While not ideal, its still a fair bit more rigid than a Dremel. It just take time to find the machines. We recently covered his video on doing small-scale production, and theres plenty more invaluable info to be had browsing back through his older videos. I just picked up a big Monarch 16CY that will do 78 between centers for $800 Canadian. But you still may be able to do some light stuff. wow. It was like a gunshot going off. jafinch78: aside from my, that escalated quickly, yes, you can use a rheostat (or variac, or whatever) to slow down a router motor, but no, you really wouldnt want to do that. The main tip is dont. I may have to make a new gear or two for it. I can confirm that the repetitive side forces are almost designed to loosen a drill press chuck, even when super tight and lightly loaded. There are two potential points of coming apart on most drill presses when attempting to use them for milling. Its cheaper from a dollar amount though. The hard jaw surfaces with three small contact lines on the hard shank surface of an end mill = very poor grip. Replace with tapered bearings. The run-out on this video from blown bearings is cringe worthy, and one could buy 2 mills with the number of bits he probably broke already. Neither were really advertised. as long as the collar is snugged. We can probably agree that dont ever do it is an oversimplification, but I think its a reasonable one for the following reason: By the time someone knows enough to assess the risks inherent with doing it, they will see the simpification for what it is. This elitist attitude is similar to the one Ive heard many times: why would you build your own airplane, when you can buy a cheap used Cessna for $20k? Its based on the assumption that only the rich should be free to do what they want. Ben: Likely, but not a guarantee. Quite a leap to label me as an elitist for pointing out a danger that was evidently overlooked by both the author and Mr. Strebel. The collets are ER-11 I believe, which is a standard machining thing and easy to find inexpensive sets or other desired sizes. In the end, pretty much everyone it stops from doing this are the people who lack the knowledge and experience to understand the risks they are taking. If your not made for this job drill press doesnt have a female morse taper socket the chuck with a tail fits into, it will most likely have a jacobs jt series male mount that fits into the chuck body, both which will break free without anything to positively retain the taper tooling in/on it. 
That is my favorite idea also with the smaller size adapter for more intricate cleaning coming in second. I bored out the end of the quill housing to accept 2 bearings on the chuck end. David Galloway wrote a comment on project log A Pencil Eraser Trick. Although, if you have a lathe large enough for chucking up and machining the MT2 end of your drilpress spindle down (to 1/2 or 3/8), then it would be wiser to chuck the mill bit in the lathe chuck and attach your material to the cross-slide to to use your lathe to mill with. I like this one in general for replacing the chuck and other improvements for milling: It doesnt matter if a milling machine cost $20 grand because that is a pittance compared to the cost of serious injury just in dollars alone, let alone a lifetime of disability due to one stupid move. His well-produced videos show viewers the practical side of product design and in-house manufacturing. The ignorance of the danger here is evident from both Mr. Stobel and the author of this article. You then need to come up with a ridged way to hold the router and accurately move the router or the work in the Z axis. While they are typically much lighter-duty than a drill press and not specifically designed for radial loads, its also not a big deal to replace the relatively cheap worn bearings in a drill press anyway and it would take quite a lot to wear them out, so the bearing issue is almost entirely a myth. In a drill chuck, the hard steel or carbide cutter is likely to slip in or out and may trash your part dimensions or maybe the part altogether. Or keep working stupid and get hurt if or killed if you want. And as much as I love the idea of building my own airplane (well, my own everything), that is fraught with risks. Somebody even linked to the AvE video where it happens.
It wont work well, but you get extra points for doing two things you shouldnt. Yea seems more than its worth. First is the sideways force and flexing can cause the tapers to shift and come loose. Also, Ive found an old Bridgeport mills on ebay go for as low as $1,000. Solid Morse Taper tooling has a flat tang on the end. [BrightBlueJim], I think you misunderstand [vinito64]s point. 
kelvinA has updated the log for SecSavr Suspense [gd0105]. For a motor/spindle these are pretty decent for your purpose: HaD surface grinder would be interesting. :-|) The vacuum ideas are great and Eric does produce easy to follow videos. The chisel can then be moved up against the spinning piece to make your cuts. they might just help some of the newer players get the most out of what they have access to It took 5 years to find my machines. Its VERY easy to hurt yourself around machine tools when you arent tuned in to where the dangers lie. So maybe it would be appropriate to say dont try this with anything harder than wood or plastic, but just issuing a broad you cant do this is not something I think would sit well with the typical Hackaday reader. Attention Hmart shoppers, Horrible Freight regularly posts 20% (or more) off coupons. More not wise or not logical issues. But for a small milling/drilling device they arent too bad and a fair bit better than a Dremel. People also used to make tires out of wood, but it does not mean people should To use a drill press to do milling is very dangerous and to write an article promoting it is irresponsible in my opinion. vinito64: oh, so now you play the Ive got way more experience than you card. More about moving to the UP of Michigan to go to Tech and those UP mafia idiots (traffickers, miner dangerous, hitmen hideouts and prisons anything) and Axis War Criminal Camps descent that are still no way rehabilitated or anything U.S. interest other than murdering anything they can and stealing whatever they can targeting anything that is smarter and doesnt molest like they do. AvE has a good video on this, converting a cheap drill press into a crappy mill: At this point the chuck falls out: Twist drills theyre not drill bits. But just wow. Flying drill press chucks are scary common if you try and mill. Strange on some days when I can look at tools my Dad made since certain equipment is just not best used long term for certain tasks and we can make even better versions of those tools. Im actually a big fan of making things with less expensive tools using clever techniques rather than expensive machines. Look being a Machinest for over 20 years n a millest at that n having used my small drillpress as a milling tool dont take large cuts use ur head theres a depth for each type of metal being milled take ur time dont be a gorilla n Ill be fine.. EVERY damn time someone mentions milling on a drill press you get the same old tired read-it-on-the-internet replies. Sure, nothing in this world is truly guaranteed, but 9 times out of 10 Ill take the option with an entire team of people working to make sure its not going to take chunks out of me. The guy is machining plastic and wood, maybe some lightweight alu like the PC heatsink in the picture. With a rheostat or other voltage reducing device, you decrease the speed, but the torque does not increase to make up for it. Although, I reckon youre better off with a milling machine.. this is pretty creative! If youre really critical with measuring you can even make tools that are more accurate than the tools that made the tools. Ive hit a clamp and sent them across the shop with the CNC router. The problem with using a drill press isnt the bearings at all other than wear may cause them to have play which will probably cause vibration (chatter) eventually. I had a detailed response but I decided I you are not bright enough to understand basic conversation anyway so I wont waste my time. Strange to me on some days. The cheepo mini drill presses just have a rod through 2 bearings with a chuck on one end and a pulley on the other. I had to be on site as the first responder ready to resuscitate, transport, get transport or treatment, treat or the one that I wasnt as sure about in regards to household (I think seeing at work scared him bad from the stuff he saw as a union steward and maintenance) knock him off with a 24 if he got stuck on the live line. For a couple grand you can set up a nice metal working shop with lathe, milling machine, grinder, etc. You could take just one step further and figure out a method to lock the Morse taper into the spindle and Id have less problem with it. In his latest video, [Eric Strebel] gives some practical advice on using a standard drill press to perform tasks you would normally need a mill or lathe for; and while his tips probably wont come as a surprise to the old-hands out there, they might just help some of the newer players get the most out of what they have access to. Milling machines are made such that things wont fly apart doing what they were designed to do. The fact that some have done this successfully, or that theirs came loose but not completely free, means nothing. It is cool how you can use a drill press as a small mill. Maybe other people would be willing to take that gamble (to each their own), but speaking for myself I would not. Updating the chuck also with a collet chuck is a good idea too. motonnerd: You dont seem to understand the point of MY comment. Milling is all about having ridged constrains on all 3 axis. Protecting The Hughes H4 Hercules With Beach Balls? Guess what? Ill have to read into and see what is on the market.
I OBVIOUSLY was saying that once you mangle a tendon or few in hands or arms (easy to do) or lose an eye, then milling on the cheap with a Morse taper spindle becomes a regret rather than the clever idea you thought it was. It must weigh 150 pounds. So benevolent wasnt far off the mark then. Youre missing so many points by so far that its obvious youre just a troll anyway, so Ill not reply to you again. the sentence GAAAH! Its highly risky and likely to go very well was meant to read NOT go very well By those motors being mounted in a rubber bushing, I mean that they are mounted inside the metal housing, but they also have a rubber or plastic bushing around them. I fully understand the comparison he was trying to make, but it only illustrates his bias against people without unlimited resources, AND it starts with the premise that using a drill press in this way has some likelihood of causing more than $20k of damage, which as others have pointed out is just way beyond whats likely. Since the problem is the solely friction fit of a taper mount, a (kind of) solution is to figure out a way to mechanically retain the taper in the spindle, such as a taper pin, large set screws or something else mechanical. Those $700 mills usually use a nylon gear on the main quill, so make sure there is a documented rebuild kit available prior to purchase. Reminds me a safety and cost shear reminders when custom making to design in failing for safety at points and save money on replacing parts. Second is all but specially made downcut end mills exert a downward force as they cut, which can pull the tapers apart. Thanks. First is the taper on the bottom end of the arbor (or spindle) the chuck is pressed onto. To tell if your drill press has a Morse Taper, extend the quill and look for a tall, narrow slot in each side.
To get rigidity you need mass. I was always told never to do that to a drill press.
motonnerd pretty much echoes my thoughts already. Edwin Hwu has added a new project titled Low-cost and high-speed nanoscale imaging tool. No doubt, but I dont see any more threat of bodily harm than half the stuff that gets posted on this site. Nobody has learned anything from these comments you are leaving, and the idea that the post should have an addendum about how you personally corrected their ignorance would be funny if it wasnt so incredibly narcissistic. Not really that much of a danger unless they land in your eye (good luck getting carbide out of there, its not ferromagnetic like most steels), but stillcringe-worthy (talking from experience, done it as well, would not recommend unless very desperate), A used light-duty milling machine is not all that much more expensive then a (usable) new drill press, but unlike the drill press, its suitable for both milling and drilling holes ;-). Plus it can be considerably more dangerous. Sucks, though his accidents were more controversial for the era and in regards to toxic exposure like Mexican Coolant and Nickel Plating incidents that seem bad.
The RPM is far to high for milling steel, it would work fine in softer materials with small diameter end mills. U.S. Presidents were even almost killed and killed over Union and Mafia issues from hostile takeovers of capital and assets. Bah! Once that chuck is screwed onto the end of that spindle, no amount of side-load will disengage it, short of shearing off the newly threaded spindle end. Oh the humanity. Still, tons safer than nothing. I wont be doing anything big with this, maybe some careful work with aluminum. Heck, the table seems to have more stuff in it than that stand and its half that. Except that what you are turning down to thread is a MT taper that fits into the actual spindle. This makes them easier to manufacture as perfect alignment isnt necessary, but does make it less rigid than other better designs. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. But dont pretend that saying dont ever do it somehow elitist youre sounding like a college millennial. Also, after being a working machinist for over 2 decades I still have all eight fingers (kidding), along with everything else, and have every intention of keeping it that way. Or, third option, pay a machinist or buy some time at a shop dont many of these hackerspaces have these kinds of machines? Ive done this for over 30 years (I underestimated in my first post). The biggest problem is that drill chucks are generally not threaded on, but pressed on a tapered shaft. Downcut end mills push upwards as they cut, but can only be used for edge milling because they push the chips downward. I will NOT spend $$$ on some piece of crap import. vinito64: I see, then. There have been many different approaches to solving the issue should instead read There have been many different approaches to trying to at least somewhat increase the ability to solve an issue while not really properly solving it while also introducing a number of downsides and potential negative things at the same time. Yeah, at one time industrial machine repair (screw machines mainly) was a thought till somehow they brain damaged my Dad along with their trolling inbreds downstate that playcate with their Roman f-up hoards. Preferably with a drill bit mounted in it. The lathe might some work in the quick change gear box. Dremel tools use collets and arent mounted with a Morse type taper, so neither the taper mount issue nor the lack of a collet issue would apply in that case and safety wouldnt be a problem. Both machines were not much to look at, but under all the dirt they were both functional. But freedom to pursue it is no gurantee that you will get it, and the difference between the two is up to you. Yes, all you safety nazis, I said stop a Dremel motor with your fingers! I can see that CarlosA is describing to machine that exact taper you are warning about down to parallel and then cut a thread suitable for a drill chuck onto it. It might work for some experimenting at least. maker wrote a comment on Internet of Things Microscope.
Isnt that one of their primary reasons for existing? Harbor Freight has one for $700.00 and Ebay for similar prices. All drilling machines are designed to take axial loads, and every drilling machine Ive ever seen had some kind of bearing designed to bear the axial load. As mentioned, the chuck is fit to the spindle with a gradual taper which holds it in essentially with friction. Ive not tested the motor on a router with something to vary the speed. It also used to be common to add an axis to the compound slide of lathes to do horizontal milling, but most modern equipment really is not rigid enough to safely do this anymore. It is my opinion that this article NOT be deleted, but an addendum added AT THE TOP about what everyone involved didnt know and what they learned by having it posted here. Without a doubt. Its still going to be in the taper, just not engaged. Of course this would require you also purchase the drill press fixture, but those are only around another $30 I think. Good article for many using soft materials. The fact that you didnt know is not surprising. I see that you left basically this same comment on the creators YT video, and his answer seemed very fitting. I investigated after having two loose chucks. Issue is definitely the tapered chuck. You can skimp on things but only to a point and this feels like it is getting awfully beyond where you should be advising others to generally go as a normal type of thing. Fine for drilling, not for lateral. =). Copying that idea !! Challenging looking at the cheap harbor freight lathes that we were talking about converting to make tighter tolerance and I was even thinking going all the way to make CNC with. Have you tried it and failed? I only see a not working CNC head on there for that price now. Having said that, Dremel tools are notorious for having flimsy bearing mounts, i.e. I have done some milling using an end mill in a chuck, in a milling machine, when I needed to do something quick and didnt want to bother with the collet. Rapid Unscheduled Cosmetic Surgery or even Rapid Unscheduled Amputation. Align the spindle slot with the quill slots, insert wedge and strike with a hammer to pop the arbor out. Sometimes its a taper about 78ths of an inch long and the chuck comes out, like out for real, the cutter hits the work piece and flies off horizontally and permanently removes your front teeth, but dont worry, as it turns out you dont actually need them! The picture on that item (lower on the page) indicates it was designed to fit a Dremel style tool mounted in a drill press fixture. No kidding. It takes time and effort to do things right, for some things more time and effort than others. Used it to fix up one of the earliest 710 lathes imported by Grizzly (serial number 346), and eventually sold it for more than I paid for it, in a package deal with a 10 Atlas lathe that had a New-All quick change gearbox. Might be a project to take apart a router and rebuild on a different Z-Axis mount. Okay, in those thirty years, how many times have you seen a chuck come off and do $20,000 worth of damage?