# Drill Press or Mill?



## Papa Charlie (Sep 29, 2020)

As I get closer to retirement and my home shop, I have been replacing many of the tools and machines that I had to give up or never had and always wanted.
I am debating what to use for a drill press. The first thought is of course to purchase a variable speed Clausing drill press. But I remember that I didn't use the last one I had (Grizzly floor drill press) as much as one might think. I am going to have a mill this time around and have thought that maybe the mill would serve dual purpose as a milling machine and my drill press.

I do remember that I was never impressed with the stability of the Grizzly drill press table and maintaining a trammed surface was always an issue.

So I ask the members here, do you use a Drill Press or do you use the Milling Machine for your fixture drilling?

What are the pros and cons of a single or dual resource for fixture drilling?

Thanks very much for your input.


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## projectnut (Sep 29, 2020)

I use both.  I use the mill when making bolt circles, or other configurations where high accuracy is important.  I use the drill presses (I have 3. 1 floor model and 2 bench top models) where extreme accuracy isn't important.

The mill is a Bridgeport 1 1/2 hp variable speed model.  The floor standing drill press is a 1-1/2 hp 21" Jet.  The 2 benchtop models are 14" 1/2 hp models made in Taiwan and purchased under private brand labels at a local farm store.

If I could only have a single machine it would be the Bridgeport.  Sometimes it's a bit more cumbersome to setup, but it can perform more functions than the drill presses.  It's nice to have both in that I don't have to tear down a setup on one or another machine for a quick project.

Here is a picture of the floor standing and benchtop drill press.


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## C-Bag (Sep 29, 2020)

Everybody does different work so there is no simple answer. I agree that your usual floor standing DP is not a good fit for what I do. The table is to small. A lot of guys here say their mill is the only DP they need. It has a big table (Bridgeport) and is accurate. Reversing spindle and lo speed for power tapping etc.

I have a RF30 drill/mill w/DRO and for super accurate stuff yeah it’s the way to go. But increasingly because I’m doing large frames for machines etc I needed a larger DP for less critical stuff and found the fit for what I do. It’s a 2’ radial arm drill with a huge cast iron table, so plenty of room for mounting stuff up that I would have just done with a hand drill. Wish had known this even existed 40yrs ago.


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## tq60 (Sep 29, 2020)

This drill press operation not easy on drill press but simple on mill...

4 inch 1/2 moon cut on 3/8 plate.
	

	
	
		
		

		
			








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## C-Bag (Sep 29, 2020)

“4 inch 1/2 moon cut” ? Its not clear exactly what you’re doing there but cutting (milling?) is not what you do and a drill press. So of course it would be done on a mill.


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## Papa Charlie (Sep 29, 2020)

@projectnut I like that variable speed drill. Looks more like a Clausing than a Jet. I got to admit I hate changing belts for speed and hate to admit that I have burned up too many bits because I was too lazy to change the speed. If I were to purchase a DP I would go with a floor mount unit and a variable speed unit like the Clausing or your Jet.

It would be nice to have both.

@C-Bag I can see where a radial arm might be nice as well. I have fought to drill large items many times and would have loved to have a deep throate DP. But they do take up a significant amount of floor space. So that would be a decision for once I get the shop. But something to consider for sure.


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## C-Bag (Sep 29, 2020)

Papa Charlie I am constrained by floorspace too with a two car garage. So everything is on castors and is usually some kind of work station. There is no perfect solution for every situation and I don’t have the luxury of the biggest possible. So ever since I decided I was going to do my own machining I’ve thought really carefully what I wanted to do then went a little bigger. My old HD bench DP served me well for 30yrs until this solution came along.


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## ttabbal (Sep 29, 2020)

C-Bag said:


> “4 inch 1/2 moon cut” ? Its not clear exactly what you’re doing there but cutting (milling?) is not what you do and a drill press. So of course it would be done on a mill.




Notching with a 4.5" hole saw. I've run one of those in a DP, couldn't get it slow enough so it chattered like crazy. I'll have to try it on the mill next time I want to run a hole saw. The more flexible speeds and rigidity should help a lot with those. 

I have a DP I got before I got a mill. I use it still, mostly for smaller holes where the faster speeds aren't a problem and for work that doesn't need the accuracy. And for the occasional tree carcass work...


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## C-Bag (Sep 29, 2020)

ttabbal said:


> Notching with a 4.5" hole saw. I've run one of those in a DP, couldn't get it slow enough so it chattered like crazy. I'll have to try it on the mill next time I want to run a hole saw. The more flexible speeds and rigidity should help a lot with those.
> 
> I have a DP I got before I got a mill. I use it still, mostly for smaller holes where the faster speeds aren't a problem and for work that doesn't need the accuracy. And for the occasional tree carcass work...


I get it now. Right now I also suffer from not being able to go slow enough with the DP and I would think it wouldn’t be ridged enough for a 4.5” hole saw. I have punched a 5/8” hole with it and it’s slowest speed of 450rpm wasn’t ideal but I didn‘t burn up  or break anything. I’m on the lookout for a 1075rpm motor to replace the 1750rpm on it right now.


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## reds (Sep 29, 2020)

I use both depending on how accurate it has to be...


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## Papa Charlie (Sep 29, 2020)

C-Bag said:


> Papa Charlie I am constrained by floorspace too with a two car garage. So everything is on castors and is usually some kind of work station. There is no perfect solution for every situation and I don’t have the luxury of the biggest possible. So ever since I decided I was going to do my own machining I’ve thought really carefully what I wanted to do then went a little bigger. My old HD bench DP served me well for 30yrs until this solution came along.



Nice unit. Hard to read, is that a Delta radial arm? Now that would make sense as second to a mill.


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## Mitch Alsup (Sep 29, 2020)

Papa Charlie said:


> As I get closer to retirement and my home shop, I have been replacing many of the tools and machines that I had to give up or never had and always wanted.
> I am debating what to use for a drill press. The first thought is of course to purchase a variable speed Clausing drill press. But I remember that I didn't use the last one I had (Grizzly floor drill press) as much as one might think. I am going to have a mill this time around and have thought that maybe the mill would serve dual purpose as a milling machine and my drill press.
> 
> <snip>
> ...



I have a 30 YO drill press (Craftsman) and a 3 YO Mill (G0730). 
Since getting the Mill, the only time I use the drill press is when I have something fixtured in the mill and need to drill a usefully precise hole, otherwise I use the Mill as first choice, or hand drill as second choice.


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## C-Bag (Sep 29, 2020)

Papa Charlie said:


> Nice unit. Hard to read, is that a Delta radial arm? Now that would make sense as second to a mill.


Thanks. Delta Rockwell. Seems to be liked ok with wood workers, metal workers not so much. I guess they didn’t make it for that long so I guess that’s why I’d never seen one until a member here found it. More than anything I just liked the design.


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## Papa Charlie (Sep 29, 2020)

I added a voting item to this, so we could see the tally.


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## pontiac428 (Sep 29, 2020)

@C-Bag, that unidrill is sweet!  What a cool setup.

There are several things that I would do on a drill press that I wouldn't do on a mill table.  Cutting a big hole with a hole saw is one of them.  Anything requiring me to put my knee on a 2x4 backup board is for the drill press.  General drilling for fabrication and welding projects are usually done on the drill press.  Basically, anything dirty or unfixtured goes on the drill press.  If I'm doing fixture drilling, then of course that is done on the mill, mainly for geometric purity, but also because that is a precision drilling job (sounds like an oxymoron but grids and patterns of holes are mill territory).  I would have a real hard time giving up my drill press.  Okay, presses, because I have 3 right now.


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## C-Bag (Sep 29, 2020)

pontiac428 said:


> @C-Bag, that unidrill is sweet!  What a cool setup.
> 
> There are several things that I would do on a drill press that I wouldn't do on a mill table.  Cutting a big hole with a hole saw is one of them.  Anything requiring me to put my knee on a 2x4 backup board is for the drill press.  General drilling for fabrication and welding projects are usually done on the drill press.  Basically, anything dirty or unfixtured goes on the drill press.  If I'm doing fixture drilling, then of course that is done on the mill, mainly for geometric purity, but also because that is a precision drilling job (sounds like an oxymoron but grids and patterns of holes are mill territory).  I would have a real hard time giving up my drill press.  Okay, presses, because I have 3 right now.



Thanks John. It is a HEAVY beast. Just wish they’d had thought to put more t-slots down the middle of the table. My brother gave me that old Palmgren RT and while its nowhere as good as my 10” RT for my mill it’s pretty wonderful for the UniDrill. It had just been moldering in a drawer because it ate up all my Z axis on the benchtop DP. The UniDrill has almost as much Z as a floor DP. Quite a step up from my old HF benchtop DP. I’m with you, right tool for the job and can’t live without at least one DP.


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## Eddyde (Sep 29, 2020)

I currently have 2 Drill Presses setup and the Mill, I use which ever best fits what I'm doing. But it all comes down to how much work you'll be doing and how much convenience you want.


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## MrWhoopee (Sep 29, 2020)

Mill is a must-have. DP is nice for quick and dirty drilling. I bought an HF benchtop DP, it is everything it needs to be (including cheap economical).


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## C-Bag (Sep 29, 2020)

Eddyde said:


> I currently have 2 Drill Presses setup and the Mill, I use which ever best fits what I'm doing. But it all comes down to how much work you'll be doing and how much convenience you want.


I really had Iron Envy when a RB-1 came up on CL in between LA and SanDiego. They wanted $2500 for it. It was nowhere near the condition of yours Eddyde but looked in good condition. it stayed on there for 6mo. Somebody finally relieved me of the temptation.


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## tq60 (Sep 29, 2020)

ttabbal said:


> Notching with a 4.5" hole saw. I've run one of those in a DP, couldn't get it slow enough so it chattered like crazy. I'll have to try it on the mill next time I want to run a hole saw. The more flexible speeds and rigidity should help a lot with those.
> 
> I have a DP I got before I got a mill. I use it still, mostly for smaller holes where the faster speeds aren't a problem and for work that doesn't need the accuracy. And for the occasional tree carcass work...


This is with VFD and back gear.

About 60 rpm and light pressure.

Hard to get that slow with dp.

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## hman (Oct 1, 2020)

Couple of factors to consider:
Most mills have longer quill travel than most drill presses.
Mills have a fine quill feed, which drill presses generally lack.
Mill tables have handy T-slots, allowing more versatile work holding than drill press tables.
The table on a drill press can usually be adjusted for height a bit more quickly than of a mill.
Drill press tables can usually be set up for angle drilling pretty easily - on a mill, you generally have to tilt the head, then reset tram afterward. 
The classic "arc of shame" on a drill press table ain't nice ... but if you do it on a mill table, that's really nasty.


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## C-Bag (Oct 1, 2020)

hman said:


> Couple of factors to consider:
> Most mills have longer quill travel than most drill presses.
> Mills have a fine quill feed, which drill presses generally lack.
> Mill tables have handy T-slots, allowing more versatile work holding than drill press tables.
> ...


I find it more complicated than that because I guess I don’t have most Mills. My mill/drill has 5” of quill travel where my DP has 7”.
For drilling I find the fine feed on my mill a pain. I don’t use a drill chuck in my mill because it eats up Z axis and complicates my process of not moving the Z height during milling so I don’t lose register. For drilling the drill press is quicker easier. T-slots are wonderful whatever machine they are on.
My mill/drill doesn’t have a rotating head so I have to fixture to do angle drilling or milling. This is where the UniDrill shines in having a huge range of motion and angles are easily adjustable.
I felt like I was going to be struck by lightning when I drill and tapped holes for the HF xy vise and Palmgren xy RT. But at least they were on purpose not stupidity. There was only one “mark of shame“ before those 4 tapped holes. Funny how I don’t feel that when I mod my HF machines.


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## DeanB (Oct 1, 2020)

I voted for Mill/Drill if I was going to have only one.  My mill is relatively new to me and the first drill press is a 17" Jet that I've had for 30 years and has served me well.  Second drill press is a lighter duty Rockwell radial arm.  Got it mostly for tree carcass work because of both the much deeper throat and ability to drill angles without tilting the workpiece.  I find that for anything in metal the mill works better and produces much better holes.


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## Winegrower (Oct 1, 2020)

I only use the drill press for wood or when there’s a setup on the Bridgeport i don’t want to mess up.    The miil is a great drill press but the drill press is a terrible mill.


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## Alcap (Oct 2, 2020)

I can relate to the OP , been picking up a few machines looking for having  more free time in retirement ,,,, at the end of the month !!!!!  I have a Clausing 8520 and the only  DP I have was one my father had in the early sixties ,, a 1/2" B&D  hand held in a stand . I cringed at the few times I drilled rusted junk in the 8520's vise or clamping on the table . The other day picked up a very clean Craftsman 15" 12 speed w/ 5/8" chuck floor model . For $65 Only used it a few times and very happy drilling some black walnut and some steel .


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## mickri (Oct 2, 2020)

I have a mill/drill and 3 drill presses, 2 Wiltons and a HF.  I have never used the HF drill press since getting the Wiltons.  I never use the mill/drill to just drill the random hole I might need in something.  Too slow.  My garage shop is divided into clean side and dirty side.  I have a drill press on each side.   Like C-Bag everything in my shop except for the lathe is on casters.  Even the mill/drill although I only seem to move it when I am cleaning up chips.

If I was limited to only one machine it would be the mill/drill.


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## Bi11Hudson (Jan 8, 2021)

Papa Charlie said:


> As I get closer to retirement and my home shop, I have been replacing many of the tools and machines that I had to give up or never had and always wanted.
> I am debating what to use for a drill press. The first thought is of course to purchase a variable speed Clausing drill press. But I remember that I didn't use the last one I had (Grizzly floor drill press) as much as one might think. I am going to have a mill this time around and have thought that maybe the mill would serve dual purpose as a milling machine and my drill press.
> 
> I do remember that I was never impressed with the stability of the Grizzly drill press table and maintaining a trammed surface was always an issue.
> ...


Having both machines throws yet another kink into the question.  I have several drill presses, from 5/8 chuck capacity down. The most common use for Wife is making pens. For me, anything from drilling large (1/2+) holes to metal working with a Nr 80 drill. (0.0135" / 1/3mm)

I do a lot of wood and plastic work as well. (acrylic and polycarbonate) For working plastics I acquired a small vertical mill so I could slow the drill below melting the plastic. Drilling a tap size hole for a Nr2-56 screw the drill would melt through the plastic, leaving tapping out of the question. The mill can be slowed down to a usable speed. Further, the mill has an X-Y table. But doing large woodworking projects is a "no  go". Often the work will not even fit the table. And clean up is a pain.

If I were to recommend one or the other, I would say a middlin'(3/8 bench) size drill press *and* a Horrible Fright mini-mill. Make it cheap to start up and buy nicer machines as the need dictates. Drilling a forstner bit into a 2x4 is not recommended for a milling machine. Nor is drilling a Nr 48 hole with a drill press in acrylic going to yield desired result. Your results will probably vary, depending on where your priorities are.

If in a serious machine shop, most work can be done on a milling machine, that's for sure. But for a home shop, where the structure is built of wood, questionable at best.

.


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## Buffalo21 (Jan 8, 2021)

I have 4 mills and 3 drill presses, I use them all. I have never used a mill to drill a hole, unless the piece is in the mill already. I have a super duty drill press,with a built in tapping head, with a MT#3 quill and a 1” chuck. Very stout and good enough for about 95% of what I do.


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## aliva (Jan 9, 2021)

I have both a small Delta 14 drill press . I bought about 30 years ago before I even thought of a mill.  ( and couldn't afford) .If I need a quick hole that doesn't require much accuracy it's the drill press. Anything else its the mill. I'm happy I have both.


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## Papa Charlie (Jan 10, 2021)

As I have neither, I will most likely buy a mill first then keep my eyes open for a drill press. If I find a great deal on the drill press before I find the mill, I will probably jump on it.


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## nnam (Jan 10, 2021)

If you ask, then you have the option, so milling machine would be the answer.
But you may not need any if you didn't use drill press much.
None would be the answer.


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## kb58 (Jan 10, 2021)

To the OP: I faced the same situation. I put up with a so-so quality drill press for years, using it as part of building two cars from scratch. A lot of chatter, and the spindle was always slightly loose, so when you'd apply any pressure, it would skew sideways slightly, but I made due. My "shop" consists of one half of a two-car garage, where the shop machines sharing space with the current project car, so space is always at a premium. Like the OP, I started thinking about retirement and how to set up the shop for the long term. The drill press was wearing out, so I used the chance to make an enormous upgrade and replace it with a proper mill (PM-935). That, in combination with buying a slightly shorter-bed lathe, meant that everything still fits. The mill does everything the drill press did and so much more. No chatter, and it was the first time I ever drilled a hole where the only sound I could hear was the slight hiss of the drill bit removing the metal. Accuracy of hole placement, variable speed, DRO, it's an amazing upgrade if you can swing it. So, I have no regrets and never looked back.

That said... "if" you have the space, then sure, have both, but if you have room for only one, it's a pretty clear choice.


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## Larry$ (Jan 10, 2021)

I've got both but will use the mill 90% of the time for drilling metal. My Jet benchtop is pretty worn out and less than an ideal unit. I had bought the heaviest standard Grizzly floor model but sold it after multiple problems and taking months to get parts. I still have a 70s Craftsman "commercial" that still works fairly well. it has a split head so quill slack can be adjusted. I find the quill lock to be very advantageous in making setups. We got an OSHA fine for not having the DP bolted to the floor.


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