[emu26]

Impressed with the quality and uniformity of cuts made here by the Proxxom Micromot table saw I went searching and found they make a range of "model making" tools including this little mill. Taking off VAT (I live in Australia) that comes to less than $250Aus, that's about $200 cheaper than its available here and about $400 cheaper than sieg x2 mill locally.

Obviously it's a baby but does appear to be big enough to have milled even my biggest light.

My question is does anyone have experience with these? Is it a tool or more of a toy, or am I the one being the tool?

 

[brad72]

Check out this site for some more in Emu http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1276532.

Also check out CNC Zone http://www.google.com/cse?cx=partner-pub-8957509077914564:t32wbj-cxcg&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=mf+70&sa=Search&siteurl=www.cnczone.com/forums/knee_vertical_mills/5002-maximum_feedrate_aluminum_proxxon_mf.html

Seems that most guys convert them to CNC which is a really easy job given that the stepper motor kits and drivers are so cheap these days and the serial card PC software to run the mill is Freeware.

Looks like a pretty neat machine. For aluminium they say start around 10,000rpm spindle speed with a 3mm cutter, which is a large as this machine will take, use some kero as cutting fluid and move at cut at about 1.6mm/sec for a 1.5mm deep cut. This will give you some idea how long a housing will take to knock up.

They certainly have some accessories available for the little beasty. For the price, hell, it's nearly as cheap as a Dremil kit. I might get one just for the fun of it and hey, if I CNC it I could make RC helicopter and car parts, or do fancy engraving since the spindle goes up to 20,000 rpm.

 

[mfj197]

Awww, it's sweet!

It actually looks like quite a good find. I assume it can work with aluminium (it seems to be working ona small aluminium billet in the image), and if so looks like it could be extremely useful - not to mention fun.

 

[bravellir]

I had also being reading about last week them and I'm as curious as you are. Are they strong enough to handle what we need?

 

[Itess]

Awww, it's sweet!

It actually looks like quite a good find. I assume it can work with aluminium (it seems to be working ona small aluminium billet in the image), and if so looks like it could be extremely useful - not to mention fun.

Yes, it can work with aluminium but very slow. That's why I bought Proxxon BFW 40/e + BFB 2000 + KT 150. Unfortunately, there's not good way to convert my kit to CNC.

 

[emu26]

I don't know that I would ever move to cnc but it does look easy and relatively cheap with the MF. Nice links Brad, got to love the first post, the guy used his one to make a bigger one:thumbsup:
Itess that combo you referred to looks good but do you think it is as accurate? I like that it takes bigger cutters and has more room but the using bigger cutters also means using a slow speed doesn't it? It's a bit more too, about $490Aus plus postage, a little harder to convince the CFO. What does the motor controller actually control, just the speed of it or depth as well?

Brad, did you see the engraving attachment you can get for it?

 

[brad72]

Brad, did you see the engraving attachment you can get for it?

Yep, those guys thought of everything.

 

[hootsmon]

Well found!

That's very attractively priced alright. Might even be able to justify that to the CFO.

 

[Itess]

Itess that combo you referred to looks good but do you think it is as accurate? I like that it takes bigger cutters and has more room but the using bigger cutters also means using a slow speed doesn't it? It's a bit more too, about $490Aus plus postage, a little harder to convince the CFO. What does the motor controller actually control, just the speed of it or depth as well?

What do you mean by "accurate"? KT 150 has backlash of course, but you can adjust it, BFB 2000 has Z-axis with 0.1mm scale. To work with these backlashes you must get used to it but it's doable. Motor controller controls only speed of the motor. Yes, BFW motor is slower than MF. it has 6000 RPM max.

 

[odtexas]

Impressed with the quality and uniformity of cuts made here by the Proxxom Micromot table saw I went searching and found they make a range of "model making" tools including this little mill. Taking off VAT (I live in Australia) that comes to less than $250Aus, that's about $200 cheaper than its available here and about $400 cheaper than sieg x2 mill locally.

Obviously it's a baby but does appear to be big enough to have milled even my biggest light.

My question is does anyone have experience with these? Is it a tool or more of a toy, or am I the one being the tool?

With the mills tooling and clamps can cost as much as the unit itself it seems.
Small mills can do the job. It is just slow work.
Troutie had a little mill and switched over to a larger one.
You see the same thing with the lathe guys.
So if you are looking to make extremely accurate light bodies and possibly putting a few hours into each one, then the little mill will get the job done.

 

[yetibetty]

Emu,
here in the UK ebay is full of those little Proxxon mills and the usual reason given by the sellers is that they are just too small. The reason that I know this is because I was looking into getting one.

After looking into it further I have decided against getting one.

Apart from the fact that they are very expensive in the UK, i think they are just too small( I like small as I use a Taig micro lathe) but there is small and there is bloody tiny!

If you can get one at a nice price then it might "come in handy" but fitting a rotary table for example that is big enough for light building will be a no-go. Unfortunately the next size up in the Proxxon mill range, the FF230 or FF500 is a huge price increase but is a lot more useful.

 

[mfj197]

Regarding a nice price, the link emu26 gave is for a company in Germany that has it for a very nice price indeed (including tax) and will ship to the UK for €9.95. That makes the total price including delivery, using today's exchange rate, the grand sum of £188.49. Is it really too small to work the lights yetibetty? It looks like the dimensions would cope?

 

[emu26]

Wow, 9.95 to the UK. I'm holding out hope that they will post down under. Have sent an email and am awaiting a reply.

Thanks for the feedback yetti, that was my concern. Certain there is enough x y movement for even the biggest light I have built but your comments about the rotary table are fair.

They do have the next size up for about $650 euro (from memory) which is again about $200 cheaper than I can find elsewhere.

 

[Goldigger]

Wow, 9.95 to the UK. I'm holding out hope that they will post down [/under. Have sent an email and am awaiting a reply.

Thanks for the feedback yetti, that was my concern. Certain there is enough x y movement for even the biggest light I have built but your comments about the rotary table are fair.

They do have the next size up for about $650 euro (from memory) which is again about $200 cheaper than I can find elsewhere.

If you convert it to cnc you wouldn't need a rotary table..
I've not checked out your link, but I saw the proxon mill when I got my sx2, personally I think there to small..

 

[yetibetty]

Is it really too small to work the lights yetibetty? It looks like the dimensions would cope?

Just make very small lights The things that will be limiting are the max collet size(think of Dremel for comparison) and the 100 W motor. When looking at table size and the X, Y & Z travel remember to allow room for a vice or clamps to hold your work or the tiny rotary table they sell.

If after calculating that, you find that it is big enough then for that price you can't go wrong.

 

[kan3]

If you don't count the computer/monitor, my Taig was a little under $2,000 for everything including some tooling and a 4" toolmakers vise. With a 5/16" endmill I can slot at about 16IPM with a 1.25mm DOC dry in 6061. For the same price you could buy yourself a manual mill that will easily triple that DOC.

 

[emu26]

Damn
For the time being we have no possibility to send our goods to your country.

We ask for your understanding.

 

[odtexas]

Damn
For the time being we have no possibility to send our goods to your country.

We ask for your understanding.

Maybe better for you in the long run.
Look for used mills in your area or get a small table saw.:thumbsup:
That mill would have been underpowered and slow.

 

[emu26]

I've got the compound saw that I use to do the finning and would probably keep using that because it is just so damn quick. The mill would allow me to fin areas the saw can't get into and also clean out more of the insides of the light bodies to drop more weight. I know if I keep using my drill press for that it won't be long for this world because of the side forces applied to it that it's not designed for. That and the fact it just isn't very accurate.

anyway, for those interested in giving these a try sieborshop is only a couple of euro more and it looks like they will ship outside of the EU

As for the Taigs, $2000 is just so far out of my league its not funny. I do regulalry trawl for 2nd hand ones here and they just don't turn up. There is place in Adelaide that regularly lists Sieg X2 mills and mini lathes both as auction items and buy now on ebay. The auction often go for as much as the buy now and the buy now price is well over $600 just for the machine, no tools at all.

Anyway, back to the daydreaming

 

[kan3]

If you can pickup a manual x2 I'd think you'd be really happy with it. Cutting depth is similar to the taig and it's easily the most popular mill for cnc conversions.