A low cost milling machine Converting a drill press into a milling machine/Scott Lupia
PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR
A drill press (left) can be turned into a milling machine for under $150. As shown, it takes up very little space. An opening is being milled out for a speaker in an F-unit frame (above). End mill bits (below) are similar to drill bits, but are made specifically for this type of operation.
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CC and onboard sound have al- ways been an aspect of the hob- by that I am drawn to. This in- evitably has led me to the problem of milling locomotive frames. I am lucky enough to have a friend relatively close by that has a “real” milling machine. It takes up a good portion of his garage and also requires several people to move it. It was obvious to me that I could not have one of these because of those reasons, as well as the fact that it would cost several thousand dollars to purchase one. I could keep driving to his house and have him do the milling work for me which, while effective, was costing me time and beer (in some states beer is as good as currency). For- tunately, a second and more appealing alternative presented itself. A milling machine is very similar to a drill press. The main differences are that the milling machine is infinitely larger, heavier and yields far greater precision. When it comes to milling frames, precision is not a deal breaker. As long as the path and height of the end mill bit can be controlled in a some- what precise manner, the drill press will work reasonably well. Keep in mind that the drill press is designed for vertical action. That is, it is meant to drill up and down, not side to side like a milling machine. All that means is that at some point, the bearings will wear out and you will be looking for a new
RAILROAD MODEL CRAFTSMAN
drill press or at least drill press parts. The key components of this drill press milling machine are the drill press, X-Y axis cross slide vise and end mill bits. The drill press is the largest expense here. Knowing that I am slowly destroy- ing a drill press by using it in this man- ner, I decided to purchase the cheapest one possible. Harbor Freight has a Cen- tral Machinery drill press that costs around $65, plus shipping. At that price, I felt comfortable using it in this man- ner. The next component is the X-Y axis cross slide table. This is the part that holds the locomotive frame and allows you to control the movement under the end mill bit. I have found 4″ versions on
Amazon.com for around $40. The last component is the end mill bit. The type I use is the ³₈″ shank, four flute bit. I picked up a set of six in various sizes for about $20 on
Amazon.com. This entire setup costs around $125 and suits my needs perfectly. It is cheap, doesn’t take up my garage and does not cost me beer and time.
The drill press will operate at sever- al different speeds depending on which pulley the belt is set on. I have mine set for the slowest speed possible. The owner’s manual will explain how to ad- just this setting. The cross slide table bolts directly to the drill press’s mov- able work tray. Make sure that the table is securely attached to the tray and that tray is nice and tight. These parts can’t be allowed to move. As pre- viously mentioned, the head of the drill press normally travels up and down to perform the drilling operation. I use the small set screw located next to the vertical travel spindles to lock the height. With the height locked I can move the part around in any direction and get a uniform cut across the part. I like to take about ¹₈″ of material down at a time, so once the first pass is made, I will lower the head another ¹₈″, lock the set screw and make another pass. That is all there is to it. This set- up proves that milling frames is some- thing that anybody can do in a rela- tively small space.
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