Manufactured from the early 1970s the Elliott Sturdimil range represented the company efforts to produce a modern-looking, high-performance miller that incorporated as many user-friendly controls as possible whilst being economical to manufacture.
The first version, with a very heavy square-section knee ways, was not given a model number but later, after the introduction of a smaller and lighter range, the 1000, 1000R and 1100 and 1100R, the range became known as the Sturdimil 1200, 1250 and 1500. Although the 1000 Series was offered in a comprehensive set consisting of Horizontal, Universal, Vertical and Autocycle types, the larger models (all based on a common foot and knee) were additionally manufactured in a versatile "Omnimil" version with both a conventional ram-supported vertical head as well as a "Powered Overarm" type. The "Vertical" differed in having a taller column with the top of the front face machined to take a very heavy duty swivelling quill-feed head while the "Omnimil" used the complete column from the horizontal model, including the horizontal drive spindle, but with a turret mounting on the top to hold a Bridgeport-type sliding ram with a vertical head that was able to move in and out, incline left and right and nod up and down. The "Powered Overarm" version was produced in small numbers only and fitted with a huge ram that carried a horizontally disposed motor at the back driving into a gearbox built into the hollow structure of the assembly (one advantage of this type was that the entire head could be removed and fitted to a horizontal version of the miller - so providing a "get out" if a fault developed with a workshop's only vertical version). A set of gear levers on the left-hand side controlled 8 speeds from 35 to 1730 rpm whilst the head, fitted with a No. 50 IST nose, could be rotated through 360º in two planes.
The 1000 and 1000R range of millers, in all their forms, differed only in the "R" being fitted with rapid feeds. The standard table offered by the manufacturer was 1140 mm long and 265 mm wide with three 2.5" pitch T slots with, on the "Universal" model the ability to swing it 45° each in each direction..