montea6b Posted February 11, 2007 Report Share Posted February 11, 2007 I've toyed with this idea before and wanted to see if anybody else had. For the rare times when I might want to do some milling it seems like a stand alone machine dedicated to this purpose is not an efficient investment. However, for light non-precision work similiar to the hinged triggerguard project that DonMarkey posted here it seems like a drillpress with a milling bit would be able to handle the work. Of course the tricky part would be getting it to feed nicely. Several years ago at a summer tent sale of cheap tools I saw a vise with hand cranks that could have been used for this. It had markings to measure the amount of travel on both axis, and looked like it could be clamped or bolted to a drill press table. I thought about getting it, but it was poorly made with lots of slop in the worm gears. I seem to remember that it took about 180 degrees of free handle rotation when reversing direction before it would start to move the other way. Anyhow, if I could find a better vise to feed the work with I'd be interested in trying this. It also seems to me that with such a set up and some router bits that you could also inlet a stock pretty well. Anybody have thoughts or experience with this idea? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donmarkey Posted February 11, 2007 Report Share Posted February 11, 2007 I've tried it before. It works, not well but works. The main problem is the downfeed, I made a holder for a ratchet that would provide a fine (well finer) downfeed. The other problem is the bearing in a press are designed for straight down force, not a side to side as when milling. So you have to take very light cuts. Then you need a closs slide type vice (I have one if you want to try). With all the work involved I think you would be farther ahead getting a cheap mini mill from harbor freight. -Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manitou Posted February 11, 2007 Report Share Posted February 11, 2007 donmarkey speaks the truth. A drill chuck doesn't hold an end mill nearly as solid as a collet, and carbide endmills used this way never last long, they break. (I know that you never mentioned carbide, I'm just sayin'). You could try it, and we may all be surprised at your good results, but, sadly, history is not on your side. I do, however, use my hand drill as a sort of a crude lathe. I place anything cylindrical in the chuck and clamp the drill in my bench vise, and have at it with a file. As I said, crude but effective. I have on occasion clamped a lathe bit in my milling machine vise, and used the spindle of the mill like the headstock of a lathe. It works OK for simple OD turning, but no substitute for a nice (thread cutting) lathe. Man, I gotta get one of them! Manitou Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montea6b Posted February 12, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2007 THanks guys. I guess there's a reason why it hasn't been touted more widely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manitou Posted February 12, 2007 Report Share Posted February 12, 2007 THanks guys. I guess there's a reason why it hasn't been touted more widely. Don't give up, we all may learn something here. The backlash in the cheap indexing drill press vises, is, unfortunately, very common. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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