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OK Here it is

3K views 26 replies 14 participants last post by  fxdude 
#1 ·
I am starting to ask questions.

I am looking into a drill press. I really want a Mill/Drill but don't think I can work it into my budget. I am a teacher after all.

What drill press do you use?

Is there a mill/drill that a poor boy can get without putting a note on the house?

Help me out if you have the time.

Dave
 
#2 ·
Dave, I have been looking around and Home Depot has a nice Ryobi bench top on for $100. Sears and Lowes have similar models in the same price range.


I have been over on AKFiles recently and found 2-3 others in MD who might be interested in a build party. Between everyone we might just get all the equip needed. I just ordered the 115V spot welder from Harbor Freight. The wife is gonna beat me when she sees the bill.
 
#3 ·
Greetings Nikom

I hope to get a few tools myself soon. Craftsman has a 10" drill press with laser X and Y pin point for about 119 or so.

I think thats the one.

Really want a mill/drill so I can do some 80% 1911's sometime in the future.

Too many choices
 
#4 ·
I was talking to a friend about this earlier today. The hundreds I am spending in order to save money. Quite Ironic.
This might payoff in 2 or 3 more builds, but my wife's response will be "Why do you need 4 AKs, you only have two arms" to which my only defense will be "Merry Christmas honey, I wanted to wait but you forced me to speed up the timetable"
 
#5 ·
I never really started to do this build to save money. It was more about making a rifle that was my own. The way I see it built.

I most likley will build other firearms as time goes on. I love to make stuff. The tools I get will not just be used to build firearms. I already hand build stuff around the house. There are tools for working on cars I have in my mind and have never been able to build.

Atleast I don't have a "wife" so to speak. My lady Doris is my girlfriend. I pretty much do as I want without much input from her. She knows how I am. Stays anyway.
 
#6 ·
Another thing to consider is a large "cross slide vise". I built some recievers out of blanks with a 4" cross slide and thought I wanted to move up to a mill/drill. When I went to Harbor Freight to look - I ended up leaving with a 6" cross slide and I am very happy with it. (it was on sale for $39) My drill press came from a swap meet and has a 5/8" chuck. It cost $80. Just my 2 cents worth ... Hope you find something that suits your needs!
 
#7 ·
Thanks Rich

The vise for the drill press is something else as well. What is the range of your cross silde if I may ask?

I have two small 3in press vises that I got when my dad passed, but a cross slide is the way to go.

Thanks again for the input.:thumbup1:
 
#11 ·
Thanks for the info

red_metallic said:
Start on your local craigslist in the Tool for sale section & buy used. You would be amazed what shows up cheaply there. Get a cross-slide table from the Chinese and you've got a good start on light milling tasks.
I forget that Craigs list is out there. No sooner than you posted this my brother called me because he was going to look at a motorcycle he saw on craigs list.

Thanks again for the info.

Dave
 
#12 ·
The cross slide vise is the way to go. I use one I got at HF on a table top drill press. It was hard to fit at first, then I turned it at 45 deg. and it works fine. I have completed a 1919a4 build & a CZ24 tube build, working on a Romanin RPK now. It doesn't have the speed range I would like, but for about $70 who could argue.
 
#13 ·
i would say auto swap meets if your going to invest in tools in my opinion older stuff is more sturdy and rarely is worn out beyond repair i have 3 drill press's 1 old buffalo (work horse), 1 older craftsman, and a benchtop i forget the make. my pride and joy is my ancient van norman # 0 milling machine very rare from 1898 i was told... hard to find collets for but the stuff is out there my entire machine shop is made up of older machines 6 lathes 1 atlas shaper 1 precision grinder i had a new grizzly precision drill press i gave away cause in my opinion was junk but i forgot about craigs list too i'm gonna go there after here! my .02 cents good luck with what ever you get
 
#14 ·
A man who knows how to do the job with bare mininum tools is in better shape than the man who has all the latest tools, but can barely drill a hole in the right place twice.

A good drill press with a cross slide will do most everything you need in this AK building hobby.........for now!
 
#16 ·
jessejames88 said:
i would say auto swap meets if your going to invest in tools in my opinion older stuff is more sturdy and rarely is worn out beyond repair i have 3 drill press's 1 old buffalo (work horse), 1 older craftsman, and a benchtop i forget the make. my pride and joy is my ancient van norman # 0 milling machine very rare from 1898 i was told... hard to find collets for but the stuff is out there my entire machine shop is made up of older machines 6 lathes 1 atlas shaper 1 precision grinder i had a new grizzly precision drill press i gave away cause in my opinion was junk but i forgot about craigs list too i'm gonna go there after here! my .02 cents good luck with what ever you get
WHAT and WHERE is CRAIG"S LIST?
 
#17 ·
jessejames88 said:
i would say auto swap meets if your going to invest in tools in my opinion older stuff is more sturdy and rarely is worn out beyond repair i have 3 drill press's 1 old buffalo (work horse), 1 older craftsman, and a benchtop i forget the make. my pride and joy is my ancient van norman # 0 milling machine very rare from 1898 i was told... hard to find collets for but the stuff is out there my entire machine shop is made up of older machines 6 lathes 1 atlas shaper 1 precision grinder i had a new grizzly precision drill press i gave away cause in my opinion was junk but i forgot about craigs list too i'm gonna go there after here! my .02 cents good luck with what ever you get
WHAT and WHERE is CRAIGS LIST? :eek:ld:
 
#19 ·
I've heard good things about doing light milling tasks in a decent drill press. This is supposed to be a very good video on the subject, at Technical Video Rental. It is sorta like Netflix for How-To videos...$9.95 and they pay postage both ways too...great deal as opposed to buying these types of videos.

http://technicalvideorental.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=90

They also have a good selection of Gunsmithing and firearms build video too. http://technicalvideorental.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=113_75
 
#22 ·
Thanks to everyone

I want to thank everyone who has kept this thread going. I know I have not been on much but life gets in the way sometimes when your making other plans. All of the infromation given is more than welcome and helps me and others learn.

I hope to be more active soon but as for now it is hit or miss if I have the time to be here. As of right now, I'm working waaaay too much and sleeping when I get the chance. All of my projects have been put on hold. I could go into all of the woman problems that I am having but there is not the time.......LOL. Things will change soon.

Thanks again to all. See ya on the boards or the range

Dave
 
#23 ·
I rember when I first decided to start equiping my home shop. I figured a good drill press would get me by for a while......

Within a year I'd bought the 12 speed mill/drill from speedway (like the H.F. 12 spd.), a H.F. Mini Mill, a 9x20 metal lathe, a spindle shaper, a band saw, a scroll saw, a grinder, tooling for all of it, and a full size Mill Drill as well as building a CNC router and converting the Mini Mill to CNC.

And oh yeah, not to mention the first one of course, the 79.00 drill press from Lowes (you can see it hiding behind the router in one picture), and a ton of other stuff.

Believe it or not, I'm just getting started ( I can't understand how I've lived this long without a full size CNC mill, metal lathe and surface grinder ), and I use every one of the things for different/specific purposes.

My only advice is that if you have any credit cards, BURN THEM NOW, ....before it's too late!
 

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#26 ·
Man what a shop set up

I hope I don't go to that level. I live in a condo and that would mean I would have to knock wall down to do that.

Well things have gotten better a worse for me. Good news, the my lady left me. Bad news, I have to get my debt in order before anything else happens. Life gets out of hand quick don't it.

Thanks for keep my thread alive while I sort out all of the crap in my life. I hope to be building in just a few months. Now that I live alone, I can have some build parties here without any conflicts.

Will post as time allows.

Dave
 
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