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using milling bits in a pillar drill?
02GF74 - 13/6/09 at 09:12 AM

I have 1/2 inch block of aluminium that I want to make a large hole in (chain drilling) and shaper the ouside.

Would it be a goo idea to use milling bits in a pillar drill or wouldthat knacker the bearings, even if I go very slowly?

I have a travelling vice so can turn the handle very slowly.

Also best way to saw the block to size - hack saw - I doubt my jigsaw would do a good job?

Any tips on ensuring the cut is straight - norallmaly with thin sheet < 4 mm the straighntess of the edge is not that important.

looks like I wioll be busy withthe saw and file later on ... off to time my cam now.

laters peeps .....


mangogrooveworkshop - 13/6/09 at 09:34 AM

It s not very successful as the neck on the pillar drill has too much flex. We use the milling vice on the myford lathe to do such operations.

Even the biggest floorstanding machines have this problem.
perhaps theres a member near you with a lathe and a milling attachment to do the job for you.
other than that its hard filing and drilling......
cheers mango


02GF74 - 13/6/09 at 09:37 AM

okey dokey, I'll do it by hand - I've done a land rover drop arm puller in thicker steel that took about 6 hours so this should be easy peasy being aluminiumuiunum.


Fred W B - 13/6/09 at 11:07 AM

quote:

[img]make a large hole in [/img]



A hole saw on slow speed is what you want for the hole, if it is round, and you can get a suitable size, even a wood cutting one will work.

Jig saw will be fine for the cutting, but as you said dificult to get exactly straight

Cheers

Fred W B


[Edited on 13/6/09 by Fred W B]


rusty nuts - 13/6/09 at 11:56 AM

Wood working coping saw with plenty of cutting lubes works well if you take your time , just needs tidying up after cutting. Worked on my inlet manifold (12mm)


BenB - 13/6/09 at 03:12 PM

I've got some milling bits and a cross vice under my pillar drill but still haven't got round to trying milling.... I doubt it would be super effective but going really slowly perhaps it would work....


mad-butcher - 13/6/09 at 03:56 PM

french chalk on the file stops it from clogging up

tony


FEZ1025 - 13/6/09 at 10:28 PM

quote:
Originally posted by mad-butcher
french chalk on the file stops it from clogging up

tony


Wow that brought memories flooding back, I've not heard that since being at college over 30 years ago.

Alan...


PHULL - 14/6/09 at 10:38 PM

quote:
Originally posted by BenB
I've got some milling bits and a cross vice under my pillar drill but still haven't got round to trying milling.... I doubt it would be super effective but going really slowly perhaps it would work....


why you can't use the drill press as a minning machine are becuase of the bearings are too small to take the loads ( they are designed for up and down and not lateral loads.

You also will require a draw bar as the milling cutter will dig into the work and pull the chuck right out of the quill and jam in the tapper release holes in the quill and bend the quill. Trust me it's not a fun project straightening the quill for a drill press.


David Jenkins - 15/6/09 at 07:45 AM

Also you'll find that the vibration from milling will loosen the drill's chuck and the cutter will come loose.

Been there, tried it, decided that the returns weren't worth the effort and agro.

I now use one of two methods - a vertical slide in a lathe (good results, but a faff to set up) or an ancient hand shaper I bought yonks ago (can only do small pieces, and good exercise, but the results can be excellent if I do it properly).