I use to be a machinist in a track shop (railroad track) where I operated many machines. A large Cincinnati milling machine was just one I operated. I often thought about purchasing a milling machine. I had a friend who had a Bridgeport mill for sale once, but I didn't buy it. Then I thought about the mini mills that are for sale today, but once again I didn't buy one. Your idea about using a cross slide vise on a drill press is a very economical way to do some light milling which is probably enough for most people in their home workshop. Who knows, I might have to go out and buy a nice drill press and a cross slide vise even in my advanced years. For most of my life I have been making something, at the track shop I cut steel harden steel castings, even stainless. At home I had a wood working shop, and I've done auto body work for years. I say all this to give a warning. The heavy metal dust, sawdust, and even auto body filler dust have ruin my lungs, I now have pulmonary fibrosis. So the warning is ALWAYS WEAR A DUST MASK. It will save your life. Thanks for the video, I'm sure it will help many to get into some light milling.
One stop shop channel of brilliance. Thanks for being out there brother. Everything that I’ve been thinking/imagining all of the possibilities that I can do with my newly acquired perfectly patinated 8” 1991 Craftsman Drill Press. Having a Father-in-law that’s been a machinist for over 60 years as my walking, talking encyclopedia as backup has given me a new found love for reshaping material. God Bless n God Bless 🇺🇸
Cut off carbide saw tooth bits are one of my cheap tricks. Mounted in the cross slide the results are surprisingly good. Plus you get 40 to 60 bits per used 10" saw blade
As a 40 year journeyman tool & die maker I too have used this method at home. People need to be aware that a drill press chuck is only press fit into the spindle, and therefore, the side pressure of milling can and will eventually make your chuck fall out, or be corkscrewed into your workpiece. Be safe.
Why have I been fighting with three drill press handles for so long??! I wish I could give this video 10 thumbs up! That dust collection bit was life-changing.
I just bought a vintage cross slide vise at a yard sale for $20. I'm going to need to clean it but it was an awesome deal. I currently have a bench top drill press but I'm ordering a full-sized 20" drill press later this month. I'm looking at a Jet 1.5 HP model. These tips were quite helpful. I like the replacement chuck.
I'm a machinist. Great tips for the hobbyist. Although I cringe seeing you use a drill chuck with endmills. LOL But, for the light work being done, it works.
Ok, a lot of content out there: One decent tip, dragged out into a 24 minute vid. This content: at least 8 hell-yeah , usable tips in 6 minutes. Left me wanting more.
Almost two years since you posted this - and this still a stand out fantastic video! I am shocked that there have not been a ton of content inspired by this! Fantastic channel - thanks for the great content.
I have not checked all of the comments so the answer may be there. However you failed to mention how to keep the MT chuck adapter held firmly attached to the spindle under the side loads encountered when milling. The MT taper is great for drilling as all loads are axial so the taper keeps the chuck adapter solidly located into the female MT taper of the spindle. However when side loads and vibration are encountered as when using an end mill the radial loads imposed to the MT taper will allow it to rattle out unless a drawbar is used. No mention of how this was accomplished.
great vid. I'm a retired machinist and have a story you might like. I took one of these vices once out to a customer who had a rotating shaft that needed to machine a little off the end to adapt a new piece on the end. so i made a little platform that clamped to the machine and had him crank it up and I was able to do the job without them having to remove the shaft. it would have been a massive job to take the part out and would have cost them many thousands to do it that way. all I got was a pat on the back and the feeling of accomplishment. no free dinner or nuthin! typical
Great ideas! 👍👍 Question! Now that it's been about 5 years since this video came out, how are the bearings on the drill press doing? Have you had any decrease in performance or had to replace anything, or is it all still working fine?
This press has worked like a charm for my projects th-cam.com/users/postUgkxajoEbapTfqWaadnqb04h6U576yxXp-FE . I didn't even secure it to my table top, mainly due to the fact that I was using a 15 lbs drill vise. It's not flimsy at all as to what others have claimed it to be. Make sure the locking nuts and levers are secured and there won't be any issues with light pressure and patience. I was able to drill through aluminum, plastic, and steel (steel took a while) with no problems at all. Yeah it took a little longer than a regular drill press, but I don't have the space OR the money for one.The instruction manual was worthless, but luckily assembling the press was intuitive. However, the manual would be good for ordering replacement parts if needed. There is a nice breakdown of the parts that are included in the kit. Before ordering, make sure it is compatible with your unit, it is clearly stated what models the press is compatible with.This was an excellent purchase for $40!!
Those are some great tips! I especially like the straw and cup for cleaning debris from the cross slide screw. The keyless chuck is a really good idea and I need to get one too. Thanks for sharing these ideas.
So happy to have finally found your channel! Where have you been hiding, anyway? No joke: I’ve wanted to be you “when I grow up” for a good 25 years or so by now. 🤓 I’m a hobbyist maker, but I strive to find methods as clean, precise, and complete as yours... I can only dream of what it must be like to be as capable and skilled as you clearly are... You’ve got a new subscriber, moreover, a humongous new fan.
Liked the fact that you noted you're using tools from Harbor Freight. Also that you were honest about the quality of some of the tools. Was really interested in the keyless chuck, I'm considering the same thing. A video on how you determined what chuck would fit your machine and a source for the chuck would be interesting.
Eric, my tip is to get some button magnets and place them onto the speed change cover, then I place my selection of centre drills, chuck key, countersink drills etc. They are always at hand and are kept out of the way when finished with. :-))
Using a magnet to hold your bits makes them magnetic as well, even when taken away from the strip or tray. Which means that ferrous metal chips cling to them. Sometimes tenaciously. The bits can have a beard of filings that shift but wont easily wipe off. This interferes with cutting, wears out the tool and produces poor quality holes, scoring or embeds metal especially in soft material. You can degauss them, but that's just another step.
I tried this years ago but soon found the job too heavy for such a set up. Drill press use ball bearings set up for thrust loaded, milling machines use tapered roller bearings (Timken) and can take side loads. The channels ideas are OK for very light mill jobs. BTW, a keyless chuck is a great investment for a drill press.
Nice idea - I don't think the bearings of the drill press are designed for lateral pressure so I would expect the bearings to suffer over a protracted period. If they are replaced with needle race bearings that would make more sense. But hey, for hobby use and no great precision expectations it's probably quite OK. And not to appear churlish, there are LOADS of great tips in this video, some of which I shall shamelessly copy! Thanks man!
Your right. I will go with some roller or needle bearings next time to handle the side loads. Works well for killing wood and plastic and soft aluminum. Thanks for your comment
Love the tip about removing the two handles. In about 10 minutes I’m heading to my garage and taking those suckers off. I also saw in another video where the guy puts golf balls on the end of the arms, which I’m also going to do since ny harbor freight drill press
You just saved me so much time and trips to the looney bin from beating my head against the wall. Some things were so obvious but your already in too deep and thinking way to complicated about something so simple. I've always wanted to learn your trade and just be able to make anything from anything or scratch shall I say. I need to come apprentice under you for a few years in a few years when my youngest (last nester) is done with high school and off to explore the world. Maybe we will both come apprentice you never know with this one.
Brilliant video thank you. I was lucky enough to buy an old Whitecote drill press from the 1970's - it came with the slide vice (I didn't know what it was called until seeing your video) and a massive haul of big and little morse taper and straight-shank drills - all for £40 ! Re-wired it with a new starter, and it's so heavy there's no vibration at all, even with large drills. Finished making a precision 9BA needle pin screw for a 1930's phonograph with this setup. I will buy some of the tools you suggested, I did not even know these existed.
Daaaaaaaaaaaaaamn!!!! This is so cool! I have one of these drill presses & just inherited another HF one, like the one you have, & decided to have one for woodworking & the other for metal work. Never really thought about nor had a thought about milling, as mills are big & expensive, until I watched your video. THANKS! I also just subscribed as you come up with ideas for the common person. Great video!
hey man great starter vid you have me excited about my drill press and milling ,theres no way i can afford a milling machine and for basic stuff this should get me going ,thanks
the best piece of advice here was the simplest - just remove two of the handles. I never really noticed it before but I actually always just reach for the same handle every time even though I had a "choice" of three. Sometimes when I had a workpiece clamped to the drill press table the clamps would get in the way of the handles turning and I'm kicking myself now for the number of times I moved clamps rather than just taking off the offending handles. Christ the lights, what was I thinking of?!
Sorry to be 'that' guy, but this part kinda baffled me. I've never had issues with the three handles of my drill press. They all know I love them equally! I also use a technique (usually with drilling metal) where I have my hand on an 'upper' handle, my elbow on the one below. I get leverage from the elbow, control from the hand. This entirely depends on the height of the table though.
I have made motorcycle parts, gun parts and all kinds of other stuff with my drill press an angel grinder and files. I had to make a centering point that I clamp to the table to help keep some parts centered and take some of the side ways pressure off of the chuck. I still want to buy a real late mill combo when I find a good one that isn't to expensive.
I’m a machinist and a good machinist will make do with what they have. Used many drill presses with a add on cross slide vise. One axis is enough to get by.
If you’re going to use a drill press the last thing you want to use is a Harbor Freight press or any press with a Morse taper! Get an old Craftsman ore equivalent with a fixed Chuck that can’t drop out from side pressure or radial loads!
Mean Green awesome, glad you liked it. Don't forget to check out my Kickstarter campaign for the "Alfred" Backpack hanger kck.st/2Yi2Qnd thanks for your comment and support much appreciated.
Great video w/ lots of helpful information. One slight word of caution though. Sometimes those keyless chucks do not play well with side pressure. Especially when using an endmill bit. I was told the same, ignored it cause it wasn't an issue for me after numerous jobs, yeah... well... it's apparently a thing. Live and learn.
Yes I've used my drill as a milling machine the same way for aluminum it worked fine, as far as why the press had those three handles I think is for leverage when you're drilling through something hard as I've found it harder to drill with just one handle
I'm just getting started in trying to use my Drill press for rudimentary Micro Lathe Work & some Milling. This video has been the perfect enlightenment I needed right now.
You really aught to get some lathe tool holders though if you're going to be turning (machining with a lathe) I saw that he used a chisel which can work but seeing the endmill kinda made me cringe. Lathe tool holders are generally flat on four sides so they clamp well. You can get cheep sets for as little as 15 bucks but having five or six different holders that take carbide inserts is a much better option, in my opinion.(check banggood.com 30 to $40) 10 to $15 at harbor freight can also buy you the ability to sharpen carbide when it chips, using diamond. Or, use the search term "DMT Diamond Pocket Whetstone Tool" (14 bucks for each grit though). High speed steel isn't a bad option either if you're only turning mild steel, aluminum & softer materials. I was thinking of doing a video on converting a drill press into a mill but then my friend found me a beat-up, rusted Smithy 1220xl for $200 so I rebuilt that. I was lucky though, the gearbox was fine so I just added oil. Rebuilding the rest took around 80 hours. Still, with some fairly simple modifications, & around $200 you can turn a drill press into a decent, half-assed mill. There's more videos to find on the subject. Tapered roller bearings for the spindle & the addition of a draw-bar being very important but just adding a small, rectangular piece of brass into that little channel on the side of the quill , where that little screw goes for stopping the quill from moving is a simple & fast way to reduce vibration & run-out considerably. ooops! 11 months ago... maybe I'm too late. Good luck, regardless.
@@davidwillard7334 are you asking me the total cost of turning a drill press into a mill? If that's it, I bet you could do it for $200 but you may need access to a mill or lathe to modify a few things because you want tapered roller bearings & a drawbar. I sometimes forget that I went to school for this stuff & watched probably several hundreds of hours of videos in the last 4 years on every machining subject I could find. Without that knowledge it's probably frustrating to figure out, like if you're a beginning hobbyist. I'm starting to remind myself of a friend of mine a little bit. His answer to everything is "Oh, that's easy, all you gotta do is...".
I'm a retired toolmaker, and I do not recommend doing this. The bearings, tapered shaft, and 3 jaw drill chuck are not made to handle side loads. Good way to damage the chuck and the machine, and possibly injure yourself.
Great video! I think alot of people that had some negative comments about by this video would have felt better if you had clarified that this is only really suitable for soft materials. Maybe a bit of Aluminum milling with a drill press here and there is ok, but you could have had a few extra "safety first" warnings.
5y late but I must tip my hat to you sir. Badass on every level, even the music selection was banger. And your tips are solid. If that seems like a pun, maybe it should be 😂 🎩👌🏼
Put a piece of rubber hose through a tennis ball and put in the end of the vacuum hose, what ever length or diameter you need, works great. Good advice here, thanks.
This is one of the best “what NOT to do” videos I’ve seen. If you want to take a “stab” at machining, do all the stuff this guy suggests, get frustrated, probably hurt, and then walk away let down and disappointed. Darwin...... I believe you have some business to attend to.
I think it depends on your point of view. While there is some risk with this drill press, for occasional use and light materials such as plastic and wood it should be a trouble free process. Thanks for your comment, much appreciated.
You could also argue that “everything is legal until you get caught”. It isn’t until you hurt yourself, or someone watching you gets hurt because they don’t “get away with it”, then there is a problem. I stand by what I stated earlier, this is a great “what NOT to do” video, but the internet is wrought with “fails” videos and I’m sure there is always room for another.
Works OK for me on soft stuff and shallow milling that's not required to be too precise. It's just that the drill press is designed for vertical forces the bearing and spindle suits this purpose only, a milling machine is designed different to withstand the side forces haswell. I also use my pedestal drill on the odd occasion as a lathe, for small projects like making a wooden handle or facing or roughing a small bit of metal by using files and a hacksaw.
I use to be a machinist in a track shop (railroad track) where I operated many machines. A large Cincinnati milling machine was just one I operated. I often thought about purchasing a milling machine. I had a friend who had a Bridgeport mill for sale once, but I didn't buy it. Then I thought about the mini mills that are for sale today, but once again I didn't buy one.
Your idea about using a cross slide vise on a drill press is a very economical way to do some light milling which is probably enough for most people in their home workshop. Who knows, I might have to go out and buy a nice drill press and a cross slide vise even in my advanced years.
For most of my life I have been making something, at the track shop I cut steel harden steel castings, even stainless. At home I had a wood working shop, and I've done auto body work for years. I say all this to give a warning. The heavy metal dust, sawdust, and even auto body filler dust have ruin my lungs, I now have pulmonary fibrosis. So the warning is ALWAYS WEAR A DUST MASK. It will save your life.
Thanks for the video, I'm sure it will help many to get into some light milling.
Best of luck
Thanks for rocking the old school Robert Miles. Brings me back to a warehouse party somwhere in 1998...
One stop shop channel of brilliance.
Thanks for being out there brother.
Everything that I’ve been thinking/imagining all of the possibilities that I can do with my newly acquired perfectly patinated 8” 1991 Craftsman Drill Press.
Having a Father-in-law that’s been a machinist for over 60 years as my walking, talking encyclopedia as backup has given me a new found love for reshaping material.
God Bless n
God Bless 🇺🇸
Cut off carbide saw tooth bits are one of my cheap tricks. Mounted in the cross slide the results are surprisingly good. Plus you get 40 to 60 bits per used 10" saw blade
As a 40 year journeyman tool & die maker I too have used this method at home. People need to be aware that a drill press chuck is only press fit into the spindle, and therefore, the side pressure of milling can and will eventually make your chuck fall out, or be corkscrewed into your workpiece. Be safe.
i was going to say the exact same thing, he should have mentioned that first as someone will get hurt, a milling machine has a draw bar for a reason.
I learned that the hard way. A bit of loctite works well.
Why have I been fighting with three drill press handles for so long??! I wish I could give this video 10 thumbs up! That dust collection bit was life-changing.
Cool
I just bought a vintage cross slide vise at a yard sale for $20. I'm going to need to clean it but it was an awesome deal. I currently have a bench top drill press but I'm ordering a full-sized 20" drill press later this month. I'm looking at a Jet 1.5 HP model. These tips were quite helpful. I like the replacement chuck.
I'm a machinist. Great tips for the hobbyist. Although I cringe seeing you use a drill chuck with endmills. LOL But, for the light work being done, it works.
Absolutely fantastic for plastic and wood
Ok, a lot of content out there: One decent tip, dragged out into a 24 minute vid. This content: at least 8 hell-yeah , usable tips in 6 minutes. Left me wanting more.
Did you read my mind??? I was just thinking about getting a milling ttable and using my drill press. Thanks for the tips on how to get that going.
Almost two years since you posted this - and this still a stand out fantastic video!
I am shocked that there have not been a ton of content inspired by this!
Fantastic channel - thanks for the great content.
Yup, I would agree with that
I have not checked all of the comments so the answer may be there. However you failed to mention how to keep the MT chuck adapter held firmly attached to the spindle under the side loads encountered when milling. The MT taper is great for drilling as all loads are axial so the taper keeps the chuck adapter solidly located into the female MT taper of the spindle.
However when side loads and vibration are encountered as when using an end mill the radial loads imposed to the MT taper will allow it to rattle out unless a drawbar is used.
No mention of how this was accomplished.
great vid. I'm a retired machinist and have a story you might like. I took one of these vices once out to a customer who had a rotating shaft that needed to machine a little off the end to adapt a new piece on the end. so i made a little platform that clamped to the machine and had him crank it up and I was able to do the job without them having to remove the shaft. it would have been a massive job to take the part out and would have cost them many thousands to do it that way. all I got was a pat on the back and the feeling of accomplishment. no free dinner or nuthin! typical
Too many ppl expect machinists to be magicians
Useful. Glad you kept the background "music" low. As a musician I hate how so many instructional videos have audio crap in the background.
Thanks, getting better at it.
Great ideas! 👍👍
Question! Now that it's been about 5 years since this video came out, how are the bearings on the drill press doing? Have you had any decrease in performance or had to replace anything, or is it all still working fine?
Thanks Eric. I'm a 17 year old building my workshop at the moment and I appreciate all the useful tips.
Seth Gaston Me too, but mine is a corner of dad's workshop
It's been 3 yrs, how is the shop coming along?
As a machinist, I take big advantage of the compliance of certain tools. There is no such thing as a bad tool depending upon what you are doing!
Very
Hi Eric, I put a magnet on the side of my drill case and put my chuck key and my metal peg for the tilt table. I won’t lose it now!
This press has worked like a charm for my projects th-cam.com/users/postUgkxajoEbapTfqWaadnqb04h6U576yxXp-FE . I didn't even secure it to my table top, mainly due to the fact that I was using a 15 lbs drill vise. It's not flimsy at all as to what others have claimed it to be. Make sure the locking nuts and levers are secured and there won't be any issues with light pressure and patience. I was able to drill through aluminum, plastic, and steel (steel took a while) with no problems at all. Yeah it took a little longer than a regular drill press, but I don't have the space OR the money for one.The instruction manual was worthless, but luckily assembling the press was intuitive. However, the manual would be good for ordering replacement parts if needed. There is a nice breakdown of the parts that are included in the kit. Before ordering, make sure it is compatible with your unit, it is clearly stated what models the press is compatible with.This was an excellent purchase for $40!!
Those are some great tips! I especially like the straw and cup for cleaning debris from the cross slide screw. The keyless chuck is a really good idea and I need to get one too. Thanks for sharing these ideas.
Awesome, well done. I'm tired of people commenting that milling with a drill press can't be done. This proves then wrong.
Thanks! The cup/straw vacuum attachment was particularly sweet.
So happy to have finally found your channel! Where have you been hiding, anyway?
No joke: I’ve wanted to be you “when I grow up” for a good 25 years or so by now. 🤓 I’m a hobbyist maker, but I strive to find methods as clean, precise, and complete as yours... I can only dream of what it must be like to be as capable and skilled as you clearly are...
You’ve got a new subscriber, moreover, a humongous new fan.
Cool, feel free to share with the world on social media. Glad to have you as a subsriber
Best on youtube for about 5 year now and this is the first I have given a thumbs up to, good advice and for the simple man, me knuckle dragger 🙈
Thanks, feel free to share on social media!
Thanks for sharing these excellent tips, very useful information, keep up the good work.
Liked the fact that you noted you're using tools from Harbor Freight. Also that you were honest about the quality of some of the tools. Was really interested in the keyless chuck, I'm considering the same thing. A video on how you determined what chuck would fit your machine and a source for the chuck would be interesting.
I believe that the truck is listed in the description or at least a link to the company that I got it from CMS I believe
Eric, my tip is to get some button magnets and place them onto the speed change cover, then I place my selection of centre drills, chuck key, countersink drills etc.
They are always at hand and are kept out of the way when finished with. :-))
Using a magnet to hold your bits makes them magnetic as well, even when taken away from the strip or tray. Which means that ferrous metal chips cling to them. Sometimes tenaciously. The bits can have a beard of filings that shift but wont easily wipe off. This interferes with cutting, wears out the tool and produces poor quality holes, scoring or embeds metal especially in soft material. You can degauss them, but that's just another step.
Thank you for a very helpful video. To keep a chuck key in one place use and old hard drive magnet mounted either on or close to the machine.
I tried this years ago but soon found the job too heavy for such a set up. Drill press use ball bearings set up for thrust loaded, milling machines use tapered roller bearings (Timken) and can take side loads. The channels ideas are OK for very light mill jobs.
BTW, a keyless chuck is a great investment for a drill press.
Tapered rolled bearings could do the trick possibly
Nice idea - I don't think the bearings of the drill press are designed for lateral pressure so I would expect the bearings to suffer over a protracted period. If they are replaced with needle race bearings that would make more sense. But hey, for hobby use and no great precision expectations it's probably quite OK.
And not to appear churlish, there are LOADS of great tips in this video, some of which I shall shamelessly copy! Thanks man!
Your right. I will go with some roller or needle bearings next time to handle the side loads. Works well for killing wood and plastic and soft aluminum. Thanks for your comment
Your channel is both cool and inspirational for a scratch builder to be like me! Thanks a lot!
Very beautiful video, detailing is awesome, and your voice is really like teacher... Great. 👏 👏 👏
Love the tip about removing the two handles. In about 10 minutes I’m heading to my garage and taking those suckers off. I also saw in another video where the guy puts golf balls on the end of the arms, which I’m also going to do since ny harbor freight drill press
You just saved me so much time and trips to the looney bin from beating my head against the wall. Some things were so obvious but your already in too deep and thinking way to complicated about something so simple. I've always wanted to learn your trade and just be able to make anything from anything or scratch shall I say. I need to come apprentice under you for a few years in a few years when my youngest (last nester) is done with high school and off to explore the world. Maybe we will both come apprentice you never know with this one.
Brilliant video thank you.
I was lucky enough to buy an old Whitecote drill press from the 1970's - it came with the slide vice (I didn't know what it was called until seeing your video) and a massive haul of big and little morse taper and straight-shank drills - all for £40 ! Re-wired it with a new starter, and it's so heavy there's no vibration at all, even with large drills.
Finished making a precision 9BA needle pin screw for a 1930's phonograph with this setup.
I will buy some of the tools you suggested, I did not even know these existed.
Awesome
Daaaaaaaaaaaaaamn!!!! This is so cool! I have one of these drill presses & just inherited another HF one, like the one you have, & decided to have one for woodworking & the other for metal work. Never really thought about nor had a thought about milling, as mills are big & expensive, until I watched your video. THANKS! I also just subscribed as you come up with ideas for the common person. Great video!
Thanks for your comment and support. Very much appreciated. Feel free to post on your favorite social media and share with the world. Thanks again 😊👍
dang, eric has bunch of new toys. Nice shop! Thanks mister.
I like the cup n straw tip. Especially for car detailing! Crazy that's the first time I've ever saw it unless you're the inventor? 👍💪🇺🇸💯
Thanks
hey man great starter vid you have me excited about my drill press and milling ,theres no way i can afford a milling machine and for basic stuff this should get me going ,thanks
Every single tip here is actually useful! Great vid!
Nice video with good tips. Now I also want a quick change chuck, but how do I find out which size chuck I should order for my drill? Thank you.
the best piece of advice here was the simplest - just remove two of the handles. I never really noticed it before but I actually always just reach for the same handle every time even though I had a "choice" of three. Sometimes when I had a workpiece clamped to the drill press table the clamps would get in the way of the handles turning and I'm kicking myself now for the number of times I moved clamps rather than just taking off the offending handles. Christ the lights, what was I thinking of?!
Sorry to be 'that' guy, but this part kinda baffled me. I've never had issues with the three handles of my drill press. They all know I love them equally! I also use a technique (usually with drilling metal) where I have my hand on an 'upper' handle, my elbow on the one below. I get leverage from the elbow, control from the hand. This entirely depends on the height of the table though.
Good video. Helpful tips. FWIW, I have 4 working drill preses; every one has just one arm for a handle. Really makes things easier.
I agree, thanks for the comment
Sir you just saved me having to spending thousands of dollars, truly thank you
I have made motorcycle parts, gun parts and all kinds of other stuff with my drill press an angel grinder and files. I had to make a centering point that I clamp to the table to help keep some parts centered and take some of the side ways pressure off of the chuck. I still want to buy a real late mill combo when I find a good one that isn't to expensive.
I came here for the "a drill is not a milling machine, it was not designed to take radial loads" comments.
The old timers around here have been using their drill press as milling machines for over 40 years...
I’m a machinist and a good machinist will make do with what they have. Used many drill presses with a add on cross slide vise. One axis is enough to get by.
😂
Bumblebees aren't aerodynamic, and theoretically aren't supposed to fly, but...
;^)
If you’re going to use a drill press the last thing you want to use is a Harbor Freight press or any press with a Morse taper! Get an old Craftsman ore equivalent with a fixed Chuck that can’t drop out from side pressure or radial loads!
Thanks for the video. Just bought myself a drill press and needed a vice. I'll pay a little more and get a cross slide vice.
Your intro got me hooked. Well made and easy to understand vid. Thank you.
Mean Green awesome, glad you liked it. Don't forget to check out my Kickstarter campaign for the "Alfred" Backpack hanger kck.st/2Yi2Qnd thanks for your comment and support much appreciated.
New subscriber here and I can't wait to watch this. Thank you for broaching this subject!!
Enjoy and be safe
Sir, you are tremendously talented!!! Thanks, Sir
Subbed! The cup/straw/vac was gold.
Awesome, thanks for the comment and support. Much appreciated. Feel free to share on social media that helps the channel. Rock on!
Nice job Eric, I DO have a CNC mill and a lathe and I would say the video was still for me. Keep the videos coming, you do a great job
Good stuff Eric. I need to get myself a good keyless chuck and a milling vice. You sir, are a genius!
Great video w/ lots of helpful information. One slight word of caution though. Sometimes those keyless chucks do not play well with side pressure. Especially when using an endmill bit. I was told the same, ignored it cause it wasn't an issue for me after numerous jobs, yeah... well... it's apparently a thing. Live and learn.
This is what I was looking for. Thanks brother.
Good luck, be safe
From Honduras in Central America thank for sharing
I enjoyed the video and found it very informative,and for light work,this will work just fine,thanks.
Ain't it convenient to have Lemmy always handy as an assistant!
Absolutely
This was the video I was looking for. Cross Vice In the mail. Ty
Great video, Brother!
Thanks buddy!!!! You just taught me how to build GOBS of stuff for my shop trailer!!
Cool, be safe.
@@EricStrebel ALWAYS.
As a retired Tool Room machinist this scares the literal crap out of me. In more ways than I can describe
I own a cheap mil drill but your ideas are great for me too
Love your channel. So much to learn and is a source of inspiration.
Yes I've used my drill as a milling machine the same way for aluminum it worked fine, as far as why the press had those three handles I think is for leverage when you're drilling through something hard as I've found it harder to drill with just one handle
Rock on indeed sir. Love that you say that to!
I'm just getting started in trying to use my Drill press for rudimentary Micro Lathe Work & some Milling. This video has been the perfect enlightenment I needed right now.
You really aught to get some lathe tool holders though if you're going to be turning (machining with a lathe) I saw that he used a chisel which can work but seeing the endmill kinda made me cringe. Lathe tool holders are generally flat on four sides so they clamp well. You can get cheep sets for as little as 15 bucks but having five or six different holders that take carbide inserts is a much better option, in my opinion.(check banggood.com 30 to $40) 10 to $15 at harbor freight can also buy you the ability to sharpen carbide when it chips, using diamond. Or, use the search term "DMT Diamond Pocket Whetstone Tool" (14 bucks for each grit though). High speed steel isn't a bad option either if you're only turning mild steel, aluminum & softer materials.
I was thinking of doing a video on converting a drill press into a mill but then my friend found me a beat-up, rusted Smithy 1220xl for $200 so I rebuilt that. I was lucky though, the gearbox was fine so I just added oil. Rebuilding the rest took around 80 hours. Still, with some fairly simple modifications, & around $200 you can turn a drill press into a decent, half-assed mill. There's more videos to find on the subject. Tapered roller bearings for the spindle & the addition of a draw-bar being very important but just adding a small, rectangular piece of brass into that little channel on the side of the quill , where that little screw goes for stopping the quill from moving is a simple & fast way to reduce vibration & run-out considerably.
ooops! 11 months ago... maybe I'm too late.
Good luck, regardless.
Thanks!
@@christurnblom4825 Total Cost !!??
@@davidwillard7334 are you asking me the total cost of turning a drill press into a mill? If that's it, I bet you could do it for $200 but you may need access to a mill or lathe to modify a few things because you want tapered roller bearings & a drawbar. I sometimes forget that I went to school for this stuff & watched probably several hundreds of hours of videos in the last 4 years on every machining subject I could find.
Without that knowledge it's probably frustrating to figure out, like if you're a beginning hobbyist. I'm starting to remind myself of a friend of mine a little bit. His answer to everything is "Oh, that's easy, all you gotta do is...".
God that background music at the beginning, takes me back to the day where every video had darude sandstorm in it!!
Really useful tips
I got my first drill press today also from Harborfrieght. I plan to use it on my channel for my creations. Looking into those milling bits to.
Great video. You have a nice setup
My name is Eric Strebel, I'm an industrial designer, and I love you for this! 😂 😂
DRILL !! PRESSES !! MADE !! OUT !! OF !! TRASH !!! CANS !! YOU !! LOVE !! THAT !!
I was impressed by the Motorhead T-shirt !
Thanks, rock on!
Fantastic video, getting ready to build a plane and this is exactly what I needed to see.
Awesome, feel free to share on social media
Do You Build ! Jack ! Planes !?
I'm a retired toolmaker, and I do not recommend doing this. The bearings, tapered shaft, and 3 jaw drill chuck are not made to handle side loads. Good way to damage the chuck and the machine, and possibly injure yourself.
Always good to be safe
Great video! I think alot of people that had some negative comments about by this video would have felt better if you had clarified that this is only really suitable for soft materials. Maybe a bit of Aluminum milling with a drill press here and there is ok, but you could have had a few extra "safety first" warnings.
Stephane Beauchamp-Kiss agreed, I will see if I can add a scroller to the bottom of the video.
5y late but I must tip my hat to you sir. Badass on every level, even the music selection was banger. And your tips are solid. If that seems like a pun, maybe it should be 😂
🎩👌🏼
Good Vid Bro..Your Voice is Soothing..Continue those vids & of course continue to ROCKMAN😎
These were some really helpful tips!! Thank you for sharing this.
You're welcome
Some good ideas 💡
Put a piece of rubber hose through a tennis ball and put in the end of the vacuum hose, what ever length or diameter you need, works great. Good advice here, thanks.
The idea of a trash can FOR the drill press is awesome! I can't believe I didn't see that before. Thank you.
MAYBE ! ALL !! DRILL !! PRESSES !! SHOULD ! BE !! MADE !! OUT !! OF !! TRASH !! CANS !!! AS !! WELL !!
Very well thought out Sir.👏👏👌🇨🇦
Thank you so much for this great diy video!🤟🤟
This is one of the best “what NOT to do” videos I’ve seen. If you want to take a “stab” at machining, do all the stuff this guy suggests, get frustrated, probably hurt, and then walk away let down and disappointed. Darwin...... I believe you have some business to attend to.
I think it depends on your point of view. While there is some risk with this drill press, for occasional use and light materials such as plastic and wood it should be a trouble free process. Thanks for your comment, much appreciated.
You could also argue that “everything is legal until you get caught”. It isn’t until you hurt yourself, or someone watching you gets hurt because they don’t “get away with it”, then there is a problem. I stand by what I stated earlier, this is a great “what NOT to do” video, but the internet is wrought with “fails” videos and I’m sure there is always room for another.
@@tobarapprentice6618 or YOU could quite acting like a butthurt dick,,, laugh, scroll and move along!!!!
Great content!
Excellent video Eric, thanks. I especially liked the work in the chuck/tool in the vice suggestions. Not just a mill, it’s a lathe! Liked & subbed.
Great little video & great tips, thanks.
Very important knowledges about machines,thank you sir for this video.
This is the video I've been looking for. Thanks.
Cool! glad you liked it, feel free to share with the world on social media
Great ideas there,
What speed do you mill at,
My press has a slow speed of 520 rpm, is that too fast ?
Depends on the material, but I would say for plastic under a thousand.
Thankyou helped a lot with my mini bike built
Nice set up
Haha just used my drill press as a lathe the other day and then this comes up in my recommendations. What a coincidence
What Type ! Of Lathe ! ? Wood ? Metal ?
Thumbs up for the Tips n Tricks & the Motorhead shirt
Works OK for me on soft stuff and shallow milling that's not required to be too precise. It's just that the drill press is designed for vertical forces the bearing and spindle suits this purpose only, a milling machine is designed different to withstand the side forces haswell.
I also use my pedestal drill on the odd occasion as a lathe, for small projects like making a wooden handle or facing or roughing a small bit of metal by using files and a hacksaw.
Muy bueno!!! Gracias Eric!! ( desde Argentina)
You're most welcome, be safe
Great video. Now I have a bunch of ideas that need actualizing!
You can get a m3 adapter to hold a milling set with a bunch of different sizes I have them and they work great.
Ok, interesting, what are these called and where do you get them
Thank you, great help this video was.