Quote:
Originally Posted by ThunderCactus
I actually fix machines for a living
It actually doesn't matter for the sizes he's working with as long as he's milling soft non-ferrous alloys. As a cheap solution, a drill press works just fine. I've done plenty of light milling in aluminum on drill presses.
What is a light milling machine but a slightly reinforced drill press with a 2 axis table anyway lol
Even a jacobs chuck is okay for light duty milling, not recommended, but I doubt the belt driven motor could supply enough torque to break the end mill loose in the chuck.
The only thing you'll really be missing from an actual milling machine is precise Z axis travel. And unless you're looking at an $800 cross slide vise, you may have real crap tolerances and slop. The actual head of a milling machine is not worth a whole heck of a lot more than a drill press, it's the table that makes up the rest of the price.
It's around $1500 for a decent bench top light duty mill, $700 for a decent drill press with a cheap cross slide vice
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Great information!! Currently I only have a cheap drill press at home for some simple work. Reply on machines at work and friend's place to do some work on metal parts or so.
I found no problem milling HDPE on the drill with a good vise table. But I am too afraid to mill anything hard (like aluminum or pot metal) using the drill. Maybe I should give it a shot. If I break the drill, just another excuse to buy a mill machine lol.