One tool/machine to level up a moderate shop

[asid61]

Originally Posted by DonRotolo

Yes, you can do light and limited milling with a lathe, using an attachment like the one shown on this page. For newer "non-collectable" lathes you can get one for under $150, but for old Atlas lathes I've seen these for $400+. Of course, you're not making sideplates with this, but most milling tasks are possible, albeit a little more time-consuming (you have to go slow).

An alternative is an X-Y milling vise for your drill press. You can do light milling with somewhat more flexibility than the lathe setup. Avoid the very cheap ones, they are terribly inaccurate. These are great for drilling accurate hole patterns as well (and often that's the only use they see).

Fair warning: Even if your drill press is a huge industrial beefy monster, this WILL hurt the spindle bearings a little each time you use it, but perhaps this trade-off is acceptable. New bearings are not costly, and the repair is good for the kids to learn. But a drill press is not designed for side loading on the chuck, just know that.

Give yourself some time to find a good machine, maybe a whole year. Find a parent or local business willing to show you the basics (or the trade school option mentioned above). Buy the book "How to run a Lathe" - way old school (100 years ago!) but a treasure trove of excellent data and instruction. Ask here, there are many who would be tickled pink to help.

Good advice. However, I disagree about the X-Y table for the drill press. Drill presses are not designed AT ALL for milling. If/when the spindle bearings fail, then the whole thing becomes a massive safety hazard. This is not a substitute for a mill and should not be used as one or anything other than plastic.

[Team118Joseph]

I recommend pneumatic rivet pullers and other pneumatic tools. They are usually more compact and can produce higher speeds.

[Seth Mallory]

Are you planning this for this season? If so buy to mach your skills. If your team has lathe skill but not milling than buy a lathe. The same goes for mill or 3d printer or any other tools. It is not worth trying to learn how to use a tool during build. A mentor with sheet metal skills can do more for a team teaching the students with a shear and a brake then mill taking up need valuable time during build.

[Joe G.]

Originally Posted by asid61

Good advice. However, I disagree about the X-Y table for the drill press. Drill presses are not designed AT ALL for milling. If/when the spindle bearings fail, then the whole thing becomes a massive safety hazard. This is not a substitute for a mill and should not be used as one or anything other than plastic.

I would say that if your primary interest in a mill is the ability to precisely locate features and do hole patterns, an X/Y table and drill press is a great choice. However, as soon as jobs that require endmills get introduced, time to step it up to a real mill.

I will second the many suggestions in this thread to look to the used market. Be patient, and you'll find some great deals. My team got a FANTASTIC deal on a great quality off-brand Series 1 mill clone, with DRO, work holding, and X power feed included, for $700. We've also gotten a 12" lathe at a used tool shop for $600, and had a smaller lathe donated.