# Micro Mill



## 350xfire (Jun 29, 2012)

I finally found me a little mill to play around with. It's no Index with 9x42 table like the one I had but this one will do most of what I need. It's a little micro mill (Sieg X1). I don't have much for it so if anyone has a 3" vise and stuff for this thing they want to sell please let me know.
Thanks


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## precisionworks (Jun 29, 2012)

R8 or MT3 spindle?


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## 350xfire (Jun 29, 2012)

Actually MT2.


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## precisionworks (Jun 30, 2012)

350xfire said:


> Actually MT2.


 That is the same taper as a south bend 9 or 10 tailstock. Should be no problem to find tooling.


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## 350xfire (Jun 30, 2012)

cool thanks


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## 350xfire (Jul 1, 2012)

Turns out I actually have an MT2 end mill holder set from when I had an old HFT lathe mill combo unit. Now I need a draw bar in 3/8x-16 which I will fabricate using all-thread. Need a vise badly, though...


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## gadget_lover (Jul 1, 2012)

I don't have a spare, but can recommend the LMS 2 inch screwless vise. I use one om my X1. It is really fairly low profile.

Daniel


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## 350xfire (Jul 1, 2012)

Thanks I'll check it out


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## precisionworks (Jul 1, 2012)

I have a 4" Hy-Lo Speed vise that has not been used since the 6" Kurt was purchased. Made in the UK, heavily constructed, fast approach speed & slow tightening speed. I'll weigh it if you're interested - probably 50# or more to ship.


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## gadget_lover (Jul 1, 2012)

There is not a lot of room between the quill and the table, so clamps and fixtures are often a good idea with that mill. I leave the screwless vise mounted most of the time, properly aligned. It is very handy for small, quickly jobs.


Dan


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## 350xfire (Jul 1, 2012)

Barry, I'm interested if dimensions, price and shipping are right... Thanks
I'm mostly going to use these for milling some heatsinks so I don't need huge amounts of space...


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## gadget_lover (Jul 1, 2012)

I'm pretty sure that you will find that the 50 pound vise will dwarf the small table. 


Daniel


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## precisionworks (Jul 1, 2012)

gadget_lover said:


> I'm pretty sure that you will find that the 50 pound vise will dwarf the small table.
> 
> 
> Daniel


Bare vise weighs only 38.5#. Figure about 10# more for a wooden box to pack it in.






Sanford Hy-Lo Speed Vise.

12" long
7" base width (includes clamp ears)
4.5" width of body & jaws
3" daylight when fully opened

FWIW it's a lot smaller than the D675 that it's resting on. Also it's fairly short, only 3.75" from table to top of jaws. I made the jaws from SAE01 oil hardening tool steel. Jaws are like new. 

Biggest question is size ... is it too big for what you plan to do? Please email through my website for pricing, shipping, etc. if it looks like it will work.


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## gadget_lover (Jul 3, 2012)

Stock table size is only 240x145 mm ( 9.5 x 5.7 inches). I have the extended table on mine and find that the bigger table really helps when you are using clamps.

The reason I suggested the smaller vise is because it fits well enough on the small table. 

Daniel


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## 350xfire (Jul 3, 2012)

gadget_lover said:


> Stock table size is only 240x145 mm ( 9.5 x 5.7 inches). I have the extended table on mine and find that the bigger table really helps when you are using clamps.
> 
> The reason I suggested the smaller vise is because it fits well enough on the small table.
> 
> Daniel



I agree. I will go with one of the screwless. I wouldn't mind upgrading the micro mill, but all the upgrades are kind of expensive and by the time I do everything I would like to do I might as well just save up for a bigger mill. Wish I could have gone with Barry's as I could have used it once I upgrade the micro mill to something bigger.


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## gadget_lover (Jul 3, 2012)

The upgrade to the bigger table was worth it at the time. I was unable to justify buying a bigger mill, but the bigger table allowed me to have more "X" when doing the longer projects. Cranking that 20 tpi lead screw on an 8 inch long cut is wearying. It's only .050 per turn of the handle, so 8 inches of travel is 160 revolutions. The 8 tpi on my knee mill lead screw means only 64 revolutions for the same travel. 

Daniel


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## 350xfire (Jul 3, 2012)

That would be cool. My reasoning behind it is that I paid $240 for this one... Got it cause it was a way to get a mill NOW and it is in very good shape. If I add the bigger table for $90 and the better base with more travel, that's another $100... My $240 mill would be about $440... For another $100 I can get a new X2 from HFT. I hope to soon get a bridgeport or something like that, but we will see.


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## gadget_lover (Jul 3, 2012)

You will be surprised by how much you can do with the micro mill. It just takes more time and patience, maybe a little more ingenuity. The smaller table means less room for clamps and measuring devices. It sorely needs table stops too.

I took care of the latter by bolting the mill to the work bench, then mount movable stops to the bench as needed. I also laid down some sheet metal so that the magnetic indicator mounts will stick there. 

BTW, don't be intimidated by a bridgeport size mill. Once you get them moved, they work exactly like the micro mill. The clothes dryer circuit is usually sturdy enough to handle the VFD to turn a 3 HP 3 phase motor easily.

Daniel


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## 350xfire (Jul 4, 2012)

Interesting. Can you post pics of your set up?
Thanks


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## precisionworks (Jul 5, 2012)

A 3hp 3ph motor running on 240 volt 1ph draws only 16 amps. In the United States the National Electrical Code (NEC) specifies that conductors are sized at 125% so the circuit needs wire that will carry 20 amps. This means that the minimum wire size is #12 AWG.



gadget_lover said:


> The clothes dryer circuit is usually sturdy enough to handle the VFD to turn a 3 HP 3 phase motor easily.
> 
> Daniel



The "standard" clothes dryer circuit in the USA is 30A 240 volts. That enough ampacity to run a 5hp motor under full load


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## gadget_lover (Jul 5, 2012)

350xfire said:


> Interesting. Can you post pics of your set up?
> Thanks



I went out to snap some photos, and realized I'd have to do a lot of cleaning up to get any usable pictures. That's too much work today. 

The sheet metal is just a small sheet ( 12x10???) screwed at each corner to the particle board bench top on the right side of the mill. That lets me stick magnetic indicator holders somewhere other than the very small column. 

I can take the "arm" off the magnetic indicator stand and fasten it to the bench through a hole in the bench top, then use the adjustable arms as a stop. It's not elegant, but it works. 

Daniel


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