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

[Wayne TenBrink]

I have a mini-mill that does an adequate job on aluminum. Using a standard drill chuck, it does very well as a drill press. Several distributors market the same basic machine, which costs around $550. Just Google "mini mill" for links. With any mill, make sure you get a GOOD mill vise.

If you just have a drill press, I recommend getting a vise with 2 axis travel (X-Y) to hold the work piece. That way, you can actually locate holes reasonably close to where you want them. In a pinch, you can put a small mill cutter in a drill press with an X-Y vise and use it for light mill work on aluminum.