Member postings for Luke Blades

Luke: "Hey John can SX2P be converted to CAD?"

John: "Yeah, i've got one in the back, gimme a day and i'll do the whole job and document the process"

:P

Massively grateful for this, if we ever meet, i'll buy you that pie + pint you missed out on for sure!

I got a bit lost somewhere in the sarcasm about the positioning of the hole, 15mm off centre. I'ts late and I can't think of why the screw needs to be off centre, forgive me. Is the balance of the head affected drastically by moving the motor round? Couldn't this be solved by counterweights? (Remember i'm a rookie)

I was planning to go with the "off the side" z axis ballscrew mounting because that's all i've seen, however this is a very elegant solution. Out of interest how much can the spindle be misaligned by this? The gibs are quite long and I would have thought that they would keep the head vertical with quite a high stiffness. Is this misalignment something you've experienced, read about or predict? It's a nice idea either way (even if only aesthetically) and although i'm fully capable of the mods, that's a lot of crap to haul up to campus! A good excuse to grab a taxi if ever there were one i suppose.

Thanks again John, I'll probably be buying the machine sometime this week or next. When i've got it going I shall post some updates and show you how i've gotten on!

Best,

Luke

Haha Jason, I can only ask so much! Really though i'll probably manage, my real issue is getting the big chunks of metal to and from the uni workshop.

Gary, interesting to know your friend had the same issue on the WM16, i thought this was only on the SX2P. Thanks for the confirmation though!

Tim, something i'd though of, although not sure how i'd do it on the cheap. I'll probably get the thing going and assess the situation from there. Don't know my neighbours as i've only been in my new place for a couple of weeks. I'm not keen on leading of with "so i'm going to be running some loud machines upstairs" though.

Cheers,

Luke

Nice suggestion Ed, I don't think i'll be going with the WM16 but i'll bear that in mind regardless of what I choose.

Russell, thanks i'll take a look!

Luke

Thanks John, would really appreciate that.

Luke

Hi John,

Are you sure? Looking at the tables, they seem visibly different. I've been told that there's only enough space for a 10mm ballscrew. Would this be large enough for CNC on a machine of this size cutting steel?

I'd prefer to go with the SX2P if i can be convinced that the CNC conversion is still viable.

Cheers,

Luke

Thanks to you all for your comments and pictures!

The general tone is that the WM16 WOULD be too loud and that for the price, the SX2 would be a better buy.

Considering I live in the UK, where is the best place to buy one of these machines currently?

I notice Axminster do one with a 500W brushless motor and a belt drive for £820, not bad. Arc do an SX2P which i've been told is not ideal for CNC conversions due to the lack of space in the table and saddle for ballscrews, for 705 + delivery.

Anyone else know of a good place to get hold of an SX2?

Cheers,

Luke

Hi Dias,

Thanks for the insight. Looks very similar indeed. I'm looking for products with similar power but quiet enough. Do you think that this noise is due to the gearbox or the motor itself?

Could a belt drive mod bring the noise down to an acceptable level?

Best,

Luke

Thanks for the suggestion Martin but they wont ship an item that heavy to the UK (should have mentioned I live in the UK).

Cheers,

Luke

Hello all,

So i'm still looking for my ideal mini mill for CNC conversion. I expect to be able to drill / mill steel with an endmill and flycut aluminium. I noticed that Warco have an offer on their WM16 mill:

http://www.warco.co.uk/milling-machines/32-wm-16-variable-speed-milling-machine.html

I have a couple of questions about this.

Firstly, I cant find any videos of this model in use. What is the noise level like? I'd like to be able to run this in my flat without disturbing the neighbours. I've seen brushless, belt driven machine of this size in use and they seem quiet. Is there potential for a belt drive conversion and is the brushed motor any louder that its brushless counterparts? If you were to compare the noise level to a household appliance, what would you say?

Secondly, i'd like to hear of people's experiences both in general and in CNC conversions with this machine. I'd appreciate recommendations of other machines however my budget limit is £1000.

I have no experience with CNC so if you think there's anything in particular that I might have overlooked with this machine or be unprepared for, please let me know!

Really looking forward to hearing your thoughts,

Many thanks,

Luke Blades

Hi Guys, thank you all for your responses!

Neil, the model you're suggesting is cheaper (I think, couldn't find the CNC version at a glance) but the motor is only 150w. Is this man enough?

Russ, Gordan, I'm planning to do this with the Z axis (skip to 6 mins to save yourself some time):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CH_5tM8aJrs

Is there any reason this solution wouldn't work or operate poorly on the Sieg SX2P?

Cheers,

Luke

Hello!

I know that closely related questions have been asked but some were posted/answered while ago and I'd like to get the latest opinions! Sorry if this gets tedious.

I'm looking to purchase a small/desktop milling machine for home projects. I've read here and elsewhere that the Sieg SX2P is a nice piece of kit for the money and i'd like to get some opinions / reviews / suggestions.

I'd like to do a CNC conversion on the machine and the Sieg mills seem to have a good following in this area. I've seen nice results on youtube etc. Materials wise i'm looking to cut mild steel at the hardest.

I'm sorry I don't have too many in the way of specific questions. I just want to check that there are no alternatives of better value in that price range (£500-1000)

Also, realise that if I alter the machine for CNC, that i'll undoubtedly void my warranty. How can I mitigate risks here? What should I check for on the machine before I start tearing it apart?

Thanks in advance for any help offered,

Luke Blades