Re: Taig mill vs. MaxNC

At 11:12 PM 11/13/2000 +0000, you wrote:

>Mike,
>
>I have not seen or used the maxnc15, except on the website.
>
>The TAIG minimill is MUCH sturdier than the maxnc10 (which I have
>used), and the stepper mounts are solid. Not sure what you mean by
>awkward, they are a standard (for minimills) stepper flex-coupling
>mount.

That's good to know about the Taig. A friend has one and I hadn't noticed
much difference but I guess steel must do significantly better than
aluminum because there's A LOT of aluminum in the MaxNC 10. The MaxNC 15
has larger (4" x 6" vs 4" x 4") mounts for the Z axis and XY block. It
also has full length gussets for the upright (versus just a stiffening
block at the base of the MaxNC 10) and a larger, more rigid head. All the
pieces are machined from at least 1" x 4" extruded aluminum stock.

I don't like the Taig motor mounts because they space the motor well away
from the table and upright. Double (or, even worse, triple) stack motors,
end up sticking way out in free space which is a bit awkward on a desktop
mill--especially if you use double shaft motors to retain manual
operation. Because the MaxNC uses the stepper motor's bearing, there are
no flex couplers and the motors mount directly to the slides. Besides
being a lot cleaner (and cheaper), there's also less chance of
flex/backlash. The Sherline mounts are also shorter and cleaner than the
Taig's.

Each of the "big 3" desktop mill designs have their advantages. I think
the Taig is a really nice manual desktop mill. Sherline has a great
spindle motor, lots of accessories and the best support. But I like the
MaxNC for CNC--especially when you upgrade to the BSA screws (or buy the 15
which includes them) and provide your own CNC hardware/software.

Mike