Sieg SX2 or SX2.7

[Mark ReaParticipant @markrea67084]

Hi all. I shouldn't have done it I know, but I went ahead and bought myself an SC3 lathe from Arc Eurotrade and am very very impressed with it. I am also surprised how much I use it.

But now I am thinking of a small milling machine, I knew it would happen and I shouldn't have started with with machining in the first place. Anyhow I am looking at either an SX2 or an SX2.7 from Arc Eurotrade.

It looks to me as the SX2 is a drilling machine with milling capabilities whereas the 2.7 is more of a small hobby mill. Bearing in mind the difference in price I am trying to justify to myself the extra for the 2.7

Any advice from anyone who has experience of these machines would be invaluable. The work I envisage would be predominately drilling as my bench drill would go to make room. Most of what I do on there would be smallish parts for custom motorcycles I build and I can see myself getting into stationary engines as I get into retirement .

I did use this forum for advice and help when buying the lathe and the breadth of knowledge and advice was staggering. I want to stick with Arc Eurotrade as a supplier as I am so impressed by the service I received with the lathe. Thanks in advance for any replies.

[Mark ReaParticipant @markrea67084]

Decisions decisions

[David George 1Participant @davidgeorge1]

Hi Mark personally I would go for the SX2.7. The mill is more versatile and you will have more clearance under the spindle for tall jobs or drilling and it has more milling type fittings without a Morse taper shank. You can always use the handwheel to raise and lower the head as well as use the quill for drilling.

David

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

muhahahaha

You are now on a slippery slope to tool nirvana

On a more serious note the 2.7 always looked worth the extra cash when I mulled those units over

Other things to seriously consider are DRO and power feed

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

As David and Ady1.

Ask yourself if your mini-lathe will ever be upgraded in size. If the answer is ‘yes’, definitely save the extra dosh for the bigger machine. If ‘no’ you might get away with just the smaller unit….

I have two mills – a small one and a larger one. The small mill is great for small jobs and I prefer it to my bigger machine, for those jobs – particularly now I have a powered feed on the long travel. BUT, there are a lot of jobs that won’t fit on the little mill….

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

A decent 2.7 will sell for a decent second hand price if you decide to go even further down the rabbit hole

muhahahah

[Jon LawesParticipant @jonlawes51698]

Dare I even say it…

I was thinking about the 2.7 but went for the SX2.7L.

I figured you can add things like a DRO and such later but a larger bed means you can do larger items, and its not an easy thing to retrospectively add.

[Ronald MorrisonParticipant @ronaldmorrison29248]

Unless you will have to miss meals to afford the SX-2.7 or would have trouble getting it to the location where it will be used, get it. You can do small jobs on a bigger mill but cannot do larger jobs on a smaller mill. More mass equals more rigidity too.

[Nick WheelerParticipant @nickwheeler]

Get the biggest one you can afford and fit in your workspace.

Even if you only expect to work on small pieces, by the time you've attached them to the table and added the tool, there might not be enough space to do the job. That's especially true for more complicated operations; a boring head or rotary table immediately eat up a lot of the space.

Edited By Nicholas Wheeler 1 on 08/07/2021 11:47:39

[OldironParticipant @oldiron]

+1 for biggest you can fit & afford. In a little while it wil be too small.

regards

[Mark ReaParticipant @markrea67084]

Sorry for taking so long to get back to you all. First off thank you for all your advice. I have spent the last week emptying my workshop, painting the floor and getting everything back in while working out where the mill can go.

I think the 2.7 ( the one I want) is going to be too big and I will have to go with the SX2. I am hoping that smaller cuts and a bit more time and I can do everything I need to.

Thanks again for your help, if anyone who has an SX2 can post their experiences that would be great.

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

I think the 2.7 ( the one I want) …

Go on, squeeze it in! Extend the shed, if need be!

As my wife tells me “It is your meannessesyou regret, not your extravagances.

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Posted by not done it yet on 11/07/2021 11:10:20:

…

As my wife tells me “It is your meannessesyou regret, not your extravagances.

Bad news NDIY. Women are too subtle for their menfolk, because primitive male brains are linguistically challenged. She's talking about the presents you get her, her children and her mother. Christmas, Birthdays, Valentines Day, and Anniversaries plus many random surprise gifts such as flowers, chocolate, champagne breakfasts and romantic outings. First Class to Paris, Venice, New York for a top Broadway show, or a luxury cruise to see fjords and the Northern Lights.

She absolutely does not mean you are free to waste money on your hobbies, other than they're a useful way of getting you out of her way.

I'm divorced…

Dave

[Neil AParticipant @neila]

I have been using a Sieg SX2P for three years now, as far as accuracy is concerned I have had no problems, the motor also has enough power for all the cutters I have used, so I have no complaints there. The main difference to many other machines is that the SX2P does not have a quill feed, this means that the whole head of the machine has to be raised or lowered for any plunge type operation.

The torsion spring used to balance the head is a little too weak at the top of the column and quite stiff at the bottom. This is the main cause of what has been referred to as "head droop". Under certain conditions the head is not controlled by the torsion spring very well, particularly at the top of the column, and can perform an uncontrolled drop for quite a distance. If the fine feed knob is engaged this is less of a problem, as the drop is limited to the backlash in the rack and pinion, the stick and slip that uses experience. I have taken to setting the height limit block so that the tool will not hit the work if this occurs.

Many users have fitted a gas strut instead of the torsion spring to overcome this problem, but it is still not always perfect. I don't have a gas strut fitted, but I use my left hand to push against the torsion spring lever to give some resistance to any tendency for the head to drop, usually when the lever has reach the horizontal position it will be OK. Not very elegant, but it works for me.

My choice of the SX2P was dictated by the space that I had available for the machine, particularly the height of the column and the length of travel required for the X axis of the table. I also wanted an R8 spindle. The SX2P has been large enough for the models that I make, I don't make locomotives.

If I were to be buying again and had the room I would go for the Sieg SX2.7 Hi-Torque version. It has far more features than the SX2P and as already pointed out, you will always find the extra space on the table useful.

I hope this helps with your choice, the SX2P is not a bad machine, I quite like it, it has it's quirks, but it could be better.

Neil

[HOWARDTParticipant @howardt]

I would also consider the price you are paying for the machine and wether the bells and whistle cost would be better spent on a larger machine, it all depends on what your intended use is. Your intentions can quickly become the base for doing something more adventurous, that small fixing can soon.become that better foot peg. Deciding at the beginning you will never want something bigger soon gets forgotten once you have a machine. I have a SX2P sitting on the bench with a GH Universal now in use, going from 3 1/2” to 5” loco as costs soon became the same for either.

[Mark ReaParticipant @markrea67084]

Isn't it funny how things change. I was offered an Axminster SX25M at a what I thought was a pretty good price. So I bought it. Looking on t'internet it seems a capable machine, just waiting for it to be delivered and then I need to build a bench for it before playtime can start. Thanks for all the help and advice you guys gave, hopefully I've made a good decision.

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

I think you may well eventually regret buying a round-column machine, but best of luck with your new acquistion.

[Mark ReaParticipant @markrea67084]

Why?

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

They are prone to twisting under load and if you change the head height in the middle of a job you can move the zero point to the left or right

[Paul LousickParticipant @paullousick59116]

Many times, I have had to raise the head after a machining operation and did not want to lose my datum position, so definitely a dovetail column and not a round one.

Paul

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Mark Rea on 22/07/2021 13:01:22:

[…]

So I bought it.

..

So advice to the contrary is too late already.

Various work-arounds for the round-column issue have been discussed in the past.

… Make the best of its capability

MichaelG.

[Former MemberParticipant @formermember12892]

[This posting has been removed]

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by br on 23/07/2021 08:42:30:

.

Michael .

The way the thread reads to me is that comments about the round column only came after he said he bought the sx25m ?

[…}

.

Exactly, bill … That was my point

It seemed perhaps a little indelicate to mention "definitely a dovetail column and not a round one" when the purchase had already been made.

MichaelG.

[Mark ReaParticipant @markrea67084]

A lot of research was done before the purchase. The comments about loosing your datum were noted but to be honest with a hole or two sides and a drawing any datum can be picked up with a wiggler, or even a cigarette paper if it comes to it. How many who deride round column mills have actually spent time using them?

[old martParticipant @oldmart]

We have a large round column drill mill at the museum as well as a Tom Senior light vertical knee mill. Having two is slightly extravagant, but the DM has a slightly bigger capacity. I fitted a laser on the side of the head reflecting back from a window about 9 feet away and with care can repeat within 0.002". Planning the setup before cutting metal can make the drawback of the round column less of a bother.

Edited By old mart on 23/07/2021 17:26:31

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