This or That

HI have been thinking of getting s small mill firstly I have very little room and secondly mainly only need it to maintain my 3" Burrell. I have considered the Sieg SX1L however I was at the midland Model Exb the weekend and saw the Chester conquest Super Mill. I would welcome comments about these machine and do any forum members use these mills ?

Thanks

H

Hi Harry

I have owned both of these, indeed still got the Chester, now heavily modified to suit its application. If you have the space and money go for the bigger machine, it is superior in every way.

A problem with these little mills is that the tilting column is far from rigid. If you can fit the slightly bigger SX2P in I would recommend it. I have found it to be a very capable little mill and much more rigid.

Russell

The tilting column is indeed a weak spot - found out the hard way after drilling 6 loco wheels only to find every one was out by a mile - always tram the head before critical job..lesson learnt.

I would suggest buying the largest mill your space and wallet can accommodate. The difference in rigidity between small mills and larger machines. is amazing. If your projects will include a lot of boring I suggest looking for a machine with power feed on the quill. I have owned a round column mill-drill, a Rong Fu RF45, and a full sized Bridgeport clone so I can speak from experience.. Another thing to consider is the size of work you will be doing. You can do small work on a larger machine, but not vice versa. If you have a choice between a Morse taper spindle and R8, I suggest R8.