What is normal quill play?

[Nick_GParticipant @nick_g]

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If you DID get it from Axminster how long have to had it.? – Can you send it back.?

If so for the same money you could get the superior SX3 from that Ketan bloke-fella-guy who's site is advertised on this site. (am I allowed to say that.?)

Nick

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

I'm somewhat confused; for all milling machines with a spindle between two bearings it should be possible to tighten up the preload to the point where you get rid of any play.

If the spindle is misaligned or stiff to turn when this is done, there's a problem.

The only other possibility is that the spindle isn't loose, it's something else, such as the head gib strips.

I can't help feeling that what this machine needs is someone else having a good look at it.

Neil

[Ketan SwaliParticipant @ketanswali79440]

Neil,

I think we are all confused. After re-reading Alans earlier posts with drip feed comments I feel that Alan may have limited knowledge of using a small mill. May be he has a background of using a production CNC machine. If he has done as he suggests in his earlier post he may have rattled everything loose in the process, but difficult to say for sure. Further confusion is caused by being unsure of what machine he has.

Nick,

It would be better to try and get to the bottom of the problem, as, from reading Alans post, I believe that the issue may be more to do with Alan, then the machine. The XN2 structure (especially the column) is different from the SX3. If I am correct, the column on the XN2 sits on a dovetail, where by the column moves in and out (Y axis), and the table stays fixed. It was initially made for the Japanese market, with initial 'exclusive' sales in Europe through Axminster and JET. Because of the structure and related controls, the costing was high, close to/similar to/sometimes more than the SX3, depending on volumes purchased. As far as ARC is concerned, I was against the idea of purchasing it at the time and I was glad that JSs attempts to persuade SIEG to sell the machine to us at that time, failed. Moreover, JS changed his mind too, after a day or two, for certain technical reasons. Enough said on that.

At present, this thread feels like the blind leading the blind. The picture is un-clear. ARC would not be keen to sell an SX3 to a person in such a situation, and I would discourage Alan from considering any idea of returning his machine back to Axminster.

This is in no way 'having a go' at Alan. The machine may or may not be right. Alan may or may not have damaged/rattled the parts of his machine loose, due to what he has done already. Neil is right in saying that it needs to be looked at by someone, but that someone needs to be someone with experience of using small mills of Chinese origin, and not a person used to big machines/CNC machines. ARC would prefer to stay out of being considered for this purpose, for various reasons. Ideally, Alan should refer this to his supplier.

Ketan at ARC

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