Over at Little Machine Shop, their HiTorque 5500 benchtop milling machine is currently on sale. In a post last week, I mentioned itching for a CNC machine and wondered aloud if it’s a good time to buy one.
Well, I’ve also been itching for a mid-sized benchtop mill.
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This machine is based off of the Sieg X2.7, putting it a step higher than the X2 machines commonly described as “mini mills.” It’s listed as weighing 262 pounds.
The HiTorque bench mill lacks some of the nice upgrades of the comparably priced Mini Mill Deluxe that Little Machine Shop offers. Most notably, it lacks the Deluxe’s DRO (digital readout) system. But, the Bench Mill is a larger machine that should offer greater rigidity, not to mention greater capacity.
The Bench Mill has a solid column, which should make it more rigid than smaller mills that have tiltable columns. LMS’s smaller mini mills also have solid columns.
It has a 750W brushless DC motor, 23.4″ x 5.5″ table size, R8 spindle, tapping mode, and digital position readout for the quill.
Sale Price: $1350
Regular Price: $1500
Freight: $195 including lift gate (for my zip). There’s also a cheaper “pick it up at the terminal” rate.
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There’s also a metal stand and chip tray available.
Speaking personally, I probably won’t pull the trigger, at least not right now. I like to work with wood, plastic, and aluminum. I don’t often reach the limits of what my Taig can do. And while I wish I had a machine that can flatten out larger workpieces, I keep thinking that I can put the money to better use.
After looking at the price of the CNC machine I had my eyes on, I decided to look at smaller machines, to better learn on. Then, maybe a few thousand hours in, I could upgrade to something bigger.
But if I factor in how much that smaller CNC might cost, and how much something like a more capable benchtop mill might cost, I think about whether it’s best for me to simply save for longer and keep planning for an eventual CNC.
With that said, there are plenty of Mini Mill conversions, and I don’t doubt that there is info on Bench Mill (Sieg X2.7) conversions as well. *Looks online.* Yep, there’s some information online about possibly converting this class of machine.
While LMS’ user manual is spartan, someone on a forum pointed out that there’s some helpful information in Grizzly’s G0704 manual. That is NOT the same machine, but I thought it was useful to point out anyway.
I have wondered if I should look at LMS’s Mini Mills again, which start at around $900. Their Micro Mills aren’t any more capable than my Taig, and so I’m not even looking at them.
While the difference between $900 and $1500 (or $1350 during this sale period) is not chump change, I’d justify it as being a more rigid and future-proof machine that with a barely larger foot print. Since I don’t have any R8 tooling, or work-holding accessories scaled to a machine of either size, the additional investment would be the same in that regard.
I… don’t know.
But since I’m on the fence and will likely close my wallet on this deal, I felt compelled to write about it. Maybe some of you are home machinists waiting for a deal like this, and you can school me on its pros and cons after you buy it.
Maybe I’ll wait until the 10% off deal comes around again, or maybe I’ll find a deal on the Mini Mill that makes the smaller machine more attractive.
Or maybe I’ll save the money and put it towards a stepper motor and electronics package to convert my small Taig mill into a CNC.
Decisions, decisions.
One thing I do know is that I like Little Machine Shop. You can find Sieg mills under many brands, such as Harbor Freight, Grizzly, and Micro Mark, but I find that I’d rather do business with LMS on a potential purchase like this one.
Buy Now(via Little Machine Shop)
Deal ends Feb 27, 2018.
Eric
Making a mill bigger or more rigid is sure harder than adding DRO… I have a mini mill with just about every upgrade at this point (air spring, belt drive, spindle light, thrust bearings, DRO) and it does everything I reasonably want it to for a manual mill.
The DRO I added was probably $120 total, it works perfectly, it is at least as accurate as the mill. There is a current day equivalent: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Digital-Readout-DRO-Set-6-12-24-Igaging-AC-Articulating-Remote-Display/142023107663?hash=item21113ca44f:g:ucUAAOSwzJ5XVi4o
I am not launching space shuttles or making 25k psi diesel injectors or anything but the DRO is perfect for my use, the only thing I wish I had was a slightly bigger and more powerful mill (although I would still wish this if I got a X2.7).
Rob
It depends on what you are cutting. If you only mill aluminum and plastic then adding a longer actuator under the table is relatively easy as those materials don’t require as much stiffness.
Personally, I think those bench mills are a waste of time these days. They are too slow for aluminum or plastics and not particularly powerful or stiff for cutting steel. For milling aluminum parts, I would rather use a CNC router with a high speed spindle and a much larger work envelope.
Having a 250lb mill (too light) and being limited to 2000rpm is the worst of all worlds. Times have moved on. We now have coated carbide end mills designed to be used at 24,000rpm (or higher).
z2w
YES. Please get one of these and tell us all about it.
Stuart
nonono, you guys are supposed to tell ME about it!
Is this payback for what I do to your wallets? =)
Chris
Haha! I wish my wallet was fat enough to have a toolguyd shopping spree.
Stuart
I saved for a larger bench mill for so long, but now I’m too hesitant to buy anything. Shopping spree? I wish.
Shiro the Hiro
I know this is an old post now, but I own a LMS 5550. I have the DRO upgrade (which is a FANTASTIC DRO) and the long table upgrade. Happy to take pictures or tell you anything else about how I use it. For starters, I cut 6AL4V, 17-4, 304, 4140, 1018, you name it – I cut it. I even use facemills that are far larger than what this machine should support with excellent results. upgrading to this machine (from an X2, harbor freight variety) was one of the best machine shop decisions i’ve made. This machine absolutely upped my entire game and is a core fixture in my shop! Talk at you soon.
Paul
small mill are nice, but they sure lose their appeal fast unless you’re constantly doing small work.
a used bridgeport clone and a VFD can be had for less if you keep an eye out and they have a much bigger working area and much more stability to allow for a much broader range.
only issue being the space required for a clone mill
fred
From Stuart’s prior comments – space might be at a premium for him in his house.
It’s hard to balance the space (money and time too) resources of a shop versus the needs of your family. Until I moved some portable tools up into the garage (once housed 3 cars) – alongside my wife’s gardening benches – I had everything contained in a basement shop – and built an access-way to bring the machinery – then the lumber in and completed projects out. Admittedly a 2400 sq. ft. basement can accommodate quite a bit.
The alternative for a business (like ToolGuyd) is to lease space – but that can eat into profitability if it doesn’t generate added revenue. Adding on (building) an extension for added shop space would be another alternative – and might have some tax write-off potential – but perhaps not enough to balance out the carrying charges on the upfront capital costs . Better to “cut your clothes according to your cloth” as the old maxim says.
Joe
That’s some badass tools..love the content
Jason
Can you post some examples of what projects or work you might *DO* with this tool? The photo looks like a fancy drill press, and I assume it’s made to mill metals, but how exactly would you use that new-found ability in your shop?
Stuart
I don’t have a machine that can handle a large enough flywheel cutter. Or a large rotary table. Or larger end mills.
One project I’m working on needs some fluted knobs. I found some nice small ones on clearance and bought a lifetime supply (http://www.newark.com/multicomp/mc21029/round-knurled-dial-knob-6-4mm/dp/10M7546), but there’s another project that I’ve back-burnered because I can’t make a large finger-friendly knob out of aluminum or plastic.
I could do it with a benchtop mill and larger rotary table than my Taig can support. I’m not even sure a CNC router could handle the parts.
In the past 10 years or so, I’ve had to rethink a lot of small projects because I didn’t have a large enough machine to do what I wanted, at least not reasonably fast or easy enough.
Donny
Do you have a lathe? That’s the first thing that comes to mind when I think “knobs”.
Stuart
An itty bitty Sherline.
Even with a larger lathe, the knobs would still need to be milled to create the finger grip flutes around the perimeter.
I might also eventually step up to a more capable metal lathe, but that has always been a more secondary need for me.
Eric
I thought the same thing I read about the knobs. I have a mini mill and mini lathe both with several upgrades (Grizzly version of x2 and HF version of 7″x12″). I would have loved much larger versions of both but I figured small mill/lathe were better than no mill/lathe, and I am glad I made that decision years ago instead of waiting for the perfect monster used buy. I find uses for both several times per year and I am shocked how much utility I get out of being able to cut threads.
Shiro the Hiro
This is way more than ‘a fancy drillpress’ I’ve been using the ‘premium’ version of the mill with magnetic DRO, long table, etc. and its been a fantastic machine. I upgraded from an X2 and have NEVER regretted it.
I’ve been running a 3″ facemill with 90 degree APMTs on HARDENED 4140 and its been wicked successful. I’ve become somewhat of a fanboy for LMS – their ‘HiTorque’ line of Seig clones are quite good.
Nate
I’m going to jump into the bigger mill camp. I’m a pretty amateur machinist and in my experience,the little mistake one inevitably makes when getting acquainted with milling operations will quickly demonstrate the magnitude of the forces involved. The rigidity of a BP clone will give you a lot more flexibility when you want to scale up to bigger projects. I would consider this machine more of a precision drill press with limited machining capabilty. That said, if your main interest is CNCing a bunch of small aluminum parts it’s probably awesome.
Stuart
A Bridgeport won’t happen unless I win the lottery and can build a workshop in an industrial space.
While I wish I could have full-size metalworking equipment and full-size woodworking tools, it simply isn’t in the cards for me in the near future.
Jonathan Graham
I’m a tool and die maker with many years of experience and I’m here to tell you that this would work fine for whatever you’d like to do.
Just to put it into perspective my grandfather took a craftsman drill press, bought a commercial x/y table, blacksmithed a bunch of strap clamps he bolted all over the thing, and did some pretty high end gunsmithing with it. Unless you’re going to make a living with it, a Bridgeport isn’t worth the money, the space it takes, or the electricity hassle that’s involved.
Charles
C’mon Stuart we need more metal working stuff!! Get a grizzly 704 and start the upgrade process so we can follow along. Get crazy with it like magnetic vise for parts, surface grinder attachments, dro, powerfeed, upgrade to NC. Use a home mill to go nuts and machine crazy stuff like hastalloy and inconel.
Stuart
Why Grizzly 704 over this LMS 5500?
I’m hesitant to dip my toes in, and you want me to commit to a cannonball in the deep end?!
Lyle
Its always easier to live vicariously through someone else over the internet. Buy it and tell us all about it.
fred
Tools can provide another vicarious pleasure. With both hand tools and machine tools it is also easy to imagine yourself being able to do more if you only had: ( you can fill in multiple blanks here.)
The fact is that few of us have the talent or time to master everything – and we are probably better served by trying to become proficient with a set of good tools to build something that is well designed, skillfully constructed and useful and/or aesthetically pleasing. If we allow ourselves, we can become dilettantes – or jacks of all trades and masters of none. I’m as guilty as the next guy, in this regard, and have lots of tools that gather dust rather than make sawdust.
Stuart
That’s also something I worry about.
I bought a paint and finish sprayer last year, but all spring and summer went by and I had zero opportunities to use it. Now that I have my days back, I’ll put it to use once the average temperature is high enough. It was hard to find opportunities last year because my daughter was with me weekdays, and everyone was home weekends when I scrambled to get as much done as I could.
But things like that sting. I don’t like having unused machinery. They tie up money and space.
“Better to have it and not need it?” No. Better to not have it if I don’t need it, to better use the space for something else.
I’m slowly getting there.
I am very guilty of “I could totally do XYZ if I had a [new tool].” But with certain product categories, such as a benchtop mill, I’ve yo-yoed with my plans for years now.
The difficult part is that I like working with wood, plastic, and metal. I think that I’m leaning towards metal and plastic.
Donny
Stuart, do you have a maker space near you? I live in a tiny apartment and have very few tools, but there’s a nearby maker space that has a Bridgeport clone and several other larger tools. I’ve put in hundreds of hours on the mill over the years and completed several projects. I own a bunch of cutters and other tooling as that stuff ends up trashed, but the mill itself is completely functional.
firefly
Painting is one of those thing that require a bit of set up and clean up time more… A lot of time the set up/prep and clean up time being a lot more than the painting itself especially if the project is small. It’s one of those thing that I am reluctant to do myself.
Specialize tool like a mill is always a chicken and egg problem for me. They do have a fairly steep learning curve so I know it’s not something that I can just buy it and use it. Yet I also remember countless time that I have to do with less or find a less than desirable workaround because I couldn’t source the part that I want. Especially when it come to one off project that’s small enough that most shop isn’t willing to take on it. Unless you have a friend that have a mill and know what to do with it… 🙂
Travis
I will say this- for any machine I put a DRO on, I wouldnt bother with those caliper style scales/readouts. A decent Chinese glass scale DRO with tenths readout can be had on ebay for around 250. I am very happy with the one I installed on my Gorton 0-16D.
For me, if a small mill had a DRO and a power feed on it, mounted on a nice rigid bench, it could approach Bridgeport levels of convenience- because really that is the nicest thing about a Bridgeport, it isnt the most rigid machine (think Cincinnati or K&T, or the most accurate ( Jig Bore) but it does everything OK enough for most things, and doesnt wear you out doing it.
I say go for it. You will find many uses for a larger mill- even if it is making the tool to make the tool to make what you need 🙂
Stuart
The 5500, and another machine in its class (Precision Matthews PM-25MV) have a whole slew of add-ons that can be attached. Power feed, DRO, power lift, spindle lock, quill stop.
There’s a “deluxe” version of this mill, for $2170, with some of the add-ons preinstalled.
Ron
The Precision Matthews is exactly the machine I was going to suggest you take a look at. It came to me as a recommendation from a member of the Chesapeake Area Metalworking Society that lets me hang out on their list-serve. Its on my list after I see what comes 1st for my tax return.
Farid
I got LMS email yesterday and was very tempted. Damn it…you just had to bring up the temptation again.
Stuart
Posting about tools I’m on the fence about helps to quell some of my temptations. Now I know where it goes. =)
Peter Fox
I own a Grizzly G0619 (Sieg SX3) and about and 80 year old 9″ Southbend lathe.
I am in a similar boat, I just don’t have the space for larger machines. That said given some patience and creativity you can do some really good work within the limitations of these smaller bench top machines.
Last weekend I needed to make a gearbox output shaft for the FIRST robotics team that I am a mentor with. it has a 28 tooth metric spline on one end and is 1/2″ hex shaped on the other end.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/jvWg7GqHlMlm7ZVj1.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/ekjI53Bc7AVq5fF22
The best recommendation I can make is buy the biggest machine you can afford and have space for.
Personally I think the SX3 is one of the best small machines available. having had it for about 10 years I would probably buy it again in a heartbeat even considering all of the additional options that have come out since then.
Farid
Peter,
I am glad you posted this. We just finished our state FLL championship. I suppose I can justify this purchase by hedging on a need when my son moves up to the next level in First competitions.
Good luck to your team. It takes a lot of (rewarding) hard work, isn’t it?!
Peter Fox
Yes, It is hard work but it is also one of the most rewarding and fun thing I have ever done.
I have been a mentor on and FRC ream for 8 years and I am still amazed at how much I learn each year.
Stuart
Thanks! How well does the Glacern vise work for you?
Peter Fox
The Glacern Vise has been awesome.
I originally purchased a Grizzly 5″ vise also with the mill and it was OK but it has some issues with the bed of the vise not being perfectly flat. it was about 0.004″ low on one side, this may not seem like much but it can make quite a difference on longer parts that have to be flipped during machining.
Glacern is one of the only manufactures that still makes a 5″ milling machine vise. and it is much much better quality than the Grizzly one. It also cost quite a bit more but you get what you pay for.
I picked a 5″ as it is the largest that reasonably fits on a SX3 mill. A 6″ is too big and heavy and a 4″ while more common is a bit limiting to me. Considering that a vise it the most used work holding option for a mill I wanted the best option I could get.
Stuart
Thanks!
Any issue with T-slots?
The 2 machines I’d consider both have 12mm slots, but the Glacern 4″ is said to have 1/2″ T-slot alignment keys.
Even though these are described as CNC vises, I assume they can be used for manual operations too.
Peter Fox
Yes, I did have to machine some stepped keys for aligning it to the table (you don’t really need them but it makes getting the vise close much easier)
Additionally most of these smaller bench top machines need smaller less common size T-slot nuts. Not a big deal but it can slow you down for a few days initially if you don’t realize it.
“CNC vise” is more marketing speak than anything else. I have seen the term thrown around plenty with machining tools. If it will work in a CNC it will probably do equally well for manual machining.
It probably matters more in a production environment where it is common to have multiple vises lined up next to each other in a larger CNC milling center. If I recall Glacern can match the bed height of multiple vises to make this type of setup more accurate. Probably a great selling point to a larger shop but not so much to a hobbyist. I am happy that the bottom od the bed is parallel to the top beyond what I can measure with any of my indicators
Stuart
Thank you!
Ah, I think I understand.
Mounting lugs to the side, but keys (similar to T-nuts or tabs?) on the bottom for easier alignment?
Peter Fox
Yup the keys mount to the bottom of the vise and fit into the slots on the table. A very close fit on both sides of the keys is critical to getting good alignment (think on the order of about 0.001″ of clearance or less).
You still would want to indicate against the fixed jaw and nudge it in to perfect alignment while tightening the mounting bolts if you are doing high precision work.
Peter Fox
A couple of additional comments on why I would pick the SX3 over the other smaller machines that have been released in the last 10 years.
1. Placement of Z axis hand-wheel, it is below the table and right in-between the X and Y axis hand wheels if you stand toward the right side of the machine. you do not have to reach very far to grab it, it becomes almost automatic to be able to grab the correct hand-wheel while operating the machine.
2. Almost 15″ of clearance from the spindle to the table with the head stock all the way up. it is amazing how fast you run out of vertical clearance once you stack up you vise, parallels, part, drill chuck, tool, and the clearance to change tools in the chuck with out moving the X or Y axis off your current location.
3. Tilting head, while it is almost always easier to tilt the work piece have the option to tilt the head is really nice for the odd project, and you don’t really lose much if any rigidity with this machine. (the weakness that all of these small dovetail column machines have is torsional rigidity of the column. as it has a open C channel cross section when viewed from the top)
4. Tapping mode, the SX3 and quite a few other small machines have it. Do not under estimate how awesome it is to drill a hole and then follow it up with a tap perfectly straight and dead center above the hole you just drilled. I would consider it almost a must have unless you are really strapped budget wise.
The SX2.7 looks very good however for almost the same foot print the SX3 is about 140 lbs heavier (222 Vrs 363 more mass is always good with small machines), has better placement of the Z axis hand wheel, and additional flexibility with the tilting head.
Stuart
Thank you again!
I think that my focus is on the LMS Bench Mill (Sieg X2.7) or Precision Matthews machines (e.g. PM-25MV) because of their intermediate size, and because these brands’ machines seem to be more “ready to go” than those by Grizzly or other brands.
I don’t want to have to tune up a brand new machine. That’s among my biggest frustrations – getting a new machine that requires a lot of work before it’s ready to go.
A little shipping grease removal? Easy. A little motor or bearing burn-in at no load? Okay. A tiny bit of calibration? Sure. But beyond that?
I’ve heard of Grizzly and Harbor Freight machines requiring a lot of attention and elbow grease before they were ready for use.
I have a Wilton clamp-on vise I bought maybe 3 years ago. It’s on a storage shelf waiting until I can do some file work to fix the non-working swivel base or something like that.
If the X3 goes on my consideration list, I start looking at the comparable Precision Matthews machines, and the potential expenditure climbs rapidly.
Peter Fox
From my experience Grizzly is pretty middle of the road. Definitely better than harbor Freight.
My mill needed a good cleaning and lubrication with the proper Way oil, but was pretty much ready to run otherwise.
My machine was spot on for all the major axis parallelism and machine alignments (not counting head stock tram as the head is tillable).
I have not made too many upgrades so far, this is what I have done.
1. Upgrade the plastic handles on the X,Y,Z axis hand-wheels from the plastic ones to some nice all metal revolving handles.
2. Install a DRO on the X and Y axis (I will get to the Z axis eventually). I went with a Shooting Star DRO but there are plenty of good options.
3. Made and installed a lever actuated spindle lock to make tool changes faster and easier. There is a really good design some one on the practical machinist forum designed and released drawings for.
The basic machine is solid and doesn’t really need much to be usable. I have spent far more time making part than fixing or upgrading the machine.
firefly
Peter what’s the thing that I circle in red?
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Cyfp09FqpjSjoOFBZ0v98G0MMEhhCujw
Did that come with your SX3?
Stuart
Rotary table with indexer and vertical mount.
Visualization example: Let’s say you want to add hex flats to round stock. Or 12pt or whatever. That will allow you to do it.
Peter Fox
Stewart is pretty much spot on. it is a Grizzly 6″ rotary table (Grizzly H7527) with a 6″ 4 jaw plain back lathe chuck bolted on it (Grizzly G9865).
It can be used for cutting of circular slots and features and rotary indexing such as needed to cut splines and gear teeth.
The set up in the picture was for making a 28 tooth spline needed for a gearbox shaft. The black shaft in the picture is factory made the silver one is my copy. https://photos.app.goo.gl/UZ55D94ZruLuYnMF2
firefly
Thanks Stuart and Peter,
That make sense. So I a guess there is a large reduction gear inside a rotary indexing table to allow the user to precisely control the rotational placement of the working piece? I don’t know anything about this stuff beside some rough understanding of how a mill and lathe operate.
Stuart
Rotary tables, at least the small one I have, rotate smoothly. You need a dividing plate (which I don’t have), which has specific hole patterns and turn ratios, to create physical stops for correct positioning.
This might help: https://littlemachineshop.com/instructions/1811DividingPlates.pdf
Derek
I was making this same decision last year and decided to go with the bigger 5500. I am very happy with my choice. It mostly plows through aluminum. I have done a few test cuts in steel that were ok. I was even able to get through cutting down a tool steel vise key with a hss cutter that I basically ruined with my first passes. Should have used carbide on that one.
I recommend a shars 440v vise. I also got the LMS screwless vise, which was ok but took some surgery to remake the crappy nut/cross pin.
Watch the Frank Hoose videos for a detailed walk through. I think the controls on the 5500 were more user friendly.
I was thinking about cnc conversion and went as far as detailed planning it out, but for now I would rather save the time and money to put towards a tormach. I just started looking seriously at DRO kits.
Frank D.
I have yet to see what will be produced using these advanced tools like a 3d printer, a CNC, a drillpress, … that will justify their cost, any extras, the learning time, help you complete other projects and have some return on investment.
I keep reading that the new work space is not finished, tools are not yet organized or reviewed, articles not yet finished, …
So spending $1000-$5000 or more on advanced tools for small needs (like making some knobs, small part here and there) seems like a bad priority and investment.
Maybe show us using the tools you have and have on hand to review, whipping together your work space, organizational setup, …
JoeM
The more I read this blog, the more I realize how giant a workshop I’d need to build in order to cover everything I want.
I think I would need a section built onto that dream workshop, just for the mini mills and lathes from this Little Machine Shop company. I already have a serious drooling problem over a Canadian company that makes Machine Shop tools in full size, https://www.busybeetools.com/ and I’m already picking out a sheer/break for my uses from there.
Now I’m starting to want a Mill and Lathe. There’s no reason for this. I think I just have delusions of adequacy in making what I need for what I make, rather than endless searching to buy them.
Paul
Trying to make a similar decision, but it’s driving me crazy…
Has anyone looked at this one from Grizzly?
https://www.grizzly.com/products/Mill-Drill/G0758
I only need to work brass and aluminum, occasional mild steel within say a 6x12x6 inch maximum envelope or so. Don’t need speed so much as precision. Budget in the $1-1.5K ballpark.
I similarly have size and weight restrictions working in my home, limiting me to those mills less than about 250lbs.
I agree that LMS is a good bet because they make the extra effort to ensure their machines are the best quality of Sieg we can get in the US. I understand Precision Mathews is equally good, but starting at the larger sizes. What stops me from going LMS is what seems to me an exorbitant shipping cost to an eastern US residence of $200. This makes every machine +$200 except the Micro Mill (which I may end up settling on even though it’s smaller than what I’d like). If it wasn’t for that, the LMS X2.7 is the machine I’d choose.
If this Grizzly is any good, it’s a nice size within stated limits. But frankly I’m very hesitant to do anything with Grizzly because of all the reported quality and support nightmares with their other machines. However, if someone has had a good experience with this specific machine, it might be enough to take the chance.
Good luck all!!
Marcelo
My first mill was a mini. It was very limited and time consuming (very light cuts). Ended up buying a good 900lbs mill-drill deeply (I mean DEEPLY) discounted. Quite satisfied with it. Power feed makes usage much faster and you can even get a cup of coffee while mill is milling away (just remember to set it´s stops to prevent it from hitting something else).
Most chinese mill are “somewhat assembled” at factories. Even now (two years later), I still find some parts and pieces needing a little (or a lot) tweaking.
DRO is very nice also.
Paulus
I had a Micro-Mark mini mill and I bought an LMS 5500 bench mill to replace it. I am really glad that I did, it is a much more satisfying machine to use. The thing that I really disliked about the X2 mini mill was the Z axis rack. In addition to a better verticle feed system, it has a depth lcd indicator built in and a tapping setting with push button reversal of the tap. Twice as much money but if you can afford it it is a nice tool.
Niv
The Sieg sx2.7 is not calibrated at all! I just got one tested it everything was off in the order of 0.1-4 mm I was lucky to get a replacement from the seller, same exact story. This Sieg machine is a complete garbage. Like any other Chinese crap. I must say that it does look good what a shame.