Is a drill press ok to mill with - Page 2

tomservo · 01-07-2006, 04:08 AM

The Taig micro mill ( www.taigtools.com ) and the sherline mill are both highly respected.. I think harbor freight has a deal on their mini-mill right now, though, 260$ or something crazy. Specs are pretty damn good and reports are fair. Not sure if the HF model is CNC-able, I'm sure it could be (you could CNC your chair if you wanted to badly enough) but the amount of work involved could be "considerable"

I personally own a Taig lathe with milling attachment.

Also - a great place to find X,Y tables, sherline mills, bits, bobs, raw material - http://www.use-enco.com no affiliation.

Dave · 01-07-2006, 07:14 AM

Frag
Something people are not telling you, and they should be.

The forces involved with milling can be very high. You need to get a shield before considering any test milling.

I seen want aluminum can do to the inside of a steel encased CNC machine, when things go wrong, open milling scares the hell out of me now.

Safety first please

BillA · 01-07-2006, 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave

Frag
Something people are not telling you, and they should be.

The forces involved with milling can be very high. You need to get a shield before considering any test milling.

I seen want aluminum can do to the inside of a steel encased CNC machine, when things go wrong, open milling scares the hell out of me now.

Safety first please

boy do I agree, like a grenade
I won't stand in front of an open machine

Brians256 · 01-07-2006, 02:00 PM

Yes, safety first. However, you can minimize risks quite a bit by proper setup and tools.

1) Work with high quality bits that are sharp and don't go too fast.
2) Secure your metal.
3) Make sure that your piece of metal isn't going to fall apart when you drill into it.
4) Really secure your metal.
5) Use coolant liberally when cutting. When the bit and/or metal gets hot and expands, it grabs and all that motor force goes somewhere. You really want it to not go into you via flying pieces of metal. Stop once in a while to let things cool down.
6) Did I say to secure your metal?
7) Always use safety eyeglasses and gloves.
8) Really make sure that your piece of metal is tightly secured.

That's what I was taught by some machinists. However, I'm sure that people like Jaydee could add more.

Remember, people regularly go to the emergency room after using these things. These machines are more powerful than several burly guys. So, think of them as a 500lb mean and nasty man in prison outfit who pumps iron every day and hasn't had his smokes in 3 days and you in tightly fitting blue jeans.

Etacovda · 01-07-2006, 02:13 PM

Id say old frag isnt around now, but the advice is still valid (look at the OP date)

BillA · 01-07-2006, 02:43 PM

love it, posting to a tombstone

01-07-2006, 04:08 AM	#26
tomservo Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: North Dakota Posts: 5	Re: Is a drill press ok to mill with The Taig micro mill ( www.taigtools.com ) and the sherline mill are both highly respected.. I think harbor freight has a deal on their mini-mill right now, though, 260$ or something crazy. Specs are pretty damn good and reports are fair. Not sure if the HF model is CNC-able, I'm sure it could be (you could CNC your chair if you wanted to badly enough) but the amount of work involved could be "considerable" I personally own a Taig lathe with milling attachment. Also - a great place to find X,Y tables, sherline mills, bits, bobs, raw material - http://www.use-enco.com no affiliation.

01-07-2006, 07:14 AM	#27
Dave Cooling Savant Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Canada Posts: 260	Re: Is a drill press ok to mill with Frag Something people are not telling you, and they should be. The forces involved with milling can be very high. You need to get a shield before considering any test milling. I seen want aluminum can do to the inside of a steel encased CNC machine, when things go wrong, open milling scares the hell out of me now. Safety first please

01-07-2006, 02:00 PM	#29
Brians256 Pro/Staff Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Klamath Falls, OR Posts: 1,439	Re: Is a drill press ok to mill with Yes, safety first. However, you can minimize risks quite a bit by proper setup and tools. 1) Work with high quality bits that are sharp and don't go too fast. 2) Secure your metal. 3) Make sure that your piece of metal isn't going to fall apart when you drill into it. 4) Really secure your metal. 5) Use coolant liberally when cutting. When the bit and/or metal gets hot and expands, it grabs and all that motor force goes somewhere. You really want it to not go into you via flying pieces of metal. Stop once in a while to let things cool down. 6) Did I say to secure your metal? 7) Always use safety eyeglasses and gloves. 8) Really make sure that your piece of metal is tightly secured. That's what I was taught by some machinists. However, I'm sure that people like Jaydee could add more. Remember, people regularly go to the emergency room after using these things. These machines are more powerful than several burly guys. So, think of them as a 500lb mean and nasty man in prison outfit who pumps iron every day and hasn't had his smokes in 3 days and you in tightly fitting blue jeans.

01-07-2006, 02:13 PM	#30
Etacovda Cooling Savant Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Dunedin NZ Posts: 735	Re: Is a drill press ok to mill with Id say old frag isnt around now, but the advice is still valid (look at the OP date) __________________ Hypocritical Signature I tried to delete: Procooling: where scientific principles are ignored because big corporations are immune to mistakes and oversights.

01-07-2006, 02:43 PM	#31
BillA CoolingWorks Tech Guy Formerly "Unregistered" Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Posts: 2,371.493,106 Posts: 4,440	Re: Is a drill press ok to mill with love it, posting to a tombstone

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