A drill press as a mill?

[Pathfinder76]

Has anyone done minor mill work using a drill press? I'm thinking of mostly minor inletting on stocks. If so what types of bits do you use? Thanks.

[double gun]

I haven't, but I have used my mill for inletting. I used endmills and/or router bits. I guess it depends on exactly what you are doing, but you may be in for a rodeo. A compound slide table may help some - if you or KL are ever anywhere near, I would gladly lend you one.

[fish_e_o]

Well a drill press doesn't have any horizontal movement so I guess you could move over reclamp and plunge or you could buy a fancy vice with x and y built into it.

If you're plunging a drill bit will wander and give you inconsistent results endmills are much more reliable.

[Pathfinder76]

I should buy a mill and use it as a drill press. :-)

[Pathfinder76]

I would just be plunging.

[fish_e_o]

Originally Posted by chuck

I should buy a mill and use it as a drill press. :-)

The ol mill-drill very handy in a pinch and they can do some awesome things

[double gun]

I think if you are just plunging, you would be fine with a rigid setup. If you watch kijiji - you can buy a mill/drill for peanuts. They aren't great for milling, but as fish suggested are a big step up from a drill.

[fish_e_o]

What kind of minor inletting? Like making a slot for a safety or opening up for new bottom metal? What material? How can you hold it?

[RolHammer]

Will this mill work involve passing the stock by the cutter in, say, an X-Y vise? If so, this is typically viewed as inadvisable, particularly with any extension of the quill. The DP is not designed to receive side-loading at the chuck.

Edit: by the time I'd thumbed that in I was late to the party.

[RolHammer]

Originally Posted by chuck

I should buy a mill and use it as a drill press. :-)

If you can afford it, definitely yes.

[fish_e_o]

Originally Posted by RolHammer

Will this mill work involve passing the stock by the cutter in, say, an X-Y vise? If so, this is typically viewed as inadvisable, particularly with any extension of the quill. The DP is not designed to receive side-loading at the chuck.

Metal yes

If it's wood or fibreglass you can do pretty much whatever you want. In our machines we don't consider cutting wood to be any more load than cutting air.

[Pathfinder76]

Originally Posted by fish_e_o

What kind of minor inletting? Like making a slot for a safety or opening up for new bottom metal? What material? How can you hold it?

Mostly opening up minor differences in bottom metal and mostly synthetic stocks. I also have a vice on the press.

[fish_e_o]

Originally Posted by chuck

Mostly opening up minor differences in bottom metal and mostly synthetic stocks. I also have a vice on the press.

They have special endmills that can cut laminated material like fibreglass etc without chipping it however it's not really going to help if you're plunging. Go fast and start from the pretty side to eliminate most issues.

Plunge along your line with the endmil then file the nubs that are left over flat after. start at the pretty side and push to the raw side with your file to again avoid chipping the finish.

[gitrdun]

Coincidental that you should bring this up now Chuck, as I have to do exactly likewise today. It's a Boyds Pro-Varmint stock intended for a Rem700 build. The inlet for the bottom metal is 0.045" too shallow. The protuding metal would be unsightly. I find the idea of using your basic bench top drill press for this task a bit scary. Surely, the workpiece (stock) has to be very secure as to not let it move.

In my case, I mounted the stock on the milling machine slide table. I am using a 4 flute 5/8" end mill. I am not plunging as I have to mill the laminate, but also cut through the aluminum pillars which I've installed previously. In this case, I am also using a dial indicator to cut exactly 0.045" from the inlet.

[Grizzly Adams]

Guess you could use one of those Princess Auto movable vises, but the tolerances would suck.

Grizz