Fragger, I'm pretty much convinced that both the TAIG and the X1L would cut hard materials - as Jonathan suggests they should. I meant that the only reason I'm not going for something even smaller than the TAIG is that such a machine would struggle to cut harder materials. The Sherline would fit much better in the space I have available but a skilled Sherline owner has told me he struggled to cut stainless with it, even with low rates of material removal. Perhaps not surprising when you look at a side by side comparison:

http://www.deepgroove1.com/tagsherli...comparison.htm