Drill press replacement

[Claud1]

Does anyone use a milling machine as a Drill press, and if so what are the pros and cons.

 

[shed9]

Do you mean for woodworking specifically? Cons are probably weight of moving the machine initially and any future requirement but I suppose that depends on what size you are looking at. I have several machines from a Bridgeport to a Weiss 30 and don't relish moving any of them. It's a bit overkill but it does actually come in useful if you use an axis DRO and need accurate placement without bothering to line it out. Another issue would be if you want to switch between materials of wood and metal as lubricant gets everywhere.

 

[Claud1]

I was thinking for woodwork only, as I don't think there are any decent pillar drills available nowadays having had a SIP and now a Jet. I was thinking of accuracy and sturdiness mainly.

 

[Jelly]

I was thinking for woodwork only, as I don't think there are any decent pillar drills available nowadays having had a SIP and now a Jet. I was thinking of accuracy and sturdiness mainly.

Kitchen and Walker (sold via Chester Machine Tools) are still available new, and they have a couple of pillar drills in their range alongside all the big radials and universals...

Decent machines, although potentially more expensive than a used milling machine.

 

[shed9]

I was thinking for woodwork only, as I don't think there are any decent pillar drills available nowadays having had a SIP and now a Jet. I was thinking of accuracy and sturdiness mainly.

I have to admit, all my pillar drills are heavy duty and robust metal working drills for that very reason.

As noted up there ^, you can get decent drilling machines such as the ones mentioned. I actually have a Chester D32 which is absolutely solid with a very large T-table. This works better than you would initially think as you can use standard milling machine T-nuts, machined angles, v-blocks, machine vices, etc. You need to make allowance for sacrificial board under the cut but there are ways around that.
There are a lot of nice toys you can use and throw at a milling machine but I do feel that level of functionality and accuracy will be lost for most woodworking requirements. My experience with pillar drills has been to aim for repeatability as opposed to bang-on accuracy if that makes sense. Unless you are in a position to acquire or already have access to a milling machine, I doubt this is a cost effective way to circumnavigate the usual suspects of average pillar drills.

 

[Claud1]

Thanks for the replies, I have had a look at the D32 on Chester Web site, Are they manufactured in the UK.

 

[shed9]

Thanks for the replies, I have had a look at the D32 on Chester Web site, Are they manufactured in the UK.

Not sure but I doubt it. I stripped mine down completely to rebuild it but don't remember any 'Made in Britain' tags when I broke it down. The D32 is not that different from the Clarke or the Draper variants so I suspect they all come from a similar source. A lot of Chester Machine Tools 'Green' products are usually Chinese in my opinion.

One thing I should add is that I have bought a few machines from Chester in the distant past and my customer experience was appalling. To be fair this was some time ago and things will likely have changed since but it may be worth checking the machinist forums for any recent feedback if you go that route. Personally if I needed to replace my current D32 I'd probably go the Draper route.

 

[Bm101]

If you are looking at accuracy and build quality would you look at an older industrial standard? Meddings etc. you will have to buy used (obviously), and that can have drawbacks of course but in another thread on here it was estimated that the original prices for these drills was equivalent to 2-3 thousand. Similar to their modern industrial equivalents.
I paid 130 quid for mine I think. Spent about 300 in total but that was paint and stuff as well as some dies and other bits for mostly cosmetic repair. It would have worked fine without the new paint.
Obviously there are risks and possible negatives but I cant see how it's possible to beat them for value even now if you have the time and patience to search one out. If you are a pro you might value those commodities differently from me as a hobbyist of course.

 

[Trextr7monkey]

Maybe not a direct reply to original post but if you have one.....
We used an Axminster vertical milling machine for repeated mortises when making Macintosh style chairs. Made things very accurate and quick, ends of tenons were rounded over to match. Never used it for drilling many holes to be honest!

 

[Spectric]

Hi

Just buy a good old second hand one, they originated in metalwork shops but are well built and solid compared to so much new stuff, especially the ones being sold as woodworking machines.

 

[Claud1]

Thanks again for the replies. I know for some people who do woodworking accuracy is not high up in their agenda which I can understand (what I mean is near enough approach) and as much as I would like sometimes to be like that, it is not in my nature and I am too old to change now. I agree that buying a old machine and restoring would be a good option but they are few and far between, and I don't think I want to wait for the right one to come up. I think I will go for a new milling machine and make a few alterations. I will look at the Axminster and other sites later. Any further suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[user22161]

Chester Machine Tools and Chester Hobby Store are two branches of the same business with many of the same products but often different prices and warranty terms. I have a C32 pedestal drill and it's good enough, with little play in the quill even at full extension.