Question regarding milling machines

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godogs57

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Apr 16, 2004
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I need a milling machine only for slotting handguards....not having enough $ for one of the more expensive ones, my question is this...why can't I use my drill press? It's a Craftsman 15" upright drill press - one of the nice ones, with about 14-15 speeds available depending upon the position of the belts. Why could I not bolt down a good vice, get some cutters and give it a try? I have never done any millwork before, but want to give it a try...just wondering...hope it ain't a dumb question!

Thanks for your help!

Hank Hammond
 
godogs57 said:
I need a milling machine only for slotting handguards....not having enough $ for one of the more expensive ones, my question is this...why can't I use my drill press? ...........
Hank Hammond
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Because the bearings won't stand the lateral stress, and it will destroy the press.
This question has been asked numerous times here.
 
I just reread my post, and it seems a bit harsh. Sorry, it wasn't meant that way. I was just in a hurry when I posted.:eek: :confused: ;)
 
My advice on a mill, get as big and heavy as you can aford, and find space for.

A good cross slide vice in a nice drill press will make drilling out a gaurd almost as easy as a mill, well not realy, but a whole lot easier than center punching and free hand drilling, and drill a couple sizes under what you want the finished slot size to be. Then go up in bit sizes till you are a little under the slot size and the webing is cut out, then it's not hard to file the slot to size.
 
anvilring let us know how it goes with the mill :D I have never used a mill (or seen one being used) and was wondering how deep do you go before you start your horizontal milling of a slot and what kinda bits do you use for it?
 
Before I go any farther let me say I would not use a drill press to do any milling as I feel there is a possability of getting hurt.

One of the things I have learned from years of using milling machines is that mill cutters cut a lot better making downward cuts rather than making a full depth cut sideways. I often make slots using cutters from 1/8" to 1". I start with a drilled hole slightly smaller than the mill cutter and make a lot of plunge cuts while moving in the direction of the slot. The amount of cut depends on the size of the cutter. With an 1/8" cutter I move about .01" at a time and with a 1" cutter I may move .100" at a time depending on the material. With this method I don't think I have ever broken a mill cutter and the best thing is the slots are always straight.
 
Pete are you saying drill a smaller hole to start, then use your mill bit to redrill it, pull the bit out of the material, move it .01" in the direction of the slot then drill another hole with it overlaping the old hole? and if i am looking for mill bits what kind would i look for, end mill or something like that?
 
Terry_Dodson said:
Pete are you saying drill a smaller hole to start, then use your mill bit to redrill it, pull the bit out of the material, move it .01" in the direction of the slot then drill another hole with it overlaping the old hole? and if i am looking for mill bits what kind would i look for, end mill or something like that?
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Centercutting end mills. They cut downward, as well as laterally.

Also, what Will said above is very, very true. Get as big a mill as you possibly can, and then it probably won't be enough.

Don't buy any mill with "mini", or "micro" as part of the name. If you do, you'll end up crying three times. Once when you buy it, next, when you find it won't do what you want, and finally, when you have to buy a bigger one, and realize the money you wasted on the small one, that could have been used to help buy the bigger one in the first place.:eek: ;)
 
Mike Hull said:
Centercutting end mills. They cut downward, as well as laterally.

Also, what Will said above is very, very true. Get as big a mill as you possibly can, and then it probably won't be enough.

Don't buy any mill with "mini", or "micro" as part of the name. If you do, you'll end up crying three times. Once when you buy it, next, when you find it won't do what you want, and finally, when you have to buy a bigger one, and realize the money you wasted on the small one, that could have been used to help buy the bigger one in the first place.:eek: ;)
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This is very sound advice. Even guys like me who have been machinist for a living for years make mistakes. When I was setting up my home shop for knifemaking a few years ago I bought a Jet mill/drill. Its nice, but no replacement for a full-sized knee drill. For the price I paid for the mill/drill, I could have had a beat-up Bridgeport. I shoulda...

I will have to diagree with some of this in that a small benchtop mill definitely has its place in a knife shop. This applies especially to people with no experience in milling at all. The mini-mills are great for learning on. Also notice I said "mini" and not "micro." The micro drills aren't much good for anything, but they do make exceptional machines for jeweling liners! Anyway, the mini-mills are a great way to get started without dumping lots of money into it. Most of the time knifemakers will use these for handle fittings and so on, and they will certainly perform these tasks with ease.

There is one word of caution I feel like saying to everyone new to milling: STUDY! Dammit, I went to school for this stuff. It was intense. There's so much to learn, and so much I still want to learn about it... and I've been doing this since I was a pre-teen. Sure, you can buy a mill and slap some tooling on it and chuck up some metal, but beware that you may not achieve the results you are after, and you'll get frustrated - or worse - hurt. Machining arts is a field of study, and it don't come easy overnight. Read all you can about it, and if there is someone in your area willing to show you a thing or two, then please get together. It's number one for safety, and a big number two for results.

There. I said it. :p
 
The problem with using a drill press have been laid out there pretty well.

Lateral stresses and all...

Do end mills drift like a bit during the plunge?

Shane
 
shane justice said:
Do end mills drift like a bit during the plunge?

Shane
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Not enough to be perceptible, unless you are using an overly-fast feed rate into a hard material. Usually, with the correct feed and the correct speed, a little coolant, a straight vertical plunge with an end-mill will result in a nice perpendicular hole... but the end mill is not designed for that kind of work. Why? The cutting edges are designed to shave material - not carve it like a drill bit. Put one beside the other and look at the differences. The drill bit is long and skinny and made for boring deep holes, while the endmill is stout and made for heavy-duty cutting and surfacing.

The best practice for making holes properly is this:

1. Centerpunch the spot you want the hole to be bored.
2. Spot-drill to the full-width of the diameter of the spot drill you are using.
3. Drill the hole to within +/- .005 of the final dimension.
4. Ream to final dimension.
5. Be sure to use a drilling lubricant *ALWAYS*
 
Learning more every day....this was exactly the kind of information I needed...much appreciated.

Mike Hull: Good Lord boy, you wern't harsh...I get set straight by my wife every day...I know harsh. I just appreciate you answering the question! Take it easy.

I might look for a "mini" mill to learn on...really, all I need it for is the cutouts for slotting tangs...I am getting sick and tired of drilling holes, filing my fingers off and having a sloppy fit...its time I do it right

Again, Thanks,

Hank
 
godogs57 said:
Mike Hull: Good Lord boy, you wern't harsh...I get set straight by my wife every day...I know harsh. I just appreciate you answering the question! Take it easy.

I might look for a "mini" mill to learn on...really, all I need it for is the cutouts for slotting tangs...I am getting sick and tired of drilling holes, filing my fingers off and having a sloppy fit...its time I do it right

Again, Thanks,

Hank
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LOL.............I understand!;)

On the filing, and fit, here's a trick till you get a mill of some sort.
When you have your guard cut to length, drilled, and the holes connected,
Polish the front of the guard on a disk sander, 220, 400, 600, and you will be at almost mirror, and that's all you have to go at this time. Don't buff if you can help it(or just don't have a disk sander), as it makes it really hard to solder later, unless you scrub the heck out of it with acetone, 409 etc.

When you start to file, make sure the polished side is towards you, and as you make your file strokes you will see what I mean in the reflection. If you cant that file so much as a degree it will show up instantly.
It works great.:eek: :D
 
Also, on the file that you use on the sides of the slot, if it doesn't have "safe" edges, make it so by grinding the teeth off the sides.
That way you don't inadvertantly make the slot longer unintentionally, as you file the sides.
You can make different parts of many files safe, and I guarantee, they will come in handy sooner, or later.
 
Mike,

My main problem is the initial cut after drilling the holes. Example: I am cutting a slot for a 1/8" thick blade...well, of course, you have to use a bit smaller than 1/8" for your starter holes...just about every file I have, or can buy, is not thin enough to get started through the holes...excepting a "points" file from the auto store..and it is murder to hang on to while trying to get it started through the hole...

My slotting files that I use after the hole is enlarged are flattened on the side so it wont lengthen the hole...brilliant minds think alike I see.

Be good.
 
Sounds like you realy need a set of needle files, Sears has them, and if you break them or wear them out take them back and get new ones.

Also should be able to find a set of them at a good hardware store, or even order from Sheffield's or such supply places. A simple file guid works great too.

A trick I learned after getting my mill is to use a sharp cold chisel to make a flooting center punch, insures all the holes are drilled inline.

If all your doing or are planning on doing is to drill holes and slot gaurds, a micro mill would probably be OK, but once you have a mill, trust me you'll find other uses for it!
 
jhiggins said:
I will have to diagree with some of this in that a small benchtop mill definitely has its place in a knife shop. This applies especially to people with no experience in milling at all. The mini-mills are great for learning on.
Click to expand...

I have a Taig that I set up for CNC and it is a great machine. it does everything I need it to do and I think it is a step up from the Chinese imports.
I control it with my computer and i can mill what ever size slot I want by typing in the distance and hitting a key on my keyboard. I works great for me and i would definatly recommend it. I built the controller and installed the stepper motors with the intention of using it to mark my knives using a CNC program. I will get to that point sometime in the future but it is very useful right now.

Michael
 
Michael I am very interested in learning about your CNC setup. I'm going on vacation in a couple days so will be out of contact for a while but when I get back I'd like to strike up a conversation with you on this if you're up for it. CNC milled slots sounds like just the ticket! And I have a junk computer I can designate for the tool. (It's a PC; I use a Mac for real life. ;) )
 
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