Thread: Mini Mill/Drill with forward/reverse

Was looking at a Steelmaster 12V Mini Mill/Drill very similar to the X2 I have and noticed 2 differences on this machine.

First of all it has 2 handwheels on the X axis table, right and left.

What would this extra handwheel be used for?

Secondly it has a forward as well as a reverse mode on the drive motor.

Why would you need reverse on a mill like this?

Have attached pdf of the machine I am talking about.

left handed machinists??

This sounds like a great buy. The two hand wheels are are a big advantage. You will soon find out how much so when you are machining and get splattered with hot chips. The quickest way to stop being covered is to wind the handle from the other end. The extra handle is a true blessing when you are setting a job up and you need more visibility. Dont knock the extra handle, it's worth its weight in gold when you need it.
The reverse on the motor is required when you run the mill at slow speed. Many mills have a set of gears to enable the slower speeds and when these low speeds are selected, the mill spindle rotates the wrong way. Flick the switch and the mill runs correctly. There are some jobs that could be performed so much better and safer if the spindle would run in reverse. These are jobs where a fly-cutter is used with a HSS tool and you can grind the tool to suit the job.

Kody

G'day Fred

I suspect the Steelmaster is built by Real Bull whereas the X2 is built by Sieg. I have a Real Bull 7x12 and Sieg X2. No complaints about the X2 but mine and others experience leans towards Real Bull machines being better.
As well as the two hand wheels you will find the motor is larger by 200 watts. I think the table is deeper (but don't quote me). I understand the mill has an indexing arrangement for getting the column vertical. I also suspect that the control board is of USA manufacture, is so I can vouch for the quality.

The price is very compoetitive.

IMHO the MT3 is a better home option than R8, it allows common tooling with the lathe.

Regards,
Ian