Milling machine: Albrecht chucks, Silver and Deming etc.

[slow-poke]

Question about using large drill bits in Albrecht type self tightening chucks. I do most of my large drill bit drilling with my drill press and it has a Jacobs chuck. For the mill I have a clone of the Albrecht chuck and I have read as well as experienced the over tightening that can occur when using Silver and Deming style large bits in these chucks.

So I'm curious what tool holding in the mill are you guys using for large drill bits?

Lately I'm relying on 3/4" shank TTS holders more often than swapping size specific collets and arbors so one option would be to try and find an affordable set of large drill bits with 3/4" shank.

Comments and suggestions welcome.

 

[Susquatch]

So I'm curious what tool holding in the mill are you guys using for large drill bits?

I just recently rebuilt a 5/8 Albrecht. No problems so far.

I have a 3/4" Golden Goose that has a key. No problems with it either.

When I need it, I use fixed size endmill arbours - I have them in the common sizes only 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, 3/4, 1".

This is 1"

 

[thestelster]

Collets if the drill bit shanks are round. Keyed chuck if they have flats or hex shank.

 

[Ironman]

My advice for your Albrecht type chuck is to NEVER exceed the chucks capacity with a larger Silver & Deming. Your choice will be to destroy the chuck or cut off and drill out the shank of the drill bit.
I use Morse taper for my large bits, or an S&D in a Jacobs type chuck. I have a Morse to rotabroach converter and use the rota broach bits for some jobs

 

[ChazzC]

Even on larger mills using oversize drills in a chuck creates a very long stick-out, and may not even fit on a Mini-Mill (I've been afraid to try). While my S&D bits do have three flats, the few times that I've used them I have held them in an R8 collet.

I have had reasonable success using the S&D in my Mini-Lathe with a keyed chuck, I'm going to use a 1/2" boring bar holder and try cross-slide drilling the next time I have the need.

 

[Tom Kitta]

Albrecht type overtightens large drill bits and than makes it fun challenge to remove the drill bit. There is a reason why they don't make them big - largest is like 5/8 / 16mm or so. Do not use Silver & Deming in them or you are up for an adventure.

I am strictly Jacobs shop and I do use collets a lot as well. No issues - there are no adventures...

Than again a face mill got pulled out of ER32 collet yesterday causing a crash ;( But that is not a drill bit.

I drill relatively a lot - as it is very common operation.

 

[Martin w]

My mill is #40 NMTB, so I use a Morse taper adapter. Sometimes I use a 1” Jacob’s chuck on some straight shank drills I have that are larger. Same goes for the drill press. Almost always Morse taper drills for anything over 1/2”
Martin

 

[Chris Cramer]

Would it be possible to use end mills in a drill press if I add a manual gantry to the drill table?

 

[ChazzC]

Would it be possible to use end mills in a drill press if I add a manual gantry to the drill table?

By “manual gantry” I assume you mean an X-Y table.

It depends on what you want to do: you’re not going to have tge rigidity of a vertical mill, but could still do some light work.

One thing you’ll need to do is replace the drill chuck with either MT end mill holders or an MT shank ER collet chuck (drill chucks aren’t designed to hold hard shank end mills).

 

[Chris Cramer]

Most of what I want to do is use an end mill to clean/ square the edges of some holes and slots instead of using a tungsten bur with a die grinder. If the machine doesn't need too much rigidity to skim the inner edges and corners of ferrous metal and maybe also to cut a clean hole with larger end mills by plunging; then I have a collet body from a broken die grinder rhat still has a part of the shaft, and a set if collets that I could use to hold the end mill bits.

 

[Susquatch]

Would it be possible to use end mills in a drill press if I add a manual gantry to the drill table?

My first "mill" (if you can call it that) was an old beaver floor stand drill press. I added an x/y table and a small vise to it and did all kinds of milling in all kinds of material for about 20 years. When I retired, it became less satisfying and I eventually bought a real mill. @ChazzC is right, a drill chuck isn't the best way to hold an end mill, but it will work if you don't push it. I can say that with absolute confidence because I did it myself for many years.

I think the two biggest problems that you will encounter is the lack of bearings that can handle a side load, and has some form of chuck retention. My drill press came with bearings and a Jacobs chuck with a retaining collar so I got away with it.

If you want to use your drill press more than a few times as a small mill, I'd recommend modifying it to address these two problems. Of course, you can always just buy a drill press that already has these features. They are called mill-drills.

 

[Mcgyver]

Would it be possible to use end mills in a drill press if I add a manual gantry to the drill table?

along with the challenges mentioned, its a no-no because a MT can/will release with with a lateral force. This pops the spinning chuck and endmill out and does a battle bot routine, suboptimal. Mills with Morse tapers have draw bars to prevent this.

 

[Susquatch]

along with the challenges mentioned, its a no-no because a MT can/will release with with a lateral force. This pops the spinning chuck and endmill out and does a battle bot routine, suboptimal. Mills with Morse tapers have draw bars to prevent this.

This is why I suggested that @Chris Cramer needs a chuck retainer mechanism. Mine had a JT33C taper. The C stands for "Collar". It has a threaded collar that both tightens and loosens the taper but more importantly it prevents the taper from coming apart.