Axminster SU1 Horizontal Mill

[IanTParticipant @iant]

Axminster have just announced their latest 'Sale' – and I noticed that their SU1 Horizontal Mill was included. It's on at £799 (instead of the usual £1,129.50) – so anyone who might be interested in a benchtop horizontal mill might like to take a look. Their website has a video, plus a download of the ME review article.

I'm sure some here will rush to tell me what alternative good vertical mills that money will buy them but for anyone wanting a small horizontal mill (with vertical capability) – this is the only available 'new' one that I'm aware of.

Myself, I am the happy owner of two horizontal mills and my smaller one (an Atlas MF) is a little bit larger than the SU1 and quite a bit heavier. It came with a belt driven MT2 vertical milling attachment which unfortunately (it transpired) needs new bearings. It's top speed is also limited by that of the main arbor drive. However, I've nearly finished an adaptor plate to take my Taig ER16 milling head (with separate motor drive) which will be more suitable for smaller cutters.

A horizontal/vertical combination machine does provide a lot of flexibility in use for the Hobbyist but certainly they are not for everyone. Whether the SU1 is worth the premium (even at the reduced price) will be a personal choice. The only niggle on both my horizontals (a problem shared with the SU1) is the lack of a drilling quill on the vertical heads – although there are several possible solutions if this is required. Otherwise they are very rigid and useful machines and generally suit my needs very well.

Regards,

IanT

[IanTParticipant @iant]

SU1 on special offer till October 22nd

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Always surprised that these don't seem to be more popular. Although I've seen them on sale, i don't know of anyone who has one, so it would be interesting to get some feedback on it.

I think their limitation is relatively little room under the horizontal spindle when used with a vice.

Neil

[R Johns 1Participant @rjohns1]

I was interested in this mill but there appears to be little headroom for use as an end mill when used in conjunction with a rotary table etc. The Axminster video only shows a 45 degree cut being taken in horizontal mode, again there appears little space for a 90 degree cut.

Also disappointing was Axminsters lack of knowledge when I asked about horizontal cutting tools. They directed me to a link of their cutting tools that had the slitting saw (as appearing in their video) as the sole horizontal tool.

Elmo

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Last time we discussed it the lack of head room to be able to do any useful work seemed to be the biggest thing against it.

The review on Mini-lathe.com confirms this problem, you would certainly need to invest in some stub drills

Edited By JasonB on 15/10/2019 16:45:37

[Bill Davies 2Participant @billdavies2]

Running what seems a bit fast, but cutting and not stalling:

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

[RainbowsParticipant @rainbows]

**LINK**

I'm curious what people would think of its big brother, the U2

[Dave HalfordParticipant @davehalford22513]

Big brother without a knee ??

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Rainbows on 15/10/2019 18:39:52:

**LINK**

I'm curious what people would think of its big brother, the U2

.

Is it really as rough as it looks in those photos ?

MichaelG.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

The far eastern machines may look a bit rough around the edges but it is what comes off them that counts unles syou buy machines just for looking at.

[Clive Brown 1Participant @clivebrown1]

I owned an SU1 for a while. As a vertical miller I found it an effective machine, accurate and fairly sturdy, albeit, as said, with limited height under the spindle. The mounting of the spindle on the sliding overarm could be useful for some set-ups to gain extra throat depth.

As a horizontal miller I was less impressed. The minimum speed was rather high at ~200rpm, at which point torque was low and rotational speed was becoming uneven. I found that steel could be usefully cut only with fairly small slitting saws, although, obviously, more was possible with non-ferrous metals.

A point to note is that the spindle and motor assembly is fairly hefty and needs to be slid into a close-fitting bore for the horizontal set-up. To do this, I needed to be able stand at the rear of the machine, so positioning it close against a wall would make for very awkward handling.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by JasonB on 16/10/2019 06:47:57:

The far eastern machines may look a bit rough around the edges but it is what comes off them that counts unles syou buy machines just for looking at.

.

I will take that as a yes, in answer to my query, Jason

… it was a simple question, with no ‘agenda’

Rainbows asked what people would think … and I answered.

MichaelG.

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