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Newbie Questions Re X2 Mini Mill
- Thread starter MeredithJL
- Start date
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2012
- Messages
- 113
I built mine from parts on eBay, none of them were NOT specifically power feed parts. Mine is stepper motor based. I could probably make a thread on the electronics and wiring diagram.
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- Joined
- Oct 23, 2012
- Messages
- 113
I ridden pro bikes most of my life, built all the wheels I used, man I still long to build a frame! Nice jig!
- Joined
- May 14, 2016
- Messages
- 54
I actually havent received my mill yet, just ordered it yesterday LMS3990 but i'm already looking at future mods.
I think the power feed would be a good one.
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2012
- Messages
- 113
I was looking over the specs but they don't mention the pitch of the leadscrews, I'm hoping your unit will have either 10 or 20 TPI screws, Mine came with 16 TPI and I bought the 20 TPI for a little sanity.
I am planning on making a set of 10 turn to the inch leadscrews to make it closer to a real machine...
The table on yours is wider front to back so you will be making a mounting plate to match, my power feed does not have a clutch... It doesn't bother me but if I kit them they will have clutches. Mine has a Lovejoy coupler and a customed turned piece to go from the coupler to engage the leadscrew.
Power feeds like mine are a bit more complex in the electronics because it's stepper based but not out of reach for guys willing to read a little to recreate mine.
- Joined
- Apr 8, 2016
- Messages
- 31
Hi Dragos, I looked on EBay and they aren't listed anymore, which is surprising because it's a nice kit. The seller's name is jsw_87 Perhaps drop him a line through EBay and see if he will be listing them again?
- Joined
- Apr 8, 2016
- Messages
- 31
So here's an update in my experience using the mill so far. I broke the belt that came with the conversion kit, but luckily I had noticed it starting to fray and I got on Amazon and ordered 3 more. I had noticed that the belt had a deformation in it right out of the box. It didn't seat in the pulley very well at all as a result. So what happened as I was running the mill for a few nights at work is that the lump, for lack of a better word, was clipping an edge of the clear plastic cover with every revolution. So it was loud, and it was slowly fraying. Luckily, it didn't finally break until late Thursday night, and the new belts arrived Friday morning. Once I put a new belt on, I was back in business.
I bought the mill for personal use and I figured I'd also end up using it at work eventually.
"Eventually" came less than a week after I had finished putting the DRO's and power feed on. I don't know who screwed up, but at 11AM on a Friday morning, I get a cryptic text from our GM telling me to check my email
It turns out we have a big show going into Vegas in less than ten days that involves a LOT of prep, set up, and welding. Oh, and it's all materials that I don't have on the rack, so we have to get the order in and send the new guy into Orlando rush hour in a 26' truck to go pick it up.
So instead of cutting and jigging and welding everything, I decided to do a bunch of half lap joints on the 3/4 box tube and also to notch out the pipe--I got this mill I haven't really learned how to use, right, so what the heck, let's break her in right! Less set up, less welding, less heat warp, in such a small frame I figured. And it looks much cleaner.
9 straight days of 14 hr days later, I was done at 2:30 on Sat night, the painters sprayed it all black on Sunday, and the truck was loaded and left on Monday. And my boss, the GM, (who had previously been skeptical about what having even a mini mill in the shop could do for improving our quality and efficiency) tells me that he thinks it was a GREAT idea to buy it and he will pay me a rental fee when we end up using it like I did on this job. We are a two person department, and my guy was in the weeds on another big metal job, so this was all on me. 20 column hanger frames of two sizes (and no drawing), and a bunch of other crap as well.
Here's some pics and a bit of explanation -- The white "tiles" clip together to form walls of stage decor. The frames in the pics are based on a prototype I did months ago so that they could create columns and returns, etc. They are upside down in the pics. The pipes are sleeves that fit over vertical pipe mounted to large pipe/drape bases. so they will go anywhere from 10 to 20 feet tall, with the tiles on all four sides, and be free standing. I personally think drapery pipe is a flimsy choice because the wall thickness is about a 16th inch, and I suggested that if they really want to do this right they should be going with schedule 40 inch and a half pipe.
At any rate, the mill was a workhorse! Nothing fancy here in terms of machining, but a huge timesaver and a great help. The last two photographs are of the Proto type I did a few months ago. It was thrown together out of scrap just testing the idea. When they threw the project at me we hadn't gone back to the prototype, even though I had asked if I could. So I had to scramble and come up with something that would work for an actual show with no time to speak of, so I think we did a pretty good job overall.
I bought the mill for personal use and I figured I'd also end up using it at work eventually.
"Eventually" came less than a week after I had finished putting the DRO's and power feed on. I don't know who screwed up, but at 11AM on a Friday morning, I get a cryptic text from our GM telling me to check my email
It turns out we have a big show going into Vegas in less than ten days that involves a LOT of prep, set up, and welding. Oh, and it's all materials that I don't have on the rack, so we have to get the order in and send the new guy into Orlando rush hour in a 26' truck to go pick it up.
So instead of cutting and jigging and welding everything, I decided to do a bunch of half lap joints on the 3/4 box tube and also to notch out the pipe--I got this mill I haven't really learned how to use, right, so what the heck, let's break her in right! Less set up, less welding, less heat warp, in such a small frame I figured. And it looks much cleaner.
9 straight days of 14 hr days later, I was done at 2:30 on Sat night, the painters sprayed it all black on Sunday, and the truck was loaded and left on Monday. And my boss, the GM, (who had previously been skeptical about what having even a mini mill in the shop could do for improving our quality and efficiency) tells me that he thinks it was a GREAT idea to buy it and he will pay me a rental fee when we end up using it like I did on this job. We are a two person department, and my guy was in the weeds on another big metal job, so this was all on me. 20 column hanger frames of two sizes (and no drawing), and a bunch of other crap as well.
Here's some pics and a bit of explanation -- The white "tiles" clip together to form walls of stage decor. The frames in the pics are based on a prototype I did months ago so that they could create columns and returns, etc. They are upside down in the pics. The pipes are sleeves that fit over vertical pipe mounted to large pipe/drape bases. so they will go anywhere from 10 to 20 feet tall, with the tiles on all four sides, and be free standing. I personally think drapery pipe is a flimsy choice because the wall thickness is about a 16th inch, and I suggested that if they really want to do this right they should be going with schedule 40 inch and a half pipe.
At any rate, the mill was a workhorse! Nothing fancy here in terms of machining, but a huge timesaver and a great help. The last two photographs are of the Proto type I did a few months ago. It was thrown together out of scrap just testing the idea. When they threw the project at me we hadn't gone back to the prototype, even though I had asked if I could. So I had to scramble and come up with something that would work for an actual show with no time to speak of, so I think we did a pretty good job overall.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2014
- Messages
- 932
Very nice pro level work MeredethJL.
The first belt I got with my belt drive kit had the same tumor as yours. Must be a bad batch. I had ordered two Gates belts when I ordered the kit so I just used one of those. The clear plastic covers are not exactly formed well. I lined everything up for the best fit and then used UV glue on the joints to hold it together. Now the spindle lock pin fits properly through the plastic shield and the belt has plenty of clearance. I prefer to call these mini mills semi finished kit mills. But it amazing what you can do with them. I got lazy and purchased the LMS power feed the day I brought home the mill. I should have made my own, but the LMS/Sieg unit works well. Just a little pricey.
I think this is the powerfeed listing that you were referring to(scroll to the bottom of the page to see the original listing):
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mini-Mill-Sieg-X2-Power-Feed-Kit-For-Milling-Machine-/281657790885?nma=true&si=zVkdZVsuwq%2BcdvQAsR8Qj6L7nec%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
Looks like a nice kit.
The first belt I got with my belt drive kit had the same tumor as yours. Must be a bad batch. I had ordered two Gates belts when I ordered the kit so I just used one of those. The clear plastic covers are not exactly formed well. I lined everything up for the best fit and then used UV glue on the joints to hold it together. Now the spindle lock pin fits properly through the plastic shield and the belt has plenty of clearance. I prefer to call these mini mills semi finished kit mills. But it amazing what you can do with them. I got lazy and purchased the LMS power feed the day I brought home the mill. I should have made my own, but the LMS/Sieg unit works well. Just a little pricey.
I think this is the powerfeed listing that you were referring to(scroll to the bottom of the page to see the original listing):
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mini-Mill-Sieg-X2-Power-Feed-Kit-For-Milling-Machine-/281657790885?nma=true&si=zVkdZVsuwq%2BcdvQAsR8Qj6L7nec%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
Looks like a nice kit.
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- Joined
- Apr 8, 2016
- Messages
- 31
Thanks, Roy! Yes, that's the kit I have. Maybe he sold them all, this link as well says the listing was removed. As for the plastic cover--yes, it's a bit flimsy but without the belt smacking it continuously it's not moving at all with the mill running, lol.
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2012
- Messages
- 113
I'm using this for spindle speed... No batteries to buy and I can't misplace it.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/172179028474?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649