This is the first time someone with real sense used a drill press that didn’t have a Morse taper and used a press that would work. There are plenty of older machines out there to do this. It doesn’t take much to get these to work. You also need a machine that has a quill lock that tightens the quill directly like a craftsman 150 or an older Atlas. Great job and thanks for not wasting time on stupid stuff!!!
Thank you for showing us this! I have the exact same drill press as shown in this video... I got it free off the curb with everything there. I just need to put a new cord to the motor. Suuuubbed!
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!!
Good job and nice video. Don't listen to the people saying that the bearings aren't designed for side loads. I have rebuilt several drill presses and the smaller cheaper ones have deep groove radial ball bearings. Other, higher quality drill presses have angular contact bearings at the bottom of the quill. In either case the bearings are absolutely made to take radial loads. I would however keep the cuts light, but not because of the bearings. A drill press usually has a long slender spindle shaft and as such can be bent. I have a drill press in my garage right now that I was given and it has a bent spindle shaft. A long drill in the chuck will run out about 1/4" on it. It is on my to do list to straighten it.
Very neat! thanks for showing! I have two ideas for a vertical positioning system. 1. you can get powerful linear actuators from old treadmills, easily enough to move the machine through its z axis with precision 2. get a cheap 12v worm gear motor, and cobble together an electric/screw drive/or pinion drive. I realize thise video is old as hell, but oh well, it's helping me think! cheers
I used a 1940 delta drill press,,,solid steel column and has a 2 inch locking quill,,and I also used a automotive scissor jack as a table lift,,,you should raise your head and use a sisor jack as a table lift yourself,,,really smooth lifting and gives a truss effect
Excellent work sir! I am embarking on the same adventure this week. I hope to get the same kind of accuracy that you achieved. I believe the quality of that old press is what keeps you out of trouble. Newer cheap drill presses just don't have that quality.
I got tired of watching people going all through commotions of using some Grizzly or harbor freight drills trying to do this. Finally found this and couldn’t believe he used a decent drill press! One guy was heating up a quill with a Morse taper and took a chuck that was in the freezer then pounded it in. It still dropped out! Then of all things he said well guess I’ll have to put super glue on it! Super glue??? Oh boy.🙄 Trust me folks don’t waste time on those cheap drills from Harbor freight. They’re only good for drilling wood-maybe?😂😂
Wonderfull to see people innovating and making tools. That is the essence of a TRUE craftsman. Im an engineering student and dont have enough money to buy a lathe and mill and was thinking of combining my drill press with a lathe. This gives me some hope lol. Thanks!
I'm currently in the process of doing the same thing. The only thing I would say is it might have been better if the spindle wasn't so long. I'm using just a cheap harbor freight press I got at a yard sale for $20.00 which seems perfect just because the spindle sits way up in the head which helps keep the spindle supported. I'm glad you have a setup that works well for you though, I'm in the same boat as far as making what I have work.
To raise and lower the heavy head of my old Canedy-Otto Cincinnati drill press. I took a piece of large diameter pipe that would slide inside and to the bottom the press column - then cut it to stick out 12" above the column. Bolted a spare 12 volt Badlands winch at the top of the pipe and used an old motorcycle battery with a trickle charger to run it. The winch control pendant hangs near the rear power switch. A vinyl-wrapped bicycle lock chain loops under the drill head to the winch hook and just clears the drive belt. I can lower the head to keep from having to extend the quill very much. Like you, I don't use the drill press table as I bolted a Palmgren rotary table to the base. These old machines run much smoother than the new stuff.
Fantastic IMHO. Your video answered a bunch of questions that I've had about the "rigidity" issue... It worked much better than I had anticipated. Good Job! I see more possibilities than limitations. The goal being to achieve the machining process the most important. Loved the key cut in the cold rolled. I winced at first prior to making the cut. Then I realized how going "low and slow" was a game changer. That was key (pun intended).Thank you for sharing your project. You've given me new hope for something similar :O) Cheers!
Good job, i have an old 1950s industrial Walker Turner that im going to do the same thing. The only problem is that the spindle is way too long. And it has about 3 thousand runout. It used to have 6 thousand runout untll i bent it back. whatever i decide to do it has to be reversible back to original. However, I do like your spindle mod. That is a weak point in many conversions .
I ended up putting this back together as a drill press and now has a new home. It made for easier setups than a lathe attachment, but yea, the long spindle, lack of tooling options, limited to very light cuts are all downsides. This was mainly an educational project, and for that, it was a big step forward for me.
G'day from an Aussie metal mangler. I have the exact compound and I'm in the process of doing exactly what you've done with your drill press. Only thing is, my drill press is BIG. 2 hp, 12 speed. Everything here runs on 240 volts AC, 50 Hz. I've been making gold prospectors picks, and to achieve an edge on the pick blade, was a matter of hand grinding it, on a pedestal grinder. Nasty, dirty, work. So I thought of this sort of idea, but watching your video has made it a lot easier now. Thanks, mate. Cheers, Shane.
I’m a firm believer in making what you have work. Looks like you’ve done a pretty solid job of that with this build. Nice work! Try to find you another set of spindle bearings because if you do very much milling with this setup you’re going to wear out the ones in there now. Good luck.
I really like that you solved the problem with the chuck popping off the taper in the middle of a cut. I’ve done that and it is no fun. Set screw sleeve is great. Good job!
Just wanna day great job and to everyone reading the comments research your tools before purchasing. The vintage drill press were designed to handle a side load hey are made with brass bushing not bearings. The only thing to fail on the side load is the Morris taper chuck he addressed that though!! Great job I am about to do this with my 1948 Powr Kraft. Montgomery bench top drill press
This is just awesome! I actually have that exact same drill press i bought at a yard sale for $50! I tore it down completely and repainted it as close to the original blue color as i could find. Sadly its still in pieces because i need to take the pulleys to a machinist to have new ones made. The front one with that weird spline pattern is cracked. I always thought that as sturdy as these presses are they'd make a great cheap milling machine for a home gamer like me. You have inspired me sir!
I have done the same thing to a pillar drill, using the same milling table. You do not need a jack to lift the motor and chuck assembly, just put a lump of wood under the chuck and use the down feed on the quill to raise everything up. Ease and quick with no effort.
I know many people have asked about the side load on these old drill press and I had the same concern myself. However, after seeing the original manual for these Atlas made drill press, they actually have router accessories so they can be used for routing wood.
excellent video for those of us who love to think outside the box to get it done without having to spend a ton of money when it is really not needed. Thanks.
I did the same thing but I used a automotive scissor jack,,,works very well and the truss angles makes it more stable, and easy operating with a socket are battery drill,
Whenever I've needed to move a drill press and take it apart its been a right struggle getting the drill head off the stand for transport as they are often a bit rusted out, but the jack idea you showed is going to make that a lot easier. I might even make something for my drill press, a ring to go round the stand and a bottle jack to raise/lower the drill table, its a right pain to adjust, and I dont want to lash out on one of those drills that has a windy up and down table.
I built one using a Clarke pillar drill. Solid as hell and I use 20mm Mill cutters in it machining mild steel. I use ER32 collets and for smaller stuff I use ER16 collets
good job, nice simple manual controls. I got really tired of seeing diy machines that were overly complicated and fiddly to make. Don't worry about spindle bearings, I don't know of anyone that has needed to replace them on a hobby machine. I will also use a Grizzly table but I've got a 1 hp router with speed controller that will be used rather than a drill press. Nice work and effective for what you need.
Great vid, and thanks for posting. I was once told that I ouldn't do any milling in a drill press, but tried with mixed results. After watching this, I know what I did wrong, and that it can be done.
Thank you for sharing, good idea for us the mill once not very often, i don't think my table drill press will take the pressure I'll have to get a stronger one, i think. Thank you and have a nice day.
I have a very heavy, large drill press and have converted it to a milling machine. The main difference is that the head is fixed so I have to use the table. I've drilled and tapped the table mount and stopped it turning. It does have a gear rack and to stabalise that I've put three pins through it. Its now firm but i do have a problem I bought the wrong milling table, a Proxxon, and its giving me a lot of problems, so now I'm saving up for a better table. I did add a block threaded to 6mm and it lowers and raises the table in under a thousanths at a time
interesting...i almost bought a mm today but had to put it on hold till we resolved shipping. but i had a piece of aluminum i was itching to machine so i went to harbor freight bought a compound vise and its working out pretty cool so far. it is slow but will get it done this weekend. i was actually amazed at how good it works.
Sometimes I have to wonder if I'm being watched. Just finished setting up and was taking a short coffee break before making my first ever attempt to use a small drill press as a makeshift milling machine when this video popped up in the recommendations..
@@RPMechanics lost count of how many times something off the wall was mentioned on the phone or within earshot of the computer & like magic an ad or recommendation pops up. Btw, good video & I had acceptable results.
Solid job. I wouldn't worry as much about the bearings as these worry warts would have you believe. Besides you'll know because it will go out of round. Craftsman made legendary tools back in that era and I think its awesome you are keeping it working instead of rusting away like so many things. BTW my drill press is way older than that one, has a table so skirts can fit underneathe during the war effort when everyone worked together to help America. Now all people do is try to tear her apart. I rewired mine, added a double podium booklight, extra outlets, a pallet cut into a frame for casters to roll it all over my shop. It's really handy now. Still only 1/4 hp 2 speed GE motor (and I leave it in the lowest one because I drill more metal than wood in it)... cost me like $20 at a garage sale, another $15 for a belt and a Jacobs chuck key. I should order that grizzly cross slide table you used. Nice unit. Good you're another fellow woodworker who buys AMERICAN MADE! (all my stuff is craftsmen because it was american made, my dad taught me, now I know its different)
Well you can safely bet that X,Y table isn't and won't be AMERICAN MADE because mine sure isn't. Milling with any drill press is like taking a Ferrari to a mud bogging contest and expecting some type of result. Just because the one's who know it's a worthless idea are saying so doesn't make them wrong. If you need to mill then buy a cheap small one. If you wanna play ya gotta pay. I want to learn how to fly, since I can't afford it I'm not going to jump off a building and start flapping my arms.
Turning Point Why are you bombing this video for? For what its worth, mills don't use axial bearings, they use brass bushings, radial bearings, and gears (lots of gears)... Oddly enough, big oil rig drills do use axial bearings... For the record, I work in manufacturing these bearings, and those are basic roller bearings with sleeves. Axial bearings have 3 components, a housing washer, a roller filled cage, and a shaft washer. What you see in these drill presses are either radial roller bearings, or radial ball bearings. Either way a quick replacement with tapered roller bearings fixes this, as does installing a draw bar. What it doesn't fix is the fact that the spindle is driven by belts, and belts slip. This doesn't mean it can't be done properly, but it's not going to make you money at home from production... I saw you get on him about his key slot, and that has nothing to do with the machine, rather the fact that he used a single pass, meaning his key way was the same exact size as his end mill. I highly doubt you know much of anything, or you would have told him to use a smaller end mill, and clean up the sides.. Maybe its because I actually do this as a job, maybe that's why I know it!
Like far too many on YT you just automatically make a snap decision and assume others know far less than you do.I work in the open pit mining industry and have been around lots of blast hole drills. I've drilled a few holes but am no driller by any definition.But those rock drills are pretty much the same as those oil drilling rigs. Those axial bearings on the drill heads are there to take the thrust loads common with any drilling. The drill string deflection when the holes are being started and to keep the drill string centered are taken by a deck collar that has the radial bearings since the drill pipe is never perfectly straight and it wears unevenly. So those axial bearings aren't odd at all. Or maybe you think there's no down pressure needed on the drill heads? All these drills including oil rigs have down pressure gauges so you don't burn up the drilling bit in case you didn't know that either. And axial bearings have a hardened inner race, the same for the outer race, and the balls or rollers that may or may not be caged. And since I do own a proper Bridgeport clone mill I'm more than familiar with the requirements and parts involved. Your points don't address the non optional needs of a drawbar and how to get that hole for one through a spindle not designed for one with the small diameter in most drill press spindles. Since Morse Tapers without that drawbar are only good for end thrust as in drilling that drawbar is required for any work that involves radial forces. That simple drawbar is what keeps keeps Morse taper tooling seated in the taper. A MT is only self holding during axial thrust. An R8 taper still uses a drawbar since that taper is not designed as a self holding taper even while drilling. But it's also used to close R8 taper collets or hold tooling in that taper. That same drawbar idea is used to retain Morse Tapers since side forces and the standard vibration even using a multi toothed end mill will cause them to release. 5 minutes with a google search would prove that to anyone who cares enough to check. Then there's the point of people thinking a drill press chuck should be good enough to hold a milling cutter. There not since common non carbide drill shanks are left soft for a very good reason. The drill chuck can get a much better grip on them because under tightening pressure the drill shank flattens out just a bit but not past it's elastic point. Hardened cutting tool shanks such as end mills would only have basically line contact at the center of the 3 jaws. The helical flutes on an endmill will help to pull the end mill down and out from that drill chuck unless a reverse helical flute or up cutting end mill is chosen. ER, MT, R8, etc are designed to surround and properly grip almost the full surface of the tool shank. They still need to be properly tightened. ER 40s take 120 ft lbs on the closing nut before there considered tight enough. How much torque do you think a chuck key can tighten a drill chuck to? But you should already know that since this is your job right? My mill is a belt drive and no different than most other mills in the Bridgeport size other than the bench top sized geared head machines and my mills belt drive still doesn't slip even with 3 hp. Non cnc Bridgeports designed for commercial use are still made as belt drive machines today and there still making money with them. If a drill press doesn't slip while drilling then it most likely wont while milling. But that's not even an issue here since this drill press couldn't grip any mill tooling well enough to get even close to making the belts slip. And proper mills all have both radial and axial bearings since there designed to do both side milling and drilling when required or didn't you know that. Those angular contact bearings can take both types of forces. Some mills will even have added radial bearings to take the thrust loads off the angular contact bearings. www.lathes.co.uk should show some.So yes they DO use axial/radial bearings despite your comment that they don't. What do you think those angular contact bearings do? And there's zero "brass bushings" used in my mills spindle because it has those ABEC 7 /Class 4 or better angular bearings.Yet you state you do this as a job? Why tell him to use a smaller end mill since the whole idea is still unsafe enough it's pointless to use any common drill press as a stand in for even a cheap Chinese X2 sized mill that was designed from the start as a mill. So how much do I really know? Maybe not all that much probably, but it sure seems a lot more than you do since your the one who made a real point about my qualifications and brought up who might be best qualified to judge this. Have you even compared the head casting thickness between a mill and a drill press. Then there's the as thin as possible column wall thickness, a barely good enough for woodworking cantilevered table design and it's rigidity and deflection even while drilling. Very small and weak spindle design simply because it's never been designed to do milling, etc etc etc. That chatter and vibration because of the machines really poor rigidity quickly kills even HSS end mills. Yet it seems that the only ones who keep saying this is such a good idea are the ones who know the least in videos like this. Do your own research and anything I've said is more than easy enough to find and prove to your own satisfaction. The only place you'll ever see any drill press used or even thought of as a mill replacement is by amature's who won't do that research before they try something like this. Can it barely work? Sure, I've even tried it just once before I knew better. I've even used a drill press with an end mill to counterbore holes. That's axial thrust and can be done safely. But I certainly don't need or want a razor sharp end mill dropping off the spindle at high speed. Videos like this encourage others who may not have any idea of how dangerous it can be.You can do whatever you like in your own shop. Post it on YT as a good idea when it clearly isn't or even safe without far more work than it will ever be worth and you'll get comments just like mine. Given the obvious errors in your post I wonder just what makes your thoughts and opinions so much more valid than mine unless your just trolling for arguments hmmm?
Turning Point Once again, that is a radial bearing, not axial. No a drill press doesn't use axial bearings, because there is no need for it (like a couple hundred feet of pipe that you don't want to wander and snap)... For the record, the best and most accurate milling retention, is actually a taper, the chuck is heated (we use induction) then the taper is installed, and retained solely by the metal shrinking. We use those at work as well. We also have hydro(lic) chucks (where the tool is held in solely by hydraulic fluid, and not a mechanical anything)... Thanks for making my point entirely! You do write good though, I'd take you for an author. One more thing I'd like to point out to you, tapers are used because they are self centering (similar to you) and self locking, the tapers on conventional mills are normally not Morse anyways, nor self locking (hence the draw bar and pockets). BTW I know how axial bearings are made, I just happen to work making them, they all use cages for the rollers point blank... Look up Schaeffler Group or INA... Working in mining, you've probably seen quite a few products from my employer. But as far as experience I have worked on Deckel FP1, FP2, and FP4, FPS300, DMG Mori 5 axis eco mill CNC, DMG Mori 7 axis Lathe/milling CNC's (4.0 machines my company is helping develop) Weiler DZ50, Deckel Maho, and Deckel Maho Glidemaster. I've been doing this every day for the past 7 years. Also saw a little bit of eroding as well.
Instead of drilling holes into the base you should have made two plates to locate below the drills base-plate and run the bolts up from the bottom through the base-plate factory cut slots and into the tables base. An easier way to Tram in your table is to find a Semi-Truck repair shop and see if they toss out old bearings. A 6 to 7" OD bearing that is only worn out can be opened up to remover the ball retainer and balls. now you have two perfect Tramming rings cut to perfection. Just place the ring on your table and indicate off the top surface of the ring. I wouldn't go smaller then a 5" bearing. I store my ring in a Ziplock and coated with Molybdenum grease. Best tramming plate in the world.
also article jan...1951 popular mechanix add another pully to achieve lower spindle speed.milling arm was july 1954....and neat drill press clamps febuary 1948
Id love to see some details about what you did to the quill. I have an old craftsman that I am doing the same thing to, model 103....and I definitely need something other that a drill chuck to hold my tools EDIT I just watched again...so you made the shaft. Cool....mine has a splined drive section up top....I could make a shaft with the bore and set screw as you have on the bottom, but not sure what I would do up top....the splines are what let it move up and down on mine, while still allowing the pulley to drive the shaft. Splines are a bit beyond my ability with the equipment I have access to. I could make it round all the way, and use a different pulley but then I wouldnt be able to move the quill up and down. My shaft has a J2 taper...if I could go between that and a home made holder...maybe buy a cheap J2 to whatever converter and weld my holder onto that....hmmm.... and LOL about the jack for raising...my press has a big cast iron body around the whole head..Ive used an old scissors jack to raise it! A small bottle jack would be better!
A great little number mate ...dont worry about the knockers / shitheads....they're jealous or dumb because they either did'nt think of this ,or cant do it ...... cheers from AUSSIE LAND
My gawd, I thought of this and tried it just once many years before TH-cam was even thought of Mr. Aiken. So I guess I don't fit neatly into your "jealous or dumb" category. Even though I already had a mill I wanted to see just how well it would work.And I tried it with a far larger and heavier floor standing drill press than the one shown here. I've even got the exact same X,Y table this YT poster has. But I use it for what it was designed for, locating drilled holes better than hand positioning them.If you understood anything at all about bearings and the differences between the end and side forces you'd understand there's a vast difference between what a drill press uses and what milling requires. Oh it works and barely if your not picky about the results as the video clearly shows, but it's beating the bearings to death since there not designed to take those high side loads and those results are far inferior to even a cheap X2 sized Chinese mill. The larger round column mills only look like there basically a drill press. But not only have the bearings been changed to take the side loads, all of the castings and the wall thickness and size of the column have been upgraded to help resist those high milling forces. To get any tool to cut metal you have to drive it into the metal until it starts cutting. I've seen more than a few of these "lets mill with a drill press" videos and they always get comments about what a good idea it is from the people who seem to least understand what the requirements are. I'm certainly not an expert about machine tool design, but I've learned enough to respect anyone who understands just why it's a worthless effort. Your certainly free to think were all "knockers / shitheads", but getting some understanding and education about what it takes to cut metal would change your opinion about what some of us have already learned. My current mill is an 1100 lb three quarter sized Bridgeport clone, and I can still see the machine flexing under cutting conditions if I push it past what it's designed for.
No that wasn't a usable keyway at all. The key is supposed to fit very tightly into the keyway. Have a look at the stepped side wall surface finish. If the key fits it's going to be loose. A loose key hammers and enlarges the opening. That tight fit stops that from happening.And where did I say he couldn't do what he wants with his own machine? Posting a video about something the poster obviously knows nothing about is what prompted my comments.And that's why you see much of the same comments posted here by people that know what there talking about. I said and meant it was a worthless effort. I've tried it once, and I've owned a cheap $500 X2 mill and know the difference very well. I've moved on to an 1100 lb mill simply because that little proper mill couldn't do a good enough job for what I wanted either. But that little 160 lb mill was light years ahead of a 180 lb floor model drill press. At best a drill press can use an end mill to counter bore holes or counter sink for machine screws, but that's because all the forces are vertical and what the machine was designed to do. But if your still in doubt I highly recommend posting your thoughts over on the Practical Machinist forum for further opinions by actual professional machinists.
Well I never said nor even implied I was world class at anything since I'm also not a pro either. And I know of Rudy very well since I've read most of what he wrote and have most of the videos he did. This may come as a surprise, but no one including myself is immune to bad ideas.Yet somehow you apparently think your personal opinion about any of this is for some reason more valid than mine or any others who have said much the same just because it's only tinkering and in a home shop. Myself and many others have mentioned reasons and used logic about why it's such a stupid idea, and you've added pretty much because someone else did it in the past. There's enough other comments here by people who do know what there talking about so I guess it's pointless to even try and add anything more to what some just refuse to understand.
With a block of wood under the spindle you can use the spindle to lift the head .Then lock the head .If it needs to go higher add another wood block then lock the head and remove the blocks.
Still being able to mill small projects at home is awesome. Yeah it not be able to hog like a Kearney tracker..but at least you can still mill! Awesome for you good video!
Interesting, I've been thinking about picking up a cross slide to try this for a while. I would use it mainly with RC modeling & machining custom cpu / GPU coolers. I used a Bridgeport for a while in the workplace. Those same $300 Harbor Freight mini mills you have over there are re-badged over (UK) here & cost about $600 in your money. About twice as much. I wouldn't justify it for maybe 3 uses in a year. Good idea with the DTI for depth. I might try it now.
A classic application of creativity and cleverness, especially when it's minus 20-40 degrees in Minot ND and you gotta fix the generator, tractor, or an ancient Ford F-150 - so, what are you gonna do? Persist, think, think, and get it done.
Great work on drill press is ur spindle draw bar or wedge kind. Thought about doing one to the little milling machine cost to much for what they are. Big one take up to much room in my building 16x10. Have almost new look unimat DB200 with milling attachments it's nice little little machine. But need one about that size u made. How it holding up r do u even use it still. Nice job. Stay safe from ur ole hillbilly buddy
Nice, get's the job done. You need to get a third pulley to get some lower speeds. I've done a bit of milling in my press, but glad I have a benchtop now.
Very Cool, I have something similar but slightly lighter scale, they work nice for light gauge material, I can mill as high as 1/4 steel with 1/4 end mill.
Is it possible to mill steel with a converted drill press if you take light cuts, or is it only suitable for softer metals such as aluminium, copper and brass?
Awesome video! Can you give us some dimensions ( diameter stock used, length of stock, set screw locations etc.) for the milling attachment you made? I'd like to give this a go with my Delta DP 220 drill press!
It takes a true MACHINIST to take what he has and make it do what he needs. Don't let the BOO BIRD WANKERS* bother you. If your bearings go, I'm sure you will be able to engineer a fix in short order. A MACHINIST is: a machine operator, an engineer, a mathematician, a metallurgist, a metrology expert, a blacksmith, or in other words a GENIUS! I only subscribe to those that I respect their work. I just subscribed to your channel. *No I'm not British, I just like the term, it was appropriate here.
I just stubbles on some new info maybe you can find useful my drill press has a Morse tapper and a Jacobs chuck turns out they made a Jacobs chuck #633C. New version 34-33C. To have the taper but also a built on collar so the chuck could support side load !! Not sure what drill press your going to use but maybe that is helpful info
Here I am 6.5 years late to this party. But wondering what brand/model compound table that is. Also the model of Craftsman drill press that is, so I could maybe find an alternative with heavy enough specs for this type of conversion. Thanks for the great video.
Yah ever thought about using a scissor jack on the back side of the press it would be more convenient to adjust the drill presses height? Or make a bracket that connects the jack to the front of the support pipe and the jack is on the back of the support pipe. The scissor jack would hold firmly your chosen height, just saying.
I'm going to buy an old Craftsman tomorrow and embark on the same project. The housing on this DP head looks solid for the work I'll be doing. Do you know the X-Y table you have here? If not can you reccomend anything similar.
Hi I have the same drill press I been wanting to do what you did ,would you please let me know how you remove the drill Chuck, I just don't want to break anything,, thanks
What happens is the bearings wear because they aren't oriented in the proper direction for milling, milling puts sideway stress on the spindle. I have a small sherline vertical mill, its too small for most work excerpt hobby stuff but its very rigid and accurate. It might be better to "fix" a harbor frieght mill.
@RP Mechanics - So, 3 years in... How are the bearings holding up? I've been wanting to do the same thing, but keep getting the "You'll shoot your eye out, Ralphie!" from all the machinists out there. I'd be willing to find an old beat drill press and give it a try if it isn't a wasted effort.
The bearings were never a problem. They were making some noise when I got the machine and I switched them out for about 10 bucks. The main draw back is that you're limited to end mills.
That’s fantastic mate. I am very interested in the piece that you made to replace the Morse Taper in the spindle. Can you give me some more info on that ? I’m fairly inexperienced so dumb it down for me 🤣 Many thanks 🙏
I am very impressed ---keep your hands away from that chuck ---that bolt that retains the cutter/drill chuck is a weapon --if you could find one that is flush with the surface that would be awesome. All in all, its very cool. Is it for full time heavy production? Obviously no. Can you use it and make useful parts? Yes---so let the people who are ragging you go back to their dremel tools and you keep on going. Who cares if you have to change the bearings every few years---they are cheap and you change them when necessary. Awesome!
can I pleas ask how have the drill head bearings held up against the sideways forses due to milling? I have thought about using my drill press for some light milling but head bearings have always put me off doing it.
I didn't have any problems with bearings, but I didn't use this machine a lot. Basically set it up to teach myself some basic milling and then bought a regular mill.
Thanks for putting this vid together. I have the same drill press, but the quill is not as tall as the one you have. What is the quill travel on your dp? Also, the attachment you have that holds the bit, was that made specifically for the Craftsman 101 dp? Can you tell me the part number? Thanks!
Great video and just in time for my similar project! Can you tell me the brand and model of the crosslide table, and are you happy with its quality and accuracy? Thx
This is the first time someone with real sense used a drill press that didn’t have a Morse taper and used a press that would work. There are plenty of older machines out there to do this. It doesn’t take much to get these to work. You also need a machine that has a quill lock that tightens the quill directly like a craftsman 150 or an older Atlas. Great job and thanks for not wasting time on stupid stuff!!!
Do you recommend not using a drill press with a Morse taper?
@@brutusjb3814 don't. trust me. lol
Thank you for showing us this! I have the exact same drill press as shown in this video... I got it free off the curb with everything there. I just need to put a new cord to the motor. Suuuubbed!
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!!
Good job and nice video. Don't listen to the people saying that the bearings aren't designed for side loads. I have rebuilt several drill presses and the smaller cheaper ones have deep groove radial ball bearings. Other, higher quality drill presses have angular contact bearings at the bottom of the quill. In either case the bearings are absolutely made to take radial loads. I would however keep the cuts light, but not because of the bearings. A drill press usually has a long slender spindle shaft and as such can be bent. I have a drill press in my garage right now that I was given and it has a bent spindle shaft. A long drill in the chuck will run out about 1/4" on it. It is on my to do list to straighten it.
I own that model of drill press. It's 3x as heavy as any import. Makes a big difference. Actually workable.
Did you make his modifications to your drill press?
To make it easier on the bearings, I'd take plunge cuts at first to remove a majority of the material, then use the cross slide to finish it up.
If you have a bearing issue, you can solve the bearing problem by replacing your lower spindle bearings with an angular contact double row bearings.
Or just use typical roller
Very neat! thanks for showing! I have two ideas for a vertical positioning system.
1. you can get powerful linear actuators from old treadmills, easily enough to move the machine through its z axis with precision
2. get a cheap 12v worm gear motor, and cobble together an electric/screw drive/or pinion drive.
I realize thise video is old as hell, but oh well, it's helping me think!
cheers
I used a 1940 delta drill press,,,solid steel column and has a 2 inch locking quill,,and I also used a automotive scissor jack as a table lift,,,you should raise your head and use a sisor jack as a table lift yourself,,,really smooth lifting and gives a truss effect
Yes this definitely needed another way to lift the head.
Excellent work sir! I am embarking on the same adventure this week. I hope to get the same kind of accuracy that you achieved. I believe the quality of that old press is what keeps you out of trouble. Newer cheap drill presses just don't have that quality.
+Tater79bj Thanks! Yes, a heavy drill press is a must.
I got tired of watching people going all through commotions of using some Grizzly or harbor freight drills trying to do this. Finally found this and couldn’t believe he used a decent drill press! One guy was heating up a quill with a Morse taper and took a chuck that was in the freezer then pounded it in. It still dropped out! Then of all things he said well guess I’ll have to put super glue on it! Super glue??? Oh boy.🙄 Trust me folks don’t waste time on those cheap drills from Harbor freight. They’re only good for drilling wood-maybe?😂😂
Wonderfull to see people innovating and making tools. That is the essence of a TRUE craftsman. Im an engineering student and dont have enough money to buy a lathe and mill and was thinking of combining my drill press with a lathe. This gives me some hope lol. Thanks!
Thanks for watching.
I'm currently in the process of doing the same thing. The only thing I would say is it might have been better if the spindle wasn't so long. I'm using just a cheap harbor freight press I got at a yard sale for $20.00 which seems perfect just because the spindle sits way up in the head which helps keep the spindle supported. I'm glad you have a setup that works well for you though, I'm in the same boat as far as making what I have work.
Nate Rose Thanks Nate. Good luck with your setup.
To raise and lower the heavy head of my old Canedy-Otto Cincinnati drill press. I took a piece of large diameter pipe that would slide inside and to the bottom the press column - then cut it to stick out 12" above the column. Bolted a spare 12 volt Badlands winch at the top of the pipe and used an old motorcycle battery with a trickle charger to run it. The winch control pendant hangs near the rear power switch. A vinyl-wrapped bicycle lock chain loops under the drill head to the winch hook and just clears the drive belt. I can lower the head to keep from having to extend the quill very much. Like you, I don't use the drill press table as I bolted a Palmgren rotary table to the base. These old machines run much smoother than the new stuff.
Fantastic IMHO. Your video answered a bunch of questions that I've had about the "rigidity" issue... It worked much better than I had anticipated. Good Job! I see more possibilities than limitations. The goal being to achieve the machining process the most important. Loved the key cut in the cold rolled. I winced at first prior to making the cut. Then I realized how going "low and slow" was a game changer. That was key (pun intended).Thank you for sharing your project. You've given me new hope for something similar :O) Cheers!
+OvalWingNut Thanks a lot, I appreciate you taking a look. -Robert.
Good job, i have an old 1950s industrial Walker Turner that im going to do the same thing. The only problem is that the spindle is way too long. And it has about 3 thousand runout. It used to have 6 thousand runout untll i bent it back. whatever i decide to do it has to be reversible back to original. However, I do like your spindle mod. That is a weak point in many conversions .
I ended up putting this back together as a drill press and now has a new home. It made for easier setups than a lathe attachment, but yea, the long spindle, lack of tooling options, limited to very light cuts are all downsides. This was mainly an educational project, and for that, it was a big step forward for me.
G'day from an Aussie metal mangler. I have the exact compound and I'm in the process of doing exactly what you've done with your drill press. Only thing is, my drill press is BIG. 2 hp, 12 speed. Everything here runs on 240 volts AC, 50 Hz. I've been making gold prospectors picks, and to achieve an edge on the pick blade, was a matter of hand grinding it, on a pedestal grinder. Nasty, dirty, work. So I thought of this sort of idea, but watching your video has made it a lot easier now. Thanks, mate. Cheers, Shane.
Thanks for watching.
I’m a firm believer in making what you have work. Looks like you’ve done a pretty solid job of that with this build. Nice work! Try to find you another set of spindle bearings because if you do very much milling with this setup you’re going to wear out the ones in there now. Good luck.
Thank you.
I have milled allot in my drill press without any bearing problems. I am sure yours will hold up well.
hmm that is good to hear.. i am about to convert..
I really like that you solved the problem with the chuck popping off the taper in the middle of a cut. I’ve done that and it is no fun. Set screw sleeve is great. Good job!
Thank You!
Just wanna day great job and to everyone reading the comments research your tools before purchasing. The vintage drill press were designed to handle a side load hey are made with brass bushing not bearings. The only thing to fail on the side load is the Morris taper chuck he addressed that though!! Great job I am about to do this with my 1948 Powr Kraft. Montgomery bench top drill press
Dang, well done. Looks fantastic, and those cuts appeared to be more than adequate. Bravo!
Thanks!
Necessity; the mother of inventions. Not exactly a silk purse, but this sow's ear works puuurty good. Well done mate.
nifty1940 Thanks, I appreciate you checking it out.
No, ‘ necessity is a Mother, until you invent something ‘ !
This is just awesome! I actually have that exact same drill press i bought at a yard sale for $50! I tore it down completely and repainted it as close to the original blue color as i could find. Sadly its still in pieces because i need to take the pulleys to a machinist to have new ones made. The front one with that weird spline pattern is cracked. I always thought that as sturdy as these presses are they'd make a great cheap milling machine for a home gamer like me. You have inspired me sir!
Hey thanks for watching. You might check ebay for that pulley, these presses are parted out a lot.
I have done the same thing to a pillar drill, using the same milling table. You do not need a jack to lift the motor and chuck assembly, just put a lump of wood under the chuck and use the down feed on the quill to raise everything up. Ease and quick with no effort.
I know many people have asked about the side load on these old drill press and I had the same concern myself. However, after seeing the original manual for these Atlas made drill press, they actually have router accessories so they can be used for routing wood.
Yes and you can buy replacement bearings that are rated for side load.
excellent video for those of us who love to think outside the box to get it done without having to spend a ton of money when it is really not needed. Thanks.
Thanks for checking it out.
I did the same thing but I used a automotive scissor jack,,,works very well and the truss angles makes it more stable, and easy operating with a socket are battery drill,
Whenever I've needed to move a drill press and take it apart its been a right struggle getting the drill head off the stand for transport as they are often a bit rusted out, but the jack idea you showed is going to make that a lot easier.
I might even make something for my drill press, a ring to go round the stand and a bottle jack to raise/lower the drill table, its a right pain to adjust, and I dont want to lash out on one of those drills that has a windy up and down table.
hellcattanks I hope it helps you out. Thanks for watching.
I built one using a Clarke pillar drill. Solid as hell and I use 20mm Mill cutters in it machining mild steel. I use ER32 collets and for smaller stuff I use ER16 collets
Can you elaborate on your build Michael? I'm planning on doing the same thing with a Clarke pillar drill but worried it won't be rigid enough. Cheers.
good job, nice simple manual controls. I got really tired of seeing diy machines that were overly complicated and fiddly to make. Don't worry about spindle bearings, I don't know of anyone that has needed to replace them on a hobby machine. I will also use a Grizzly table but I've got a 1 hp router with speed controller that will be used rather than a drill press. Nice work and effective for what you need.
Thanks for watching.
How's it going with your router setup? I'd be interested to hear any details.
Great vid, and thanks for posting. I was once told that I ouldn't do any milling in a drill press, but tried with mixed results. After watching this, I know what I did wrong, and that it can be done.
Thanks for watching.
brillent project came out good I love to make things myself to keep cost down and it's fun too. keep it up you just earned a new subscriber
Thanks.
I'm going to be doing something very close to this myself just to teach myself a bit of milling for much less cost. thanks for posting.
+joe clune The reason I put this together was to teach myself some basic milling operations. Good luck.
Thanks for sharing!! This was a great video!!!! Very well done and informative!! Keep up the good work and God bless you and your family!!!!
Thanks a lot.
I love the inventiveness of what you have done. cheers from John Australia.
Thanks for watching, John.
Thank you for sharing, good idea for us the mill once not very often, i don't think my table drill press will take the pressure I'll have to get a stronger one, i think. Thank you and have a nice day.
Thanks for watching.
that was amazing, great video and thanks for cutting the cold rolled, it worked great
Thanks a lot, I really appreciate it.
I have a very heavy, large drill press and have converted it to a milling machine. The main difference is that the head is fixed so I have to use the table. I've drilled and tapped the table mount and stopped it turning. It does have a gear rack and to stabalise that I've put three pins through it. Its now firm but i do have a problem I bought the wrong milling table, a Proxxon, and its giving me a lot of problems, so now I'm saving up for a better table. I did add a block threaded to 6mm and it lowers and raises the table in under a thousanths at a time
George Farmer Sounds good. Good luck with it.
interesting...i almost bought a mm today but had to put it on hold till we resolved shipping. but i had a piece of aluminum i was itching to machine so i went to harbor freight bought a compound vise and its working out pretty cool so far. it is slow but will get it done this weekend. i was actually amazed at how good it works.
Sometimes I have to wonder if I'm being watched. Just finished setting up and was taking a short coffee break before making my first ever attempt to use a small drill press as a makeshift milling machine when this video popped up in the recommendations..
I get the same feeling sometimes.
@@RPMechanics lost count of how many times something off the wall was mentioned on the phone or within earshot of the computer & like magic an ad or recommendation pops up. Btw, good video & I had acceptable results.
Solid job. I wouldn't worry as much about the bearings as these worry warts would have you believe. Besides you'll know because it will go out of round. Craftsman made legendary tools back in that era and I think its awesome you are keeping it working instead of rusting away like so many things. BTW my drill press is way older than that one, has a table so skirts can fit underneathe during the war effort when everyone worked together to help America. Now all people do is try to tear her apart.
I rewired mine, added a double podium booklight, extra outlets, a pallet cut into a frame for casters to roll it all over my shop. It's really handy now. Still only 1/4 hp 2 speed GE motor (and I leave it in the lowest one because I drill more metal than wood in it)... cost me like $20 at a garage sale, another $15 for a belt and a Jacobs chuck key.
I should order that grizzly cross slide table you used. Nice unit. Good you're another fellow woodworker who buys AMERICAN MADE! (all my stuff is craftsmen because it was american made, my dad taught me, now I know its different)
Well you can safely bet that X,Y table isn't and won't be AMERICAN MADE because mine sure isn't. Milling with any drill press is like taking a Ferrari to a mud bogging contest and expecting some type of result. Just because the one's who know it's a worthless idea are saying so doesn't make them wrong. If you need to mill then buy a cheap small one. If you wanna play ya gotta pay. I want to learn how to fly, since I can't afford it I'm not going to jump off a building and start flapping my arms.
Turning Point Why are you bombing this video for?
For what its worth, mills don't use axial bearings, they use brass bushings, radial bearings, and gears (lots of gears)...
Oddly enough, big oil rig drills do use axial bearings...
For the record, I work in manufacturing these bearings, and those are basic roller bearings with sleeves.
Axial bearings have 3 components, a housing washer, a roller filled cage, and a shaft washer.
What you see in these drill presses are either radial roller bearings, or radial ball bearings.
Either way a quick replacement with tapered roller bearings fixes this, as does installing a draw bar.
What it doesn't fix is the fact that the spindle is driven by belts, and belts slip. This doesn't mean it can't be done properly, but it's not going to make you money at home from production...
I saw you get on him about his key slot, and that has nothing to do with the machine, rather the fact that he used a single pass, meaning his key way was the same exact size as his end mill.
I highly doubt you know much of anything, or you would have told him to use a smaller end mill, and clean up the sides.. Maybe its because I actually do this as a job, maybe that's why I know it!
Like far too many on YT you just automatically make a snap decision and assume others know far less than you do.I work in the open pit mining industry and have been around lots of blast hole drills. I've drilled a few holes but am no driller by any definition.But those rock drills are pretty much the same as those oil drilling rigs. Those axial bearings on the drill heads are there to take the thrust loads common with any drilling. The drill string deflection when the holes are being started and to keep the drill string centered are taken by a deck collar that has the radial bearings since the drill pipe is never perfectly straight and it wears unevenly. So those axial bearings aren't odd at all. Or maybe you think there's no down pressure needed on the drill heads? All these drills including oil rigs have down pressure gauges so you don't burn up the drilling bit in case you didn't know that either.
And axial bearings have a hardened inner race, the same for the outer race, and the balls or rollers that may or may not be caged.
And since I do own a proper Bridgeport clone mill I'm more than familiar with the requirements and parts involved. Your points don't address the non optional needs of a drawbar and how to get that hole for one through a spindle not designed for one with the small diameter in most drill press spindles. Since Morse Tapers without that drawbar are only good for end thrust as in drilling that drawbar is required for any work that involves radial forces. That simple drawbar is what keeps keeps Morse taper tooling seated in the taper. A MT is only self holding during axial thrust. An R8 taper still uses a drawbar since that taper is not designed as a self holding taper even while drilling. But it's also used to close R8 taper collets or hold tooling in that taper. That same drawbar idea is used to retain Morse Tapers since side forces and the standard vibration even using a multi toothed end mill will cause them to release. 5 minutes with a google search would prove that to anyone who cares enough to check. Then there's the point of people thinking a drill press chuck should be good enough to hold a milling cutter. There not since common non carbide drill shanks are left soft for a very good reason. The drill chuck can get a much better grip on them because under tightening pressure the drill shank flattens out just a bit but not past it's elastic point. Hardened cutting tool shanks such as end mills would only have basically line contact at the center of the 3 jaws. The helical flutes on an endmill will help to pull the end mill down and out from that drill chuck unless a reverse helical flute or up cutting end mill is chosen. ER, MT, R8, etc are designed to surround and properly grip almost the full surface of the tool shank. They still need to be properly tightened. ER 40s take 120 ft lbs on the closing nut before there considered tight enough. How much torque do you think a chuck key can tighten a drill chuck to? But you should already know that since this is your job right?
My mill is a belt drive and no different than most other mills in the Bridgeport size other than the bench top sized geared head machines and my mills belt drive still doesn't slip even with 3 hp. Non cnc Bridgeports designed for commercial use are still made as belt drive machines today and there still making money with them. If a drill press doesn't slip while drilling then it most likely wont while milling. But that's not even an issue here since this drill press couldn't grip any mill tooling well enough to get even close to making the belts slip. And proper mills all have both radial and axial bearings since there designed to do both side milling and drilling when required or didn't you know that. Those angular contact bearings can take both types of forces. Some mills will even have added radial bearings to take the thrust loads off the angular contact bearings. www.lathes.co.uk should show some.So yes they DO use axial/radial bearings despite your comment that they don't. What do you think those angular contact bearings do? And there's zero "brass bushings" used in my mills spindle because it has those ABEC 7 /Class 4 or better angular bearings.Yet you state you do this as a job? Why tell him to use a smaller end mill since the whole idea is still unsafe enough it's pointless to use any common drill press as a stand in for even a cheap Chinese X2 sized mill that was designed from the start as a mill. So how much do I really know? Maybe not all that much probably, but it sure seems a lot more than you do since your the one who made a real point about my qualifications and brought up who might be best qualified to judge this. Have you even compared the head casting thickness between a mill and a drill press. Then there's the as thin as possible column wall thickness, a barely good enough for woodworking cantilevered table design and it's rigidity and deflection even while drilling. Very small and weak spindle design simply because it's never been designed to do milling, etc etc etc. That chatter and vibration because of the machines really poor rigidity quickly kills even HSS end mills. Yet it seems that the only ones who keep saying this is such a good idea are the ones who know the least in videos like this. Do your own research and anything I've said is more than easy enough to find and prove to your own satisfaction. The only place you'll ever see any drill press used or even thought of as a mill replacement is by amature's who won't do that research before they try something like this. Can it barely work? Sure, I've even tried it just once before I knew better. I've even used a drill press with an end mill to counterbore holes. That's axial thrust and can be done safely. But I certainly don't need or want a razor sharp end mill dropping off the spindle at high speed. Videos like this encourage others who may not have any idea of how dangerous it can be.You can do whatever you like in your own shop. Post it on YT as a good idea when it clearly isn't or even safe without far more work than it will ever be worth and you'll get comments just like mine. Given the obvious errors in your post I wonder just what makes your thoughts and opinions so much more valid than mine unless your just trolling for arguments hmmm?
Turning Point Once again, that is a radial bearing, not axial. No a drill press doesn't use axial bearings, because there is no need for it (like a couple hundred feet of pipe that you don't want to wander and snap)...
For the record, the best and most accurate milling retention, is actually a taper, the chuck is heated (we use induction) then the taper is installed, and retained solely by the metal shrinking. We use those at work as well. We also have hydro(lic) chucks (where the tool is held in solely by hydraulic fluid, and not a mechanical anything)...
Thanks for making my point entirely!
You do write good though, I'd take you for an author.
One more thing I'd like to point out to you, tapers are used because they are self centering (similar to you) and self locking, the tapers on conventional mills are normally not Morse anyways, nor self locking (hence the draw bar and pockets).
BTW I know how axial bearings are made, I just happen to work making them, they all use cages for the rollers point blank... Look up Schaeffler Group or INA... Working in mining, you've probably seen quite a few products from my employer.
But as far as experience I have worked on Deckel FP1, FP2, and FP4, FPS300, DMG Mori 5 axis eco mill CNC, DMG Mori 7 axis Lathe/milling CNC's (4.0 machines my company is helping develop) Weiler DZ50, Deckel Maho, and Deckel Maho Glidemaster.
I've been doing this every day for the past 7 years. Also saw a little bit of eroding as well.
I buy all the old Craftsman I can find. The new stuff they make is crap with Craftsman name on it. Sad ending to a great tool.
Thank you!! The first video that I have watched tonight where someone actually knew what they were doing. Nice machine!
Thanks a lot.
Instead of drilling holes into the base you should have made two plates to locate below the drills base-plate and run the bolts up from the bottom through the base-plate factory cut slots and into the tables base.
An easier way to Tram in your table is to find a Semi-Truck repair shop and see if they toss out old bearings. A 6 to 7" OD bearing that is only worn out can be opened up to remover the ball retainer and balls. now you have two perfect Tramming rings cut to perfection. Just place the ring on your table and indicate off the top surface of the ring. I wouldn't go smaller then a 5" bearing. I store my ring in a Ziplock and coated with Molybdenum grease. Best tramming plate in the world.
also article jan...1951 popular mechanix add another pully to achieve lower spindle speed.milling arm was july 1954....and neat drill press clamps febuary 1948
I would replace the lower spindle bearing with a tapered roller one. Will last longer.
Raymond Davis I'll keep that in mind if I do a replacement.
Id love to see some details about what you did to the quill. I have an old craftsman that I am doing the same thing to, model 103....and I definitely need something other that a drill chuck to hold my tools
EDIT I just watched again...so you made the shaft. Cool....mine has a splined drive section up top....I could make a shaft with the bore and set screw as you have on the bottom, but not sure what I would do up top....the splines are what let it move up and down on mine, while still allowing the pulley to drive the shaft. Splines are a bit beyond my ability with the equipment I have access to. I could make it round all the way, and use a different pulley but then I wouldnt be able to move the quill up and down.
My shaft has a J2 taper...if I could go between that and a home made holder...maybe buy a cheap J2 to whatever converter and weld my holder onto that....hmmm....
and LOL about the jack for raising...my press has a big cast iron body around the whole head..Ive used an old scissors jack to raise it! A small bottle jack would be better!
thats ok if you have a heavy duty drill press.most light drills ars to flimsey and speed too slow but you have done a good job.les
leslie may Thanks Les.
Use one of the truck jacks that you have to crank to raise. Then use a cordless drill. electric trim!
I was thinking of connecting a hydraulic pump up to his jack.😎
I think you did a great job I didn't see any tool wobble or notice much machine vibration good JOB
Thanks a lot.
A great little number mate ...dont worry about the knockers / shitheads....they're jealous or dumb because they either did'nt think of this ,or cant do it ...... cheers from AUSSIE LAND
My gawd, I thought of this and tried it just once many years before TH-cam was even thought of Mr. Aiken. So I guess I don't fit neatly into your "jealous or dumb" category. Even though I already had a mill I wanted to see just how well it would work.And I tried it with a far larger and heavier floor standing drill press than the one shown here. I've even got the exact same X,Y table this YT poster has. But I use it for what it was designed for, locating drilled holes better than hand positioning them.If you understood anything at all about bearings and the differences between the end and side forces you'd understand there's a vast difference between what a drill press uses and what milling requires.
Oh it works and barely if your not picky about the results as the video clearly shows, but it's beating the bearings to death since there not designed to take those high side loads and those results are far inferior to even a cheap X2 sized Chinese mill. The larger round column mills only look like there basically a drill press. But not only have the bearings been changed to take the side loads, all of the castings and the wall thickness and size of the column have been upgraded to help resist those high milling forces. To get any tool to cut metal you have to drive it into the metal until it starts cutting. I've seen more than a few of these "lets mill with a drill press" videos and they always get comments about what a good idea it is from the people who seem to least understand what the requirements are. I'm certainly not an expert about machine tool design, but I've learned enough to respect anyone who understands just why it's a worthless effort. Your certainly free to think were all "knockers / shitheads", but getting some understanding and education about what it takes to cut metal would change your opinion about what some of us have already learned.
My current mill is an 1100 lb three quarter sized Bridgeport clone, and I can still see the machine flexing under cutting conditions if I push it past what it's designed for.
No that wasn't a usable keyway at all. The key is supposed to fit very tightly into the keyway. Have a look at the stepped side wall surface finish. If the key fits it's going to be loose. A loose key hammers and enlarges the opening. That tight fit stops that from happening.And where did I say he couldn't do what he wants with his own machine? Posting a video about something the poster obviously knows nothing about is what prompted my comments.And that's why you see much of the same comments posted here by people that know what there talking about. I said and meant it was a worthless effort. I've tried it once, and I've owned a cheap $500 X2 mill and know the difference very well.
I've moved on to an 1100 lb mill simply because that little proper mill couldn't do a good enough job for what I wanted either. But that little 160 lb mill was light years ahead of a 180 lb floor model drill press. At best a drill press can use an end mill to counter bore holes or counter sink for machine screws, but that's because all the forces are vertical and what the machine was designed to do. But if your still in doubt I highly recommend posting your thoughts over on the Practical Machinist forum for further opinions by actual professional machinists.
Well I never said nor even implied I was world class at anything since I'm also not a pro either. And I know of Rudy very well since I've read most of what he wrote and have most of the videos he did. This may come as a surprise, but no one including myself is immune to bad ideas.Yet somehow you apparently think your personal opinion about any of this is for some reason more valid than mine or any others who have said much the same just because it's only tinkering and in a home shop. Myself and many others have mentioned reasons and used logic about why it's such a stupid idea, and you've added pretty much because someone else did it in the past. There's enough other comments here by people who do know what there talking about so I guess it's pointless to even try and add anything more to what some just refuse to understand.
With a block of wood under the spindle you can use the spindle to lift the head .Then lock the head .If it needs to go higher add another wood block then lock the head and remove the blocks.
Still being able to mill small projects at home is awesome. Yeah it not be able to hog like a Kearney tracker..but at least you can still mill! Awesome for you good video!
Thanks for watching.
Nice old drill press! Also nice work on making it a more capable machine!
+Ron Garvin Thanks a lot!
@2:10, where did you but that handle holder ? thanks
Interesting, I've been thinking about picking up a cross slide to try this for a while. I would use it mainly with RC modeling & machining custom cpu / GPU coolers. I used a Bridgeport for a while in the workplace. Those same $300 Harbor Freight mini mills you have over there are re-badged over (UK) here & cost about $600 in your money. About twice as much. I wouldn't justify it for maybe 3 uses in a year. Good idea with the DTI for depth. I might try it now.
Thanks for watching.
A classic application of creativity and cleverness, especially when it's minus 20-40 degrees in Minot ND and you gotta fix the generator, tractor, or an ancient Ford F-150 - so, what are you gonna do? Persist, think, think, and get it done.
Thanks a lot.
Great work on drill press is ur spindle draw bar or wedge kind. Thought about doing one to the little milling machine cost to much for what they are. Big one take up to much room in my building 16x10. Have almost new look unimat DB200 with milling attachments it's nice little little machine. But need one about that size u made. How it holding up r do u even use it still. Nice job. Stay safe from ur ole hillbilly buddy
Very neat, careful, craftsmanlike work.
+Hugh Allen Thanks a lot.
I like the concept...where did you source your base plate...I have a buffalo....plenty ridgid..!
This is a godsend in a pinch...
From Grizzly.
@@RPMechanics was it a sale item?
A incomplete mill...?
This is absolutely awesome!!!
southbend used to make attachement you put on colum..and braced spindle...made rigid... was back in 1950s
Yes I remember seeing a picture of one.
this was the perfect video! lol i have the exact same dril press, and i plan to do the same thing, hahaha thank you!!!
Nice, get's the job done. You need to get a third pulley to get some lower speeds. I've done a bit of milling in my press, but glad I have a benchtop now.
Steve S Thanks Steve. I had a 3 pulley set up at one time, but removed it for some reason and didn't put it back on. I'll have to reconsider that.
If you have a bearing issue, you can solve the bearing problem by replacing your lower spindle bearings with an angular contact double row bearings.
Very Cool, I have something similar but slightly lighter scale, they work nice for light gauge material, I can mill as high as 1/4 steel with 1/4 end mill.
Don Cornwall Thanks Don.
Really resourceful and informative, well done
Did you upgrade your bearings to roller bearings? Also where did you get your mills? Thanks
Is that drill capable of having a draw bar on the spindle ?
Is it possible to mill steel with a converted drill press if you take light cuts, or is it only suitable for softer metals such as aluminium, copper and brass?
I like it! Work is always better when born from necessity. Thanks for sharing.
+Arock PCB Thanks for checking it out.
+Arock PCB
Nice job.
Outstanding. very resourceful, i always admire that.
+Walt Kiefer Thanks, I appreciate you taking a look.
Awesome video! Can you give us some dimensions ( diameter stock used, length of stock, set screw locations etc.) for the milling attachment you made? I'd like to give this a go with my Delta DP 220 drill press!
How did you convert the shuck to what you have now please thank you I bought a couple conversions and they keep falling out
Good on ya cobber. That's the way. Nothing can't be done with a bit of thought.
Thanks man.
you are damanging de precision vise with the flyer
It takes a true MACHINIST to take what he has and make it do what he needs. Don't let the BOO BIRD WANKERS* bother you. If your bearings go, I'm sure you will be able to engineer a fix in short order. A MACHINIST is: a machine operator, an engineer, a mathematician, a metallurgist, a metrology expert, a blacksmith, or in other words a GENIUS! I only subscribe to those that I respect their work. I just subscribed to your channel. *No I'm not British, I just like the term, it was appropriate here.
By the way, I was looking at doing the same thing. I can't afford a mill.
Hey thanks a lot. I appreciate your kind words.
These drill press do not have bearings they are made with bushings and a thrust bearing the meats the quill and spindle they can handle side load
Thanks for the info. Was considering the same build, for my home shop.
I just stubbles on some new info maybe you can find useful my drill press has a Morse tapper and a Jacobs chuck turns out they made a Jacobs chuck #633C. New version 34-33C. To have the taper but also a built on collar so the chuck could support side load !! Not sure what drill press your going to use but maybe that is helpful info
Here I am 6.5 years late to this party. But wondering what brand/model compound table that is. Also the model of Craftsman drill press that is, so I could maybe find an alternative with heavy enough specs for this type of conversion. Thanks for the great video.
Look on Grizzly for the table. Main thing is a locking quill.
Good stuff. Interesting conversion. Thanks 👍😀
I'd love to convert my lil drill press but damn they just don't make em like they used to
good job,where can i buy the bits,and a decent compound table,im hoping to play around and see what kinds of parts i can make for my car
I got most of the things from Grizzly.
Yah ever thought about using a scissor jack on the back side of the press it would be more convenient to adjust the drill presses height? Or make a bracket that connects the jack to the front of the support pipe and the jack is on the back of the support pipe. The scissor jack would hold firmly your chosen height, just saying.
Barron Thompson In part 2 I did just that with the hydraulic jack. Thanks.
That's really cool! I may end up doing something like that with my craftsman 12" if I ever get the money for the table!
+W.Co.VIDS Thanks and good luck!
What rpm is your cutter running at?
Where did you get your mail truck or did you make it yourself
Excellent thank you... I'm gonna modify mine to make fullers on my knives....👍
I'm going to buy an old Craftsman tomorrow and embark on the same project. The housing on this DP head looks solid for the work I'll be doing.
Do you know the X-Y table you have here? If not can you reccomend anything similar.
I bought it from grizzly 15 years ago. It's 6x18.
I don't know much about machining but really enjoyed this video purely off of your nice voice, you should make more videos!
Thanks a lot! Hope get one out soon.
I recently purchased the same drill press. Did you make a longer spindle shaft or does it extend enough beyond the Jacobs taper?
Hi I have the same drill press I been wanting to do what you did ,would you please let me know how you remove the drill Chuck, I just don't want to break anything,, thanks
What happens is the bearings wear because they aren't oriented in the proper direction for milling, milling puts sideway stress on the spindle.
I have a small sherline vertical mill, its too small for most work excerpt hobby stuff but its very rigid and accurate.
It might be better to "fix" a harbor frieght mill.
@RP Mechanics - So, 3 years in... How are the bearings holding up? I've been wanting to do the same thing, but keep getting the "You'll shoot your eye out, Ralphie!" from all the machinists out there. I'd be willing to find an old beat drill press and give it a try if it isn't a wasted effort.
The bearings were never a problem. They were making some noise when I got the machine and I switched them out for about 10 bucks. The main draw back is that you're limited to end mills.
What do you use for locking the z position of the drill?
That’s fantastic mate. I am very interested in the piece that you made to replace the Morse Taper in the spindle. Can you give me some more info on that ? I’m fairly inexperienced so dumb it down for me 🤣
Many thanks 🙏
Might be easier to buy a reducing coupling that fits your spindle down to 3/8. Otherwise you have to turn one on a lathe.
where did you buy the x y axis table it looks better built than most i have seen ? thanks
Grizzly
How does the chuck stay in when side loading?
These videos always make me laugh hahaha
I am very impressed ---keep your hands away from that chuck ---that bolt that retains the cutter/drill chuck is a weapon --if you could find one that is flush with the surface that would be awesome. All in all, its very cool. Is it for full time heavy production? Obviously no. Can you use it and make useful parts? Yes---so let the people who are ragging you go back to their dremel tools and you keep on going. Who cares if you have to change the bearings every few years---they are cheap and you change them when necessary. Awesome!
Thanks for watching.
can I pleas ask how have the drill head bearings held up against the sideways forses due to milling?
I have thought about using my drill press for some light milling but head bearings have always put me off doing it.
I didn't have any problems with bearings, but I didn't use this machine a lot. Basically set it up to teach myself some basic milling and then bought a regular mill.
Thanks for putting this vid together. I have the same drill press, but the quill is not as tall as the one you have. What is the quill travel on your dp? Also, the attachment you have that holds the bit, was that made specifically for the Craftsman 101 dp? Can you tell me the part number? Thanks!
I turned the chuck on the lathe. Was going to adapt an er collet holder but ended up getting another mill.
Damn great job!👍👍👍
Great video and just in time for my similar project! Can you tell me the brand and model of the crosslide table, and are you happy with its quality and accuracy? Thx
It's a common model sold by different vendors. I bought this one from Grizzly.