Dremel Mill

[pomprocker]

Anyone have any insight about this or anything like it?

http://www.vanda-layindustries.com/html/acra_mill_plus.html

[ArcMan]

Pretty neat, but for twice the money you could have a mini-mill from Harbor Freight capable of so much more (machining metal parts).

[Gertlex]

Pretty neat, but for twice the money you could have a mini-mill from Harbor Freight capable of so much more (machining metal parts).

Aye, and they're HEAVY, need a dedicated table surface and take up more room.

For small robots with small holes, this might well be the better method to go.

Dremel also sells their own stands for this sort of thing.  I suspect they're cheaper (but of course, they don't have the moving-like-a-mill functionality)

[Admin]

what size parts you want to cut?

my table top drill press, that sometimes I use with a mill bit, ~$150

[pomprocker]

just normal hobby robotics parts nothin huge

[ArcMan]

I'm with ya on that one admin.  If you can't afford a mini-mill, get an X-Y vise for your drill press and some end mills.  You can at least machine metal parts then.  It ain't pretty, but it works.  I do the same thing.  Harbor Freight and Enco has X-Y vises pretty cheap.  I went the really cheap route.  I "borrowed" it from my dad about 3 years ago.

[sonictj]

Is there  a risk of damaging a drill press by adding a side load, to preform milling, or is the force small enough to not matter.

I know this may vary from press to press.  I'm just asking generally.

[ArcMan]

IMO, you won't damage the drill press bearings with the small side loads of milling small aluminum or steel parts.  The reason I know the side loads will be small is that you will not be able to impart large side loads because of chatter.  On a lathe or milling operation, chatter occurs when the machine is not extremely rigid.  Rigidity is the reason why lathes and mills have such heavy cast bodies and good tight slides (with gibs) and bearings.  Drill presses may appear to be quite rigid, but believe me, they are not.  If you try to machine too fast or take too much metal in a pass it will chatter violently (which is quite scary actually).  But if you take light cuts and go slow, you can get decent results with a drill press.

[Admin]

Is there  a risk of damaging a drill press by adding a side load

Yeap, there is a chance. I mill slowly, only doing small aluminum and plastic parts.

After 3 years, only the on/off button has broken . . .

[paulstreats]

Is there  a risk of damaging a drill press by adding a side load

 Definately, if you bend the shaft then it will drill off center as in spin in a wide arc circle (my drill is doing this at the moment, I was putting my weight behind it while screwing in a doorframe at home. It slipped and now the shaft is offset (bent slightly) from the center meaning bad. Im gonna have to get a new drill)

[pomprocker]

admin, what drill press and x,y table is that?

[Admin]

This drill press:
http://www.ares-server.com/Ares/Ares.asp?MerchantID=RET01229&Action=Catalog&Type=Product&ID=81631
(works pretty darn well, but the on/off switch is mostly broken)

with this X-Y table:
http://www.ares-server.com/Ares/Ares.asp?MerchantID=RET01229&Action=Catalog&Type=Product&ID=82389

and this vice:
http://www.ares-server.com/Ares/Ares.asp?MerchantID=RET01229&Action=Catalog&Type=Product&ID=15118
(its a really crappy vice though, I'd look around)

[pomprocker]

that looks stuff looks good, how does it compare to a craftsman or delta drill press? in other words, why did you go with that one?

[javafiend]

Found this out on ebay

http://cgi.ebay.com/DESKTOP-CNC-MILL-LIGHTMACHINES-LOW-PRICE_W0QQitemZ160274618462QQcmdZViewItem?

If I had the money available right now, I would probably bid on it.  It doesn't look like it includes the stepper motors though.

[pomprocker]

Found this out on ebay

http://cgi.ebay.com/DESKTOP-CNC-MILL-LIGHTMACHINES-LOW-PRICE_W0QQitemZ160274618462QQcmdZViewItem?

If I had the money available right now, I would probably bid on it.  It doesn't look like it includes the stepper motors though.

shipping costs $126.84 -_-

they tricked ya

[javafiend]

Whoa!  Didn't see that 

[Admin]

that looks stuff looks good, how does it compare to a craftsman or delta drill press? in other words, why did you go with that one?

Its small and cheap. I have a much larger drill press, and even a CNC, but for a '5 minute job' this was best for me.

[pomprocker]

What kind of CNC do you have/have access to?

I was looking at those too, but I dunno if I'm ready to pay up yet.

[Admin]

Haas MiniMill

It's only about $100k. Not too expensive . . .