compound cross slide

[CrazyGirl]

after a lot of searching I think I am going to skip getting a milling machine and just get a compound cross slide for this bench top drill press I got at a yard sale last week , having looked on the WWW ( that's the World Wide Web ) I see a lot of them , so I guess I am looking for recommendations , I want to keep the cost of the slide to 200 dollars or less ,,, anyone have experience with these , Thanks

[Ace-Garageguy]

I doubt you'll be happy with using a drill press as a mill. In my own experience, which may be different from other people's, I've never encountered a drill press that had anywhere near the stability of the spindle you'd want for a mill...even a little mill. Just my experience...others may differ.

Edited May 17, 2013 by Ace-Garageguy

[vypurr59]

The bearings in the drill press will not stand up to the side loads that are exerted through milling. Here is a company I deal with, Production Tool Supply. Anne, these guys have anything and everything machine tool related, and comparable pricing. The link takes you to the cross-slide vises. They start at $60 and go from there. http://www.pts-tools.com/cgi/CGP2LMXE

Edited May 18, 2013 by vypurr59

[astroracer]

Everything stated above is correct but, the biggest reason you do not want to do this is because the arbor on a drill press is only a press fit taper into the spindle. it is retained in the spindle by the upward pressure of "drilling". A "real" mill will have a drawbar to retain the arbor or milling attachment in the spindle. Do not use a drill press to mill things. The drill chuck will fall out and make a mess of things...

Mark

[sportandmiah]

Using a drill press to mill will not end well. Dangerous my friend.

[raildogg]

I must agree with these comments, do not do it. Why not get the milling attachment for the lathe, it mounts to the cross slide. It's limited in travel but perfect for scale stuff.

[Guest G Holding]

What are you trying to cut Anne ? A mill is a great tool, as is a lathe, but as pointed out every tool has its limits. Older mills can be still found cheap, as can lathes,,,I picked up an 8" Atlas with tooling for $300.00...needed belts and some love, but a great buy.

[CrazyGirl]

not planning on doing any milling , mostly just hole placement, if later on if I see actual milling I'll buy a mill

[Guest G Holding]

not planning on doing any milling , mostly just hole placement, if later on if I see actual milling I'll buy a mill

I might suggest a simple dremel then. I have both a drill press holder and a flex shaft set. I can cut most anything with these, I use my flex handset the most. I have an older corded type, the latest cordless is a nice unit

Your original idea was a cross slide..I really don't see a lot of use for that precision in most modeling projects, unless a lot of scratch building is planned

Edited May 18, 2013 by G Holding