Lathe or Mill…I can't decide and I'm going nutz

[Marco Bernardini]

Something to think about is if you go the milling attachment route with the lathe then get a mill you would never use the milling attachment again. If you go the X Y table route for the drill press you will use it forever with the drill press even after you get the mill so no wasted money. Lot of those tables on ebay.

I confirm an XY table under a drill press is the best thing after sliced bread (even because bolts can't be tighten enough on bread).
To search on eBay, other than "xy table", use also "sliding table", "cross table", "milling table" and "compound table".
It's hard to find them used (just checked) because they are too useful.
The one I made is not very precise, so I look often for a serious one. Alas, the cheapest I can find here in Italy (apart the Proxxon, too small) is this one: $194+shipping! http://www.ebay.com/itm/121096127270

 

[chuckorlando]

Grizzly has at least 3 compound slide tables for less then 150. Little machine shop as well. They also have a milling attachment for 66 which aint bad I dont think.

 

[John Hasler]

Grizzly has at least 3 compound slide tables for less then 150. Little machine shop as well. They also have a milling attachment for 66 which aint bad I dont think.

I have a Grizzly slide table. It's now worth what I paid for it used but it took a lot of fettling. The ways were concave and looked like they had been ground with a wheel off Fred Flintstone's car. The crank handles flopped around on the shafts due to poor design.

 

[Cadillac STS]

With the very small lathe there is not much choice for a little milling attachment, NONE made for it as far as I know to hold 4X6 stock, or real any at all for that. Just to be clear, the lathe first people are assuming someone would buy probably a 10-14 inch swing lathe with the ability for 4 jaw to handle the large flat plate. Not the 7 inch with no chance for 4 jaw swing for 4X6 inch part or no ability for sizable milling attachment.

No chance for 4 jaw on that. But GREAT for small round parts for the keys.

I still think best option is for the X Y table for the drill press as stop gap.

The other question is what the final plan is. Is the plan a hobby type output with a part or two per week, no tax implications really? Or plan for real quantity sales with several parts made per day, minute? If the plan is to fill a need and sell a quantity then it is better to start a business to make them and get a loan as needed for the right equipment to do it right, pump out parts and cover all costs. Exciting situation with lot of info from people who have done businesses here. People sometimes think it is not possible to get a loan for a small business but something like this is just the cost of a car loan really. Just need a bank to work with you with some collateral.

Sounds like first make several to sell, see how it goes. Like everyone else. Still need a mill like situation to make the parts same.

 

[CODEMAN]

I can see that with a lathe this small, there is little room for milling anything of size. I've just read a bunch of threads on various forums that said milling on a drill press is pretty iffy due to the fact that most drill press tables are now perfectly square depending on how tight you lock the table down, but since I have a nice precision screwless vice, it might make sense to try an xy table on my drill press. My drill press is a small bench top job with fixed speed of 1450 RPM, so that may be an issue.

Steve

 

[chuckorlando]

There are MA that could be made to work I figure after doing some searching. But they are arund 200+. I have to agree with the others on the milling table because I'm pretty sure you will be buying a mill soon enough. That would make the MA useless. The good news is now you have a lathe that can do your small turning so all you need now is a small mill.

Theres a few guys on here milling on a drill press. Is it good practice? No. But a man does what he needs to do. Just take super light cuts if it do it and never climb mill. You can work around the rpm some buy using a end mill that works in that rpm.

I would suggest you pench pennies for the tool fund to get a small mill as soon as you can though cause if you dont you will likely need a mill and new drill press

 

[CODEMAN]

I'm going to try that…Beautiful!!!

Steve

I'll tell you how to get a cool looking surface on your brass plate: Make the brass as smooth as possible,polishing it,too. Take a piece of 600 grit Wet or Dry paper and wrap it around a file. Hold the file tilted so that only the edge of it is in contact with the brass. Push the file forward and backwards on the brass,at the same time as you are moving it slightly sideways,say 1/8" per stroke. Proceed all the way across the surface until you have completely covered the surface with the sanding. It looks like curly maple.

This is easier than "spot facing",also known as engine turning,if you don't have an accurate way of moving the brass plate to make each spot with your abrasive stick chucked in a drill press. It is also more unique looking,as everyone ELSE spot faces. On this plane,spot facing would not be appropriate anyway,though it would be on your telegraph key.

I did this to the steel bodied plane that I made,in the picture below.

This is a 19th. C. style "infill" plane,"stuffed" with rosewood. The body is dovetailed together. Most of the work is by hand here. This is a small plane,about 4" long. I made it after I saw a very rare half size salesman's sample in a wealthy guy's tool collection. I can confuse people with it by telling them the plane is made of the very rare "curly steel."

 

[Cadillac STS]

Theres a few guys on here milling on a drill press. Is it good practice? No. But a man does what he needs to do. Just take super light cuts if it do it and never climb mill. You can work around the rpm some buy using a end mill that works in that rpm.

For this application there is NO MILLING WITH A DRILL PRESS. Just locating holes. So a drill press is same as a mill 100% for that application. May be better to buy a good drill press and a good X Y table than a low quality mill for just drilling precision holes. More likely to get a high quality drill press and good X Y table than a low quality (lesser quality table) "Mill" with same or worse table for that application. Just to call it a "Mill."

 

[george wilson]

The "curly maple" surface is easy to do. I had noticed that you left a swirly surface on your main brass plate. You could try variations on decorating the surface with the abrasive paper,by moving it about differently.

If you have a drill press that is at all decent,and an X-Y table,you could get by with milling small brass pieces. The main thing is that many drill press chucks are held on with a SHORT #33 Jacobs taper,and the chuck can fly off. It isn't designed for sideways thrust. I have a 1963 Craftsman drill press that also has the screw on locking collar,and it can't come off. I used it for routing and a little light brass milling in the 60's before I had my own metal working machinery. Just be careful.

Of course,the bearings aren't made for sideways thrust either. But,for the work you're doing,I think you'll be o.k.,till you can get a real mill.

 

[Cadillac STS]

Still waiting for the people that said buy a lathe and not a mill to pipe in and tell how to make these (Flat brass pieces) parts on the lathe he bought.