What is the difference between an endmill and a drillbit?
 

What is the difference between an endmill and a drillbit? Can one mill with a drill bit? Can one use an endmill on a drill press? What are the key differences between an endmill and a drill bit (shape, etc...) Can one drill with an endmill? Can one use a cnc as a drill press? What are CNCs used for other that WBs?

7 questions :shrug:

Don't laugh at me pls :(

a end mill is alot diffrent froma dripp bit its used toe cut groves it can be used as a drill bit but not recamended (expensive).
Basicly they bore down in to the metal plastic and in some cases even wood then you can move the mill table on 4 axes with the mill bit in the head and cut a groove in the metal.
A drill bit just drills strait down it isnt ment to be moved side ways at all.
And for the most part no you cant use a end mill in a drill press a few bits will fit in the chuck but not many.
If you can fit one in a drill press chuck then you could move the metal by hand and do the same as a mill but it wont be acurate and id not recomend you try it withany thing harder than aluminum

Until we wait for someone with more expertise to answer, I can tell this: drill bits are usually longer, more flexible and have only two flutes, and a sharp point. Mill bits (or endmill bits, I suppose) are short, hard, very sharp, with 2,3 or 4 flutes, can be flat or ball end, you can drill with them (but hard to center a mill bit over the marker), you can use one in drill press (not so good on cheap drill presses for the ball bearings, unsafe too), they're designed for cutting laterally........

Yes, you can drill with CNC...

No, you cannot mill with the drill bits, they are not designed for side cutting, not so sharp and will snap easily...

Huh, now I got one Q too, is there a difference (and what) between mill bit and endmill?

Well here is a break down.

Brill bits are designed for downward forces. The tip is designed for cutting. The flutes on the edges of a drill bit are primaraly moging matarial away. The cutting edges are for braking the martial and letting it fly away. Drill bits are really flexable. And will break very easy with sideways force.

Endmills are primaraly exactly oposite. Designed for sideways cutting. I dont care what people say, Endmills are not for drilling. Sure you can do it. But its not really made for it.

That is the run down.

Also I should mention that a drill press can be used to hold endmills and cut metal. But remember the drill press is designed for downward forces as well, the bearings in the quill are not designed for sideways forces. Also a drill chuck will never give y ou good results if you are trying to persision machine something.

They have alot of runout in them.

I just got my big manual mill, and it is a whole lot different then what I am used to. So I have a learning experiance ahead of me.

Peace

Edit:

As mentioned above..... NEVER EVER EVER hold a peice of material in your hand and try to use an endmill in a drill pres to cut it. If you do, you desirve to loose a finger. Remember that the endmill is chewing thure metal, your flesh and bone will not stop it at all. Also when the cutter bites into the matirial there is alot of force behind it. Most of the time it will rip the material right out of your hands. And will probably take flesh with it. Please do not do this. If you must use a drill press to machine with, Then I highly recomend spening about $30 to get a small Vise with the X and Y slides build into it. I have one. Its is nothing persision or anything But it will hold the metal and has small crank wheels to move the vise.

Ok im done.

thanks for your helpful replies. can i exert enough lateral force with my hands to mill on a drill press?

Fixittt is a man with lot's of experience...Pls. re-read his post, and get yourself a xy table...;)

Well, actually....Before I got a real mill, I used a drill press and vise to mill out pockets and such with an endmill, and did it by holding the vise with my hands.
granted it took alot of holding power to grip the damn thing in my hands, and after making a block, my tendons in my hand were killing me for a bout a week after,but no lost fingers or skin.

THIS IS NOT SAFE PRACTICE WITH MACHINERY OF ANY SORT. I just couldnt find enough patience to wait until I got something better to mill blocks with. But for me, doing it by hand worked out pretty well.

After 3 blocks, the drill press needed spindle bearings as the original ones were shot.This should give you an idea of how little axial force that a drill press is designed to handle. Equivilent to around 5 hours of milling total.It was time for a milling machine anyway by this point.