Adding a quill lock to a drill press

[beeza650Participant @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

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

It’s a drill – not a mill!

[not done it yet]

On 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?

[not done it yetParticipant @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.

[Chris CrewParticipant @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.

[Chris Crew]

On 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?

[bernard towersParticipant @bernardtowers37738]

The side load will loosen the taper with no drawbar, do not go there

[Chris CrewParticipant @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.

[not done it yetParticipant @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.

 

[BazyleParticipant @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.

[JasonBModerator @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.

[larry phelan 1Participant @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 !

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