SIP - unusual small jig borer review and questions

Got the SIP MP-1H in today. Wasn't quite sure what to make of the strange head when I bought it, but now have most of it figured out (no manual with it).

The cool thing is the built in microscope and left/right sliding head. Assuming scribe marks or existing hole on your part you line up with the microscope cross hairs and/or circular graph and then move the head sideways to drill or bore ! Hardened stops keep the sideways travel dead nuts identical to the distance between the spindle center and the scope cross hairs.

No screw on the sliding head...it's a sort of cam arrangement such that you turn the handwheel on the right side of the head and the head moves quickly, gets close to stop and then the cam takes over and moves it slowly to the stop and locks the head in place automatically. So you can go back and forth between using the scope and center drilling fairly quickly and easily, aligning the cross hairs with scibe marks, lining up existing bores, etc.

Do any other jig bores or grinders work this way ? Only one I've ever seen like this. I think this machine could take Rivett to the next level...nano rollet skates and lock sets...completed works that would take a microscope just to view !



Z axis handwheel broke off (front, below table, left side), otherwise seems pristine so far.



There is a small circular flourscent light that surrounds the scope lens underneath.



Squirrel cage type fan in the base that pumps air thru a hose into the spindle motor in the head. A small outlet with spring closed door near where the hose enters the head. Anyone know what that is for ?



The tooling is tiny...no. 1 Morse taper size. The one boring bar I got with it mounts on the *outside* of the spindle taper..interesting concept.

And THAT's !! the skid those clowns shipped it on??
No wonder parts were broken... IDIOTS

A machine should be on a skid big enough so that a forklift can run up to the wood from every direction and NEVER get close to the machine mounted on the skid.

Nice looking machine, but everything SIP makes looks good, better than good.

GE, yeah the skid was a surprise. But to be fair that arrangement is ideal for getting the forks in from the side, which is how it was on the truck. So I doubt they broke the handwheel during skidding or loading. (the machine came heavily stretch wrapped, so unlikely the handwheel got broke in transit either, as the pieces would have been captive behind the stretch wrap if so...but there were no remants anywhere)

I think it got broke sometime between one eBay photo and the newer photos they put up a month later. Reason I think that is, I went back and examined the eBay photos...and every photo except for the original photo just happens to be cropped right above where the handwheel was

How old is the machine? It looks really nice, someone took good care of it. Wish my stuff looked that good.

JTx...dunno...1960's probably.

Nice machine! Where did it come from? What was its primary use for... making holes in what types of things used for what?

is this going into your personal "Deckel Gallery"?

MT2, according to SIP brochure "machine of the highest precision specially intended for watch and fine precision instrument production"

Optical scales for table read in .0001" increments. To my surprise it is equiped with inch scales...I expected all metric.

Guaranteed accuracy (when new) for all displacements of the worktable was .00008"...80 millioniths !

Who owned it ? Not sure...sticker on side says "DuPont Wilm. Shops" I bought it from a dealer in NJ.

D
you posted those pics just to tortue me, didn't you
Dam that looks slick, especially because its got the scope to view work.The condition has got me all ooh aahying.

Now if the scope had stereo vision then I really would have to have it!!

Now if the scope had stereo vision then I really would have to have it!!

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Actually it came with a seperate stereo microscope but I haven't messed with it yet...it may be some aftermarket thing that isn't a SIP product as the paint job doesn't match.

But seems like lining up marks, holes, etc on parts via cross hairs and circular graph would be problematic in stereo...or would it ?

Don, IIRC, there is/was a similar Sip in a shop, south of Greenville. The owner showed it to me about 20 years ago.. He had once had a tool shop in NJ, but moved everything here in the early 80's. He showed me the optical system, and it seems there was a way to install a centerpunch spindle for spotting holes too small to centerdrill.. It has been a long time, but I remember being very impressed with that machine...

Nice Machine Don Good Find and yes theres a build in center punch for small holes it will punch on center with the spindel when the quill is retracted all the way. the covered plug on the side of the machine is for the focusing gage for the light bulbs that go in the scale they need to be focused so that they project max like on the scale. even if you dont use it as a jig bore it will be the most acurate tool makers microscope you can find all of the SIP line has boring heads that mate to the out side of the spindel. on the bigger machines they have a facing head also. nice stuff. now you need tofind the rotab to go with it they made one sized just for this machine and a compound one too Cheers Don

The 1H machine came out about 1950. I believe they were built as late as 1975. I have seen one that was done in the light gray that SIP went to in the seventies. Hauser built a version of there number 2 machine with that same sliding head arraignment. There were some nice accessories for that machine. There was a 200 mm rotary table, a prism that mounted near the spindle so you could look at the cutting tool as it was cutting. You have the middle size of the three boring heads made for it (yours is a LOe 3/4 - 1.0) there was also a L1 5/8 - 13/16 and a LOe 1/64 - 9/16 SIP didn't make a facing head for that machine but you could use a Wolhopter #1. There would have been a wood case with the machine originally to hold most of the tooling. But those always seem to fly off.
I have a manual I could copy it would be a copy of a copy though

D. writes:
> But seems like lining up marks, holes, etc on parts via cross hairs and circular graph would be problematic in stereo...or would it ?

No. The optical path for the graticle and the image are different. Actually the divergance of the image to the two eyes is very small. Just enought the give the brain a hint of depth. The brain benefits greatly from having images present in both eyes. I've spent a lot of time in front of a microscopes and telescopes in my life and stereo is the only way to go.

Bud

Even on the skid it looks big, then another pic shows your hand on the wheel, doesn't look so big.

Regardless, looks to be capable of some super precision.

I won't ask what you paid, that is your business, alone, but what would it sell for, even 40 years or more in age?

Learn more about it and see what it is worth to you to sell or to use.

Cheers,

George

That is one interesting machine. I hope you keep it-or sell it to me!

The scope is used for alingment only? or can you look through the scope to work on the task.

How capable is the SIP of milling?or is the x/y table strictly for positioning.

I can't stand looking at or working on stuff through 1 eye only.I have been looking on Ebay for a Mantis stereo viewer but they out of my budget for now.

Looks like they are the ultimate in stereo viewing
http://www.visioneng.com/newmantis/en/ourrange.htm

Spud:
There was a prism that mounted on the machine to look at the cutting tool through the eyepiece when it was cutting.
Sip in the literature tells you do your regular milling on the machine when you don't have jig work to do. Quoting from the manual: "Use the machine as much as possible. In case you have no jigs to manufacture, use it for the direct machining of pieces. It is of extremely strong and rigid design and can be used as a production machine tool."

SIP6A

Dam it, you realise that by telling me what you just did, that I now have a craving/wanting for such a machine.
When I go to dogpatch, I am afraid D might have to cover the SIP so I don't become sad.Good thing I still got the 'high' from the Schaublin 135

When I go to dogpatch, I am afraid D might have to cover the SIP so I don't become sad

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Between that and the Fehlmann I think you'd better bring some Prozac with you Spud ! LMAO

D., that's one beautiful machine. It looks well cared for; the table looks pristine.

Thank you for posting the pictures; but, now you've got a horde of guys out here who are green with jealousy.

Orrin