[JamesCH95]

Originally Posted by Monochron

This may be a naive question, but what is the benefit of using an actual mill versus using a drill press with an X-Y table attached to it? I imagine that precision is the main benefit. Is it really worth paying $500 for a mill though, rather than having to take a couple reties with a drill press?

Or is there something else beneficial that the mill does for you, that a drill press just can't?

A drill press can't mill. You cannot (or, at least, should not) put an end mill in a drill chuck and start cutting slots or removing material with the side of the cutter. Generally speaking a drill press can only sustain loads that are nominally up-and-down. A mill can sustain loads in all directions: up, down, left, right, in and out from the operators perspective.