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Using my drill press as a mill
- Thread starter strantor
- Start date
What would be better, tapered roller bearings, or cylindrical? I found these tapered ones that look very hefty. Used as axle bearings. O nly problem is they arwnt sealed, so I would need to make some provision for oiling them I guess.
http://www.vxb.com/Merchant2/mercha...ct_Code=Kit12444&Category_Code=Tapered-Roller
http://www.vxb.com/Merchant2/mercha...ct_Code=Kit12444&Category_Code=Tapered-Roller
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I too tend to over stress my DP with a little milling from time to time. It isn't the best or most accurate, but in a quick one pass surface buff it works OK. For a real milling job I use my 3-n-1 and call it good. My 3n1 is about as cheap as they come so it isn't the most accurate either, but it gets me close enough to be an acceptable answer. Bearing preload and side load could be an issue in the future, but I dont think it will kill a machine quickly either. Hope this helps.
Bob
Bob
I'd give up on the idea.
My 2¢ is that I don't see the bearings as a problem. Even if they fail 50$ would buy upgraded bearings. Ball bearings are "radial bearings" while tapered roller bearings support both thrust (axial) and radial loads. Without support axially as the end mill tries to feed itself into the metal the bearings may not last long. This is a different dynamic than normal drilling where the drill is being fed into the metal. Which brings us to what I have seen as the real picadillio.
The problem I see is trying to hold an end mill in the drill chuck. It won't work but for the lightest of cuts without sucking into the work and/or spinning. This is a problem sometimes seen with collets even.
While you can move furniture on top the family sedan you wouldn't want to use it as a moving company. You can mill with a drill press if you need a key way in a shaft and take your time. It's sorta a matter of degree.
Steve
My 2¢ is that I don't see the bearings as a problem. Even if they fail 50$ would buy upgraded bearings. Ball bearings are "radial bearings" while tapered roller bearings support both thrust (axial) and radial loads. Without support axially as the end mill tries to feed itself into the metal the bearings may not last long. This is a different dynamic than normal drilling where the drill is being fed into the metal. Which brings us to what I have seen as the real picadillio.
The problem I see is trying to hold an end mill in the drill chuck. It won't work but for the lightest of cuts without sucking into the work and/or spinning. This is a problem sometimes seen with collets even.
While you can move furniture on top the family sedan you wouldn't want to use it as a moving company. You can mill with a drill press if you need a key way in a shaft and take your time. It's sorta a matter of degree.
Steve
FUNNY ...I like that. Good way to put it
FUNNY ...I like that. Good way to put it
Much to my dismay, the lower bearings which I think will take the brunt of any side load, are smaller than the uppers and I am having trouble finding roller bearings in that size which don't break the bank. I'm still looking though. One of these lower bearings is definitely shot. That probably explains a lot of the racket that the press was making - that, and a bad belt and a loose pulley. I pulled this drill press out of a dumpster at work, after one of my previous employer's "make it shine" 5S witch hunts (basically, they throw away anything that has dust on it - obviously isn't used that often and just "taking up space"). I assumed it was probably no good but took it home and plugged it in - works! I've made a few holes with it and it drills just fine with the bad bearing, but probably would crap the bed if I had tried to mill with it like that.
Thanks for the offer! However, if I borrowed it now, I don't think either one of us would get much use out of it for quite a while. First off, I wouldn't know how to duplicate it. I am a level 1 newb on the lathe. Actually, I haven't even made anything on mine yet. I'm still waiting on my tooling to show up. Secondly, my drill press is currently in in 25 pieces, and I haven't even ordered the bearings yet. Once I get my lathe all set up, and my drill press put back together, learn how to turn a taper, and learn what a JT33 taper is, I will be in a better position to quickly receive, duplicate, and send your holder back. I'll probably take you up on your offer at that time. Thanks!
To all you who told me it was a bad idea, I have painted a target on my backside; you may all line up and take turns kicking and saying "told you so!"
I got my new cheap china QCTP for the lathe and had to mill the bottom piece to fit. I broke in that new cheap china X/Y vise and it's a big P.O.S. The "ways" on it aren't straight, so you can't tighten the side adjustments or it will bind up if you try to move it more than 3." Also there's about 1/4" play in the traversing screws. So I was milling with this floppy piece of crap, and wasn't worth a damn. Kept jumping and hopping and jerking violently.
I got the job done, but I think at the expense of my drill press. On the finishing pass, it gave one last good huurah and threw the vise to the floor (had it held down with C-clamps, like a big dummy). Now there's a bit of a wobble; I think I might've bent the quill. I was too PO'd to investigate it so I put it off until later. I JUST replaced the bearings in this thing, literally last week. I've done one drilling job on it since.
I finished off the QCTP piece with a file, here it is:
Thankfully I didn't pay anything for this drill press. I pulled it out of a dumpster. Unfortunately there isn't a replacement in the dumpster down the street; I already checked.
I got my new cheap china QCTP for the lathe and had to mill the bottom piece to fit. I broke in that new cheap china X/Y vise and it's a big P.O.S. The "ways" on it aren't straight, so you can't tighten the side adjustments or it will bind up if you try to move it more than 3." Also there's about 1/4" play in the traversing screws. So I was milling with this floppy piece of crap, and wasn't worth a damn. Kept jumping and hopping and jerking violently.
I got the job done, but I think at the expense of my drill press. On the finishing pass, it gave one last good huurah and threw the vise to the floor (had it held down with C-clamps, like a big dummy). Now there's a bit of a wobble; I think I might've bent the quill. I was too PO'd to investigate it so I put it off until later. I JUST replaced the bearings in this thing, literally last week. I've done one drilling job on it since.
I finished off the QCTP piece with a file, here it is:
Thankfully I didn't pay anything for this drill press. I pulled it out of a dumpster. Unfortunately there isn't a replacement in the dumpster down the street; I already checked.
I figured I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight until I check out the drill press. I put a dial indicator on the chuck; .0045" when I turn it, and if I pull the chuck side to side hard by hand I can move it .0150"
I took the end mill out of it and put one of my tiny bits for drilling circuit boards; drilled into a white paper and did not see any wobble at all. I think either the end mill was bent or I imagined it.
Do these runout measurements indicate a problem? They seem a whole lot better than I thought they'd be. What's normal for a drill press?
I took the end mill out of it and put one of my tiny bits for drilling circuit boards; drilled into a white paper and did not see any wobble at all. I think either the end mill was bent or I imagined it.
Do these runout measurements indicate a problem? They seem a whole lot better than I thought they'd be. What's normal for a drill press?