Drill Press or Mill?

[hman]

Couple of factors to consider:
Most mills have longer quill travel than most drill presses.
Mills have a fine quill feed, which drill presses generally lack.
Mill tables have handy T-slots, allowing more versatile work holding than drill press tables.
The table on a drill press can usually be adjusted for height a bit more quickly than of a mill.
Drill press tables can usually be set up for angle drilling pretty easily - on a mill, you generally have to tilt the head, then reset tram afterward.
The classic "arc of shame" on a drill press table ain't nice ... but if you do it on a mill table, that's really nasty.

 

[C-Bag]

Couple of factors to consider:
Most mills have longer quill travel than most drill presses.
Mills have a fine quill feed, which drill presses generally lack.
Mill tables have handy T-slots, allowing more versatile work holding than drill press tables.
The table on a drill press can usually be adjusted for height a bit more quickly than of a mill.
Drill press tables can usually be set up for angle drilling pretty easily - on a mill, you generally have to tilt the head, then reset tram afterward.
The classic "arc of shame" on a drill press table ain't nice ... but if you do it on a mill table, that's really nasty.

I find it more complicated than that because I guess I don’t have most Mills. My mill/drill has 5” of quill travel where my DP has 7”.
For drilling I find the fine feed on my mill a pain. I don’t use a drill chuck in my mill because it eats up Z axis and complicates my process of not moving the Z height during milling so I don’t lose register. For drilling the drill press is quicker easier. T-slots are wonderful whatever machine they are on.
My mill/drill doesn’t have a rotating head so I have to fixture to do angle drilling or milling. This is where the UniDrill shines in having a huge range of motion and angles are easily adjustable.
I felt like I was going to be struck by lightning when I drill and tapped holes for the HF xy vise and Palmgren xy RT. But at least they were on purpose not stupidity. There was only one “mark of shame“ before those 4 tapped holes. Funny how I don’t feel that when I mod my HF machines.

 

[DeanB]

I voted for Mill/Drill if I was going to have only one. My mill is relatively new to me and the first drill press is a 17" Jet that I've had for 30 years and has served me well. Second drill press is a lighter duty Rockwell radial arm. Got it mostly for tree carcass work because of both the much deeper throat and ability to drill angles without tilting the workpiece. I find that for anything in metal the mill works better and produces much better holes.

 

[Winegrower]

I only use the drill press for wood or when there’s a setup on the Bridgeport i don’t want to mess up. The miil is a great drill press but the drill press is a terrible mill.

 

[Alcap]

I can relate to the OP , been picking up a few machines looking for having more free time in retirement ,,,, at the end of the month !!!!! I have a Clausing 8520 and the only DP I have was one my father had in the early sixties ,, a 1/2" B&D hand held in a stand . I cringed at the few times I drilled rusted junk in the 8520's vise or clamping on the table . The other day picked up a very clean Craftsman 15" 12 speed w/ 5/8" chuck floor model . For $65 Only used it a few times and very happy drilling some black walnut and some steel .

 

[mickri]

I have a mill/drill and 3 drill presses, 2 Wiltons and a HF. I have never used the HF drill press since getting the Wiltons. I never use the mill/drill to just drill the random hole I might need in something. Too slow. My garage shop is divided into clean side and dirty side. I have a drill press on each side. Like C-Bag everything in my shop except for the lathe is on casters. Even the mill/drill although I only seem to move it when I am cleaning up chips.

If I was limited to only one machine it would be the mill/drill.

 

[Bi11Hudson]

As I get closer to retirement and my home shop, I have been replacing many of the tools and machines that I had to give up or never had and always wanted.
I am debating what to use for a drill press. The first thought is of course to purchase a variable speed Clausing drill press. But I remember that I didn't use the last one I had (Grizzly floor drill press) as much as one might think. I am going to have a mill this time around and have thought that maybe the mill would serve dual purpose as a milling machine and my drill press.

I do remember that I was never impressed with the stability of the Grizzly drill press table and maintaining a trammed surface was always an issue.

So I ask the members here, do you use a Drill Press or do you use the Milling Machine for your fixture drilling?

What are the pros and cons of a single or dual resource for fixture drilling?

Thanks very much for your input.

Having both machines throws yet another kink into the question. I have several drill presses, from 5/8 chuck capacity down. The most common use for Wife is making pens. For me, anything from drilling large (1/2+) holes to metal working with a Nr 80 drill. (0.0135" / 1/3mm)

I do a lot of wood and plastic work as well. (acrylic and polycarbonate) For working plastics I acquired a small vertical mill so I could slow the drill below melting the plastic. Drilling a tap size hole for a Nr2-56 screw the drill would melt through the plastic, leaving tapping out of the question. The mill can be slowed down to a usable speed. Further, the mill has an X-Y table. But doing large woodworking projects is a "no go". Often the work will not even fit the table. And clean up is a pain.

If I were to recommend one or the other, I would say a middlin'(3/8 bench) size drill press and a Horrible Fright mini-mill. Make it cheap to start up and buy nicer machines as the need dictates. Drilling a forstner bit into a 2x4 is not recommended for a milling machine. Nor is drilling a Nr 48 hole with a drill press in acrylic going to yield desired result. Your results will probably vary, depending on where your priorities are.

If in a serious machine shop, most work can be done on a milling machine, that's for sure. But for a home shop, where the structure is built of wood, questionable at best.

.

 

[Buffalo21]

I have 4 mills and 3 drill presses, I use them all. I have never used a mill to drill a hole, unless the piece is in the mill already. I have a super duty drill press,with a built in tapping head, with a MT#3 quill and a 1” chuck. Very stout and good enough for about 95% of what I do.

 

[aliva]

I have both a small Delta 14 drill press . I bought about 30 years ago before I even thought of a mill. ( and couldn't afford) .If I need a quick hole that doesn't require much accuracy it's the drill press. Anything else its the mill. I'm happy I have both.

 

[Papa Charlie]

As I have neither, I will most likely buy a mill first then keep my eyes open for a drill press. If I find a great deal on the drill press before I find the mill, I will probably jump on it.