shooterbenedetto Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 i was thinking of buying a milling table for about 100.00 and convert my drill press to a milling machine. do you guys think it will work for gunsmithing? planning to do: slide cut for slide fitting. slide cut for frame fitting simple dovetail cut for racker installation simple slide cuts for lightening slide. any other ideas would be great. also what lathe machine do you guys suggest for me to buy. im just a hobby gunsmith..do you guys think the 3 in one milling machine is worth 1,000.00 for gunsmith hobby?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shred Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 Not a good idea. Drill press bearings and spindles aren't set up for side loads. I looked into this once. It works great to position drills and such for vertical drilling, but any sort of sideways cutting is not going to work well and may involve your chuck coming loose from its taper while spinning an end mill. That is not an entertaining top. For $500 or so, you can get a chinese mini-mill that will work ok after some tuning (or better yet, get a US-made Taig for a little more), but there's a reason the big boys use big iron to cut small stuff-- it's much easier to be accurate and get a good cut on the bigger machines. Oh yeah, you'll also need to commit to trashing some parts and bits while you learn.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shooterbenedetto Posted January 15, 2007 Author Share Posted January 15, 2007 thanks shred i took machine shop in college and i was planning on doing the cut and dimension first on wax...this is how we did it in college. that way i can learn the mistake and cut once. i think ill look into the 3 in one machines.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooter Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 Once you put a large side load on a drill press, the chuck will fly out. Plastic is okay, but not metal. Don't buy the 3 in 1 machines. They will really limit you on what you can do. It's still better to buy separate machines. If you do a search on the net for mini-mill or mini-lathe, there's a ton of info on those. You can often find really good deals on used milling machines locally especially if you have room for a fullsize mill. I've seen Bridgeports J-heads go for as low as $600. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokshwn Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 Check out http://www.homegunsmith.com tons of info and advice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Sample Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 A very bad idea. Listen to what Shred said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OpnBlstr Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 You will be much happier with a dedicated mill of any size instead of a drill press conversion. The drill press conversions and 99% of the 3-in-1 machines just aren't up to the task. To do good work your mill needs to be really rigid with good bearings and have a table with high quality screws. You should be able to find an old beat up looking knee mill for cheap that still has lots of life in it. If you can get one with adjustable backlash even better. A DRO isn't necessary for most operations but it sure makes life easier doing slide-frame fits since milling operations are held to within a half thousandth for those cuts. Generally the larger the mill the better your cuts will be and the larger the cuts you can take. Even a small mill like the BX-288 can do some quality work with a good machinist - just take your time and it will work. You'll also want a decent vise for it. Kurt is kind of the standard around here and their price sheet shows they know it. You can also get AngleLock knockoffs that are pretty good for a fair price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MasterLefty Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 I would also suggest that you stay away from the machines with a cylindrical post for the vertical column, such as Enco mill/drill machines. There is just too much vibration, to get an accurate cut. If you can afford it, try to find a used Bridgeport J-Head style machine. There's a reason why the base weighs 800 lbs! +1 on the Kurt (they weight about 75lbs), although an old Bridgeport will work too. Kenny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loves2Shoot Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 My Bridgeport is probably a ton (I would guess) and I wouldn''t want anything less for the small/precise cuts on hard steel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10mmdave Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 i was thinking of buying a milling table for about 100.00 and convert my drill press to a milling machine. do you guys think it will work for gunsmithing? planning to do:slide cut for slide fitting. slide cut for frame fitting simple dovetail cut for racker installation simple slide cuts for lightening slide. any other ideas would be great. also what lathe machine do you guys suggest for me to buy. im just a hobby gunsmith..do you guys think the 3 in one milling machine is worth 1,000.00 for gunsmith hobby?? As far as the drill press idea...been there done this, made the chuck fly An XY table is fine for drilling holes but follow the advice of the others, get a real mill. Now if you find any $600 J head Bridgeports, send me an email And if you really want an XY table, I got one I'll sell u. As others have said, the 3 in 1's can be a pain but folks do use them for many things. And from the list of things you want to do, sounds like a mill-only will work out fine. Good luck, it's fun making chips fly ! (course you know that already it sounds like) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooter Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 Check e-bay for the Bridgeports. The only problem for some of us is most of them are east of the Mississippi. You might find mills really cheap, but getting it shipped to the left coast is outrageous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlos Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 Check out the link above and this one: www.littlemachineshop.com - also, search out my posts on my (in progess) 1911 build to see a mini-mill in action for the typ of work you want to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Sample Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 I hire the best machinist's in the business and to me, that is a great way to go. I have never wanted to spend $ 150,000.00 on a machine shop. No matter what mill you buy, you also have to buy the tooling to go with it. "Profit is made by the use of equiptment, not by the ownership of it." EAGLE'S LAW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warpspeed Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 I tried the xy table thing. Chuck never went flying but accuracy & precision were just not there. I picked up a Bridgeport copy ( Webb ) off ebay for $600.00 here in LA. It can be done, just be patient. What was funny was it cost me $250 to get it moved. My best ebay buy was a surface grinder for $ 212.00. It is the heat! I get the wanting to do it yourself thing regardless of cost. Just how some of us are wired. Good Luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Sample Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 I totally understand that! Good Luck on your 30 year adventure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loves2Shoot Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 I wouldn't mind a $150,000 machine shop, but my $15,000 one works pretty good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jemaddux Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 Best thing to do is look for a shop that is closing down. I have found shops that were closed down and the mills and other equipment were still in place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shred Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 Craigslist is also good, though it can take awhile before what you want rolls by and you have to be ready to jump on it when it does. +1 on the comments that moving heavy iron isn't cheap or easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSMITH Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 I have unrestricted access to a machine shop with a little over a million dollars worth of brand new high end CNC and EDM machines. A GOOD knee mill with DRO is a TON easier to do 95% of gunsmithing work on than a brand new CNC. Set-up is easier, machining is easier, everything but multiple axis cuts are easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aircooled6racer Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 Hello; Don't buy junk machines, they are just not worth it. I would go to your community college and see if you could use there machines when they have night classes. Alot of them will let you do this if you sign up for a class. It will cost you less and you will learn more at the same time. The machine shop classes are not usually that full so you can do your own work. You may also look at going to a machine shop and asking if they would rent time on there machines if you bring your own tools. My dad used to do that if we were not that busy at the time. A thing to remember is that the tooling will cost you about $1000 even after you buy your mill. Hope this helps and good luck. Thanks Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe D Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 The machine I miss the most was the EDM I had access to. The guy that thought up using a water jet to thread the wire was pretty darn smart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooter Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 I have unrestricted access to a machine shop with a little over a million dollars worth of brand new high end CNC and EDM machines. I'm the complete opposite. Right now I'm sitting about 30 yards from about 20 or so CNC mills and lathes and about a dozen manual ones. But I have NO ACCESS to any of them for personal use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blkbrd Posted January 18, 2007 Share Posted January 18, 2007 There are some great deals on Bridgeports in California. Seems CA has many machines in better shape than you will find in the NE, as the industries moved South and offshore soon after they bought the mills. Check e-bay, used equipment dealers, and tool auctions and you will find many nice tight Bridgeports and clones like, Tree, Acra, Clausing, Kondia, Jet, Sharp, Ext You should be able to find one with 2 or 3 axis DRO, 2 axis power and chrome ways for 3-5K. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shred Posted January 19, 2007 Share Posted January 19, 2007 I see Bridgeports of various manual configurations go by here for $1000-$1500 w/o DROs. Not having 3-phase power handy, I have to pass and keep with my tiny 110v CNC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Cheely Posted January 19, 2007 Share Posted January 19, 2007 I see Bridgeports of various manual configurations go by here for $1000-$1500 w/o DROs. Not having 3-phase power handy, I have to pass and keep with my tiny 110v CNC If you can get 220v, a static phase converter can be had for under $100. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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