I'm looking at getting a milling machine, and due to money and bench-space issues I have my eye on these:
Warco Minimll/drill
http://www.warco.co.uk/Mini-Mill-Drill-EBFC17B0BF.aspx
Chester Conquest
http://www.chesteruk.net/store/conquest_mill.htm
Both have similar specs, including the new, larger table size and travel. The Warco has 2 handles on the long axis.
The Chester has a gas spring, and the Warco has a torsion bar, which brings me to the main point of the topic:
I've seen several comments about people not liking the torsion bar suspension setups. Is this just a personal thing, or is there a real engineering reason behind it?
Hello sonuk,
This is really a 'no brainer'. The Conquest Mill is, despite it's name, a Chinese X2 Mini mill. Sold by a dozen or more companies around the world including Britain. Another British supplier is Axminster Tools.
I have one of these myself, it's not perfect, but like any other machine tool it can be improved upon. The grear drive is made of plastic. The first time you get a tool jamming or locks, the gear train strips. The way around this, is to install a Stirling Steele Belt Drive Conversion Kit. If a tool jams then the belt slips. No problem. It's far more flexible and gives a greater speed range. Available direct from Stirling Steele or Little Machine Shop, both in the USA. You will have to pay import duty on this item. Just type in the names into Google and you will find their respective websites.
As for Airspring v Torsion Bar, mine came with the torsion bar. I don't find it at all useful and I am busy making a dual Airspring conversion, out of gas springs recovered from my local car scrapyard, they're used for holding open the tailgates of hatchback or estate cars, take a couple of the stud mounts as well, they come in handy when mounting the springs on the mill. Cost a couple of quid or less.
Remember, with any machine the initial outlay is only half what it will cost you to set it up with a good machine vice, boring head, collet holder or individual collets and cutting tools. Ignore the cheap so called machine vice allegedly offered for free by Chester, it's rubbish
You will fing that a 3" precision machine swivel base vice to be a real necessity, but you don't get any change out of about £100.00. Then there's rotary tables with three and four jaw chucks and of course a tailstock to match. Tipped milling tools also cost an arm and a leg, but they're worth it.
There's far more tooling available for the X2 Mill than the Warco model. I know of no belt drive or many other accessories being available for the Warco machine. Still you pays your money and takes your pick. The choice is yours.
Harry
