[EricH]

Originally Posted by TheModMaster8

when it comes down to it. you can use a hand drill. Out of all the 5 years iI have built robots, I've only used a drill press a handful of times (less then 20). I prefer a mill over drill press as it's far more accurate it may take longer but the end results are far better, and if it needed to be quick, I used a hand drill, once you get good at it, their isn't that much of a need for it IMO.

OK, now here's a question...

You have limited budget for tools, and nobody knows how to use a mill.

Does the mill still come before the drill press?



(Hint: the answer isn't "yes". BTW, my team is still working on getting a mill up and running--we've got 4 drill presses, and they see heavy use.)

A drill press is useful for drilling lots of holes, and most particularly for precision thru-holes. Can a mill do that, sure (and I'll concede that it can probably do some aspects better). But if you ain't got the budget for a mill and all its tooling, get a drill press, a couple of punches, and a really good pair of calipers. Oh, and a vise for the drill press, if you've got anything left over. Should be a lot cheaper, and do the hole-drilling job just find. Don't try milling with it, though.