Re: Drill-press for milling?

["Phillip Heslin" <pheslin-at-home-dot-com> (by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>)]

Dan,

   It is possible to use a drill press for for milling as you have
described, but with a few caveats. Most drill presses have quite a bit
more play in the spindle than a milling machine and the bearings aren't
well designed to handle sideways loads. If possible leave the spindle
fully retracted(up) and raise the table up far enough to make your cuts.
If your drill press has a lever to clamp the spindle in place tighten
that down also. Take fairly light cuts to avoid excessive wear and tear
on your drill presses bearings. And finally you need to use the right
spindle speed for the material, diameter of endmill, cutting oil etc.
   You are welcome to contact me off-list if you have any further
questions.

       Regards,

       Phil Heslin



> 
> Original Poster: "Dan and Nancy" <ntesla-at-logicsouth-dot-com>
> 
> Hi all,
> I have a drill-press, some end mills, and an x/y milling vise.
> Would it be possible to mill flats on a motor armature for a synchronous
> gap using this setup? The drill-press is fairly heavy duty.
> Thanks,
> Dan Kline
> ntesla-at-logicsouth-dot-com