Milling with a drill press

And that Clausing 8530 mill a while back...

You really should have hung on to that one.

Mike

...

Sorry, I thought you had measured the spindle play only, not the flex between the head and the table.

...

Wayne D.

Wayne, now I understand what is the difference between what I did and what you asked. I will try doing that today.

i

Picture of the chuck is here:

Hi Iggy,

I have a couple of old crappy Taiwan presses that use JT6 chucks. As far as I know the JT33 is similar but for the taper dimensions. An old JT33 chuck I have off to the side doesn't have any kind of locking ring attached. Nothing holds the chuck except the taper. One of the presses has a threaded collar just above the chuck to be used as an aide in removing it (you crank it down against the chuck to force it off its taper). This collar/nut isn't attached to the chuck by any means. I took a look at the picture you gave above and I couldn't tell if yours is like this or not. The manual suggests that the collar is attached to the chuck though. Have you had the chuck off yet? If not you might want to double check that the locking collar is actually what you think it is and not just a chuck removal aid (shrug).

It comes with a price---------but the price I recognize may be immaterial to others. It's that I know "better", that there are other means to accomplish the task with far better results----often so much better that going the poor route can be the source of a bittering experience, perhaps changing one's views such that they have no further desire to be involved. "Running a mill sucks", sort of attitude. But------they didn't run a mill, and don't understand the difference. I'm here to help them get a clear view. You can do it, but you're not going to like what you get. It will work, but very poorly, due in part to a lack of rigidity, due in part to the fact that features that make a mill function to it's level of competence are completely lacking in a drill press. You have to paint the idea in a newbie's mind that just because a drill press looks like a milling machine to them, that it is clearly not one-----and shouldn't be one. Then, if this individual is hell bent on doing it anyway, the results he is likely to experience would parallel that which has fully been described, and may prevent the "all mills suck" attitude. "By God, he was right!"

Fact is, I consider all of the negatives, including finding an end mill stuck in one's gut. Those of us with years of experience should pass along to others any and everything that is pertinent to one's safety and well being, as well as knowledge that may aid them in accomplishing a given task. I'd be remiss if I was to suggest to anyone that their idea of converting a drill press to mill use was a good idea. It's not----it's a stupid idea-----and they need to know that. However, if your car is in the garage and it's on fire, driving it through the unopened door to get it out is better than leaving it in the garage to be totally destroyed by fire. I fully understand that, to some folks, their garage is on fire and they're going to do just that------so the least I can do is let them know that they won't escape without some cost. I owe them the benefit of my years in the shop. ********Besides, I like to be able to laugh at them and tell them "I told you so!"*********

Hey, even a blind squirrel finds the occasional nut!

Don't use a drill press as a mill. It's a stupid idea.

Harold

Finally! Wisdom floats to the top!

Harold

That's up to the person moving the rocks. If they're aware of the pitfalls, don't endanger themselves or others, and are satisfied with the new location of the rocks, what's the problem?

Before we spend any more time on this I think we should figure out what this argument is about, Harold. My problem is with the folks who say that you must

*never* mill with a drill press, lest you end up with an endmill stuck in your gut when the chuck comes unseated or, at best, trashed spindle bearings. I never said to expect results comparable to a purpose-built mill, only that one might get the job done if expectations are low and your particular drill press has a chuck and bearings that address the common objections.

If you're among those who say that personal injury or damage to the drill will surely result, regardless of the specifics of the drill press in question, then we have something to discuss. If your point is only that a drill press is a poor substitute for a proper mill, we're in agreement.

Again, my question is why do you say this? Because if you do yer gonna die, or because the result may be unsatisfactory?

At least we have no disagreement here, even to the practical limit of tap size.

Ned

Good lad..you are learning.

All it takes is money.

Gunner

Political Correctness

A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical liberal minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.

Yes, but remember, deciding to keep the mill involves money also. If the mill is worth $2k, then that's how much it costs to keep it, even if I paid $350 for it. Anyway. I now feel a lot worse about having sold it.

i

It all depends on what other equipment you have, how much money/time you have, how fast you have to get the rocks moved, how far you need to move the rocks, how strong you are, etc.

You pays your money and you takes your chances.

Unka' George [George McDuffee]

------------------------------ Watch out w'en you'er gittin all you want. Fattenin' hogs ain't in luck.

Joel Chandler Harris (1848-1908), U.S. journalist. Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings, "Plantation Proverbs" (1880).

According to F. George McDuffee :

What I find interesting is that Iggy (who started this thread)

*had* a nice small Clausing vertical spindle mill, and he *sold* it instead of keeping it and using it. I believe that he kept the lathe which he got in the same purchase, however.

Enjoy, DoN.

Gotcha - we agree for the most part on the drawbacks of using a drill press as a mill and on sharing our respective opinions on the matter.

Where we differ is I'm willing to give the folks reading this credit for enough intelligence to decide whether to give it a try and, if they do, whether the results are at all useful to them. You, on the other hand, seem to think they shouldn't be trusted to make their own decisions.

Ned Simmons

I've seen plans for that device, IIRC it was in Popular Mechanics from back in the fifties or sixties.

Jon

Pretty simple, Ned. If they ask, they *can't* make a rational decision. If they could, they wouldn't be asking. If you tell them the reasons why (all of them, no sugar coat), they can make the decision to ignore advice from someone with experience, or to go with their original plan, armed with the idea that they, above all others (naturally), can make it work.

When's the last time you didn't do something when you got an answer you didn't want to hear? Most folks don't work like that.

People, for the most part, aren't really asking if they should or should not really do any given thing----they usually want someone to tell them they have a great idea. I, in clear conscience, can't do that.

Harold

You are so right. And Ned too. As soon as someone *understood* why something doesn't work, he also knows that a certain no-go setup works in his special circumstances. But that takes experience.

An example: "Never use a drill chuck for milling!" I do on *rare* occasions. But only with a 1 .. 2 mm end mill with a 6 mm shaft and very light cuts (more dusting-off than milling). I know that this particular drill chuck (keyless ) can do this kind of work. But then, would I ask you?

Nick

Especially as you only paid $350 for it. Most buyers would be hard pressed to find similar bargains, though you *do* seem to be be rather good at it so maybe you'll get lucky again.

Every time I look through the Craig's List site for Chicago I get the feeling all that's left are things you've rejected .

Mike

The Clausing 8520 is working well, but probably needs a new bearing in the spindle pulley. On the Tormach, I managed to rapid a new 3/32" carbide EM nearly an inch deep into aluminum with the spindle off - scratch one EM. Maybe the remains can be turned into an engraving bit.

Mike

First off don't worry about selling the mill. You made a decision back then that seemed very appropriate to you. Honor that decision.

For myself I would disagree that it costs $2k for a $350 mill. That would only apply if you are buying as an investment, in order to make a profit. I think most who buy used are looking for 2 things. Old iron and a better machine for a lower cost.

Otherwise if you get a $350 mill that is only worth $350 you'd end up with a POS that wouldn't be usable. Or you'd have to sink more in it to get it to work.

Like others I think you have the knack for finding good deals. If you choose to get a mill I think you'll find one.

Wayne D.