Drill or Mill?

I would like to replace my current bench drill in the near future. It is an “el cheapo” that has serious play in the spindle. What I am unsure about is whether I should just replace it with a similar (but larger) drill, or spend an extra couple of hundred pounds for a baby mill.

I have access to a small cnc mill, so a new mill is not essential, just desirable. But how good are they as a drilling machine? I am thinking about one of Arc’s SX2 Plus mills. Or am I better off just getting a drill?

Thanks

Dave

Mill with a lever rack & pinion drilling spindle, internal R8 taper.

Tony

My advice is to buy thge largest (within reason) Mill that you can fit on the bech (and will be supported).

You can drill with a Mill, (much more accurately in terms of position) but you cannot, or should not Mill with a Drill.

A mill will allow drilled holes, positioned on co-ordinates, and with suitable tooling, recesses and slots.

Howard

No brainer .. go for the mill every time,

George.

As you already have a mill the possible advantages of a mill over a drill largely evaporate, then I'd go for a good solid bench drill - massive headroom, faster to use than a mill.

You can get a much bigger drill and grab a few chucks, a clamping kit and a decent X-Y table for less than the cost of a fairly modest mill.

Neil

I no longer have a drill press.

I have two mills with quills; both do fine for drilling. Actually 3; I just put back on the mickey-mouse mill/drill head on my Emco Compact-8 lathe. Easier to store it there than elsewhere.

Do I miss a drill press? Well, maybe once or twice a year, but I enjoy the space more.

The drill press was great for putting sanding drums in and sanding wood or polishing steel, putting paint-stirrers in, etc. Although it was a good name-brand, it still was not nearly as good as the quills on my mills.

I'm tending more towards 3-1/2" gauge, so having a honkin-big drill press no longer suits what I expect to do.

Just my 0.02c.

John.

Hum. 4-1 to the mill, so far. Whilst the ability to coordinate drill on a mill is clearly an advantage, Neil’s suggestion of using an X-Y table on a drill press is exactly why I am dithering! I haven’t made the bench yet, so no need to panic for a little while.

Dave

I suppose it depends what you mean by "Access". If the CNC is there for you to use at any time then that is not too bad but if you have to travel, can only use it when it is not in use by others etc then that could become an issue. You may be able to grab a few chucks for the drill but will they hold a milling cutter and stay in the taper? and what about setting the z height, can't do that will a x-y table.

Myself I hardly ever use my drill press for drilling these days much prefering to use the mill.

I have a mini-mill plus a floor-standing drill press. The drill press gets used very occasionally if I have something that needs a lot of height, when it's very valuable. That's the only reason I keep it around (well, that and storage space on the table when it's not in use). I absolutely wouldn't bother with a bench drill.

I have 2 mills (a SX2plus and a SX3) and would recomend them over a drill any day sold my bench drill as space is a premium.

Yup a mill can drill however a drill cant properly mill.

go for a Mill.

Thank you for all the advice. I was leaning towards the mill, but I was not sure how well they work as a drill. You have convinced me that the mill is the route to go. Now I have the job of convincing the Household Authority that a new machine is absolutly required!

Dave

A mill will drill but I find that the quills don’t give much feel. I would consider a sensitive drill for small drills, maybe the George Thomas universal pillar tool with the drill option would be a very useful tool to add to the workshop with its multitude of other uses. Large drill bits tend to be long and a mill can run out of daylight quite quickly with a long drill. I have a floor standing pillar drill and I wouldn’t part with it but drilling on the mill can be very convenient as it has a very accurate table built in. I also couldn’t resist a Meddings sensitive drill that was very cheap and is a nice machine for small drills.

Mike

I'm watching this topic with interest. As the owner of a largish bench drill and a smallish mill, I've often wondered the same thing.

Bear in mind the SX2 hasn't got a quill, and that's the mill the OP was considering (and that I've got).

Neil

The photos of Arc’s SX2P do show a “quill feed for drilling”. It looks like it lifts/lowers the whole head rather than just the spindle. I assume that there is not a spring to lift the head, as with a drill press.

Ive got ab SX mill - you can drill with it but its not ideal - there is a counter spring but mine is so weak as to be useless. I bought a second hand mill/drill, lots of companies sell these branded under various names but it is big, powerful and accurate, and good for drilling. Quill length a bit restrictive but a verey solid build.

Depends what Dave intends doing.

A small mill wont have the power or capacity to match a small bench drill.

I have a robust well as far as they go asian 88mm dia column DP16 driller, its had no more than 3hrs use in 26+ years.
Far easier if theres no setup or job in the mill(s) to use that.
If you are local ish your welcome to the drill, it wont get used again and has a British 3/4hp motor.

Thanks again for all the advice. I have just ordered one of Arc’s SX2P mills. Time to get busy & build a bench for it to sit on before it arrives!

Dave