I purchased that 3990, the Tooling Package, R8 Mini Mill Essentials and tramming kit based on your review. I’d been researching one for my hobby knife making and forge shop. This one checked all the boxes for me. Thanks man! 5/8/23 - UPDATE - I received the mill. It was packed and shipped solid. I had to watch and rewatch your video to get it trammel up. But thanks to you, it made that easy. I’m learning and having fun with this superior little machine from LMS. It’s sweet.
Thank you. I've been considering the harbor freight mill. But after this I think I'll just wait a bit longer and go with little machine shop. Love the videos!
Hope yall got something out of this one... I get a question on what mill I use about every 2 days... so I figured this video was necessary. If yall are interested in the 3990 mill I talked about in this video here is the link - LMS 3990 Mill - littlemachineshop.com/3990?Source=RedBeard ------ Cheers yall ⭐EDIT 11-14-21 at 4:05PM - The tilting column mills like the one from harbor freight are actually Sieg X2s.
I bought a Sieg X2D from LMS and have absolutely loved the thing! This mill looks like the HF mill, but there are several significant improvements on the Sieg branded model including the rigid non-tilting column, air spring, and a much larger table/travel. The cost difference is what lead me to the Sieg branded model instead of the hi torque mill, but I’ve been more than satisfied with it! Even built some of the PM Research operating steam engines (stationary, not locos) with it, and not had a minute of regret on buying it! Regardless of what mini mill or lathe someone buys, they need to get acquainted with Little Machine Shop! Hands down the single biggest resource for the small lathe and mill world!
Looks like I might join you. The larger table and travel would be worth the $115 price increase. I suppose a machinist might find the other model with extra horsepower and torque worth the money, but I can't think of any need for projects I'm thinking of.
Yep Tom T .... I have the HF Mini Mill and really like it... I have my First Order coming from LMS right now... T Nuts, Center Drills, Tap guide & etc... soon I think I will get the Belt drive kit...
@@pbc1951 I originally planned on doing the belt drive mod when I first got the Sieg mill, but after using it for nearly a year I’ve decided against it! Haven’t had any issues milling aluminum, steel or brass. I’d read reviews of people saying the top gear self destructed on a regular basis, so I ordered 10 of them from Grizzly (cheaper than LMS on some parts) at $1 each. A year later they’re still in the bag they were shipped in, untouched! As far as mods, I bought a Grizzly G0765 7x14 mini lathe, and when in the learning curve I was parting off a piece of aluminum too far from the chuck. The stock climbed the parting tool and locked down the lathe, destroying the plastic headstock gears! Again, after watching vids of people upgrading to steel gears, I ordered a set from LMS and installed them. The steel gears are a lot noisier than the plastic ones were, and since the destruction was caused by my lack of knowledge (part off up close to the chuck!) and I don’t think it would happen again, if I ever have the headstock off of it again I’ll put plastic back!
Great to see you upgraded, love mine. LMS has a reverse switch that will fit just above the on off switch. It plugs into the control board so drill a hole , plug it in and your good to go. Thanks for the link on the face mill.
Thanks for the 411 and additional feedback it's always helpful from real users and shop owners! I've always been a fan of little machine shops products they seem to do a rather good job putting a good solid product or regardless of the small sizes.....
Nicely done video! Gave us a lot of details that many uploaders skimp on when doing a review of a product. Side note: youre absolute right about the feature of a tilting head. They are certainly going to allow for slop in it and thus inaccuracies later on down the road The user is better off buying an adjustable swivel vice so can tilt the part to the angle it needs to be machined instead of tilting the head of the milling machine
I’ve got the Little Machine Shop SiegX2 and it has paid for itself many times over. For a knife shop it is fantastic. It isn’t what anyone would call heavy duty, but for small stuff it’s great.
I bought the Little Machine Shop mini mill before the end of the video. Thanks for being so detailed on everything. I really feel good about this purchase.
I have had my LMS 3990 for a few years now and it has been trouble free and I have no reservations recommending it. If anything I would say that it punches well above its size.
Before you tram the spindle with shim, you must first check the Z movement perpendicularly to the table X and Y. Once you achieve that than you can start tramming the spindle. To tram the Z perpendicularly to the table you add shim under the column. To tram the spindle to the table you loosen 4 nuts that mate the spindle housing and the Z slide dovetail block, and tap CW or CCW for X direction. To tram the spindle in y direction you add shim between the mating of the spindle housing and the Z slide dovetail block. Now you got a true perpendicular spindle to the table.
I'm not sure how much time we have left as it is the end of the age. I Love your videos and tooling though and I model my home hobby shop much the same. Thank you for ypur time and efforts. GOD bless and Maranatha!
Just getting into making knives. Love your channel. This particular video is beyond my need at this point but I watched and saved it for later lol. Great video and clear explanation of features. Wanted to give it a like and comment since I watched it through in order to help your Tube stats. Keep pumping our great content sir!
Great Video.... I broke my gear on Day 2.... Face milling 1/4" bar of Copper, "" I Forgot to lock in "Z" about mid way column dropped a tad, stopped the bit, broke the top Plastic gear"" Ordered the belt drive from LMS.... It is my first Mill, Live and Learn ... I'll be watching more of your videos.... Thanks...
Heads tilt so you can do an angle when you may not be able to hold the work piece in a way to put the angle in or you can't remove your piece from the table until you are done. Bridgeports heads tilt as well. You are right though, it is a major draw back to those hobby mills.
Yes sir! I agree. I haven't found a need for the tilting feature for the work I do. I'd rather find a way to tilt the work piece instead of messing with the column. I could see this being useful maybe with a beffier machine, but with these little guys, I don't know.... seems good on paper and bad in practice. Cheers Mike!
Man, my head is about to explode with all the information I ingested from this video! That's what I love about your reviews Red beard, they are very detailed and you don't miss anything.
It's always a good idea to checks the gibbs and ways adjusting for slack, backlash and foreign bodies that may scar. If you know someone with a surface grinder that will be an asset.
I ordered a lathe and mill from Precision Matthews. They are made in Twain (rather than China) and the level of quality is a step above. Standard features include: English threads (not metric) on leadscrews, hand scraped ways. Options include: hardened ways, brushless motors (up to 2 HP), roller bearing screws ("economical" and "regular" options) for CNC conversion, and higher-precision on certain models. However, for the price, I will look at Little Machine Shop machines when I need to buy more.
Great video, but I’m sure you made a mistake in using the Jacob’s Chuck to tram your table. Jacob chucks have an excessive amount of runout no matter the brand. A collet is the best option. I love my LMS 3990 HiTorque.
You can indicate your chuck by putting a dowel in the chuck and put an indicator on the dowel and find your high and low spots then tap it with a mallet to get it zeroed.
Runout of the chuck does not matter. The chuck just holds a jig that moves in a circular path in a plane. The plane is perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the shaft, unaffected by any runout of the holding device.
Thank you for your review, now I wish I bought that mill over the SIEG X2 mill, I do like the better motor curve and the larger table size. Sometimes we do learn the hard way. Thanks again.
Hello friend, Keith is from Michigan. I'm we could have a wonderful conversation together versus this comment box. You pretty much nailed it on these two Mini Mills. I only got the Harbor unit, cause it had a 200 bucks off. So I bought the belt drive conversion. Since I've overhauled a few machines, I completely stripped it down, this one had some decent Ways. So I just did flaking on the Ways. I had to retire early 🙃. The Mill will be doable for mid size Milling. Also have nice Lathe and do some hobby stuff, watched 😀 on UA-cam. I enjoyed your Mill comparisons, again very nice 👌
Question: How are the holes ? Are they drilled where they suppose to be drilled ? I have chinese lathe and mill, both of them have problems with holes, to a point if being unable to crank all the way.
I am currently doing a CNC modification on my Sieg X2 (branded Einhell BT-MR 550). As you can see in my vids i also converted the gear transmission to a ribbed belt, which was the best I could do, it's much quieter now!
Good comparison. I'm surprised you didn't (couldn't?) get the new mill trammed better than that. I have an old X2 that had the tilting column that I replaced with a fixed one from Little Machine Shop. It proved to be quite well trammed after install but I was able to get it spot on with a few strategically placed thicknesses of ordinary printer paper. Here in Australia A4 sheets are 4 thou thick and remarkably consistent. Yep, that spring for the head is rubbish, I tried several methods to replace it but got a custom air spring made and installed it on the left side of the column, made all the difference. I also got rid of the gears and installed belt drive from LMS, installed stepper motors and ball screw Z axis years ago and run it under CNC using Mach3, works like a charm. I am currently installing a 1HP 750W sewing machine servo motor as I find the stock X2 motor underpowered. I also recently replaced my old DRO's with an Optimum 3 axis DRO set, works well.
I'm pretty sold on the 3990 after watching this video(don't worry, I WILL use your link. I'm NOT a guy that's used a mill before but after figuring out how badly out of square my WEN drill press is and ruining too many knife scales - and also wanting to be able to mill guards and handles, I'm more than ready to learn. I could use a little help for ordering though - it appears the mill comes pretty bare bones with a drill chuck? I'm having difficulty trying to figure out what I should order in addition to the mill. Does it come w/a drill chuck? What other tooling should I consider for milling guards and getting the hidden tang slots in handles close?
Mine came with a drill chuck. You'll want a good vise as wells as R8 collets for each size endmill you plan on using. I get mine via amazon most of the time. The cheap ones seem to work just fine for what I'm doing. I put a link to the face mill I use in this video's description.
4:09 Excellent channel, thank you sir. I just picked up a discontinued LMS 3690 mini mill. I'm in the process of tearing down, cleaning, lubricating, and replacing some parts. I have a method to tram but it's a bit awkward. Do you offer a build video of this tram jig you built? Thanks.
ohhhh! I commented too soon, this blue anodized AL arm/jig is what I need, I already have a lever type DI with .5 thou graduations. I need that holder :)
Terrific review. When I was looking for a mill (building underwater robotics, not knifemaking, but would love to try that out too) that fit my apartment bedroom shop, I researched the heck out of everything from Bridgeport down to Sherline and "Sieg X2 style" won. But then when researching the heck out of "generic" Sieg vs LMS, spec by spec, feature by feature, LMS blew them all away. Totally agree with every point you raised and 9 years on, I am still delighted with my LMS 3900. So I felt I had done several months of ridiculously, obsessively thorough nit-picky research. So I was *very surprised* to see a few extremely important points in your review that I had completely overlooked, most notably the shocking difference in column wall thickness. No wonder people always howl about how "Sieg mills aren't stiff enough for real work". Also terrific to see the actual torque curves you came up with. So from somebody who spent about 5 months researching the difference before I dropped cash for the LMS, you get a big GOLD STAR for your extremely thorough and detailed research and presentation. Subscribed, and when people on forums ask "Generic Sieg or more expensive LMS, instead of trying to explain it I'll just point them right to your channel. Well done, sir! (I'm more than confident you make a very fine cutting tool so I'll be watching your vids on that as well.)
Love LMS. This is a great video. I’m in the market for the PM728 but I have no reason to spend that kind of money. But I don’t want anymore sloppy stuff that needs rebuilding out of the box. This mini might be just what I need.
Hey Red Beard! I've been looking for a good guide on the first essential bits/end mills to buy for CNC knifemaking. I haven't been able to find something comprehensive. Do you know where this info might be?
Great comparison video and you give a lot of great tips. I’m looking into getting a mini mill and you have given me some great tips on what to look out for
Hey red beard I have a question it would be great if you could answer. What size vise do you use for it? I have the same mill it came today but I’m not sure what size vice would be ok with it. Thanks.
Question here I do a lot of go kart cylinder head work but have to go to buddy’s for machine work what would be some tools I would need to mill them ? I’m assuming a fly cutter of some sort
Man I'm not sure exactly what they look like, but a fly cutter sounds like it could be a good solution. You may want to ask your buddy who has been machining them what he uses. Cheers!
First off, amazing video. Second, Im looking at getting one for making folding knives and other small edc pocket junk. Will the 4700 micro mill suffice? I feel like that huge platform on that 3990 is a bit overkill, plus i do not have a lot of room. Im not sure if the torque on the micro will be enought for titanium and hardend steel. Will it be precise enought to mill intricate folding knife parts? any input would he fantastic!
Good info, Red! I have been looking at the older mill/drills recently. Some of them are equipped with 2 hp motors. That’s what I’d like to go with for my setup. But, LMS makes some nice stuff!
It's worth keeping in mind that when comparing an older brushed motor with a modern brushless one, HP isn't going to provide a complete picture of how they stack up in terms of performance. I moved to a brushless hand drill not too long ago that just about broke my wrist the first time I used it because of how much additional torque it puts out.
It's worth keeping in mind that when comparing an older brushed motor with a modern brushless one, HP isn't going to provide a complete picture of how they stack up in terms of performance. I moved to a brushless hand drill not too long ago that just about broke my wrist the first time I used it because of how much additional torque it puts out.
I had a G0704, which is a bit bigger than either of these mills. I kept running out of travel on the Y and Z axis. No disrespect to LMS, who support the hobby community, but my advise is to buy the biggest mill you can. You will not regret it.
The next size up X3 has some good mills, got an Optimum version that had a wider X table than most. Not even close to Bridgeport but bargain for about $2000 Oz.
could you tell us where you purchased the surfacing bit you where using .i'm also filling out my order off your link for the 3990 and r8 essentials thanks for the heads up on them
over two weeks and no reply from Little Machine Shop...maybe a good mill but they really need to learn to reply to their emails. Their competitors did.
When tightening those bolts on the column would it be better to use a torque wrench? Not that I know of any particular torque spec but am just thinking it would make the tightening more consistent and remove a variable in the process.
Thanks for the breakdown between the two mini mills. When tramming with a flex arm and Interrapid style indicator, the indicator case should sit at 30° parallel to the table, and the needle should sit at 15° parallel to the table. You had your indicator at waaay too steep of an angle, I could see it catching on the T slots...
Hey man. I started knife making over the pandemic. I'm using my dad's wrought iron 210lb. anvil. But it likes to dent. I can't get a good level on my knives. How can I flatten out an anvil? What kind of anvil should I use to keep a smooth finish on top even after I pound on it?
What tooling did you use with this mill? I intend to get one when they have them in stock again. Looking at the Delux with the dro because I need all the help I can get.
I bought an identical one to the your SIEG. The tilting part is a great idea because you don't get much height on a mini mill, and so if you add a tilting vice then you lose a lot of height of around 170mm and in most cases you can't do any machining. so by having a tilting head you can achieve much more, and plus you don't have to spend more money. So far I have had no movement at all, and is still 100% level Also these mini milling machines are built to the clients price & spec. meaning if you get a cheap one then there will be issues, as a shop with a good reputation and put their own brand name to it is that they will want to sell only good tools/machinery that has had good quality control, so you do get what you pay for. And Sieg are well known for quality as well as Machine mart. so that is why they cost more than other similar models.
Man this new mill is some nice do u think it's better than Eastwoods model ? I don't know shit about them but was thinking about getting one I like Eastwood tools but if it's not as good I wouldn't get one?
Been looking at the HF mini mill for months. Have been hesitant to but it because of some negative reviews. With I had the extra cash for the LMC mini mill.
Man I feel you. At the end of the day I probably ended up with around the same amount of cash into the HF mill after upgrading and repairing it... Not to mention when it broke (twice now) it's a terrible feeling.
LMS for the win! Update. I went with the Grizzly Mill G0704 and Lathe G0752. Variable speed and the quill micrometer on the mill is super uber uber handy. Did I mention handy?
Ciao non ho capito una cosa, adesso ci son due tipi di Sieg x2, quella con la colonna rigida con motore brushless e quella con la colonna inclinabile, sempre con il motore brushless.la mia domanda è semplice, se compariamo entrambe le sieg x2, quella con colonna fissa e inclinabile, con lo stesso motore,quindi entrambi nuovi e ultimi modelli, hanno lo stesso spessore le colonne di entrambe le fresatrici?Grazie.
What is the needed becnh footprint with this mill? I see the specs on their site, but I was wondering with the table being all the way left or right how much space is needed.
Picked up an HF mini mill over the memorial day sale ($200 off). Locking down the column with scrap steel, throwing out the chuck, and eventually getting the belt drive aren't an issue for me. I'm honestly more nervous about the electronics going out, but we'll see, I guess. I think with light cuts and not trying to use this like a 1500lb Clausing it'll be fine for what I do.
Sounds like a good plan man. If the electronics do go out there is a guy who repairs and upgrades the boards for a reasonable price. You can find OEM boards online too if need be. For knife making... these little mills do a darn good job
@@RedBeardOps I noticed that LMS also offers steel gears as an upgrade for these things as well. If I'm not mistaken, I believe you do lose a bit of torque on the low end needed for drilling larger holes. Opinions between the two upgrades?
I understand that the blue mill is better than the Harbor Freight mill, but is it worth the $500 or so difference in price? What little I do or want to do, can be done with a drill press with a fair X-Y vice. If I had a mill I might do a bit more but I doubt it.
@@RedBeardOps Unfortunately the cost is about twice what I get on disability in a month. At least with the HF I can spend less to begin with and add belt drive and so on a little bit every couple months.
Personally I wouldn't buy the HF model again. It did work for me as a starter mill, however, I had to get the circuit box replaced/repaired, and the gears broke. With the time and money I spent on the HF model (repairs and upgrades) I should of bought the LMS version from the start. Would of came out ahead for sure. Just my opinion...
@@RedBeardOps I've done it with a dremel and it was nasty. I brought my creation to several machine shops and they all told me it was impossible. "Just have to figure it out myself I guess" and then I found your video. Thanks for putting the effort it. I used your Little Machine Shop link when I bought it yesterday. And thank you for the response.
I've been lusting after one of these or, if I got suddenly rich, the 6700 for a while. I had a Sieg in the form of the Grizzly 8689 which was...technically functional. But a headache.
I'm currently making small but very rigid cnc router for milling steel for a customer who wants to make knifes... uploaded couple of videos of the build. My customer has such small mill in his shop, like the one you're showing, Proxxon brand, and it's quite limited and not really rigid, well maybe this LMS mill is better. But for such price for a new mill it's better to purchase used large milling machine. Lile your projects, subscribed.
I agree that larger used mills have their plaće, but , you will need to rebuild it as it Will ve worn , and that requiers time effort and money , they do bring alot of function with them tho. I gor one am looking at theese mills because i want to build 2 stroke stuff , mostly quite small , and aluminium , and in my basement i dont have alot of space , well i could fit a larger mill inside , but only in pieces as it would not fit trough the doors, but than i need 330v ,more concrete on the floor etc ... these things do havr their plaće
I purchased that 3990, the Tooling Package, R8 Mini Mill Essentials and tramming kit based on your review. I’d been researching one for my hobby knife making and forge shop. This one checked all the boxes for me. Thanks man!
5/8/23 - UPDATE - I received the mill. It was packed and shipped solid. I had to watch and rewatch your video to get it trammel up. But thanks to you, it made that easy. I’m learning and having fun with this superior little machine from LMS. It’s sweet.
Heck yeah! Glad you like it Ken. Cheers
Thank you. I've been considering the harbor freight mill. But after this I think I'll just wait a bit longer and go with little machine shop. Love the videos!
Cheers Austin! Yeah, I just had too many issues with the HF version to endorse it... Buy once cry once?
I gotta say you make some of the most detailed and informative videos. Definitely one of my biggest knife making inspirations.
Heck yeah, thank you sir!
Hope yall got something out of this one... I get a question on what mill I use about every 2 days... so I figured this video was necessary. If yall are interested in the 3990 mill I talked about in this video here is the link - LMS 3990 Mill - littlemachineshop.com/3990?Source=RedBeard ------ Cheers yall
⭐EDIT 11-14-21 at 4:05PM - The tilting column mills like the one from harbor freight are actually Sieg X2s.
Any thoughts on the model 4190?
@@eddieeggleston6642 Hey Eddie, I haven't put hands on that one... looks cool though
@@RedBeardOps I will have one end of next week. Hope it's all it's cracked up to be!!
Hey can you tell me what mill you use?!
😂
Great video, really informative, thank you!!
@@goneballistic Glad you enjoyed the video!
I bought a Sieg X2D from LMS and have absolutely loved the thing! This mill looks like the HF mill, but there are several significant improvements on the Sieg branded model including the rigid non-tilting column, air spring, and a much larger table/travel. The cost difference is what lead me to the Sieg branded model instead of the hi torque mill, but I’ve been more than satisfied with it! Even built some of the PM Research operating steam engines (stationary, not locos) with it, and not had a minute of regret on buying it! Regardless of what mini mill or lathe someone buys, they need to get acquainted with Little Machine Shop! Hands down the single biggest resource for the small lathe and mill world!
They are legit! Cheers Tom
Looks like I might join you. The larger table and travel would be worth the $115 price increase. I suppose a machinist might find the other model with extra horsepower and torque worth the money, but I can't think of any need for projects I'm thinking of.
Yep Tom T .... I have the HF Mini Mill and really like it... I have my First Order coming from LMS right now... T Nuts, Center Drills, Tap guide & etc... soon I think I will get the Belt drive kit...
@@pbc1951 I originally planned on doing the belt drive mod when I first got the Sieg mill, but after using it for nearly a year I’ve decided against it! Haven’t had any issues milling aluminum, steel or brass. I’d read reviews of people saying the top gear self destructed on a regular basis, so I ordered 10 of them from Grizzly (cheaper than LMS on some parts) at $1 each. A year later they’re still in the bag they were shipped in, untouched! As far as mods, I bought a Grizzly G0765 7x14 mini lathe, and when in the learning curve I was parting off a piece of aluminum too far from the chuck. The stock climbed the parting tool and locked down the lathe, destroying the plastic headstock gears! Again, after watching vids of people upgrading to steel gears, I ordered a set from LMS and installed them. The steel gears are a lot noisier than the plastic ones were, and since the destruction was caused by my lack of knowledge (part off up close to the chuck!) and I don’t think it would happen again, if I ever have the headstock off of it again I’ll put plastic back!
Great to see you upgraded, love mine. LMS has a reverse switch that will fit just above the on off switch. It plugs into the control board so drill a hole , plug it in and your good to go. Thanks for the link on the face mill.
Very cool! I'll have to look into that. Cheers sir!
Thanks for the 411 and additional feedback it's always helpful from real users and shop owners! I've always been a fan of little machine shops products they seem to do a rather good job putting a good solid product or regardless of the small sizes.....
Glad to help! Cheers sir!
Recently purchased the LMS HT-6500. This machine is AMAZING! Little Machine Shop has very high quality products. I was not disappointed.
Thanks for the comment Ryan!
Nicely done video! Gave us a lot of details that many uploaders skimp on when doing a review of a product.
Side note: youre absolute right about the feature of a tilting head. They are certainly going to allow for slop in it and thus inaccuracies later on down the road
The user is better off buying an adjustable swivel vice so can tilt the part to the angle it needs to be machined instead of tilting the head of the milling machine
I’ve got the Little Machine Shop SiegX2 and it has paid for itself many times over. For a knife shop it is fantastic. It isn’t what anyone would call heavy duty, but for small stuff it’s great.
I agree sir, these little mills are great for the knife maker
LMS taught me so much over a decade ago. Done most of their mill and lathe mods. Did not know they now do their own version.
I love my 3990. I actually bought a CNC upgrade kit for it and it has been such a nice little toy to dive into CNC manufacturing.
Very nice!
Where did you get it?
Howdy, from Belton, Texas. I have loved seeing how much your channel has evolved
Hey, thanks! Glad you're enjoying it!
I bought the Little Machine Shop mini mill before the end of the video. Thanks for being so detailed on everything. I really feel good about this purchase.
Glad I could help! I'm a huge fan of the machine. Use it on every knife I make.
I have had my LMS 3990 for a few years now and it has been trouble free and I have no reservations recommending it. If anything I would say that it punches well above its size.
Very good to hear Brian! Glad you like it
Good to hear this. I’ve been debating wether to get the one above this model for a home hobby shop. Not sure if it’s worth the extra money.
Just rewatched this today. Just added their mill to my favorite list and hope to buy this either Fathers Day or Birthday this next year
Nice!
I've been making my knives with the Grizzly Mill for a year now and love it. Beats cutting liner and frame locks with the angel grinder.
That is awesome! Sure does!
@@RedBeardOps Angels don’t like being ground on!
Fantastic education, very well-done video, very glad I caught this. Thanks for making and sharing this, super helpful.
Glad it was helpful!
Before you tram the spindle with shim, you must first check the Z movement perpendicularly to the table X and Y. Once you achieve that than you can start tramming the spindle. To tram the Z perpendicularly to the table you add shim under the column. To tram the spindle to the table you loosen 4 nuts that mate the spindle housing and the Z slide dovetail block, and tap CW or CCW for X direction. To tram the spindle in y direction you add shim between the mating of the spindle housing and the Z slide dovetail block. Now you got a true perpendicular spindle to the table.
commenting so I can find this comment easier in case I need help tramming mine when it arrives.
I'm not sure how much time we have left as it is the end of the age. I Love your videos and tooling though and I model my home hobby shop much the same. Thank you for ypur time and efforts. GOD bless and Maranatha!
Thank you! Good luck with your builds sir
Great review. Answered a lot of my questions about mini mills and what to look for. Cheers!
Glad to help out! Thanks for watching.
Just getting into making knives. Love your channel. This particular video is beyond my need at this point but I watched and saved it for later lol. Great video and clear explanation of features. Wanted to give it a like and comment since I watched it through in order to help your Tube stats. Keep pumping our great content sir!
Awesome! Thank you!
Great Video.... I broke my gear on Day 2.... Face milling 1/4" bar of Copper, "" I Forgot to lock in "Z" about mid way column dropped a tad, stopped the bit, broke the top Plastic gear"" Ordered the belt drive from LMS.... It is my first Mill, Live and Learn ... I'll be watching more of your videos.... Thanks...
Thanks Paul! Cheers sir
Heads tilt so you can do an angle when you may not be able to hold the work piece in a way to put the angle in or you can't remove your piece from the table until you are done. Bridgeports heads tilt as well. You are right though, it is a major draw back to those hobby mills.
Yes sir! I agree. I haven't found a need for the tilting feature for the work I do. I'd rather find a way to tilt the work piece instead of messing with the column. I could see this being useful maybe with a beffier machine, but with these little guys, I don't know.... seems good on paper and bad in practice. Cheers Mike!
It would be interesting to pull the plastic gears, cast them, and make some steel or good aluminum alloy gears, lol.
Man, my head is about to explode with all the information I ingested from this video! That's what I love about your reviews Red beard, they are very detailed and you don't miss anything.
Glad to hear it! Cheers Charles!
It's always a good idea to checks the gibbs and ways adjusting for slack, backlash and foreign bodies that may scar. If you know someone with a surface grinder that will be an asset.
I ordered a lathe and mill from Precision Matthews. They are made in Twain (rather than China) and the level of quality is a step above.
Standard features include: English threads (not metric) on leadscrews, hand scraped ways.
Options include: hardened ways, brushless motors (up to 2 HP), roller bearing screws ("economical" and "regular" options) for CNC conversion, and higher-precision on certain models.
However, for the price, I will look at Little Machine Shop machines when I need to buy more.
Good to hear that. Thanks for the info
PM mills are mostly made in China, some of their products are from Taiwan.
@@NelsonJ1 Exactly right. The *do* say which are which, but Caveat Emptor -- ya gotta look yourself.
Great video, but I’m sure you made a mistake in using the Jacob’s Chuck to tram your table. Jacob chucks have an excessive amount of runout no matter the brand. A collet is the best option. I love my LMS 3990 HiTorque.
Thanks for the info sir! Yeah, I should do that again
You can indicate your chuck by putting a dowel in the chuck and put an indicator on the dowel and find your high and low spots then tap it with a mallet to get it zeroed.
Runout of the chuck does not matter. The chuck just holds a jig that moves in a circular path in a plane. The plane is perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the shaft, unaffected by any runout of the holding device.
I just picked up a 3990 used (in kinda rough shape) and it's nice to know that it's a quality tool. Thanks!
Nice! Good luck with your machine!
Now that was in depth. No intentions on every buying a mill but now i know alot more then i did 😌
Thanks Rob! Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you for your review, now I wish I bought that mill over the SIEG X2 mill, I do like the better motor curve and the larger table size.
Sometimes we do learn the hard way. Thanks again.
Don't feel too bad about it! You can always upgrade your SIEG as you go or sell it down the road. Good luck with your work sir!
Hello friend, Keith is from Michigan. I'm we could have a wonderful conversation together versus this comment box. You pretty much nailed it on these two Mini Mills. I only got the Harbor unit, cause it had a 200 bucks off. So I bought the belt drive conversion. Since I've overhauled a few machines, I completely stripped it down, this one had some decent Ways. So I just did flaking on the Ways. I had to retire early 🙃. The Mill will be doable for mid size Milling. Also have nice Lathe and do some hobby stuff, watched 😀 on UA-cam. I
enjoyed your Mill comparisons, again very nice 👌
Question:
How are the holes ?
Are they drilled where they suppose to be drilled ?
I have chinese lathe and mill, both of them have problems with holes, to a point if being unable to crank all the way.
Everything seems in order on my machine. Cheers Tony
I am currently doing a CNC modification on my Sieg X2 (branded Einhell BT-MR 550). As you can see in my vids i also converted the gear transmission to a ribbed belt, which was the best I could do, it's much quieter now!
Nice!
Good comparison. I'm surprised you didn't (couldn't?) get the new mill trammed better than that. I have an old X2 that had the tilting column that I replaced with a fixed one from Little Machine Shop. It proved to be quite well trammed after install but I was able to get it spot on with a few strategically placed thicknesses of ordinary printer paper. Here in Australia A4 sheets are 4 thou thick and remarkably consistent. Yep, that spring for the head is rubbish, I tried several methods to replace it but got a custom air spring made and installed it on the left side of the column, made all the difference. I also got rid of the gears and installed belt drive from LMS, installed stepper motors and ball screw Z axis years ago and run it under CNC using Mach3, works like a charm. I am currently installing a 1HP 750W sewing machine servo motor as I find the stock X2 motor underpowered. I also recently replaced my old DRO's with an Optimum 3 axis DRO set, works well.
Cool stuff Fred, I may go back and try to dial it in better now!
I read guys buying used treadmills on craigs list for $50-100 just for the motors and getting 1hp motors out of them for their mills.
Absolutely awesome, best knives on UA-cam! 🇨🇱
Thanks Austin!
The tilt heads on those other mills if for milling angles. Works good for putting a 45 flat on the corner of square pieces.
I'm pretty sold on the 3990 after watching this video(don't worry, I WILL use your link. I'm NOT a guy that's used a mill before but after figuring out how badly out of square my WEN drill press is and ruining too many knife scales - and also wanting to be able to mill guards and handles, I'm more than ready to learn. I could use a little help for ordering though - it appears the mill comes pretty bare bones with a drill chuck? I'm having difficulty trying to figure out what I should order in addition to the mill. Does it come w/a drill chuck? What other tooling should I consider for milling guards and getting the hidden tang slots in handles close?
Mine came with a drill chuck. You'll want a good vise as wells as R8 collets for each size endmill you plan on using. I get mine via amazon most of the time. The cheap ones seem to work just fine for what I'm doing. I put a link to the face mill I use in this video's description.
Worth rechecking trim with each axis at the end of their travel to see if they are flat across their total travel.
I wish these were available in my region.
4:09 Excellent channel, thank you sir. I just picked up a discontinued LMS 3690 mini mill. I'm in the process of tearing down, cleaning, lubricating, and replacing some parts. I have a method to tram but it's a bit awkward. Do you offer a build video of this tram jig you built? Thanks.
ohhhh! I commented too soon, this blue anodized AL arm/jig is what I need, I already have a lever type DI with .5 thou graduations. I need that holder :)
Nicccceeee glad you found your answer. I will say this spindle square is handy as well. ua-cam.com/video/uSLkKqS13Y0/v-deo.html
Terrific review. When I was looking for a mill (building underwater robotics, not knifemaking, but would love to try that out too) that fit my apartment bedroom shop, I researched the heck out of everything from Bridgeport down to Sherline and "Sieg X2 style" won. But then when researching the heck out of "generic" Sieg vs LMS, spec by spec, feature by feature, LMS blew them all away. Totally agree with every point you raised and 9 years on, I am still delighted with my LMS 3900. So I felt I had done several months of ridiculously, obsessively thorough nit-picky research. So I was *very surprised* to see a few extremely important points in your review that I had completely overlooked, most notably the shocking difference in column wall thickness. No wonder people always howl about how "Sieg mills aren't stiff enough for real work". Also terrific to see the actual torque curves you came up with. So from somebody who spent about 5 months researching the difference before I dropped cash for the LMS, you get a big GOLD STAR for your extremely thorough and detailed research and presentation. Subscribed, and when people on forums ask "Generic Sieg or more expensive LMS, instead of trying to explain it I'll just point them right to your channel. Well done, sir! (I'm more than confident you make a very fine cutting tool so I'll be watching your vids on that as well.)
Thank you greatly for your comment! I’m happy the video helped you. The 3990 is a step above the standard for sure
As a follow up, after having the LMS Mini Mill for a couple of years now, would you still recommend it?
I would! Great little machine
Love LMS. This is a great video. I’m in the market for the PM728 but I have no reason to spend that kind of money. But I don’t want anymore sloppy stuff that needs rebuilding out of the box. This mini might be just what I need.
Glad you found it helpful William! Cheers
Hey Red Beard! I've been looking for a good guide on the first essential bits/end mills to buy for CNC knifemaking. I haven't been able to find something comprehensive. Do you know where this info might be?
Hey David, I don't know where a guide is. I've just bought what I need for given projects.
Looking into mills now and this video really helped thanks mate.
Great to hear!
Great comparison video and you give a lot of great tips. I’m looking into getting a mini mill and you have given me some great tips on what to look out for
Glad it was helpful!
Hey red beard I have a question it would be great if you could answer. What size vise do you use for it? I have the same mill it came today but I’m not sure what size vice would be ok with it. Thanks.
This is the one I use. Cheers! amzn.to/3Wr2laT
Question here I do a lot of go kart cylinder head work but have to go to buddy’s for machine work what would be some tools I would need to mill them ? I’m assuming a fly cutter of some sort
Man I'm not sure exactly what they look like, but a fly cutter sounds like it could be a good solution. You may want to ask your buddy who has been machining them what he uses. Cheers!
First off, amazing video. Second, Im looking at getting one for making folding knives and other small edc pocket junk. Will the 4700 micro mill suffice? I feel like that huge platform on that 3990 is a bit overkill, plus i do not have a lot of room. Im not sure if the torque on the micro will be enought for titanium and hardend steel. Will it be precise enought to mill intricate folding knife parts? any input would he fantastic!
You may want to ask the folks at LMS; having not done what you're asking about I'm not sure. I think it would work just fine, but not 100%
How has this mill served? I’m thinking about getting it this week. Thanks
This mill has been great, Michael! I'm a big fan of it. Cheers
Good info, Red! I have been looking at the older mill/drills recently. Some of them are equipped with 2 hp motors. That’s what I’d like to go with for my setup. But, LMS makes some nice stuff!
Right on, thanks for stopping by sir!
It's worth keeping in mind that when comparing an older brushed motor with a modern brushless one, HP isn't going to provide a complete picture of how they stack up in terms of performance. I moved to a brushless hand drill not too long ago that just about broke my wrist the first time I used it because of how much additional torque it puts out.
It's worth keeping in mind that when comparing an older brushed motor with a modern brushless one, HP isn't going to provide a complete picture of how they stack up in terms of performance. I moved to a brushless hand drill not too long ago that just about broke my wrist the first time I used it because of how much additional torque it puts out.
I had a G0704, which is a bit bigger than either of these mills. I kept running out of travel on the Y and Z axis. No disrespect to LMS, who support the hobby community, but my advise is to buy the biggest mill you can. You will not regret it.
Hey Nicolas, I have heard this advise before! I'm sure it's good. Cheers
The next size up X3 has some good mills, got an Optimum version that had a wider X table than most. Not even close to Bridgeport but bargain for about $2000 Oz.
When you check your Tram for square is it out of adjustment often on the Harbor Freight model?
I've only had one, but I'd guess it's out of tram from the factory to some degree. Especially with the non-fixed column
could you tell us where you purchased the surfacing bit you where using .i'm also filling out my order off your link for the 3990 and r8 essentials thanks for the heads up on them
Hey Mark, I think I put a link in the video description
Been looking at mini mills and LMS always showed up. Was unsure if the differences were worth the extra money, thanks for your input.
Cheers rick! IMO, by the time you upgraded the X2 you'd be money and time ahead with the 3990
@@RedBeardOps Doesn't look like they will ship to my area, they list Canadian shipping but no options or pricing. I have sent an email we will see.
@@rickward4384 Damn, sorry to hear it Rick! Maybe they'll make an exception. Let me knw what you find out.
@@RedBeardOps all good I don't discourage easy, we will see what they say.
over two weeks and no reply from Little Machine Shop...maybe a good mill but they really need to learn to reply to their emails. Their competitors did.
Does this one have "slop" in the z axis fine feed knob?
There is some slop/backlash in the z axis. It’s nice having the strong air shock pushing up though
That LMS mini mill is really nice, I've been eyeing there mills for awhile now. Your video quality looks really good
Awesome! Thank you!
Red Beard Ops, My question is when you received your HiTorque 3990 Mini Mill do you have to reset any of the ways?
I didn't have to reset anything. What I did do was tram the mill... but other than that nothing.
Wouldn’t torquing the tram bolts to a specific tightness make leveling more accurate?
I'm not sure, I just kinda tinkered with it till it was all squared up. Torquing seems smarter
Awesome video. And this maybe a what the question but any idea how many decibels this is when cutting steel?
Good question! I have no idea. I generally have hearing protection in 100% of the time in the shop.
@@RedBeardOps cheers mate
When tightening those bolts on the column would it be better to use a torque wrench? Not that I know of any particular torque spec but am just thinking it would make the tightening more consistent and remove a variable in the process.
Hey Tom, I'm sure that would help! Good point
Thanks for the breakdown between the two mini mills.
When tramming with a flex arm and Interrapid style indicator, the indicator case should sit at 30° parallel to the table, and the needle should sit at 15° parallel to the table.
You had your indicator at waaay too steep of an angle, I could see it catching on the T slots...
Good stuff!
Hey man.
I started knife making over the pandemic. I'm using my dad's wrought iron 210lb. anvil. But it likes to dent. I can't get a good level on my knives. How can I flatten out an anvil?
What kind of anvil should I use to keep a smooth finish on top even after I pound on it?
Hey Ryan, I'm not sure on your anvil. Good anvils have a hardened face and will not dent. They'll rebound your hammer blows
What tooling did you use with this mill? I intend to get one when they have them in stock again. Looking at the Delux with the dro because I need all the help I can get.
I used it heavily here. Should give you and idea - ua-cam.com/video/nvyYplfh96c/v-deo.html
I bought an identical one to the your SIEG.
The tilting part is a great idea because you don't get much height on a mini mill, and so if you add a tilting vice then you lose a lot of height of around 170mm and in most cases you can't do any machining.
so by having a tilting head you can achieve much more, and plus you don't have to spend more money.
So far I have had no movement at all, and is still 100% level
Also these mini milling machines are built to the clients price & spec.
meaning if you get a cheap one then there will be issues, as a shop with a good reputation and put their own brand name to it is that they will want to sell only good tools/machinery that has had good quality control,
so you do get what you pay for.
And Sieg are well known for quality as well as Machine mart. so that is why they cost more than other similar models.
How did you get the torque curves for each machine?
I got that data directly from Little Machine Shop, I'm not sure where they got it form.
Man this new mill is some nice do u think it's better than Eastwoods model ? I don't know shit about them but was thinking about getting one I like Eastwood tools but if it's not as good I wouldn't get one?
When it comes to the Sieg X2D class of mills; I don't think the HiTorque 3990 can be beat
What a dream machine, I can only dream Some day, some day.
Probably the best review I have seen on mills! Will this mini mill take a 3/4" ball end mill?
With the appropriate R8 collet, I'm sure it will!
Thanks for a great video, but why support the ChiComs? Taig is manufactured in the U.S., with customer support being very accessible.
I haven't seen Taigs; will investigate.
Delivered by old dominion!!!!🙏
Been looking at the HF mini mill for months. Have been hesitant to but it because of some negative reviews. With I had the extra cash for the LMC mini mill.
Man I feel you. At the end of the day I probably ended up with around the same amount of cash into the HF mill after upgrading and repairing it... Not to mention when it broke (twice now) it's a terrible feeling.
Man that's awesome job on Spindle Square do u use it alot?
I used it a lot with the HF mill. I don't think I'll use it much with the 3990
So really the comparison to the lms is the Sieg X2.7 which has all the upgrades and more
Man, I think it's a much better machine. I love mine
@@RedBeardOps the Sieg x2.7 is a closer comparison than the Sieg x2. Is what I meant sorry
Can I use this as a drill press. I would rather buy this first as I could do more things. Thank you
For sure you can. I do all the time.
In all seriousness, why wouldnt you think that you could use this like a drill press?
LMS for the win!
Update. I went with the Grizzly Mill G0704 and Lathe G0752. Variable speed and the quill micrometer on the mill is super uber uber handy. Did I mention handy?
Have a great day!
Awesome man!!! Thank you as I’ve been looking for a mini mill.
Glad I could help! I love mine... Used the heck out of it recently on a dagger build... video coming out on the 15th. Cheers
@@RedBeardOps Have you ever made a video on how you made the DIY spindle square?
@@MarketingPowerhouse As a matter of fact! I do - ua-cam.com/video/uSLkKqS13Y0/v-deo.html
Ciao non ho capito una cosa, adesso ci son due tipi di Sieg x2, quella con la colonna rigida con motore brushless e quella con la colonna inclinabile, sempre con il motore brushless.la mia domanda è semplice, se compariamo entrambe le sieg x2, quella con colonna fissa e inclinabile, con lo stesso motore,quindi entrambi nuovi e ultimi modelli, hanno lo stesso spessore le colonne di entrambe le fresatrici?Grazie.
Ciao. La colonna del 3990 è più spessa della colonna basculante del Sieg.
@@RedBeardOps ciao Grazie!
I just knew there would be a LMS discount code for watching this great video.
Hey James, sorry about that! I don't have a discount code for you. I can say the mill is kicking ass.
Can you mill steel, like guards or flattening stock or is it really only good for aluminum and wood?
100% yes on steel
My next build will demo this
Ok cool. I look forward to seeing it.
Super cool!!!!thank you for sharing this video!!
Did you ever look at Precision Matthews mini-mills?
They look good! I've never tried one though
LMS makes a great mill. I have an android DRO on mine and love it. Yuri sell it under TouchDRO. Totally worth the money.
I’ll be getting a DRO soon! Can’t wait! Cheers
@@RedBeardOps I have a power feed Y Axis too. I sent you an email.
What is the needed becnh footprint with this mill? I see the specs on their site, but I was wondering with the table being all the way left or right how much space is needed.
Hey Newton, I'm away from the shop and don't have a good measurement for you. But these guys should be able to help - info@littlemachineshop.com
Picked up an HF mini mill over the memorial day sale ($200 off). Locking down the column with scrap steel, throwing out the chuck, and eventually getting the belt drive aren't an issue for me. I'm honestly more nervous about the electronics going out, but we'll see, I guess. I think with light cuts and not trying to use this like a 1500lb Clausing it'll be fine for what I do.
Sounds like a good plan man. If the electronics do go out there is a guy who repairs and upgrades the boards for a reasonable price. You can find OEM boards online too if need be.
For knife making... these little mills do a darn good job
@@RedBeardOps I noticed that LMS also offers steel gears as an upgrade for these things as well. If I'm not mistaken, I believe you do lose a bit of torque on the low end needed for drilling larger holes. Opinions between the two upgrades?
@@provenancemachining I really don't have an opinion. May be best to ask LMS
Thanks for the head to head comparison. I'm pretty much sold on the LMS now, too many bad reviews and videos of the HF.
Glad to help, cheers
Excellent video. Where did you get the gauge and shim kit?
Hey Joe, i have a link in the description. Cheers
I understand that the blue mill is better than the Harbor Freight mill, but is it worth the $500 or so difference in price? What little I do or want to do, can be done with a drill press with a fair X-Y vice. If I had a mill I might do a bit more but I doubt it.
I think it's worth it, but thats up to everyone to decide on their own. I have more than that into repairs and upgrades on the HF version.
@@RedBeardOps Unfortunately the cost is about twice what I get on disability in a month. At least with the HF I can spend less to begin with and add belt drive and so on a little bit every couple months.
Hey Red, What is the cutting capabilty (4140 ordinate steel) of each ofthe mills?
I'm sorry Cliff, I really don't know.
So would you say it's the best for the money or will the harbor freight model work for a novice to start on
Personally I wouldn't buy the HF model again. It did work for me as a starter mill, however, I had to get the circuit box replaced/repaired, and the gears broke. With the time and money I spent on the HF model (repairs and upgrades) I should of bought the LMS version from the start. Would of came out ahead for sure. Just my opinion...
I'm using your link to get one. Do they have an 1/8" bit to mill hardened steel there? I don't know the lingo yet?
I get 1/8'' carbide endmills on amazon. But will say that milling hardened steel isn't fun; I normally soften the tang before milling:
amzn.to/3OTJFN7
@@RedBeardOps I've done it with a dremel and it was nasty. I brought my creation to several machine shops and they all told me it was impossible. "Just have to figure it out myself I guess" and then I found your video. Thanks for putting the effort it. I used your Little Machine Shop link when I bought it yesterday. And thank you for the response.
Harbor freight is good if your going to use the tool one time , Of course the LMS is double the cost but over ten years it's not a factor
i have the lms mill and it is a good little mill .
I've been lusting after one of these or, if I got suddenly rich, the 6700 for a while. I had a Sieg in the form of the Grizzly 8689 which was...technically functional. But a headache.
Well I can tell you it's a nice machine for sure. Well worth the lust! Cheers
dont waste your money they are garbage sorry but they truly are
I'm currently making small but very rigid cnc router for milling steel for a customer who wants to make knifes... uploaded couple of videos of the build. My customer has such small mill in his shop, like the one you're showing, Proxxon brand, and it's quite limited and not really rigid, well maybe this LMS mill is better. But for such price for a new mill it's better to purchase used large milling machine. Lile your projects, subscribed.
Very cool! Thank you for your thoughts!
I agree that larger used mills have their plaće, but , you will need to rebuild it as it Will ve worn , and that requiers time effort and money , they do bring alot of function with them tho. I gor one am looking at theese mills because i want to build 2 stroke stuff , mostly quite small , and aluminium , and in my basement i dont have alot of space , well i could fit a larger mill inside , but only in pieces as it would not fit trough the doors, but than i need 330v ,more concrete on the floor etc ... these things do havr their plaće
Have you used the new mill on high carbon billets yet?
Sure have, works as expected. Comes down to tooling in that case
Great video, Red!
Thanks! Cheers Ryan!
Great post!!! Especially to someone looking at various mills
Glad you liked it! Cheers Michael!
Very nice video. Interesting. Thanks. I want to acquire a mill soon.
Best of luck!