Should I buy a mill or a drill press?

[Vern_in_IL]

The problem is that it will only go down to 240 rpm on the slowest setup. I would like it to go down to 150 rpm or less to turn large diameter drills and hole saws.

I can with a table top mill like the PM-25MV Milling Machine. Or should I buy a good drill press and mod the [censored] out of it, by Switching to a larger pulley and make a new belt guard.

 

[skyactiv]

Buy a mill, you wont regret it unless it will sit unused due to lack of creativity and ambition.

 

[Zee09]

Variable speed mills are the bomb.
A drill press doesn't even compare.

 

[Trav]

Get a good old US made used mill.

 

[clinebarger]

Check out some auctions, You may end up with a giant Bridgeport that weighs 2,000 pounds for pennies on the dollar!
Just watch out for 3-Phase machines if you don't have that kind of service!

 

[philipp10]

Mill 100%....if you can afford it.

 

[4WD]

Originally Posted By: clinebarger
Check out some auctions, You may end up with a giant Bridgeport that weighs 2,000 pounds for pennies on the dollar!
Just watch out for 3-Phase machines if you don't have that kind of service!


Oh yeah … in my younger days, did some amazing work on those Bridgeport mills …
(most of it legal) …

 

[Donald]

You are probably better off with a milling machine.

But I have my Dad's old Delta drill press maybe 1960s. He mounted a mandrel with pulleys on the back of the drill press that allows additional reduction in speed. It's got a foot pedal on/off as a safety feature. Wired before grounded outlets and plugs were common.

The table has only one pot mark in it. I did it when I was a teenager.

 

[Trav]

Originally Posted By: clinebarger
Check out some auctions, You may end up with a giant Bridgeport that weighs 2,000 pounds for pennies on the dollar!
Just watch out for 3-Phase machines if you don't have that kind of service!


Yes, you need a crane truck to move them, but the same thing goes for a big drill press with hydraulic table and power feed.

 

[funflyer]

I have both a mill and drill press and use them both equally but, if I could have only one, it would definitely be the mill.

 

[EdwardC]

I've been looking getting a mini mill instead of a drill press as well. One thing I've seen is that you have to consider the z axis travel to ensure you have enough space to do the work you want to do. Especially if you'll be using a chuck instead of a collet and if you'll be using some kind of clamp fixture to hold the work.

This may not be as much of an issue for the mill you're looking at, but the smaller mini mills only have ~10" of space to fit the backer, work piece, drill bit, and chuck. I'm still like the idea of a mill over a drill press though.

Are you looking to do mostly wood working?