Drill Press or Mill

[mayday0017]

There have been several Drill Press threads going on in here lately. I myself have too been wanting a drill press to add to the garage but haven't been sure what I want exactly. But part of my problem is at the end of the day I really want to be able to machine parts & space is limited in the garage. So the question is would it make sense to hold out until I can afford and find a fairly inexpensive vertical mill and just get that instead of a drill press?

 

[Big-Foot]

If you're not into Production like quality in your needs for a mill, you might want to consider a combination Mill/Drill press or a Mill/Drill Press/Lathe combination.

Here is one of my units that has worked out pretty well although I also have stand-alone drill presses that I use primarily..

 

[KenS]

A drill press and a mill are two different machines, but by far the mill is the more versatile of the two and can handle limited drilling.

Something to consider is that with a drill press, the only tooling you will be buying are drill bits and perhaps a drill table vise, whereas with the mill, the tooling-- end mills, collets, indicators, micrometers and a host of measuring devices, mill vise and parallels, clamping tools, rotary and/or dividing head table, gear hobs, slitting and slotting saws and arbors, DRO, power feeds...the list goes on and on-- may cost more than the mill itself.

And note that the mill you own is always one size too small from the one you really need.

Drill presses are less finicky.

 

[383 240z]

What do you mean by "limited drilling" on a mill? I haven't used my drill press since I bought my mill. Keith

 

[larry_g]

Both a mill and a drill press can drill holes. A drill press can only drill holes and a mill can do so much more. In your case I would suggest getting a mill/drill. They make a good drill press and a passable mill. If you had asked your question favoring mill work I would suggest a full knee mill but it sounds like you are not seeking heavy milling work so the mill/drill should fit your needs till you outgrow its milling capabilities. As Kens said outfitting a mill with all its accessories can be expensive but all those accessories will stay with you if you get a knee mill in the future so its not money wasted.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[DekeT]

Both a mill and a drill press can drill holes. A drill press can only drill holes and a mill can do so much more. In your case I would suggest getting a mill/drill. They make a good drill press and a passable mill. If you had asked your question favoring mill work I would suggest a full knee mill but it sounds like you are not seeking heavy milling work so the mill/drill should fit your needs till you outgrow its milling capabilities. As Kens said outfitting a mill with all its accessories can be expensive but all those accessories will stay with you if you get a knee mill in the future so its not money wasted.

lg
no neat sig line

I did not know that about accessories for a mill. That is why I read this forum.

 

[Big-Foot]

Adding content here...

Before I got my combo unit, I used one of my drill presses as a Mill on occassions.. Very slow feed and made sure I lubed it up good first. You can bolt / clamp rotary tables and vises to most drill press tables.

 

[chevy3755]

i like my mill..............very very versatile

 

[vintagefan]

100% get a mill.

Theye're amazingly handy, even if just being used for drilling. I have a benchtop mill and love it.

 

[DocsMachine]

Before I got my combo unit, I used one of my drill presses as a Mill on occassions.. Very slow feed and made sure I lubed it up good first.

-While you're hardly the only one to try that, keep in mind it's extremely dangerous on some drills. A drill chuck mounted with a Jacobs taper has very little side-load capacity, it's meant for straight vertical thrust only. Trying to mill with it can- and has before- pop the chuck off the taper, and all of a sudden you have a two-pound ball of steel with a sharp cutter sticking out the end, spinning 500 rpm- flying loose and about to fall into your lap.

Besides the fact that chucks aren't meant to hold milling cutters anyway (not enough grip) and drill press spindle bearings aren't designed to take side loads.

To the OP: If you only have the room for one machine, get the mill-drill. Even if you never use it for anything but a drill press, the X/Y table lets you precisely position holes.

Doc.

 

[mayday0017]

This is pretty much confirming my thoughts, if I have an interest in getting a mill then just hold off an buy a mill when the right setup comes my way. It can do everything a drillpress can do and do a better job when all I need it for is a drill press. Sure I would love to have both of these but I am obsessed with tools. So I think for my home garage having just a mill is much better then having just a drillpress...

Only way I can afford one is to find one with a bunch of tooling included, because as many people here have mentioned tooling is very expensive. If that wasn't the case I would have bought a mill years ago!

 

[454ragtop]

Around here at least, drill presses are pretty easy to come by, and much cheaper than mills. Might think about getting a used drill press while you wait for the right deal to come along on a mill. Long as you don't overpay, can always sell the DP once you find a mill and get your money back. A drill press is so handy I can't imagine not having one, even though I have a mill.
HTH, Jim

 

[KenS]

What do you mean by "limited drilling" on a mill? I haven't used my drill press since I bought my mill. Keith

Which has the most overhead-- a mill or a drill press?

 

[metaleltr]

Which drills the most accurate hole--a mill or a drill press?

A mill, all day long. Not only are the bearings better and more precise the vise is solidly mounted and easily positioned. You also have much better control over speed in most cases.

 

[KenS]

A mill, all day long. Not only are the bearings better and more precise the vise is solidly mounted and easily positioned. You also have much better control over speed in most cases.

Sorry, meant to say "which has the most overhead" as in my edited post. Most mills have less overhead than a drill press because the distance from the bottom of the spindle to the knee or table is less than a drill press.

 

[larry_g]

Which has the most overhead-- a mill or a drill press?

I would have t o go with a mill here. Rotate the head and you have almost unlimited length. A horizontal mill will drill the end of a shaft of any length.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[larry_g]

Only way I can afford one is to find one with a bunch of tooling included, because as many people here have mentioned tooling is very expensive. If that wasn't the case I would have bought a mill years ago!

The thing here is that if you have a mill you do not have to tool it up all at once. A drill chuck and a few collets, cutters and a vise and your off the the races. As you gain experience you acquire the tooling you need to keep expanding your machines capabilities. If you start with a well worn machine at a few hundred bucks you can start using it until you find that the machine is limiting your work. At that time you upgrade to a better machine and send the worn one down the road probably at the price you paid for it. In machining circles guys are wheeling and dealing machines just as the car guys wheel and deal used cars.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[ryoung]

Absolutely a mill. If you have the space look for a used bridgeport (or clone)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/36-BRIDGEPO...214?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item257aa0d76e

something like that would be ideal.

 

[rodm1]

With out question a Mill but you can't beat having both. Some times a drill press is just the right tool to have.

If you end up looking for a drill press ****** one of these up.

Allen Model MSV
http://advanced.locator-cims.com/Upload/Product/Photos/26227_3072.jpg

 

[rsanter]

Get a mill if you can find and afford one

 

[darkk]

Mill...

 

[Provincial]

A milling machine or mill/drill is designed to machine metal, hence it has slower spindle speeds and can drill larger holes in metal than the commonly available drill presses.

A mill/drill has less space available between the spindle and the table compared with a floor-model drill press, but that is rarely an issue.

A mill/drill usually has more power than a drill press. Keep your work well restrained or the machine can turn it into a very dangerous spinning object that can fly surprisingly far with devastating results.

A drill press sets up much faster for small jobs, and is much faster for re-positioning repeat operations for small holes. The mill/drill is far more precise for locating holes.

Any of these tools can do surprising things if the operator knows what he is doing and has the right blocking and clamping equipment. I once observed a 1/2" drill press laid on it's back (to make the spindle parallel to the ground) drill the end of a 15-foot long steel shaft for tapping a retaining bolt. The shaft was supported by two chain hoists and a very creative clamp arrangement to hold the end of the shaft to the drill press table, which had to be rotated off to the side to let the shaft extend in line with the spindle.

 

[BWS]

Been cvrd above....mills are great.

Just wanted to add another big thumbs up for a "nice" DP.Our 20" W/T,that is squarely 1/2 way between the cabmet shop and the machine shop is pure joy everytime its used.Prolly only 2-3 times a week......but fast,holy cow.Its main vise is an 8" Heinrich gripmaster.

Like posted above the tooling is significantly less with a DP.But get the right stuff and its amazing how fast the setups are....get to drilling.....get back to task at hand.Mills are a different breed in my pea brain,slower more methodical,more precision potential(you can do chit work on anything.And precision isn't soley predicated on equip)....

Whats better than a mill?Two mills.

 

[KenS]

I would have t o go with a mill here. Rotate the head and you have almost unlimited length. A horizontal mill will drill the end of a shaft of any length.

Agreed on the horizontal mill, but that's a separate machine from a knee or vertical mill and much rarer in most garage shops. Also, you can't nod the head on all vertical mills-- especially those often seen in garage shops. Not to mention the pain of re-tramming the head when the job is over, or re-indicating the vise to the table.

My drill press sits next to my mill. As a dedicated machine, it makes quick production holes when precision isn't necessary without having to fuss with the more finicky setup required by a mill.

As I mentioned at the beginning, a mill is by far the more versatile machine, but sometimes a single-bladed knife is far better suited to a dedicated job than the more versatile, but clumsier Swiss Army variety which is limited by its own complexity.