Purchased Sieg X2 (HF)

jweaver72

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Nov 17, 2013
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Hello all

This will be my first post so I figured I would start off with my machine and what has been done so far.

I just purchased an X2 from HF and have begun the MOD process. I am going to stick to the basics for now and only perform the MODs that make the machine more usable. Since I am new to machining, I figure I had better learn the feel of the metal and the machine before I jump into a full CNC conversion.

What has been done so far:

Unpacked and torn down
De-greased, de-burred, adjusted, reassembled and torqued.
Removed plastic gears (inside and out) and ordered belt conversion kit.
Relocated control boxes.
Rewired motor for quick disconnect.

Near future:
Belt Drive conversion - Purchased
Drawbar quick release - Fabricate (This may be a little ambitious for my first attempt at milling but I don't mind learning from mistakes)
Column brace - Fabricate
Head support - Fabricate
Chip pan - Fabricate

Down the road:
Full CNC Conversion
Flood Cooling system
Enclosure
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I have added a few pictures of my setup.

I wanted to say thank you for all of the posts that have guided me to this point as well as the future posts that will get me through the MODS.

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Lookin Good!!!! The belt conversion seems to be the most commonly applied Mod due to the flimsiness of the original plastic gears. When you get ready to do the CNC conversion you may want to give Jumps4 (Steve) a shout. He is a real wizard at adding the motors and getting everything to work together. So have fun while your learning and get ready for a great adventure.

Bob
 
Bob

Thank you for the info, I will add that name to the mounting pile of notes and details I have be collecting.

I will also be adding an Android DRO to get me through my manual efforts.

I just noticed my oversight in the 3rd picture and I would like to post for the record, I had completed my tasks for the day, cleaned up the shop and myself before I indulged in that liquid refreshment :)
 
J, welcome to the forum.

Good on ya for deciding to learn the metal before converting to CNC. It always scares me when someone chooses immediate CNC conversion so they don't have to learn machining. There are a lot of things that can cause trouble. You need to know when you have too big a cut or too fast a feed programmed into a CNC. You're on the right track.

Besides, after you get used to your mill, you'll be able to make some of your own parts when you do convert. Very satisfying.
 
Hawkeye

Thanks for the post.

My first purchase was a 7x10 and I have been having a great time working metal on it. I have have not made anything extremely useful or impressive but I have been having a great time working the metal and figuring things out. I would not want to miss out on that same experience on the mill. It will be tough to resist the urge to mod the machine because I am a tinker at heart but even when I do make the conversion I am going to use the fignoggle design so I still have manual control.
 
Yeah, the most important thing to make right now is scrap. Reduce a good piece of steel or aluminum to little bitty chips. That's the best way to find out what your machines can (or can't) do.
 
My clamping blocks and end mills showed up on my doorstep this morning :thumbsup:. Now I'm just waiting on the used set of TTS tooling I purchased as well as the belt drive kit that I purchased almost 2 weeks ago.

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