what I need to use my press drill as a milling machine?
 

I have made rotor's style blocks with my press drill, but now I would like make some waterblocks with designs that requires a milling machine. Can I use mi press drill as a milling machine?, what kind of accesories I should buy?

Thanks.

pretty sure rotor blocks are as good as it gets with a drill press.

if you wanna make "designs that requires a milling machine" you'll most likely need a milling machine seeing as how it's a design that requires a milling machine.

I am doing what you are thinking about to do my block, you will need, an x-y table and some endmills.

one thing i must say, you will not get accurate work as a milling maching would give you :(

Can I buy an x-y table or should make it myself?

Thanks.

are you sure the axis (?) of the pressdrill can hold the pressure to the sides, since it was developed to drill down, not to the side....

Hi pOstman,

Using a drill press as a mill (moving sideways instead of up/down) puts alot of stress on your drill shaft & the drill bit. So, the amount of stress you can impart is completely dependent on the drill and the bit you use.

If it were my cheap-arsed press drill, I wouldn't even consider it!But you may have a hardcore drill able to take more stress. If your drill isn't 100% convincing, think twice, because they DO break.

I'm not sure which bit to use though. Anyone have any ideas?

Funky

i have one of those sears milling table on a 8'' delta press drill for small work and the basic advice i can tell you is when you go side way dont go to fast and it should do fine ,well its been doing fine for me for the last year

i have to stand by FunkyAneurysm judgment. my cheap arse drill press wouldn't do crap as a mill. it's like wanting to make a tyre that is perfect for mud/offroad and dry/circuit racing, it just doesn't happen.

Depends what you want to mill.

I use my drillpress to mill plastic, and that no problem. Doing a metal, ESPECIALLY copper, is a totally different matter.

I doubt very much you could mod a drill press to effectivly mill copper, but plastic, maybe alu, might not be too bad.

what about a piller drill would that be any better ?

Using a drill press as a mill is a sure way to shorten the life of the drill. You have been warned.:eek:

Bob

yea, i used one to mill out the remainding copper after i had drilled out most of it. Almost killed the drill and this was a pretty expensive one

If you don't want to hurt the drill press you could always make multiple holes in the metal (number is up to you) and then take a dremel of sorts and try to make the channels smoother.

But like it has been said previously it won't look as good as a milled out block and will probably take more time .

Couldn't you just drill lots of overlapping holes then mill the sides smooth. That should put less stress on the drill and you would get the same effect.

The problem with this is that the drill will want to "wander" into the previously drilled hole. Bending drills != good thing. :cry:

The bit can also grab an edge, with similar results.:shrug:

Bob

Well here's an blast to the(my) past.

http://forums.procooling.com/vbb/sho...&threadid=2505

Very similar question - replies on the subject by Fixittt, Brad, UnaClocker, and BladeRunner - so it is worth a read.

The distinct advantage I have is that my press table already moves in 1 axis. Note: I have never used the press to mill :( sorry. I moved up to the world of University and along came real tools, and lots of them :P

Let´s keep this wishful thinking alive a little bit more.
Overlapping holes and drill bits wandering into previously drilled holes, can this be reduced with pilot holes? Smaller, not overlapping holes, for the drill bit to follow?
Is this nearly as interesting as the question "how expensive drill press is one ready to f*ck up before realizing that a mill is a mill and a drill press is not"?
I´ve given this drill-mill a bit of though too.
regards
Mikael S.

In my experience it really depends on how close the holes are.

Pilot holes also REALLY help. If you dont centre punch/drill pilot holes, and your drill holes are close enough together the bit sometimes wanders right into the other hole, even before you've gotten started on the hole. But pilot holes are only a start, once you go deep enough with the final size, there is sometimes a tendency for the drill bit to try to "grab" or pull into the adjacent hole. (I've had that on a couple occasions, unpleasent noises, etc.)

Lining the drill bit up without touching, and then giving it a "quick" start also seems to help, don't "dilly dally" the start of a hole, just get it in there - I've ruined many a block that way (well maybe 1 at the most ;))

Practice practice practice - did I mention practice? I was drilling a #rotor style block yesterday (? maybe the day before) and after nearly completing it I decided I should start again (alright alright, I drilled straight through stupid me...). Moral of the story is, measure twice cut once - no actually it was supposed to be that after that many drill holes (I did some full depth and some 1/2 depth pilot holes) so after both blocks like 200 holes or something - you get to know what's going to happen a bit - you get used to the material/bit and drill speeds.

Maybe BladeRunner will recomment on the situation now he has the milling experience vs the his old approach. He seemed to have the drilling / spacing /channeling thing down to a fine art.

[PS: Wow, I walk upstairs and I have a soothing LCD and a functional KB how amazing :D]