SX4 CNC questions

Hi there.

In the new year I’ll be looking for a mill. And a lathe. And some other stuff. But the mill wont stop kicking my mind for some reason. I’m pretty much sold on the SX4, the form factor is about right, the functionality is about right, all reviews seem to be positive. I’d love something bigger, but I wouldn’t be able to use it.

Now, I’m a few years past my metal working ‘work’ days, done a load of lathe and drill work in a large machine shop, a little milling, but of course things have moved on a little. I think the shear amount of tooling being the largest topic to catch up on.

However for now, I’m pondering the CNC question. I know these machines (or at least the Sieg/Grizzly, whoever claims manufacture) can be converted pretty easily. However, I’m going to be doing all the work from a wheelchair. Tends to give some testing moments and instances of excitement!

Does anyone have any tips? Kits I should consider?

And a slightly different issue, when upgraded for full CNC use, is it possible to manually operate the mill if required? I don’t want to have to model the simplest of objects that would be quicker to make. A second mill for manual work seems pure decadence.

Many thanks.