Drill Press or Drill/Mill ?

[jake98]

I could use a heavier duty drill press and am wondering if I should step up to a drill/mill. Or maybe a lathe/mill? Was struggling to drill 1/2" steel yesterday with my little radial drill press, now I'm back in the Grizzley Catalog...:confused2:
With a mill, you can cut holes bigger than you'd drill, right? Plasma out a hole, then mill the inside accurately? I've never operated one.. Seems like if I buy a drill press that does 1 1/4", the next day I'm gonna need 1 1/2".

 

[LD1]

Forgive me for asking but what exactally is a drill mill? What is different from an actual mill?

If it were me though, I would look into getting a used mill. Bridgeport or bridge port knock-off. IMO, a mill can do anything a drill press can, but can also mill things, cut keyways, slots, and as you mentioned, use a boring head and bore a hole as big as you want:thumbsup:

 

[jake98]

They have a few of these combo units:
G1006 2 HP Mill/Drill

 

[LD1]

AH, I see. Like a mini benchtop mill.

Seems kinda pricey though. For $1500 I am sure you can probabally find a decient fullsized knee mill that will do SO much more.

For the price of that thing though, I'd probabally just get a regular drill press. Because I dont see one of those being so good for actual milling. But I have never used one though. But I am used to working with a larger mill.

 

[BobRip]

They have a few of these combo units:
G1006 2 HP Mill/Drill

I have one of these. While it works fine, you cannot put tall items in it. I like the x y table. I do find I use my drill press more. With a drill press you need to get one with a slow speed. These usually have three pulleys.

 

[HCJtractor]

I guess it depends on your budget and frequency of use. On my limited projects, I use my drill press to drill large holes is plate up to 1/2". I like the carbide tipped hole saws. They work great and are fairly fast. Only downside is they are expensive, around $30 for a 1" cut, but they are available in large sizes. THe cheaper bimetal hole saws also work o.k. but are slower. I also think a nice mag drill and annular cutters would be very useful, but again, we are talking $1000 plus. But I am sure a mill would exceed that. So for my occasional use, the drill press and the carbide cutters do all I need. You can buy lots of cutter for way less than $1000.

 

[Scooby074]

For the new price of a mill/drill you can get a used Bridgeport.

A bridgie is a 10x better machine. Personally i think those chicom milldrills are a PITA. Had one at work and hated it, round column and all.

So my advice is to save your $1500 and look for a decent used Bridgeport J for about the same (or a little more). You will need to change the motor or use a phase converter or drive to power it however. A drive would be the best option as it gives speed control too.

 

[LD1]

For the new price of a mill/drill you can get a used Bridgeport.

A bridgie is a 10x better machine. Personally i think those chicom milldrills are a PITA. Had one at work and hated it, round column and all.

So my advice is to save your $1500 and look for a decent used Bridgeport J for about the same (or a little more). You will need a phase converter or drive to power it however.

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

Yep. I see used mills on c-list and the like around me for under 2k every week:thumbsup:

 

[sandman2234]

As Scooby mentioned, the round shaft typically has a lot of problems when it comes to milling, especially with a small table like that. As a drill, it has drawbacks in height, so in reality it is a compromise that doesn't really do either very well.
If you want a mill, buy a mill. If you want a drill press then get a drill press. I typically use my mill for a lot more drilling than the drill press, but mainly because I have tooling larger than what my chuck in the drill will hold, or it is R-8 base, which is what the mill is. If you have a problem investing a lot of money in tooling, then skip the mill and buy a drill press with a couple of those boxes of import drill bits (a couple because you will break them)
Most of the time, a problem drilling a piece of metal has very little to do with the thickness of that metal. Speeds and feeds first, then a good sharpened tool with the right lube.
Stepping up from a drill press to a heavier drill press isn't necessarily via a mill/drill, though most people that need a heavier drill press that go to a mill drill probably step up to a heavier drill press soon after buying the mill drill.
David from jax

 

[jake98]

Thanks for the insights.. I put one of these in the cart: G0705 Drill/Mill with Stand 29 inch x 8 inch Table
but will hold off until I look some more. I don't really need a mill, just don't want to spend half that much on a big drill press, then end up wishing I got one.