Received wisdom to date:
- Belt drives produce a better finish than geared head machines
- Belt drives better for novices, accidents tend to leave both operator and machine in recoverable state
- Stick with HSS cutters for hobby use, they are capable of being re-sharpened cheaply and tend to be sharper than equivalent carbide cutters which don't sustain quite an edge.
- Milling chuck is essential, needs to be retained on drawbar and collets should positively lock on cutter eg threaded shanks
- For hobby use stick with slot drills as they perform reasonably well as end-mills so no need to buy both.
Are these points reasonably true?
Regards
Steve