Bench drill press

Hi Again

I have a Clarke CDP152B​ drill and want to use it for some light milling work, what do you recommend as a cross vice or movable bed.

Martin

a real mill ...

you can use a XY cross slide vice ... but drill presses are for drilling, not for milling. Jacobs chucks don't do a good job of holding milling cutters, and drill presses aren't designed for the tangential forces of milling.

unless you're planning on milling softwood or something similar it's not a great idea.

Please don't even think about doing it

Andrew

I take it it's a big NO NO then anybody got a cheap little mill they want to sell.

Cheers

Martin

It is a big no-no. There are several reasons.

1. The intermittent nature of the milling cutter rattles the mill, and this shaking can vibrate the Morse taper on the chuck loose.
2. There is usually no draw bar to stop the above.
3. The drill press has no way to extend the quill and leave it extended. So you need 5 hands, one hovering over the off switch, two on the quill capstan and 2 on the two axes of movement.
4. The drill press bearings are not designed for side loads
5. The head can easily spin on the pillar.
6. The table is very flexible compared to a mill.

I wouldn't even recommend routing wood with a drill press.

Regards

Richard.

Many Thanks Richard most of what you have said has gone way over my head but I understand the gist of it, a big NO NO in caps.

Cheers

Martin

Never mind Martin. Asking if a Bench Drill can be used as a milling machine has come up before. Many, many times! You're in good company - it's not at all obvious that it's a bad idea. You can do light milling on a lathe with a Vertical Slide (optional accessory). Didn't get on with it myself though it has a long history. In the past most amateur milling was done on a lathe and excellent results achieved. I found a proper milling machine much easier to use.

Those cross vices are pretty hopeless too. It's the only tool I've ever bought that was a complete waste of money. Does anyone know different?

Dave

Cheers Dave,

Ideally I would like to buy by the sounds of it a second hand warco super mini lathe (brushless motor, longer bed etc.) with a few bits and a small second hand milling machine for sub £800 is this possible

Cheers

Martin

Couldn't agree more the only thing my cross vice does is make the drill table so heavy I can hardly lift it (old Mending floor standing drill)

Lionel

Cross vices can be OK on a pillar drill.

One of the biggest of the breed, 8" size, lives on my Fredrk. Pollard 15 AY as the normal work holding device. Picked up a set of multi-vee jaws, Nu-Tool brand I think, for it which makes work holding pretty easy. Three vertical Vee grooves of different size and one horizontal in each jaw. A couple of sacrificial MFD plates with gripping battens underneath, one big, one small, do for sheet work. Often a few wood screws is the best work holding method for sheet metal.

The 15 AY has a screw jack table lifter as standard so weight isn't really an issue. Extra mass of the bigger vice probably helps. Bringing it home from a Model Engineer exhibition on a motorcycle, Trident T150 V in those days I think but maybe DB32 Goldie, was um "interesting". Objectively its still a rattly latchity rubbishy old thing but it works well enough despite numerous "must give it a work over" comments during the last 25 + years. Hafta lock the slides of course for most work. All set up for fast removal if need be but can't recall the last time I shifted it.

Clive.

Well, I find my 6" cross-vice quite useful Dave. It's pretty much a fixture on the table of my Warco 2B - and it's been there a few years now. I quickly realised it wasn't a 'poor mans' XY Table - simply not accurate enough - and as others have said - you couldn't mill on it even if the drill was suitable. But it is good for 'positioning' over holes without a lot of fuss and once there it locks up Ok. It does make the table heavy but the Warco has a rack on the column, so it's not a problem for me really.

In fact I like it so much that, as I mentioned a few weeks back, I fitted a 3" cross-vice under my little Cowells - but had to modify the Y traverse and make some raising blocks. It simply lifts off the base if not required and I can swing the normal table back around for some things that are easier to just drill on it - but it's nice to have the choice....the packing is adjustable - very basic but it works...

Regards,

IanT