Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
Plane Blade Making
Tom MacGregor, Vermont
>I got a 1944 Delta Rockwell 5 speed industrial drillpress for free after it was smoke & water damaged in a fire at a local factory. A full restoration is now complete including a Jacobs 1/2" ballbearing Superchuck. Has anyone ever used a drill this heavy for milling? I'd like to be able to cut slots in annealed O1 to make bench plane blades with the press & a cross-slide vise. Is this possible and what specific type of end-mill would be best?
Re: Plane Blade Making
paul womack
>try news:rec.crafts.metalworking.
The guys in there are very knowledgeable.
BugBear
Re: Plane Blade Making
Scott Post
>I'm not familiar with that particular drill press, but in general milling metal with a drill press is a bad idea. Morse tapers aren't designed for side loading - the chuck will fall out. Some smaller mill/drills use a Morse taper but they also use a draw bar to hold the chuck in. It's also very important when milling that the workpiece can't move. It's not just an issue of accuracy - if there's even the slightest movement in the drill press table the cutter will grab and break, throwing chunks. Most drill press tables are clamped to the column in a way that almost guarantees movement/vibration under a load. The el-cheapo cross-slide vises I've seen are very sloppy and you'll get a good bit of vibration using one of those. Vibration is your enemy. I have a small mill/drill that has a table that's quite massive by drill press standards but still I've experienced vibration that caused a cutter to grab and break. It's quite scary.
Some people do light milling with a drill press with a cross-slide vise, but it's not a particularly good idea. Fully annealed O1 isn't that hard to work with files so the best way to slot your iron is to drill a series of holes then file the sides flat to create your oval slot. Or you could buy a mill/drill and a small metal lathe and open up a whole new hole in your life to shovel money into (which is the route I took).
Safety issues
jim_reed@marietta
>Not a good idea because your DP will not withstand the lateral forces. Milling metal is dangerous. You need the proper tools and some safety equipment. Try one of the metalworking forums for some advice. I use a Harbor Freight mill and it works well. There are some appropriate and affordable tools out there. Good luck with your metal projects.
Re: Safety issues
Tom MacGregor, Vermont
>Thank you Paul, Scott and Jim. You've told me what I really needed to know even if it's not the answer I was looking for. If it's not safe it's not worth it.
Re: Safety issues
Jim in Burlington Ontario
>Tom after drilling a series of holes just slightly smaller than the slot and hancksawing them out and filing it takes about a hour. The 01 is actually pretty soft and a bastard file and smoothing file you can get a amzing fit on the adjuster. I tried milling it out and the chuck fell off twice.
Re: Plane Blade Making
Steve knight
>it won't be unsafe really. not unless your working at a high speed. but it won't work very well. best to drill several holes and connect the dots.
if the drill press has very little slop you can do it in wood. but even with a little runout it does not work well. Plus as others say it makes the chuck fall off (G)
Re: Plane Blade Making
don langton
>The problem with a drill press is that it doesn't have a draw bar to secure the chuck - like a milling machine has. The side forces involved in milling will shake a taper drill chuck loose in seconds, even when taking very light cuts. Years ago, before I bought a mill, I remember actually breaking the chuck arbor clean off when milling (just) brass with a drill press. For you, milling O1 steel is going to be a dangerous occupation. It is a temptation to buy a cross-slide table and bolt it onto your drill press table but I just wouldn't recommend it at all.