Hey man! I wanted to give some advice. I did some pretty serious experimentation with this same idea, going so far as to make a drill powered carriage for holding work pieces and moving them linearly to cut mortises. I used thread rod as a lead screw, and chucked it into a drill to provide constant feed rates. The thing I didn't know or expect at the time is that the Morse taper with which the chuck press-fits into the mandrel is not at all good at dealing with radial loads. They're only designed for axial loading. So the sideways forces of cutting mortises are actually destabilizing enough to suddenly drop the chuck right out of the mandrel. That happened to me, and the thing is, you don't know where that assembly is going to fly off to. Or just how badly it's going to explode the workpiece, as happened in my case. It turned my workpiece into splinters. I was using a half inch straight flute router bit to cut a large mortise at the time. I felt likei was onto something with the idea at the time to, but as it turns out, neither you nor I are anywhere near the first people to think of using a drill press as a mill. I'm pretty sure that some people have done successful conversions, but if you want to attempt it, I highly suggest doing research first. Really though, I'd instead suggest that you ask yourself why it is that you want to use the drill press as a mill. Clearly you have a router, so what is it that your router lacks that you're hoping to get with the drill press? In my case, I needed to be able to use half inch shank router bits, but only had a trim router. I figured, those fit in the drill press chuck, why not just use the drill press? Ultimately though, after several close calls and scary moments, I decided to drop the cash on a Triton TRA001 3+ HP router that could handle those bits, and haven't looked back for a moment. It was expensive, but much less so than surgery to try to reattach fingertips. And I've found so many great uses for the router since then! There are so many jigs and router table accessories that you can make that should take care of your needs. Mills are really very different machines in spite of looking a lot like drill presses. One big difference is in the draw bar and collet system they use instead of Morse taper chucks. Stay safe dude!
Wow, longest comment ever! Yeah I have a Abandoned the idea. I figure it wasn’t a good idea. I already have a shaper and a router table. I also have built a horizontal mortiser. I don’t really have the need for a mill right now. When I do I will just go buy a small bench top mill. Thanks for watching!
Tks for the advice,,,I tried using mydrill press with router in free hand to groove a cane I am making .. decided best to come see if anyone has tried .going back to router table .keep digits on
@@WesHamstra To your credit though you gave a disclaimer about not trying this at home and that it was for entertainment purposes only and it certainly was entertaining :)
Yeah - this. I've seen this happen when using sanding drum kits on a drill press for an extended period. A little vibration and lateral/radial loading on the chuck and it will slowly work loose. Not immediately, but it may only take a few minutes of continuous operation with no axial load to force the chuck onto the shaft before it falls off.
I was going to try this. Thanks for risking your drill press, fingers and eyes for me. You've convinced me to get or build a table for my router instead.
I am surprised it worked so well. Drill presses are designed to cope with vertical stresses, not horizontal ones, so they use a tapered spindle to hold the chuck. You release the spindle by tapping it horizontally. You are lucky the chuck didn't just pop out and shoot across the shop at warp 9, taking out everything in its path.
I’m not going to criticize you because the only difference between you and other woodworkers is you had a camera rolling. Most all of us have tried questionable techniques. Keep up the good work and stay safe.
Jeff S. True Story!!! Most commenters who bash don’t have a single video posted and know good and well they’ve far more stupid stuff!! (This video is something I would do!!! 🤣)
@@TheCrawlspaceCraftsman …. I tend to agree. However "never" would I have tried to rout out the workpiece at the full depth in one step. In particular if it is the first try. I could live with two to four steps as then there is less danger of something going wrong and the result will be cleaner in the end. All over TH-cam one can find this stuff "Bam Bang get it done … doesn't matter what it looks like when it's finished". I am an old fashion idiot because I prefer to be proud of what I've done in the end.
Jeff S. Very good remark, I have done my share of stupid things in the shop. Remarkably, I remain intact even after over 40 years. I still criticize though :)
It's a good thought, and all, however, it will ultimately damage your drill press. The bearings in the press are made to take load from a different direction. Radial vs. axial. A lot of other people have tried this and damaged their presses over time. P.S. if you're going to do it, make a fence for your press.
Great idea to use in a pinch. However, the most dangerous part of this operation is that the drill press chuck is not secured solidly to the spindle. It uses a taper and is press fit. Not a problem for drilling sinse the forces will maintain the taper tightly on the spindle. But adding axial loads will make the taper to come loose. Now you have an angry router bit and the chuck spinning at a few 100’s rpm chasing you around the garage. Not cool. I had this happen to me while using an end mill on the drill press.
Had a guy come through the ED with a mangled hand from doing this just last week. Half of his R (dominant hand) index and middle fingers were gone. Had been wood working for 50+ years and just started to try this a few weeks ago.
I'm a retired paramedic. So, um, yeah. Not sure what to think about this one. Just remember; never do anything that might be difficult to explain to a 911 dispatcher before you lose consciousness from the blood loss. I've been enjoying your channel for a while now. So make sure you still have enough fingers to keep doing what you do.
I worked in the OR. I remember 2 times men explained how they slipped getting out of the shower and now have a 13" zucchini or butternut squash that's got to be surgically removed from their ass. One of them had such skinned up knees they were covered in red mecruricome
@@imout671, when I worked ER, we had a patient in the same situation with an apple. He and his wife drove an hour, 3 counties away to our little 5 bed ER, when they lived close to 2 level 2 trauma centers. Guess where our doc for the night was from. Yep, their home town. He was a great guy though. He would never tell anyone. My step dad worked maintenance at a hospital. The ER staff kept a collection of x-rays from cases like that, without the patient info. Their favorite was a light bulb. Very delicate situation, I'm sure.
Yah, morse taper will fall out with too much chatter and can cause serious damage not just to the object, machine and bit being used but also to the person operating the machinery. What gets me is the surprise of him being able to do this... The concept is the same as using a milling machine. Speaking of, a milling machine should have been used instead for safety reasons.
This is a great idea! Another good tip if you're getting tearout on the backside of holes. Set the work-piece on your thighs and then drill. The meat of your quadricep will help with the tear-out, and the blood will lubricate the drill for easier reversal out the hole with less burning. You're limited to about 1 hole every 3 weeks, with healing time in between...but it's worked great for me.
In addition to the safety issues, two reasons for not doing this: as pointed out, a drill press is not a mill and cannot take side loads; you can dislodge your chuck and the drill press bearings are not made to go sideways either and you will cause premature wear and will eventually move sideways when you try to drill something straight. You may be able to reduce the side load by placing something that turns like small wheels in front and back pushing on the bit bearing.
When you drill on a press the action of the bit in the work self centers. I've heard that side load thing a million times but have never seen anything about it. So it may just be something everyone says but never happens.
@@whirled_peas it really shouldn't. The 3 jaw chuck on my mill's arbor is only a taper. Although the arbor itself is held in with a drawbar. But I've never had it apart and it's been under some pressed force drilling some holes. So it is not coming apart easily. I think nothing about doing light milling holding an end mill in my 3 jaw chuck either. It is a pain to change it and put my collet holder in. I've drilled some angled holes with forstner bits on my mill too. Like this i.imgur.com/tKOTIQ3.jpg That's hard rock maple. The hole at an angle is 2 inches in diameter. Not a problem. So check your taper and clean it and really whack it together. I made an arbor taper for a drill press once. It holds. Some guy I knew said I couldn't do that. He was wrong. Now I make a lot of socket chisel tapers on handles. They hold good too.
Drill press like that has ball bearings not tapered roller bearings like a milling machine. also jacob chuck can also come out using it the way you are
This is correct. Jacobs chucks can fall off while spinning at full speed. Milling material this way creates large sideways forces on the chuck which works to separate the taper fitting which is held on only by friction. This is very dangerous.
If you want to make mortises with your drill press, try and end mill instead of the spiral bit. You can drill closely overlapping holes with the end mill to clean our almost all the material, similar to a forstner bit, then while locked at full depth you can slide the stock past the bit to clean up the sides almost perfectly. This is my go-to method for mortises when the stock will fit on my drill press. My only caution is, similar to a router, to feed your stock in the direction that the cutting forces push the stock into the fence. This applies both to the drilling and clean-up stages. When plunging the end mill into an overlapping hole, there's a significant lateral force applied to the side with more material being removed. Unlike the router bit method, the stock and/or chuck aren't going to hurt you if you goof up, but if the stock wanders from the fence it's going to mess up your mortise. In theory, you could do the same thing with prial bits, but with only two flutes, they don't drill overlapping holes as nicely as an end mill. End mills work perfectly well in the router though, just keep in mind that you can only use them in the router if they have the right size shank. 1/4" and 1/2" mills usually fit standard router collets, but in between sizes mostly don't.
I tried this once. And even though it was over 20 years ago, I can still vividly remember the bloody mess it caused. I still have the scars on my fingers.
My freshman shop teacher told us there were 2 rules: don't do anything stupid and don't stick your fingers in the blades. My other top comment, forget where I read this or I would offer credit, was: "I have a doctorate from MIT - mistakes I've tried." If this video was going for the cringe/jump factor, I for one definitely did when the board jumped!
You can use router bits in a shopsmith which is basically a drill press and it works. Shopsmith actually has a special holder for router bits and they also have shaper cutters fir the shopsmith.
The one key piece missing here that would prevent the tear out at the start is a simple fence clamped down to the table. If the piece is up against a fence it cannot grab and go charging across the end. Look at how a router table is set up and then envision it with the router above the table instead of below. You seemed to be concerned about the speed of the drill press but the fact of the matter is it's the cutting surface speed that counts. For example: If you have a cutter that is 1" in diameter the circumference would be 3.14". If you wanted to cut at a rate of 100 rpm your cutting surface speed would be 100 rpm x 3.14" = 314" per minute or 26.18 Feet Per Minute. If your cutter was 3" then its circumference would be 9.42". To have the same surface speed as the 1" cutter you would have to drop your RPM to 33.33 to get a surface cutting speed of 26.16 FPM. RPM means nothing. It is all about surface speed in feet per minute. The same formulas apply to lathes and milling machines.
When i started using power tools i did this with my dad’s drill press and I wear out the bearings. He and i took it apart pulled the bearing and went to the Napa store to get new ones that i bought. The drill chuck work off the tapper a lot. It brakes the bit when it hits the floor. One time is ok but all the time, invest in a router.
sam yeates you make a very good point . You should never use a machine like drill press that use a taper to hold on the chuck for lateral forces. It's designed for inline forces like drilling!
Basic drill press manuals, such as the old Delta "Getting the Most Out of Your Drill Press", devote entire chapters to routing, shaping, and mortising on the drill press. They even describe light milling in metal using a cross-slide vise. The real issue is spindle speed and its effect on cutting. Even at high speed (5000 RPM) a drill press cannot approach the high spindle speed (16,000 plus RPM) of a router.
Nice job go for it. I have tried this very thing and if you go slow and steady it can work. Don't try and do it all at once. When I want to cut to be from the end of the board I do this. Move the end of the board past the cutter about 1/2 inch or so. Then ease the board the opposite direction and pull it away from the clock wise rotation of the bit. Ease all the way until the end of the board is clear of the bit. Keeping in mind you want to pull the board on a straight line and not let the end slide into the rotating bit. Next move back to to where you started for this short cut and continue the normal direction. Light pressure on the bit for the short cut and go slow. Works for me.
I believe it. I have been to the ER a few times. They were never for hold my beer incidents lol. My most major incident was when i slipped with my carpet knife and had to get 19 stitches
If we played it safe, we would be women and no great accomplishments would ever be accidentally discovered. :) There is a reason why nature has more males born than females...
@@CurmudgeonExtraordinaire It could be that your life's purpose is only to serve as a warning to others... 😋 But in all seriousness, lots of mankinds' great discoveries have been by accident!
@@WesHamstra I’m just now starting to work with big power tools, but many years ago, as a jeweler, a saw-blade broke on the “up” stroke and went all the way through the pad of my thumb. I wore that saw blade (which could not be reached from either side) for seven years before having it removed. ANY tool can hurt you, especially if you’re complacent, which I guess I was. Power tools though??? I’m a newbie and not going to attempt ANYTHING without TH-cam experts’ approval! 🤪
im a retired carpenter.. personally id prefer the router table BUT i have to say ive never thought about this ,,, i think its a great idea .. id clamp a guide ("1" x 4" scrap) to the press table that has a cutout for the bit and line it up with the face of the bearing. Also get your hands out of there!!!.. use a push stick and some feather boards.
That was pretty cool. I do use my router's 45° chamfering bit on the holes I drill for threaded inserts. My inserts have a flange I like to get below flush..
I think that I just realized why routers are hand held. Both hands on the router are safer than hands on the material being routered. Great video. Thanks.
As a cabinet maker I always tried anything and everything. Done so many things that to most would seem crazy. Had an overhead pin router that did exactly what you are doing with the drill press. The pin router had an air actuated movement for down feed and up return. Still have all my fingers!
Feeding in the stock is likely to get your fingers pulled into the tool. If you're set on not using a router, a better option than a drill press is to use a Radial Arm Saw as an overhead router. This way the work is clamped down and you are moving the tool. Most of the RAS makers provided a router attachment and you can get X, Y and Z axis movement. You have a built in table and a fence as well.
I have done this with a wood table and a fence. One thing to remember, that chuck is not permanently attached to the drill press . It is wedged in the quill with a taper and the vibration could loosen it.
Exactly. I tried this many years ago. It all came loose in a fraction of a second and became a projectile. Thankfully I didn’t hurt myself, but there’s every reason to warn against even trying this. Too many people ignore the fact that a drill press is constructed for vertical load, not horizontal.
aekhome thank you for stating that fact, I failed to include just what you said, A drill press with a Morris Tapper is designed for vertical loads not lateral. 😁🛫
Screw the downvoters and naysayers. This was the most entertaining post I’ve seen in a long time. Jump scares? ☑️ Suspenseful? ☑️ Hilarious comment section? ☑️ No click bate bs? ☑️ Demonstrated how stupidly unsafe it is so others don’t have to try it while not ending up in the ER? ☑️
As mentioned below, the biggest problem is side-loading. An even bigger problem is you may not know you're messing up spindle bearings until it's way too late. So if you don't care about your machine, go for it. If you want to use the drill press for drilling holes, don't run router bits on 'em. And yes, there will be folks out there who "have used their drill press for years as a spindle router..." It's only a matter of time. I will admit, though, that I occasionally use side-load devices on my drill press (wire brushes, drum sanders, etc.) I could be creating the same problem. Oh well....
Thanks mate!! But for your video, I’d have been experimenting like you, with my new drill press. I understand the safety aspects, and that drill press bearings are not intended to deal with sideways forces. But that aside, with a good table & fence, this is fabulous! And not restricted to 1/4” shanks!! Brilliant!
I use a Cross Ways vice, mine is only a four inch vice the "Travels" are 3 ½ " side way forward and reverse. I find that, I don't make many tenons and noticed any bigger.
so it probably will work a bit. but I always hear people say that the bearings within a drill are not equipped to handle any sideways torque. so you don't wanna do anything other than up and down motion with a drill. Or what you can do is a spindle sander setup, but then with both sides guided so you don't put all force on these bearings
The biggest problems you’ll run into are the grabbiness (which is because of the slow spindle speed as much as anything), and the spindle falling out because it is not designed for side loads, which will mess up your work piece.
@@ESForgecraft I mean, if you put your hands in a stupid place, but there isn't really enough energy for it to keep moving with any force. It just kind drops, creates a small bit of havoc on your work piece, and stops. It's a really bad idea, and the spindle of a drill just isn't designed to be used this way, but it isn't going to drop out and fly halfway across your shop.
Mortise cutting with the press... i plunge the area first, then raise the table to the plunge depth and guide the block/material to trim out the excess. Its a lot easier this way as you are not having to hold the bit down while routing out the excess material.
5.09 "I'm a bit nervous doing this". I'm a bit nervous watching it. There are so many things wrong with this. Please don't make a jig, please never do this again. But if you do, I'll always be here to say "I told you so".
The shank of most drill chucks used in inexpensive drill presses is a MT-2 taper. With lateral loading, the chuck will tend to fall out of the spindle. This could have disastrous results. If the drill press is set up for use of a drawbar, and the chuck shank is drilled and tapped for it, then the draw bar can help to keep the chuck secure. Likewise, if the chuck shank is threaded into the drill press spindle, it is of course secure. Naturally if it is threaded, it can only turn one direction when drilling and cannot be reversible. A tapered chuck shank might well get "stuck" and not fall out, until it does. Once it falls out once, it will fall out again. If it is a throwaway Harbor Fright drill press then maybe you could apply a thin coat of Loctite Red to the shank and tap it in. Use the feed mechanism to really shove it in there good, and it may hold for a while. You have of course essentially ruined the drill press for future chuck upgrades, is the only thing. I actually tried using Horror Fright's benchtop drill press to mill out an aluminum AR lower receiver and I could not complete the job because the chuck would not stay in the spindle. It was my only drill press so I did not do any modifications. I ended up getting a cheap Chinese milling machine, which I needed anyway. I now use the mill for most of my precision drilling, but still have the HF drill press and it is still useful for light non critical drilling, or when my mill is tooled up for a job and I just want to punch a quick hole without retooling the mill. So, I am glad I didn't diddle with the drill press even though it was really really cheap and sort of expendable. You can, of course, use a router bit in a milling machine with the appropriate collet, or a chuck with an R8 (or whatever taper your mini mill uses but usually it will be R8) taper drawbar tapped shank. Note that while Morse taper (such as MT-2) tapered shanks can be used for drilling with only the shank's friction fit holding it, an R8 taper is not a self sticking friction fit, and needs the drawbar to keep it secured in the spindle. A drawbar is really only a threaded rod, usually 7/16" 20TPI, with suitable top end termination for tightening and loosening tools. Turning it clockwise will pull the tapered shank tightly up into the quill and it cannot vibrate free as can a Morse taper in an ordinary drill press. Another potential problem with using a drill press chuck to hold end mills or router bits is that often they are fully hardened along the entire length of the tool. A standard drill bit is not quite as hard at the shank end, and so the drill chuck can get a good grab on it with its hardened jaws. Fully hardened steel held in fully hardened steel jaws has a greater tendency to slip. Another problem, though really only an issue with a cross slide attachment where a crank gives you leverage and control in X or Y axis movement, is lateral force on the light duty drill press bearings will prematurely wear them out. As you are hand feeding wood in the video, not much of a real world issue, but nevertheless be aware that small drill press spindle bearings are not made to accept significant lateral loading. So anyway, if it works for you, fine, but the first time it doesn't work for you could have disastrous consequences. This is not a safe practice, with most simple drill presses, without some modification. Hope you don't injure yourself or ruin a critical workpiece. It would be safer to build a DIY table router, using a hand router mounted upside down under an aluminum or steel plate thick enough to drill and tap. Maybe even plywood. Hinge it so you can tip it up to make adjustments or tool changes. Add fence, safety shielding, hand guards, etc and you have a REASONABLY safe way to do stuff like that without buying a table router. Or spring for a SIEG Chinese mini-mill. They are extremely useful and once you have acquired all of the basic tooling, it will be your go-to for making all sorts of parts and things, in wood, plastic, steel, aluminum, whatever.
There are overhead router that are essential what your trying to make and are designed for the work but are only used with well made jigs for safety reasons. Honestly pretty ballsy experiment stay safe in the shop brother
It's a good day when you can still count to ten ! I used a chamfer bit to edge some 45x45 for bird table support so I could see where to start and stop, worked OK with minimal clean up.kept bit sharp and fingers well away. Good video to show what can be done with care.
Hmmm, stumbled on 4 year old super sketchy vjo... Kinda' wondering if all digits, eyes, nose, and other equipment is still attached? If they are, that would be impressive!
You know how when you were a kid watching a scary movie, you would watch with your hand over your face with your fingers ever so slightly spread apart? That was me during this whole video. There were jump scares and everything. I need a drink after watching that.
I've done this as well, by lack of proper tools. it does the job, but as shown in the video, it can be dangerous without a jig of some sorts. Still a very fun video!
How did you get the press to stay? Did you just raise the table all the way up to meet it so you wouldn’t have to rig it to stay? Also, how did you change the speed?
I've routed on my drill press many times. Rabbit, round over, mortise and jointing. You do have to crank the speed up to get a smooth cut, just go slow and it works fine. You do need to lock the spindle down at the depth you need, no problem on the older presses with spindle locks, but the newer presses don't all seem to have them. ALWAYS use 2 hands when routing, period!! And a fence when possible. Also, if you set your bearing flush with a fence, you won't tear up the end of the workpiece, just slide it along the fence and it works just like on a router table, except the bit is on the top, instead of the bottom.
Have not tried this, but I thought about using a drill slightly smaller than the mortise width, rough clean up with a chisel, then using the router bit to clean up the mortise walls. Would this alleviate the side pressure problem mentioned by others?
I had friend that was a professional cabinet maker who never used his router, he always used router bits in his drill press. One big thing he did different was to use the fence that came with his drill press to keep the wood from moving around when it first came into contact with the router bit.
I would worry about the side way forces as you push the work at the bit. Are the bearings on the drill press made for these types of side forces? In a while that bearing could wear, meaning that the press would no longer remain vertical to the work when drilling. Perhaps instead of starting at the end of the work (leading to those rapid pulls) starting in mid-piece and working nearly to the end might be a little safer? (At the ends the bit can tug on the end grain and grab the side. You need to push it into the cut in the middle, so there is no jerk of the work piece sideways? Still does not look safe !!)
There are a lot of comments regarding side loading, damaging bearings or the motor. Ultimately what it comes down to is the chuck is press fit on to the shank with a taper and that is fine when the forces involved are vertical because that pressure holds the chuck on the shank, when they are horizontal the chuck will slowly work its way off the shank while spinning at give or take 1400rpm with blades on it. So yes functionally you CAN use an endmill or a router bit in a drill press but surely it is obvious why that is a really bad idea, if you were to say; have a screw locked chuck like on a standard drill and a drawbar (a bar that runs through the quill and is connected to the shank that holds the chuck or to the chuck itself) to lock it in THEN you start worrying about damaging bearings/motors not the other way around.
Does drilling brass dull cobalt drill bits? Brass is a soft metal but I've been hearing that it dulls bits But I don't think that it does but I'm unsure
I have done operations like this with my drillpress. you need to have your table tight. yours was not and that is very dangerous. A good fence, the highest speed you can get from your machine and everything very tight.
Look at Harbor freight for the milling vice . I use one for working with stabalized wood and a 1/4 " up spiral bit all the time in making custom Mod boxes for vaping.
I once used a drill press with smaller router bits, for cutting grooves. Nothing went wrong, but seeing others' comments about the potential for Morse tapers to come loose under side loading, I don't think I'll do it again!
Fun trying different things! I am a machinist and the drawback as most know and you kind of mentioned is that you just don't have the rigidity or the ability to lock things down as good, but of course everybody mentioned all this! Merry Christmas!
I was under the impression that everyone knew that the bearings in a drill press are not designed to take the sort of side loads you put on them with a router bit. As for making mortises get a plunge router or build one of Mathias Wandel's pantarouters.
I'm not sure how much the side load will bother the bearings, but the tapered shank the drill chuck is mounted on isn't intended to handle side loads. Sooner or later it will come loose and the chuck will fall out.
I have also tried this to rout a truss rod channel and it works but not that well because even at the highest speed, the drill press wasn’t anywhere near fast enough for a smooth cut. I like the idea of an overhead router, though. Maybe I’ll design one.
Thank you sir, your contribution to the world of science is very much appreciated. I will now go buy a router bit for my hand drill to make a small groove instead of buying a whole router tool.
Teknatool Nova Voyager drill press with a direct drive motor, no belts will run at 5000 RPM more suitable for routing. It uses a MT2 arbor. The similar Nova Vulkan can be used for metal milling but the quill assembly is updated and it uses a MT3 arbor. Either arbor could come loose, but both units are designed to operate at up to 5000 rpm.
@@WesHamstra yeah like the bearings in a router are so much better than what's in drill presses. Do a video where you pull the bearings out and compare them side by side. That ought to fire the Internet trolls up!
@4:02 That's the same speed that your fingers will come off!! i have literally had some ones fingers dripping off my face.... i still remember the rapid knocking sounds
Love this! Wife caught me trying to put circular saw blade on my weed wacker once. Never got to find how dumb of an idea that was. I got shut down. Story of my marriage.
Had a subdivision volunteer clean-up party of the several common areas we have. One guy showed up with a weed wacker with a circular saw blade on it. We all just kind of stayed away from him. 🤓
I was cutting aluminum on a table saw at a volunteer build. Sure made everyone run like crazy. 4 people were watching me through a window (in total amazement.)
I have used router bits on wood in a milling machine because I get very fine control. The milling machine is built to enable you to use all sorts of clamps and vises to hold down steel while you mill off a thousandth of an inch or less. Far more precision than nearly all woodworking projects, but it works really well for getting tenons just right, and some mortices as well. But using one in a drill press? What, don't you have a router table?
Basically the drill press is an overhead router. And a vertical milling machine. I used a Bridgeport style milling machine as a router before. And your spiral cutter is a stock 2 flute end mill like I have in my toolbox.
YES! Done it. Get the speed up as high as possible, lock the spindle at the desired height for shaving off a few thou of repair material in a friend's glider rocker. Worked a treat. To clarify though, I was using the router bit in more of an end mill application. When I was done, the rocker worked perfectly and she couldn't see the repair.
You need a Shopsmith Mark V or Mark 7. They are designed to do exactly what you are trying to do, plus so, so, so much more. I've been using them for 30 years. I now have 5 Mark V's and a Mark 7 in my shop. They are manufactured and supported right here in the good ole USA. One of my Mark V is 53 years old, but I can still get support and parts for it from Shopsmith's headquarters in Ohio. Mark V's in fantastic condition are readily available in the used market for under $1000.
Being a joiner for nearly 50 years I think I might have enough knowledge around a work shop to say...you need to value your fingers a bit more..ffs run the timber along a fence..
Get a router, they aren't all that expensive. When you add up your time fabri-cobbling something together, plus the inevitable ruined workpieces, this shortcut isn't worth it. Besides, a drill press is not designed to handle side loads, you will wear out the bearings and won't be able to use it for it's intended purpose, either.
I was curious if i could do this, I really didn't want to spend more money on my tool collection, and because of your experiment that you posted online, i now know that it technically works, but obviously by scrolling through the comments i know it can be very unsafe. I don't know what people have to be so rude about. Thank you for sharing this video. it provided all the information i needed. And for all the people saying how dumb and unsafe this, and he is, be a little nicer, this video could have saved hundreds of lives (according to you)
Oh, I did this.......ONCE!!!!! Shot a 2x4 200MPH thru an old barn door. Killed a cow. Nope. NEXT!
Haha! I am pinning this!
did you like the steak tho
Anything can be very dangerous the first time you try it when you don't know what you're doing.
you must be the sale promoter of a router company 😂
@@imjeffvaderofficial bet it had a nice smokey flavor
Hey man! I wanted to give some advice. I did some pretty serious experimentation with this same idea, going so far as to make a drill powered carriage for holding work pieces and moving them linearly to cut mortises. I used thread rod as a lead screw, and chucked it into a drill to provide constant feed rates. The thing I didn't know or expect at the time is that the Morse taper with which the chuck press-fits into the mandrel is not at all good at dealing with radial loads. They're only designed for axial loading. So the sideways forces of cutting mortises are actually destabilizing enough to suddenly drop the chuck right out of the mandrel. That happened to me, and the thing is, you don't know where that assembly is going to fly off to. Or just how badly it's going to explode the workpiece, as happened in my case. It turned my workpiece into splinters. I was using a half inch straight flute router bit to cut a large mortise at the time. I felt likei was onto something with the idea at the time to, but as it turns out, neither you nor I are anywhere near the first people to think of using a drill press as a mill. I'm pretty sure that some people have done successful conversions, but if you want to attempt it, I highly suggest doing research first. Really though, I'd instead suggest that you ask yourself why it is that you want to use the drill press as a mill. Clearly you have a router, so what is it that your router lacks that you're hoping to get with the drill press? In my case, I needed to be able to use half inch shank router bits, but only had a trim router. I figured, those fit in the drill press chuck, why not just use the drill press? Ultimately though, after several close calls and scary moments, I decided to drop the cash on a Triton TRA001 3+ HP router that could handle those bits, and haven't looked back for a moment. It was expensive, but much less so than surgery to try to reattach fingertips. And I've found so many great uses for the router since then! There are so many jigs and router table accessories that you can make that should take care of your needs. Mills are really very different machines in spite of looking a lot like drill presses. One big difference is in the draw bar and collet system they use instead of Morse taper chucks. Stay safe dude!
Wow, longest comment ever! Yeah I have a Abandoned the idea. I figure it wasn’t a good idea. I already have a shaper and a router table. I also have built a horizontal mortiser. I don’t really have the need for a mill right now. When I do I will just go buy a small bench top mill. Thanks for watching!
Tks for the advice,,,I tried using mydrill press with router in free hand to groove a cane I am making .. decided best to come see if anyone has tried .going back to router table .keep digits on
@@WesHamstra To your credit though you gave a disclaimer about not trying this at home and that it was for entertainment purposes only and it certainly was entertaining :)
Yeah - this. I've seen this happen when using sanding drum kits on a drill press for an extended period. A little vibration and lateral/radial loading on the chuck and it will slowly work loose. Not immediately, but it may only take a few minutes of continuous operation with no axial load to force the chuck onto the shaft before it falls off.
@@brettski74 Great info, so better to use sanding drum in router/router table setup?
I was going to try this. Thanks for risking your drill press, fingers and eyes for me. You've convinced me to get or build a table for my router instead.
I am surprised it worked so well. Drill presses are designed to cope with vertical stresses, not horizontal ones, so they use a tapered spindle to hold the chuck. You release the spindle by tapping it horizontally. You are lucky the chuck didn't just pop out and shoot across the shop at warp 9, taking out everything in its path.
I’m not going to criticize you because the only difference between you and other woodworkers
is you had a camera rolling. Most all of us have tried questionable techniques. Keep up the good work and stay safe.
Jeff S. True Story!!! Most commenters who bash don’t have a single video posted and know good and well they’ve far more stupid stuff!! (This video is something I would do!!! 🤣)
@@TheCrawlspaceCraftsman To be honest i've wondered this very question . I've never tried , but now i know , so in my opinion far from stupid .
@@TheCrawlspaceCraftsman …. I tend to agree. However "never" would I have tried to rout out the workpiece at the full depth in one step. In particular if it is the first try. I could live with two to four steps as then there is less danger of something going wrong and the result will be cleaner in the end. All over TH-cam one can find this stuff "Bam Bang get it done … doesn't matter what it looks like when it's finished". I am an old fashion idiot because I prefer to be proud of what I've done in the end.
I had a shop teacher had a thumb tip put back on thanks to a table saw great teacher learn from mistakes and accidents
Jeff S. Very good remark, I have done my share of stupid things in the shop. Remarkably, I remain intact even after over 40 years. I still criticize though :)
Next week: How to make a planer by spinning a butchers cleaver in a lathe!
That sounds quite genius. Noted.
Immediately followed by a video of “how to pack and transport detached body parts to your nearest ER”
That made me laugh!
Lol
It's a good thought, and all, however, it will ultimately damage your drill press. The bearings in the press are made to take load from a different direction. Radial vs. axial. A lot of other people have tried this and damaged their presses over time.
P.S. if you're going to do it, make a fence for your press.
I was going to make the same comment
Why is it going to run off and menace my sheep?
Thanks mate you saved me from telling him that he's going to bugger his bearings in his drill press.
@@sneeuwwolf1176 Yes, it will definitely mess with sheep. Sometimes pigs and goats, but sheep are a high risk group.
Hahaha
Great idea to use in a pinch. However, the most dangerous part of this operation is that the drill press chuck is not secured solidly to the spindle. It uses a taper and is press fit. Not a problem for drilling sinse the forces will maintain the taper tightly on the spindle. But adding axial loads will make the taper to come loose. Now you have an angry router bit and the chuck spinning at a few 100’s rpm chasing you around the garage. Not cool.
I had this happen to me while using an end mill on the drill press.
Had a guy come through the ED with a mangled hand from doing this just last week. Half of his R (dominant hand) index and middle fingers were gone. Had been wood working for 50+ years and just started to try this a few weeks ago.
I'm a retired paramedic. So, um, yeah. Not sure what to think about this one. Just remember; never do anything that might be difficult to explain to a 911 dispatcher before you lose consciousness from the blood loss. I've been enjoying your channel for a while now. So make sure you still have enough fingers to keep doing what you do.
That is probably the best advice I have been given so far. Thanks for watching my videos!
@@WesHamstra, thanks for making them!
I worked in the OR. I remember 2 times men explained how they slipped getting out of the shower and now have a 13" zucchini or butternut squash that's got to be surgically removed from their ass. One of them had such skinned up knees they were covered in red mecruricome
@@imout671, when I worked ER, we had a patient in the same situation with an apple. He and his wife drove an hour, 3 counties away to our little 5 bed ER, when they lived close to 2 level 2 trauma centers. Guess where our doc for the night was from. Yep, their home town. He was a great guy though. He would never tell anyone.
My step dad worked maintenance at a hospital. The ER staff kept a collection of x-rays from cases like that, without the patient info. Their favorite was a light bulb. Very delicate situation, I'm sure.
@@dannyhale7645
Was there a shower in the vegetable garden?
Drill presses aren't designed for side loading especially if they have Morse taper chucks, that's why no one does this, and why no one should do this.
Yah, morse taper will fall out with too much chatter and can cause serious damage not just to the object, machine and bit being used but also to the person operating the machinery. What gets me is the surprise of him being able to do this... The concept is the same as using a milling machine. Speaking of, a milling machine should have been used instead for safety reasons.
I didn't even think of that. It could have been a lot worse than I was expecting.
Rufus Chucklebutty , I would surmise that there is more runout with a Jacobs chuck than with router spindle and collet.
Yep, came to say the same thing. Just a matter of time until that chuck pops out. Cringed the whole video.
Not all bench drills have Morse tapers some just come with a fixed chuck
This is a great idea!
Another good tip if you're getting tearout on the backside of holes. Set the work-piece on your thighs and then drill. The meat of your quadricep will help with the tear-out, and the blood will lubricate the drill for easier reversal out the hole with less burning.
You're limited to about 1 hole every 3 weeks, with healing time in between...but it's worked great for me.
This is my kind of guy. I once used a outboard engine to beat my eggs for breakfast.
Outboards are also good for doing your laundry too , i hear .
@@mickey1299 Great for frothing up your cuppacheno
I once used an egg whisk to beat my wife for no breakfast :)
No way! I thing Red Green did this first or was it tim the Toolman. :-)
@@TubeHammel red green used a mixer as a router.
Drill presses are set up for vertical motion. Challenging it horizontally will damage the bearings and you'll end up with a wobbly rotation.
Good point!
Maybe, in time and depending on the press. Some are actually rated for light milling.
Shhhhhhhhhh
Now try putting a drill bit in a router and see what happens. Start with a spade bit. (Call 911 first and they should get there just in time.)
In addition to the safety issues, two reasons for not doing this: as pointed out, a drill press is not a mill and cannot take side loads; you can dislodge your chuck and the drill press bearings are not made to go sideways either and you will cause premature wear and will eventually move sideways when you try to drill something straight. You may be able to reduce the side load by placing something that turns like small wheels in front and back pushing on the bit bearing.
When you drill on a press the action of the bit in the work self centers. I've heard that side load thing a million times but have never seen anything about it. So it may just be something everyone says but never happens.
@@1pcfred I've had the chuck on mine come out using a forstner at and angle
@@whirled_peas it really shouldn't. The 3 jaw chuck on my mill's arbor is only a taper. Although the arbor itself is held in with a drawbar. But I've never had it apart and it's been under some pressed force drilling some holes. So it is not coming apart easily. I think nothing about doing light milling holding an end mill in my 3 jaw chuck either. It is a pain to change it and put my collet holder in. I've drilled some angled holes with forstner bits on my mill too. Like this i.imgur.com/tKOTIQ3.jpg That's hard rock maple. The hole at an angle is 2 inches in diameter. Not a problem. So check your taper and clean it and really whack it together. I made an arbor taper for a drill press once. It holds. Some guy I knew said I couldn't do that. He was wrong. Now I make a lot of socket chisel tapers on handles. They hold good too.
Fournier Luc ok
@@1pcfred depends entirely on the amount of work you do on the machine
Drill press like that has ball bearings not tapered roller bearings like a milling machine. also jacob chuck can also come out using it the way you are
This is correct. Jacobs chucks can fall off while spinning at full speed. Milling material this way creates large sideways forces on the chuck which works to separate the taper fitting which is held on only by friction. This is very dangerous.
If you want to make mortises with your drill press, try and end mill instead of the spiral bit. You can drill closely overlapping holes with the end mill to clean our almost all the material, similar to a forstner bit, then while locked at full depth you can slide the stock past the bit to clean up the sides almost perfectly. This is my go-to method for mortises when the stock will fit on my drill press. My only caution is, similar to a router, to feed your stock in the direction that the cutting forces push the stock into the fence. This applies both to the drilling and clean-up stages. When plunging the end mill into an overlapping hole, there's a significant lateral force applied to the side with more material being removed. Unlike the router bit method, the stock and/or chuck aren't going to hurt you if you goof up, but if the stock wanders from the fence it's going to mess up your mortise.
In theory, you could do the same thing with prial bits, but with only two flutes, they don't drill overlapping holes as nicely as an end mill. End mills work perfectly well in the router though, just keep in mind that you can only use them in the router if they have the right size shank. 1/4" and 1/2" mills usually fit standard router collets, but in between sizes mostly don't.
I tried this once. And even though it was over 20 years ago, I can still vividly remember the bloody mess it caused. I still have the scars on my fingers.
Read the warning label they put on every cutting tool.... keep fingers and hands away from spinning blades.
@@timhallas4275 Another warning should be "Remember you are the softest thing in the shop".
@@DanT10 haha, that's perfect.
My freshman shop teacher told us there were 2 rules: don't do anything stupid and don't stick your fingers in the blades. My other top comment, forget where I read this or I would offer credit, was: "I have a doctorate from MIT - mistakes I've tried."
If this video was going for the cringe/jump factor, I for one definitely did when the board jumped!
You can use router bits in a shopsmith which is basically a drill press and it works. Shopsmith actually has a special holder for router bits and they also have shaper cutters fir the shopsmith.
Shopsmith bearings are made for side load, that's why it is also a table saw, a lathe, can use shaper blades, etc...
The one key piece missing here that would prevent the tear out at the start is a simple fence clamped down to the table. If the piece is up against a fence it cannot grab and go charging across the end. Look at how a router table is set up and then envision it with the router above the table instead of below. You seemed to be concerned about the speed of the drill press but the fact of the matter is it's the cutting surface speed that counts. For example: If you have a cutter that is 1" in diameter the circumference would be 3.14". If you wanted to cut at a rate of 100 rpm your cutting surface speed would be 100 rpm x 3.14" = 314" per minute or 26.18 Feet Per Minute. If your cutter was 3" then its circumference would be 9.42". To have the same surface speed as the 1" cutter you would have to drop your RPM to 33.33 to get a surface cutting speed of 26.16 FPM. RPM means nothing. It is all about surface speed in feet per minute. The same formulas apply to lathes and milling machines.
“So I rewired it.” - Tim “The Toolman” Taylor
When i started using power tools i did this with my dad’s drill press and I wear out the bearings. He and i took it apart pulled the bearing and went to the Napa store to get new ones that i bought. The drill chuck work off the tapper a lot. It brakes the bit when it hits the floor. One time is ok but all the time, invest in a router.
sam yeates you make a very good point . You should never use a machine like drill press that use a taper to hold on the chuck for lateral forces. It's designed for inline forces like drilling!
I should add yeah milling machines do use a taper but they have a draw bar to hold them in.
Basic drill press manuals, such as the old Delta "Getting the Most Out of Your Drill Press", devote entire chapters to routing, shaping, and mortising on the drill press. They even describe light milling in metal using a cross-slide vise. The real issue is spindle speed and its effect on cutting. Even at high speed (5000 RPM) a drill press cannot approach the high spindle speed (16,000 plus RPM) of a router.
Thoughts on the side load on the bearings and the side load on the tapered fit of the chuck?
Nice job go for it. I have tried this very thing and if you go slow and steady it can work. Don't try and do it all at once. When I want to cut to be from the end of the board I do this. Move the end of the board past the cutter about 1/2 inch or so. Then ease the board the opposite direction and pull it away from the clock wise rotation of the bit. Ease all the way until the end of the board is clear of the bit. Keeping in mind you want to pull the board on a straight line and not let the end slide into the rotating bit. Next move back to to where you started for this short cut and continue the normal direction. Light pressure on the bit for the short cut and go slow. Works for me.
I currently work as an ER nurse, so many entertaining visits started with "hold my beer and watch this".
I believe it. I have been to the ER a few times. They were never for hold my beer incidents lol. My most major incident was when i slipped with my carpet knife and had to get 19 stitches
If we played it safe, we would be women and no great accomplishments would ever be accidentally discovered. :) There is a reason why nature has more males born than females...
@@CurmudgeonExtraordinaire It could be that your life's purpose is only to serve as a warning to others... 😋
But in all seriousness, lots of mankinds' great discoveries have been by accident!
@@WesHamstra I’m just now starting to work with big power tools, but many years ago, as a jeweler, a saw-blade broke on the “up” stroke and went all the way through the pad of my thumb. I wore that saw blade (which could not be reached from either side) for seven years before having it removed. ANY tool can hurt you, especially if you’re complacent, which I guess I was. Power tools though??? I’m a newbie and not going to attempt ANYTHING without TH-cam experts’ approval! 🤪
@@johnnycastellanetta7183 AND, by women!
im a retired carpenter.. personally id prefer the router table BUT i have to say ive never thought about this ,,, i think its a great idea .. id clamp a guide ("1" x 4" scrap) to the press table that has a cutout for the bit and line it up with the face of the bearing. Also get your hands out of there!!!.. use a push stick and some feather boards.
thats what i love about youtube i can watch someone else make the mistakes i thought were innovated projects.
Anybody got a link to the video where he uses the toaster as a heating element for his bath?
Haha, don’t give me ideas.. how about try it first.
Crazy guy......
I did this 30 years ago. I set up a fence, etc. and I still ended up in the ER.
So you're saying it's a bad idea?
That was pretty cool. I do use my router's 45° chamfering bit on the holes I drill for threaded inserts. My inserts have a flange I like to get below flush..
You gotta like a guy that does his own stunts on his own channel! Keep up the great videos and be safe!
Haha. No stunt double here. Just me. Thanks!
I think that I just realized why routers are hand held. Both hands on the router are safer than hands on the material being routered. Great video. Thanks.
The drill press gave you two warnings and you still went at it?
The only reason that happened was because he started it poorly and his hands were too far way giving the bit’s torque more leverage on his grip.
Coty Kelly Prudence the safety goat doesn’t approve.
As a cabinet maker I always tried anything and everything. Done so many things that to most would seem crazy. Had an overhead pin router that did exactly what you are doing with the drill press. The pin router had an air actuated movement for down feed and up return. Still have all my fingers!
Next video: how to put fingers back on with a hot glue gun.
I upboated this to 69
Funny, NOT funny!😳😜
It can be done 😂
Actually that is what crazy glue was invented for. Really.
Feeding in the stock is likely to get your fingers pulled into the tool. If you're set on not using a router, a better option than a drill press is to use a Radial Arm Saw as an overhead router. This way the work is clamped down and you are moving the tool. Most of the RAS makers provided a router attachment and you can get X, Y and Z axis movement. You have a built in table and a fence as well.
I have done this with a wood table and a fence. One thing to remember, that chuck is not permanently attached to the drill press . It is wedged in the quill with a taper and the vibration could loosen it.
Joel Watts I agree! That Morris tapper does not and was not meant for side loads. Overall this is a pretty stupid experiment😫🛫
Exactly. I tried this many years ago. It all came loose in a fraction of a second and became a projectile. Thankfully I didn’t hurt myself, but there’s every reason to warn against even trying this. Too many people ignore the fact that a drill press is constructed for vertical load, not horizontal.
aekhome thank you for stating that fact, I failed to include just what you said, A drill press with a Morris Tapper is designed for vertical loads not lateral. 😁🛫
Screw the downvoters and naysayers. This was the most entertaining post I’ve seen in a long time. Jump scares? ☑️ Suspenseful? ☑️ Hilarious comment section? ☑️ No click bate bs? ☑️ Demonstrated how stupidly unsafe it is so others don’t have to try it while not ending up in the ER? ☑️
As mentioned below, the biggest problem is side-loading. An even bigger problem is you may not know you're messing up spindle bearings until it's way too late. So if you don't care about your machine, go for it. If you want to use the drill press for drilling holes, don't run router bits on 'em. And yes, there will be folks out there who "have used their drill press for years as a spindle router..." It's only a matter of time. I will admit, though, that I occasionally use side-load devices on my drill press (wire brushes, drum sanders, etc.) I could be creating the same problem. Oh well....
Thanks mate!! But for your video, I’d have been experimenting like you, with my new drill press. I understand the safety aspects, and that drill press bearings are not intended to deal with sideways forces. But that aside, with a good table & fence, this is fabulous! And not restricted to 1/4” shanks!! Brilliant!
I use a Cross Ways vice, mine is only a four inch vice the "Travels" are 3 ½ " side way forward and reverse. I find that, I don't make many tenons and noticed any bigger.
Should have used a a piece of wood on the back side when you used the rounding over bit as a fence.
Was thinking the same the whole time.
so it probably will work a bit. but I always hear people say that the bearings within a drill are not equipped to handle any sideways torque. so you don't wanna do anything other than up and down motion with a drill. Or what you can do is a spindle sander setup, but then with both sides guided so you don't put all force on these bearings
The biggest problems you’ll run into are the grabbiness (which is because of the slow spindle speed as much as anything), and the spindle falling out because it is not designed for side loads, which will mess up your work piece.
it can mess up alot more than just your workpiece haha
@@ESForgecraft I mean, if you put your hands in a stupid place, but there isn't really enough energy for it to keep moving with any force. It just kind drops, creates a small bit of havoc on your work piece, and stops. It's a really bad idea, and the spindle of a drill just isn't designed to be used this way, but it isn't going to drop out and fly halfway across your shop.
Mortise cutting with the press... i plunge the area first, then raise the table to the plunge depth and guide the block/material to trim out the excess. Its a lot easier this way as you are not having to hold the bit down while routing out the excess material.
5.09 "I'm a bit nervous doing this". I'm a bit nervous watching it. There are so many things wrong with this. Please don't make a jig, please never do this again. But if you do, I'll always be here to say "I told you so".
I’ve made the jig at 17 and I’m still using it at 48.. just think before you build, and assemble before you route. Even for a 5” piece.
The shank of most drill chucks used in inexpensive drill presses is a MT-2 taper. With lateral loading, the chuck will tend to fall out of the spindle. This could have disastrous results. If the drill press is set up for use of a drawbar, and the chuck shank is drilled and tapped for it, then the draw bar can help to keep the chuck secure. Likewise, if the chuck shank is threaded into the drill press spindle, it is of course secure. Naturally if it is threaded, it can only turn one direction when drilling and cannot be reversible.
A tapered chuck shank might well get "stuck" and not fall out, until it does. Once it falls out once, it will fall out again. If it is a throwaway Harbor Fright drill press then maybe you could apply a thin coat of Loctite Red to the shank and tap it in. Use the feed mechanism to really shove it in there good, and it may hold for a while. You have of course essentially ruined the drill press for future chuck upgrades, is the only thing.
I actually tried using Horror Fright's benchtop drill press to mill out an aluminum AR lower receiver and I could not complete the job because the chuck would not stay in the spindle. It was my only drill press so I did not do any modifications. I ended up getting a cheap Chinese milling machine, which I needed anyway. I now use the mill for most of my precision drilling, but still have the HF drill press and it is still useful for light non critical drilling, or when my mill is tooled up for a job and I just want to punch a quick hole without retooling the mill. So, I am glad I didn't diddle with the drill press even though it was really really cheap and sort of expendable.
You can, of course, use a router bit in a milling machine with the appropriate collet, or a chuck with an R8 (or whatever taper your mini mill uses but usually it will be R8) taper drawbar tapped shank. Note that while Morse taper (such as MT-2) tapered shanks can be used for drilling with only the shank's friction fit holding it, an R8 taper is not a self sticking friction fit, and needs the drawbar to keep it secured in the spindle. A drawbar is really only a threaded rod, usually 7/16" 20TPI, with suitable top end termination for tightening and loosening tools. Turning it clockwise will pull the tapered shank tightly up into the quill and it cannot vibrate free as can a Morse taper in an ordinary drill press.
Another potential problem with using a drill press chuck to hold end mills or router bits is that often they are fully hardened along the entire length of the tool. A standard drill bit is not quite as hard at the shank end, and so the drill chuck can get a good grab on it with its hardened jaws. Fully hardened steel held in fully hardened steel jaws has a greater tendency to slip.
Another problem, though really only an issue with a cross slide attachment where a crank gives you leverage and control in X or Y axis movement, is lateral force on the light duty drill press bearings will prematurely wear them out. As you are hand feeding wood in the video, not much of a real world issue, but nevertheless be aware that small drill press spindle bearings are not made to accept significant lateral loading.
So anyway, if it works for you, fine, but the first time it doesn't work for you could have disastrous consequences. This is not a safe practice, with most simple drill presses, without some modification. Hope you don't injure yourself or ruin a critical workpiece. It would be safer to build a DIY table router, using a hand router mounted upside down under an aluminum or steel plate thick enough to drill and tap. Maybe even plywood. Hinge it so you can tip it up to make adjustments or tool changes. Add fence, safety shielding, hand guards, etc and you have a REASONABLY safe way to do stuff like that without buying a table router. Or spring for a SIEG Chinese mini-mill. They are extremely useful and once you have acquired all of the basic tooling, it will be your go-to for making all sorts of parts and things, in wood, plastic, steel, aluminum, whatever.
There are overhead router that are essential what your trying to make and are designed for the work but are only used with well made jigs for safety reasons. Honestly pretty ballsy experiment stay safe in the shop brother
It's a good day when you can still count to ten ! I used a chamfer bit to edge some 45x45 for bird table support so I could see where to start and stop, worked OK with minimal clean up.kept bit sharp and fingers well away. Good video to show what can be done with care.
Great idea, next week avoiding tear out when drilling, by using your leg as a backer, keep up the good work!
Hmmm, stumbled on 4 year old super sketchy vjo... Kinda' wondering if all digits, eyes, nose, and other equipment is still attached? If they are, that would be impressive!
@@mixpick138 yep. Everything is attached and works as it should.
You know how when you were a kid watching a scary movie, you would watch with your hand over your face with your fingers ever so slightly spread apart? That was me during this whole video. There were jump scares and everything. I need a drink after watching that.
He did warn that it was a dangerous practice not to be copied at home.
I've done this as well, by lack of proper tools. it does the job, but as shown in the video, it can be dangerous without a jig of some sorts. Still a very fun video!
“It works”.
So those two times the wood skewed wildly to the left bringing your fingers unexpectedly close to the cutter was planned?
Well, he clearly needed a fence to prevent that.
How did you get the press to stay? Did you just raise the table all the way up to meet it so you wouldn’t have to rig it to stay? Also, how did you change the speed?
Safety police have been dispatched -get ready lol
Lol
oh I am waiting for it. I am ready! I also didn't wear eye protection... oops..
@@WesHamstra i think eye protection was the least of your worries
I've routed on my drill press many times. Rabbit, round over, mortise and jointing. You do have to crank the speed up to get a smooth cut, just go slow and it works fine. You do need to lock the spindle down at the depth you need, no problem on the older presses with spindle locks, but the newer presses don't all seem to have them. ALWAYS use 2 hands when routing, period!! And a fence when possible. Also, if you set your bearing flush with a fence, you won't tear up the end of the workpiece, just slide it along the fence and it works just like on a router table, except the bit is on the top, instead of the bottom.
Doing this is gonna wear out the bearings in your drill press pretty fast
That was also my primary concern.... these bearings are not build for lateral forces.
I built a project back in 1995/96 and used the drill press option on my radial arm saw in this manner. It worked perfectly.
Much faster rotation, most likely fenced and at least one hand on guiding the bit. Seems RAS could be safer.
@@robertpendzick9250 Except with no fence as it was all edge routing and I used a round-over bit with a bearing.
Hold my beer, I’ve had an idea.
David West Let me hold your wallet while you try that..😳
David West
Nice one mate ?
ENGLISH Mik
@David West Are you still with us mate?
Have not tried this, but I thought about using a drill slightly smaller than the mortise width, rough clean up with a chisel, then using the router bit to clean up the mortise walls. Would this alleviate the side pressure problem mentioned by others?
bob mackey that would be the better way.
I had friend that was a professional cabinet maker who never used his router, he always used router bits in his drill press. One big thing he did different was to use the fence that came with his drill press to keep the wood from moving around when it first came into contact with the router bit.
I would worry about the side way forces as you push the work at the bit. Are the bearings on the drill press made for these types of side forces? In a while that bearing could wear, meaning that the press would no longer remain vertical to the work when drilling.
Perhaps instead of starting at the end of the work (leading to those rapid pulls) starting in mid-piece and working nearly to the end might be a little safer? (At the ends the bit can tug on the end grain and grab the side. You need to push it into the cut in the middle, so there is no jerk of the work piece sideways? Still does not look safe !!)
There are a lot of comments regarding side loading, damaging bearings or the motor.
Ultimately what it comes down to is the chuck is press fit on to the shank with a taper and that is fine when the forces involved are vertical because that pressure holds the chuck on the shank, when they are horizontal the chuck will slowly work its way off the shank while spinning at give or take 1400rpm with blades on it. So yes functionally you CAN use an endmill or a router bit in a drill press but surely it is obvious why that is a really bad idea, if you were to say; have a screw locked chuck like on a standard drill and a drawbar (a bar that runs through the quill and is connected to the shank that holds the chuck or to the chuck itself) to lock it in THEN you start worrying about damaging bearings/motors not the other way around.
Add a bearing under it , preload it using the table adjustment and the drill bit is partially side load supported and won't fall out either 🤷
Does drilling brass dull cobalt drill bits?
Brass is a soft metal but I've been hearing that it dulls bits
But I don't think that it does but I'm unsure
I have done operations like this with my drillpress. you need to have your table tight. yours was not and that is very dangerous. A good fence, the highest speed you can get from your machine and everything very tight.
Look at Harbor freight for the milling vice . I use one for working with stabalized wood and a 1/4 " up spiral bit all the time in making custom Mod boxes for vaping.
As a retired joiner with all my fingers intact have to say no to this as you are just asking for trouble Get a router with a table
Colin Gooch or a chisel mortiser...
I once used a drill press with smaller router bits, for cutting grooves. Nothing went wrong, but seeing others' comments about the potential for Morse tapers to come loose under side loading, I don't think I'll do it again!
I’m going to turn my old lawnmower into a router , wish me luck .🤕
Fun trying different things! I am a machinist and the drawback as most know and you kind of mentioned is that you just don't have the rigidity or the ability to lock things down as good, but of course everybody mentioned all this! Merry Christmas!
I was under the impression that everyone knew that the bearings in a drill press are not designed to take the sort of side loads you put on them with a router bit. As for making mortises get a plunge router or build one of Mathias Wandel's pantarouters.
I'm not sure how much the side load will bother the bearings, but the tapered shank the drill chuck is mounted on isn't intended to handle side loads. Sooner or later it will come loose and the chuck will fall out.
It’s not but it’s not that fragile either.
I thought you were going to drill a hole out larger. Also why do you use all three holes to tighten your chuck?
I cringed for your safety please don't do this anymore.
I have also tried this to rout a truss rod channel and it works but not that well because even at the highest speed, the drill press wasn’t anywhere near fast enough for a smooth cut. I like the idea of an overhead router, though. Maybe I’ll design one.
What’s the point when you have the right tools for the job . 🇬🇧🇺🇸
Not everyone has the right tools to thy job. I'm guesing.
Thank you sir, your contribution to the world of science is very much appreciated.
I will now go buy a router bit for my hand drill to make a small groove instead of buying a whole router tool.
Hang on, I will be right back,... I need to trim the bushes in the driveway using my lawn mower. This video was brought to you by Blue Shield.
Teknatool Nova Voyager drill press with a direct drive motor, no belts will run at 5000 RPM more suitable for routing. It uses a MT2 arbor. The similar Nova Vulkan can be used for metal milling but the quill assembly is updated and it uses a MT3 arbor. Either arbor could come loose, but both units are designed to operate at up to 5000 rpm.
I came for the video and stayed for the comments. Read the comments, didn’t watch the video.
Haha. Yeah. I knew this video would rub people the wrong way. Didn’t realize it would be to this extent! I am getting a hoot out of the comments.
@@WesHamstra Lets just say it's a demonstration of why it's an overall bad risky idea, and luckily you survived intact. 😂
Joker Ac91
Same here!
I wouldn't be so proud in your position. Clever people learn from others' mistakes.
I have used end mill bits and an x y vice to make mortice before. If that's all you have it works but not good for the drill press.
Roger Czekaj yeah. Maybe I will build something like that using a router.
@@WesHamstra yeah like the bearings in a router are so much better than what's in drill presses. Do a video where you pull the bearings out and compare them side by side. That ought to fire the Internet trolls up!
Drill presses aren’t designed to handle side loads.
BINGO! yeppers.
@4:02 That's the same speed that your fingers will come off!! i have literally had some ones fingers dripping off my face.... i still remember the rapid knocking sounds
Love this! Wife caught me trying to put circular saw blade on my weed wacker once. Never got to find how dumb of an idea that was. I got shut down. Story of my marriage.
Obviously had the wrong weed wacker. Circular blade is a standard in the catalogue attachment.
😂😂😂
Had a subdivision volunteer clean-up party of the several common areas we have. One guy showed up with a weed wacker with a circular saw blade on it. We all just kind of stayed away from him. 🤓
I was cutting aluminum on a table saw at a volunteer build. Sure made everyone run like crazy. 4 people were watching me through a window (in total amazement.)
I had an uncle that welded three short lengths of chainsaw chain to a weed eater. He could clear a forest with that thing. Lol
I have used router bits on wood in a milling machine because I get very fine control. The milling machine is built to enable you to use all sorts of clamps and vises to hold down steel while you mill off a thousandth of an inch or less. Far more precision than nearly all woodworking projects, but it works really well for getting tenons just right, and some mortices as well. But using one in a drill press? What, don't you have a router table?
Woodworker: Hey mom can we buy this router?
Mom: We already have router at home
Router at home:
This comment is way underappreciated!
Router at home: 192.168.1.1 🤣
Can you please make a video about using your fingers as a vise while drilling holes in sheet metal?
Curiosity makes for some great videos. Glad everything worked out.
it does. thanks!
Basically the drill press is an overhead router. And a vertical milling machine. I used a Bridgeport style milling machine as a router before. And your spiral cutter is a stock 2 flute end mill like I have in my toolbox.
Medic "How did you cut your finger off?" Patient...... "I put my hand like this...... oh dear, there goes another one!"
YES! Done it. Get the speed up as high as possible, lock the spindle at the desired height for shaving off a few thou of repair material in a friend's glider rocker. Worked a treat. To clarify though, I was using the router bit in more of an end mill application. When I was done, the rocker worked perfectly and she couldn't see the repair.
I tried to pull your fingers away right through my iPad...
Hahah my booty was puckering. I thought it was going to yank the board through and pull his palm in
You need a Shopsmith Mark V or Mark 7. They are designed to do exactly what you are trying to do, plus so, so, so much more. I've been using them for 30 years. I now have 5 Mark V's and a Mark 7 in my shop. They are manufactured and supported right here in the good ole USA. One of my Mark V is 53 years old, but I can still get support and parts for it from Shopsmith's headquarters in Ohio. Mark V's in fantastic condition are readily available in the used market for under $1000.
Being a joiner for nearly 50 years I think I might have enough knowledge around a work shop to say...you need to value your fingers a bit more..ffs run the timber along a fence..
Love it. Not the safest thing but old school have a go and see what happens. Mind you that’s probably why I’m dropping to bits at 63 🎉
Get a router, they aren't all that expensive. When you add up your time fabri-cobbling something together, plus the inevitable ruined workpieces, this shortcut isn't worth it. Besides, a drill press is not designed to handle side loads, you will wear out the bearings and won't be able to use it for it's intended purpose, either.
Hai brother wes....I am from INDONESIA...sama saya jga penghoby kayu...sungguh ide yg bagus Wes...lanjut terus.
“Need a good grip on this!” Keep safe!
I was curious if i could do this, I really didn't want to spend more money on my tool collection, and because of your experiment that you posted online, i now know that it technically works, but obviously by scrolling through the comments i know it can be very unsafe. I don't know what people have to be so rude about. Thank you for sharing this video. it provided all the information i needed. And for all the people saying how dumb and unsafe this, and he is, be a little nicer, this video could have saved hundreds of lives (according to you)