Technical Using a Drill Press as a Milling Machine.

I am just wondering if this could be a possibility.
I am no machinist but do a reasonably good drill press with a two dimensional table and I could lock the height setting.
I was only considering doing very basic stuff which might be enough to get me out of trouble on a weekend etc.
I'd be interested to hear from anybody who has either done something similar or is a machinist who could advise on what cutters etc I should be looking at.
My main need is to work with aluminum.

 

Oh man...The things my dad did with a drill press. Granted he was a toolmaker for 40 years and really knew his machinery.

 

No reason you can't do some basic stuff. I have thought about the same thing using a machinist vice or milling vice. It should reduce my grinding wheel use a little. A real machinist would probably cringe at the thought.

 

I have a real Bridgeport, but I have seen drill presses used to do light milling. And I mean LIGHT. Too big a bite and you'll get in trouble, either the piece comes out of the vise or it will pull the vise off the table.

 

You want to be very cautious about using a drill press as a mill. Drill presses are not generally built to withstand the loads generated on the quill by running an end mill etc. They are by and large no where near as m***ive either so the cutter will chatter leaving a poor finish.
You can use a mill as a drill but not really the other way around.
Get some good safety specs and be careful!


Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.

 

Drill press bearings are not designed to handle side loads and with the chuck being a tapered friction fit side loads can lead to bad problems.

 

All of the above.
Do you have one particular job in mind or is your question in general?

 

Agree with K13. I've been a toolmaker for 35 years. Now if you put a lathe tool bit in a vise, and your workpiece in the chuck, you have yourself a light duty lathe (in a jam.)

 

That's not inherent to using a drill press as a mill. That's simply not securing your work piece or vise.

The next couple replies are the danger in using a drill press as a milling machine - the head bearings and quill are not designed for that kind of side load. There is much more radial slop in a drill press than a mill and things are going to get worn out fast. You're using a tool designed for axial loads to load itself radially. "Oh but I'll just use light cuts." Ok, now you're exponentially wearing out your expensive endmills by heating them up and banging them against a part that many more times in a light cut. The cutter wants a deep, heavy cut. So does the part.

Another thing that makes me cringe is using endmills in drill chucks (on mills or drill presses). I hear, "Oh but I do it this way all the time, no problems." Basically, that's using the wrong tool the wrong way. Get some damn collets.

If you have the space, you can get a decent small mill for $1k. You can get a decent Bridgeport (or clone) for $3k. It will pay for itself in no time.

...

All that said.. yes, you will be able to do some minimal milling on a drill press, but don't expect good results, good parts, or long tool life.

 

^^^ What he said. There is really nothing to add to that.

 

Many years ago I bought an Edmunds (aluminum) 2x1 intake for my Studebaker 6,
The intake had been used in a boat so the carburetor mount surfaces were canted in reverse of how they need to be in a car.
I bolted the manifold to a 6x6x1/2" piece of angle iron at the correct angle,
put a flat end rotary file in the drill press chuck and sliding the angle iron around on the drill press table slowly carved the carb mount surfaces down.
It worked just fine for a kid doing shade tree work.

Again, the answer is yes, but.

 

'nuther example:
more recently I needed to modify a Ford U joint to work with my closed drive converted LaSalle transmission,
the splined portion of the output shaft extended further than a Ford so the U joint needed a little bit of it's splines removed.
I dis***embled the U joint, put the part to be modified in the drill vice and used a grinding stone to slowly work my way around.

 

You could put an X - Y table and vise on your drill press. The think I hate most about using a drill press as a mill, is the Morse taper holding the chuck in. And the chuck itself. Sooner or later it will come loose and fall out with a side load. Little things with an 1/8th or 1/4 end mill can be done. You can put your cutter in a lathe chuck and mount your work piece to the cross slide and do lots better. So basically I guess, why don't you try it? You shouldn't loose much and it might be OK for what your doing. Then save up for a mill and DROs.

 

Is there a makerspace near you. I've been using one for $5 day p*** you get to use of all the machines welders, Mills, lathes, band saw etc....

Sent from my XT1254 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Let's see if I can embed this for ya

 

Success is a relative thing. It would take me longer to clean up the mess that his "milling machine" made in that peice of aluminum than to have just cut it with a hack saw or a jig saw in the first place.

 

That fool owns a Bridgeport, yet he bought a piece of **** Ryobi bench top drill press? I’m not suggesting he has to drill everything in the mill, but a Ryobi???
That set up had the rigidity of a limp ****, you could see the wobble in the X-Y table gibs as he made the cuts.

 

well to actually answer your question I would say go ahead if that's what you have to work with.One suggestion on cutters would be to use roughers or semifinish cutters as theres a lot less cutting pressure during stock removal.I have a Bridgeport at my home shop with just a single faze motor and its supprizing how well these cutters remove material.Finish will be a little rougher but you could use a regular two flute for finishing if necessary.

 

Guys, I am just loving the replies and suggestions.
It sure is encouraging.
What is there to be schooled on choosing and using the correct cutter???

 

this

 

Believe the comments about side loading a drill press, sure people say they have had good luck doing it but that's just it....... LUCK.

Material being machined plays a big role in cutter choices, there are roughing end mills and finishing end mills. Feeds and speeds are critical to end mill longevity.
Machinerys handbook is THE bible. Don't need a new one, they can be found at most big swap meets.
Two safety tips:
Wear safety gl***es and DO NOT wear gloves when machining.

 

You can use a End Mill in a drill press like a drill bit to make a flat bottom hole. BUT NEVER side mill in a drill press. The drill chuck/arbor is only held in the female spindle by a Morse taper friction fit. Real mills also have a draw bar that threads into the male arbor and holds the taper fit together in the spindle. You put a side load on a drill press and you will break that friction fit and the chuck, arbor and bit goes flying across the room.

 

The whole idea of using super glue to hold the collect in, leaves me pretty much out. But, depending on what you want to do, investing in a 1/4 inch High Speed Steel four flute end mill, won't set you back much. And it will be a learning experience.

 

There are X-Y tables available that will be more stable than the one in the video. A more rigid table and a well done set-up so you don’t sling anything off the table is your prime consideration. Without the X-Y capability you will need to move the work piece or vise between cuts.
Most noticeable in the video for me was when he began his first cut, and he commented on it too- he was climb milling. Go back and look at the video, observing the direction of cutter rotation and work piece travel, he later changed his method to conventional milling.
There are many good tips posted above, stay safe and think about what you are doing.

 

You guys should watch some of his other videos, he's a funny mofo and does some goofy stuff

 

I have and personally I can't stand him.

 

I guess the carburetor parts and plugs I made on my drill press acting as a mill didn't happen....
I bought a two way vice and mounted on my drill plate. I did tighten the feed shaft side play screw so it would not move up and down easily......the money I made selling the carbs bought me a lathe....

 

An end mill has (in general) more torque than a drill press to remove more than a drill chip. Which is more critical the larger your tool (end mill) diameter. I agree with all the other cautions mentions, too. If you're ever in a situation where you "can't wait, have to modify a part tonight", your chances of messing it up correlates to how rare the part is. Can't be replaced easily or at all = You're going to mess it up...... Can be replaced cheap and easy = It'll work like a dream.

Best to become friends with a dude with his own end mill who is available nights and weekends.

 

I’ve been a toolmaker since 1990 and as a toolmaker, if I don’t have a tool, I go buy it because I really appreciate having the right tool for the job. All of the negative comments above are accurate, but sometimes you just have to find a way to get the job done with the tools you have access too. .

That said keep the cutter diameter to a minimum (1/4 or less) and take shallow light cuts. Worrying about cutter selection is useless because cutter selection depends on a lot of things you will have no control over like spindle speed, feedrate, material type and rigidity of your setup. Stay away from carbide cutters because they are brittle and do not hold up well in setups that aren’t rigid. Get single end end mills. You will tear up your chuck if you chuck up on flutes of a double ended end mill, plus it will not center properly in a 3 finger drill chuck.

 

I am going to go ahead a acquire a couple of cutters including a rough cutter and see how I manage.
I see great value in having a decent XY table.
If I do get hooked I may even consider purchasing a small unit albeit used or a drill mill, which am told is not the best way to go.
I am amazed how expensive accessories for milling machines can be...