Drill/Mill or Lathe/Mill attachment for small shop area

[sanddrag]

Originally Posted by EricH

David, did you mean inferior in quality?

Yes, often inferior in quality, and in certainly capacity as well.

Originally Posted by EricH

Mill: Can be used as a drill press, but you can move the part to exactly where you want it. Also used to face parts, cut out weight in cool patterns, and make sure that you get the part exactly right. If you have the budget for one of these, and its tooling, skip the drill press entirely.

When I just need to drill a quick hole, I often find myself going for the drill press even when I have a mill in the shop. I don't have to put a chuck in it or raise or lower the knee or head, and the table is often more convenient. I find it quite handy to have both.

As for space concerns, I fit a small lathe, mill, drill press, welder, 13 drawer cabinets, two fullsize upright cabinets, 5 feet of under-bench cabinets, and 6 feet of usable bench space in a 7x12 foot area. It can be done.