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Hi. The mini knee mill project left me with a left over headless X1. So after some work it is now a miniature desktop EDM. Works out quite well.

Hi. It makes the world's difference; now post-mod it cuts machining steel almost as easily as alu pre-mod. Also I've done the same treatment to the rest of lineup, i.e. X1, SU1, AT125, etc...

Hi. Perhaps a BF16 would fit better? Even the BF16 weighs in almost twice as much as the diminutive X1.

Hi. I cut off portions of the X1 head assembly; and affixed it to the SU1 over arm with a custom made attachment piece.

The SC2 mini lathe bed is hollow cast iron. Strength and rigidity can be significantly improved by fillings; the material is epoxy bonded quartz gravels. Photos:

A quick mod to the X1 mill to allow for quick tool change. The use of thrust bearing ensure smooth operation. Even for crigorously tightened tooling, release only calls for a smooth twist.

It's fantastic. The only desktop knee mill in production as far as I am aware of. The knee mill format is really nice. The stock configuration only comes with one spindle, that alternate between horizontal and vertical positions. I took the spindle from a X1 mill of the same factory, and...

Finally got around to DRO for the Y axis. Photos:

The toolchanger has a Morse No.2 shank that slide-fits into the tail stock. The tail stock as unmodified only accepts slide-fitting Morse 2 tooling, and fed by lead screw. The lead screw is replaced by a long drawbar that secures the toolchanger. The drawbar extends further back to...

it is indeed a factory made SU1 (same as U1, except for the brushless motor). .. The factory stock SU1 comes with just one milling spindle, two mounting positions (vertical and horizontal). So switching between horizontal and vertical milling operation requires moving the spindle. Also the...

SIEG SU1 knee mill comes with a milling head that lacks a quill. To do horizontal milling requires dissasembly of the vertical head, taking it out and plugging it into the horizontal mounting position; quite a hassle. The SIEG X1 comes with a nice milling head, albeit at a smaller Morse-2...

The lever actuated tail stock is quite good. It essentially works the same as Sherline's SDA (sensitive drill attachment), allowing for very direct sense of feedback, which is particularly helpful when drilling small holes. It easily drills 0.5mm diameter holes down to 5mm depth in e.g. brass.

Presently these machines are used just for drilling and reaming, no turning or milling. Reaming 1mm through-hole in a 2mm diameter brass part, etc. Later on, I am planning to add a dental drill to the tool post vertical slide; along with the spindle index add-on, this might open up additional...

Spindle was quite nice, with 0.005mm run out. These are used essentially as special-purpose one-pass drilling rigs, with purpose made jigs. For concentric drilling and reaming operations on small rod-shaped parts, these are quite efficient. I don't find them particular useful for general...

This pair of Nanos were setup as micro-drilling station. As shown below, one in the vertical (mill/drill) config, the other in horizontal (lathe) configuration; both permanently affixed to the table top. These little machines were quite handy for micro-drilling operations, e.g. drilling holes...

hand screw, knurled brass + pushed in place with a bench arbor press

installed feed screw; supported by two ball bearings on the ends; spring-loaded nut to eliminate back-lash. It "feels" very precise ... almost done now ... so far so good ... :rolleyes:

Before making the feed screw, did a trial cut. Boring some 6061 scrap to 11mm ID; no chatter, so far so good... :rolleyes:

Here are some updates: revised/remade the sliding block; machined from 7075, circular profile instead of the original brass / cuboid design