?? Is it rigid enough??
> Thanks again guys. Very helpful and much appreciated. Regards, j.d.



J.D., I use the two clamps you see in this pic all the time. Vise never moves, ever.
(Pic taken before I got my tooling plate, BTW.)







You can bolt whatever you want to that tooling plate. That's its reason for being. They're very handy with all the holes that come in them, and tough as nails. I never take mine off, and bolt my divider, RT, vise, and all manner of odd setups to it. 

Thank you for the nice comments on the web site!

Dean


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## bronson (Apr 7, 2011)

I also just wanted to say congrtas to DEANOFID on the web site have spent many hours on there, very interesting site lots of neat things.


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## jdsackett (Apr 10, 2011)

Thanks for all the help fellas. Appreciate it!!! Think Monday I'll give nick a call and go from there. Thanks again for all the helpful replies. Regards, j.d.


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