Drill press vs mini mill vs CNC

[rojhan]

"Mini Mill vs Drill Press" for any form of milling/machine beyond drilling holes has been beat to death, but I have a slightly different twist on it.

I currently have a 3D printer, 100W 700x500mm CO2 laser, and an 800W 6040 CNC. I've been looking at getting a drill press to complete the collection to bridge the gap between putting various pieces together.

As part of my search, I've also been considering "I might as well get an LMS 3990 if I'm going to get a drill press". The drill press and mill being preferred over setting up a job on the CNC for something quick-n-dirty.

However, I don't see me doing much metal work. I've been using CNC for plastic and wood (which has largely been made much faster and easier with the laser).

My latest consideration is just getting a handwheel for the CNC and using it rather than actually doing the CAM prep for simple stuff.

With this description, any thoughts to help me decide between a handwheel and the LMS? ~$150 vs $1,500 isn't a primary criteria (although the low end would make the wife happier ). It's more "taking up more room in the already crowded garage for something that may not really provide much benefit."

I *think* that the handwheel will be more effective for me, but I don't know what I don't know...

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[awerby]

One of these: https://littlemachineshop.com/produc...ProductID=3990 ? It depends on the size of the work and the size of the holes you want to drill in it. It will work as a drill press for things it can fit, but an equivalently-priced floor model drill press will accommodate much bigger projects, and will also fit morse-taper drill bits directly. It's also likely to have more torque for larger diameter bits. But it won't cut sideways, so if you want to use it to cut slots or pockets manually, then get the mill.

[Jianxun]

Or maybe get a CNC controller with MDI or conversational programming. Much quicker than CAM, and more flexible than hand wheels.


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