Adding a quill lock to a drill press

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Adding a quill lock to a drill press

This topic has 27 replies, 12 voices, and was last updated 23 July 2025 at 20:07 by Nicholas Farr.

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21 July 2025 at 19:48 #808352
beeza650
Participant
@beeza650
I picked up this Clarke drill and the vice for £90 a few weeks ago. I’ve just cleaned it all up and noticed there’s no bolt to lock the quill.

In the past I’ve used such a bolt to help with lining things up and I’m also wondering with this vice whether I can do some very light, not super accurate, milling.

How would you go about adding some sort locking mechanism?

What about something dual purpose to extend the quill a little for milling?

Thanks
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21 July 2025 at 19:56 #808353
not done it yet
Participant
@notdoneityet
It’s a drill – not a mill!
21 July 2025 at 19:59 #808355
beeza650
Participant
@beeza650
On 21 July 2025 at 19:56 not done it yet Said:

It’s a drill – not a mill!

What stops a drill being used to cut the odd slot in a thin piece of aluminum once in a blue moon when the owner has no mill?
21 July 2025 at 20:18 #808363
not done it yet
Participant
@notdoneityet
Drills are not designed for milling. The quill bearings are designed for axial loading, not radial loads. If it has an MT into the quill, don’t be surprised if it falls out. Morse tapers require a drawbar to prevent this.

But carry on as you wish, if you must. It will not affect me.
21 July 2025 at 20:25 #808365
Chris Crew
Participant
@chriscrew66644
As it has a depth setting dial you can hold the quill at any depth you want, but I only try to mill, if you must, with the quill fully retracted and use the rise and fall of the table to set the depth of cut. Like others have stated I think you will be disappointed with the results.
21 July 2025 at 20:46 #808367
beeza650
Participant
@beeza650
On 21 July 2025 at 20:25 Chris Crew Said:

As it has a depth setting dial you can hold the quill at any depth you want, but I only try to mill, if you must, with the quill fully retracted and use the rise and fall of the table to set the depth of cut. Like others have stated I think you will be disappointed with the results.

Thanks, there’s nothing to hold the quill down though against the depth stop and the spring is strong (too strong IMHO). The table, as I’m sure you know, waggles around when you go up and down plus it’s a very coarse thread so using that to make a deeper cut isn’t work.

I’ll try it with some Heath Robinson set up as soon as procure some slot mills just to make sure it’s not totally unworkable. I’m thinking make a nice collar for just above the chuck and then relocate the speed ratios plate and put some sort of thread bar up the front with a bracket and a tapped hole for it.

Why will the chuck fall out when milling BTW?
21 July 2025 at 21:01 #808369
bernard towers
Participant
@bernardtowers37738
The side load will loosen the taper with no drawbar, do not go there
21 July 2025 at 21:06 #808375
Chris Crew
Participant
@chriscrew66644
The chuck is only held in by friction on a drill press. As the milling cutter shears off the metal it will exert a pulling force downwards on the taper holding the chuck in the quill. It probably can’t go anywhere but could weaken the friction holding the chuck causing it to slip or cutting to stop.
21 July 2025 at 21:15 #808381
not done it yet
Participant
@notdoneityet
Why will the chuck fall out when milling BTW?

Who said it would? Read my post again?

There is a fair review of that drill on:

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/threads/clarke-cdp-12eb-pillar-drill.78618/

An old thread, but likely just as relevant today, as back then.
21 July 2025 at 22:15 #808389
Bazyle
Participant
@bazyle
Try waggling the chuck with it at the top, it will move quite a lot. Then bring it down a bit and try again. It will waggle a lot more. The quill is always a rather loose fit and not provided with adjustment on this type. One complicated way people have improved this a bit is to put the rack engagement pinion into an eccentric bush to take up the slack.
22 July 2025 at 07:01 #808419
JasonB
Moderator
@jasonb
And if the chuck does stay in place there is a good chance of the tool moving as drill chucks are not the best thing to hold milling cutters with again due to side loads and vibration.

Have you checked to see what sort of runout and play there is on the spindle, too much runout and you will not get all the flutes cutting and too much play will result in oversize slots and possibly the tool snatching the work.

Best bet is to use the cross table to drill a neat row of holes then file out the waste to get your slot, easy enough in thin aluminium.
22 July 2025 at 07:21 #808425
larry phelan 1
Participant
@larryphelan1
A drill is a drill

A mill is a mill

Horses for courses.

As my Dear Old Granny used to say .

BTW, I tried that many moons ago, best forgotten !
22 July 2025 at 08:23 #808437
Chris Crew
Participant
@chriscrew66644
I read the reviews of this type of drill press provided by the above link as I bought one of these branded machines second-hand in 1983 as a ‘temporary’ expedient as I could not afford a ‘proper’ British machine at the time, although mine is only the 5-speed, single belt variant. All these years later after drilling ‘millions’ of holes in all types of materials it still starts, runs reliably and drills true with negligible run-out so I never did get round to buying that ‘proper’ machine.

Last year I acquired a ‘proper’ two speed, floor standing geared-head Union machine gratis which someone had inexplicably thrown onto the scrapheap due to a small easily rectified issue with the layshaft but otherwise in very good condition, after cleaning, for its age. I can say that I really can’t tell the difference between the two machines as far as drilling holes goes. I am pleased that I now have that ‘proper’ machine, but I would have never have bought one as I found that the cheap far eastern machine, that people told me was a waste of money at the time, did everything I ever asked of it and which is probably why ‘proper ‘ British machines are no longer manufactured.
22 July 2025 at 09:09 #808441
Nicholas Farr
Participant
@nicholasfarr14254
Hi, there is also a good chance that the table grip on the column will not hold the sideway forces of milling. The helix of milling cutters will also influence the chuck pulling out of the quill, without a drawbar.

Regards Nick.
22 July 2025 at 09:13 #808444
beeza650
Participant
@beeza650
On 21 July 2025 at 22:15 Bazyle Said:

Try waggling the chuck with it at the top, it will move quite a lot. Then bring it down a bit and try again. It will waggle a lot more. The quill is always a rather loose fit and not provided with adjustment on this type. One complicated way people have improved this a bit is to put the rack engagement pinion into an eccentric bush to take up the slack.

There doesn’t appear to be any “wobble”.

On 22 July 2025 at 07:21 larry phelan 1 Said:

A drill is a drill

A mill is a mill

Horses for courses.

As my Dear Old Granny used to say .

BTW, I tried that many moons ago, best forgotten !

Go on then – what happened?
22 July 2025 at 09:33 #808454
Thor 🇳🇴
Participant
@thor
I have tried using a drill for milling, it is possible but don’t expect too much. My advice is to use a proper milling machine.

My drill has a spindle with MT2 taper, and I mounted a cheap XY table on it. To prevent the cutter/chuck from moving/falling out I threaded the outside of the drill spindle and made a threaded nut to suit so I could use the Myford MT2 collets I already had. It worked using small size cutters and very light cuts, but a Mini Mill worked much better and gave much better results.

Thor
22 July 2025 at 11:06 #808492
Dave S
Participant
@daves59043
I added one to the same casting May moons ago. From memory:

Remove the top casting, strip the quill out.

Drill a 3mm hole around where C1 is in the speed chart (remove the chart first) That should be above the lower quill support ring in the casting by ~2-3”

with hacksaw slot from the bottom of casting to the hole.

on each side around where the quill support ring is drill and tap a couple of holes. Then bolt a pair of 25mm angle or box section bits sticking out the front to the casting.
Add a bolt across them with a nut handle to tighten.

Clamped my quill absolutely solid with very little tightening force, YMMV.

Dave
22 July 2025 at 11:14 #808498
Nigel Graham 2
Participant
@nigelgraham2
It is never good practice to try to use a drilling-machine as a mill.

I have got away with cutting a single, short slot that did not need be accurate in 3mm PVC sheet, but would not dream of making a habit of it, nor of attempting to use a drill for better-quality milling in metal. In that case the work was on a rotary-table for holes on pitch-circles, but also allowed careful feed for the curved slot.

The chuck and bearings are designed for axial loads only.

The quill and spindle are unlikely to accommodate a draw-bar but might on some machines.

A milling-cutter held in a drill-chuck is likely to slip and act like a self-tapping screw in the work-piece and whatever is directly below it. I have had that happen even on a proper mill, once where I’d not fully assembled the cutter into an ‘Autolock’ chuck, but also with an R8 collet.

The lack of a quill lock is more nuisance than real loss, but a wooden block between the top of the chuck and the underside of the head may hold the quill in place enough to assist setting up the work; or when using a spring-drive tapping-guide. These are the point of the quill lock on a drilling-machine. Not as a depth-control for milling.
22 July 2025 at 16:43 #808556
John Purdy
Participant
@johnpurdy78347
Beeza650

I don’t use the drill to mill for all the reasons stated, but I find a quill lock very convenient for lining up the drill on the work piece. Here is how I added one to my drill which is very similar to yours. To add it I removed the quill and drilled and tapped, (in my case 5/16-24 UNF) a hole through the front of the casting, then turned up the brass locking screw and cross drilled the head for the 3/16″ dia. steel tommy bar which was “loctited’ in. Before re-installing the quill I made sure any swarf from the drilling or tapping was cleaned out.

John
22 July 2025 at 18:37 #808574
John Purdy
Participant
@johnpurdy78347
You say you think in your opinion the return sprig is too strong. It is easy to change the tension. Just loosed off the two nuts on the silver cup opposite the quill handle so the cup can be moved to the left so the slots in it disengage from the tab on the casting (making sure you hold the cup or it will spin around), now rotate the cup to a new position where the tension is to your liking, and re-engage the slots with the tab. Once satisfied redo up the nuts.

John
23 July 2025 at 16:02 #808714
beeza650
Participant
@beeza650
On 22 July 2025 at 11:06 Dave S Said:

I added one to the same casting May moons ago. From memory:

Remove the top casting, strip the quill out.

Drill a 3mm hole around where C1 is in the speed chart (remove the chart first) That should be above the lower quill support ring in the casting by ~2-3”

with hacksaw slot from the bottom of casting to the hole.

on each side around where the quill support ring is drill and tap a couple of holes. Then bolt a pair of 25mm angle or box section bits sticking out the front to the casting.
Add a bolt across them with a nut handle to tighten.

Clamped my quill absolutely solid with very little tightening force, YMMV.

Dave

Cutting a slot is a bit too drastic for me…but thanks.
23 July 2025 at 16:05 #808717
beeza650
Participant
@beeza650
On 22 July 2025 at 16:43 John Purdy Said:

Beeza650

I don’t use the drill to mill for all the reasons stated, but I find a quill lock very convenient for lining up the drill on the work piece. Here is how I added one to my drill which is very similar to yours. To add it I removed the quill and drilled and tapped, (in my case 5/16-24 UNF) a hole through the front of the casting, then turned up the brass locking screw and cross drilled the head for the 3/16″ dia. steel tommy bar which was “loctited’ in. Before re-installing the quill I made sure any swarf from the drilling or tapping was cleaned out.

John

Thanks, so does the brass press directly on the quill then? I guess it must do.
23 July 2025 at 16:07 #808720
beeza650
Participant
@beeza650
On 22 July 2025 at 18:37 John Purdy Said:

You say you think in your opinion the return sprig is too strong. It is easy to change the tension. Just loosed off the two nuts on the silver cup opposite the quill handle so the cup can be moved to the left so the slots in it disengage from the tab on the casting (making sure you hold the cup or it will spin around), now rotate the cup to a new position where the tension is to your liking, and re-engage the slots with the tab. Once satisfied redo up the nuts.

John

I’ll psyche myself up and give it a try. Obviously I have visions of the whole thing unwinding.
23 July 2025 at 17:22 #808735
John Purdy
Participant
@johnpurdy78347
Yes, the screw presses directly on the spindle to lock it. That’s why it is brass, so it doesn’t mark the spindle.It holds the spindle from moving with only light finger pressure, even at full extension against the maximum return spring force. Note from the picture you can see that the bottom couple of threads are removed so any mushrooming of the bottom from tightening it won’t prevent it from being screwed out of the head.

No problem if it un-winds, just wind it back up to the point where it feels right to you and re-engage one of the slots with the tab. If the tension is too light the spindle won’t fully retract when the handle is released, conversely if too strong it will be hard to lower the spindle to the full depth. I have mine set so when the handle is released with the spindle at full extension it just retracts to the top on its own.

John
23 July 2025 at 19:02 #808755
Nicholas Farr
Participant
@nicholasfarr14254
Hi, I don’t know about other makes, but with my Clarke floor standing one, I can hold the quill down using the depth gauge by swivelling it the opposite way round, for removing the chuck or tapered drills for instance.

Regards Nick.
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