Little Machine Shop 6750 (Sieg SX3.5) Large Benchtop Mill - any thoughts?

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mlchman

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H-M Supporter - Silver Member
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I am seriously considering the purchase of this benchtop mill from Little Machine Shop to upgrade my LMS 3990 (Sieg X2D). The 6750 is expensive but has most of the features I am looking for. I have been happy with the quality of the Little Machine Shop Mini Mill. I have done a pretty good job of searching for reviews of the 6750 with minimal/no luck. I am looking for some comments - both good and bad - about the quality of this machine before I spend the money.

I would very much appreciate hearing from anyone that has one and would take a little time and give me some feedback on what they like and don't like about this machine.

Thanks in advance
mlchman
 
The smaller LMS machines seem to be popular, but I rarely see mention of the larger LMS machines like this mill or their 8.5x20" lathes. I suspect at the price they are kind of niche machines for people with a sizable budget but not wanting a larger machine. Obviously they must sell enough to be worth stocking, I just don't see many talking about owning one.

All I can really offer is to suggest you compare it with the Precision Matthews 728VT, their similar size Taiwan made milling machine. I do know there are some on the site with the 728VT.

Looking at the specs, the 6750 comes with some nice features, with the 3 axis DRO and power assisted head travel. The 728 has 3" more spindle to table distance 13.4" vs 16.25", on a small mill 3" can be a significant difference. Otherwise they are pretty close in capacity, the 6750 having 20" side to side (X-axis) vs 19" on the 728, and 9.1" spindle to column on the 6750 vs 8.5" on the 728.

Most people think Taiwan made machines have a better fit and finish, but LMS does seem to have better than average quality control and this is their premium mill so is likely finished to a much better degree than the run of the mill Chinese machine.

With the current sale price the 6750 is about $600 cheaper than the 728 with optional 3 axis DRO $4000 vs $4600.

Advantage to the 6750 is they are in stock, while PM only has the DRO-less version or the higher end ($4900) DRO version in stock.
 
Aaron_W - Thank you, I really appreciate your thoughts. I just took a look at the PM 728VT. It looks like a great machine but more $$ than I can afford. For comparably equipped machines, the PM728VT is about $1200 more money. It is probably a better machine but my budget is already stretched at the price of the 6750. The 6750, after the addition of the X Axis power feed, checks all the boxes for me. I have been really happy with the LMS 3990 Mini Mill so am leaning towards staying with LMS unless I can find something better for the same or less price.

Thanks again for your feedback
 
I'm not seeing how the 728 is $1200 more, but I was just pointing that one out for being in a similar class and a bit more common here if you wanted feed back. The Grizzly G0704 / G0759 and PM 25MV are pretty popular and of a similar size, but quite a bit cheaper.

It looks to me that the Grizzly G0935 is basically the same mill, so finding comments on that mill may be of some help to you.

Not at all trying to steer you away from the 6750, it does appear to be a capable small mill. I have a Clausing 8520 which is a 6x24" mill so I think the 7x28-30" mills are quite a nice size for a small shop, a big step up from mini mills.

I've had nothing but good experiences dealing with LMS, but don't have any of their machines and most of the comments I see related to their machines are the 7x16" lathes and their smaller mills.


You might also try The Home Shop Machinist or Home Machinist sites as they do seem to have more traffic with smaller machines.

This is a great general hobby machinist site, but the membership leans heavily towards 12-14" lathes / Bridgeport size machines.
 
Aaron_W, thanks again for your input. I am still on the fence about how to proceed. The 3-Axis DRO, 3" of quill travel along with the power head lift offered on the 6750 are all compelling options.
 
I bought a lightly used Grizzly 0619 a little over ten years ago. Later, I added a DRO Pros 2-axis unit that I bought from LMS. As is the case with most machinery, the key to satisfaction is in having enough machine weight/capacity to handle the jobs that you choose for it. In my case, with 90% of the work involving various aluminum alloys, some plastics, and a few jobs in stainless steel, the Grizzly has performed beyond my expectation. I have been very pleased with the choice of this machine. By comparison, it has endured nicely in my shop setting although a mini-lathe proved to be woefully inadequate for my needs. This mill has been in operation on an almost daily basis for the entire time I've had it. It was (and is) the most value I could find in a bench-top machine.
 
I've had an Sieg SX3 for years. I'm still quite happy with it. Mine too was the Grizzly version (G0619). I don't know if Grizzly sold a version of the SX3.5, if they did.... They are a great source for replacement parts at very reasonable prices.

In fact I rebuilt a Syil X3 (a cnc SX3) with parts purchased through Grizzly. There are a number of vendors world wide that support the Sieg machines. In addition to LMS and Grizzly, there's also Arc Eurotrade in the UK. I've also gotten components from them.

Arc Eurotrade also has a great tutorial on pre-use disassembly and cleaning.

Though I can't speak specifically about the SX3.5, I've been happy with Sieg machines for their performance/quality for the price.

+1 for a DRO. The $ is well worth the time saved.

Hope this helped?
 
CNorton and DAT510, thanks for your input - it is greatly appreciated. I will be buying the LMS 6750 as soon as funds allow (minor setback a week ago). Everything I see and hear about LMS and the Sieg Benchtop mills has been positive. I really like the fact that the 6750 has a factory installed power head lift and a good spindle lock that cuts power when activated. Body and memory aren't as good as they used to be so the little things make a big difference.

Thanks again for your input.
 
Being a resident of Southern California, I'm able to walk into LMS anytime I need their help and/or assistance. I don't think that you'll be disappointed. Good luck.
 
Thanks again for the feedback. I just placed the order for the LMS 6750 and the X-Axis power feed. With any luck, I will have it sometime around the middle of next week.

mlchman
 
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