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Advice on drill press for 80% lower
I am looking for advice on a bench top drill press for working on an aluminum 80% AR15 lower, motor power, RPM, etc.
I am hoping to stay under $200. Thank you. |
#2
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Not sure about a 80% lower but this is what I use.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/WEN-10-i...210T/308605494 Great add on is the fence https://www.homedepot.com/p/WEN-24-i...412T/307430864 |
#5
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Don't use a drill press for an 80%.
Drill presses are designed for drilling holes, and where the thrust on the quill is along the axis of the quill. They're not designed to withstand side loads on the quill associated with milling. Please note Edgerly's comments about using an XY Table. You'll never get enough precision hand guiding a workpiece against a fence. You'll need a table to control your cuts. They're an included part of the milling machine. That's what you need for the 80%. Here's a very nice miniature milling machine that would work great for an 80%. I've visited with the vendor at his shop and found him to be a wealth of knowledge on both the miniature mill, and the miniature lathe: https://mdaprecision.com/products/be...co-f1210-mill/
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If you build a man a fire, you'll keep him warm for the evening. If you set a man on fire, you'll keep him warm for the rest of his life. |
#7
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I found one of these on CL. It's a bench top press, even then it took me and my son to lift in on the bench. I only used the press for drilling holes, no side loading. I used a router for removing most of the material.
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It takes a lot of balls to play golf the way I do. Happiness is a warm gun. MLC, First 3 |
#8
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OP - I'm hoping to stay under $200....... Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk |
#9
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In fact most of the jig manufacturers don't recommend using a drill press to drill the pin and safety selector holes. The recommend using a hand drill... "State of the art" jigs are from 80% Arms. the gen 3 is the latest. It will do all different types of lowers including billet and standard forgings. It will work for 5.56, .308 and 9mm lowers. It's a great tool. https://www.80percentarms.com/produc...-80-lower-jig/
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Poke'm with a stick! |
#10
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#11
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That's very true, but I'll challenge anyone to pick up a Bridgeport and stick it into the closet for storage when you're done with it.
__________________
If you build a man a fire, you'll keep him warm for the evening. If you set a man on fire, you'll keep him warm for the rest of his life. |
#12
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I did an 80% once. Used a drill press and a router.
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"It is currently CA legal to modify a double-action revolver into a single-action revolver and modify a single-action revolver into a double-action revolver. CA DOJ BOF stance on modifying handguns only applies to dimensionally compliant bolt-action single-shot pistols and dimensionally compliant break-open single-shot pistols. ^It does not apply to revolvers, manually operated repeating pistols, and semi-auto pistols." ~~ Quiet |
#15
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lots of the jigs use a drill to remove the bulk of the material, then the router for the rest and shaping the pocket. I used a Porter Cable 8" drill press and it worked fine. It was like $120, and I set it for the recommended RPM for aluminum, whatever that was. I will second an X-Y vise though, repositioning and re-clamping under the drill press a dozen times was a pain.
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#16
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A drill press and cross slide vise will do the job. The drill press will probably have a lot of run-out afterwards (if you use an end mill bit to 'mill' it out), so get a cheap one / garage sale special. Don't ruin a good drill press by side loading it.
Last edited by SkyHawk; 02-02-2021 at 9:45 PM.. |
#18
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Yeah you shouldn't be side loading the press at all. Just straight drilling to remove the bulk of the material.
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#19
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I would say NO to the dremel. The end mill bit you want to use won't fit in a dremel, and the router allows you to lower the plunge depth incrementally (and remove a perfectly flat layer). You don't cut it all at once, you shave off layers little by little, like 1/8" or less each pass. Using the right tool for this job is worth every penny on this one. If your budget is tight, save up an extra couple months for the router or see if you can borrow one from a neighbor/friend. The cheap trim routers work fine.
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#20
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The irony of machining at a jc was it was at the College of San Mateo, just down the peninsula from San Francisco. The teacher helped me with setups, I bought my own cutter tooling and a tap for the buffer tube. 2 other guys were working on hunting guns. Good times. I've used a bench top press after squaring it, adding brass screws for quill adjustment, and general setup. I've used it on wood and plastic...no metal parts. Side-cutting tools need rigidity...if you don't have that, you'll have metal in the air at light speed. Don't forget good safety glasses.
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True wealth is time. Time to enjoy life. Life's journey is not to arrive safely in a well preserved body, but rather to slide in sideways, totally worn out, shouting "holy schit...what a ride"!! Heaven goes by favor. If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in. Mark Twain A man's soul can be judged by the way he treats his dog. Charles Doran Last edited by -hanko; 02-02-2021 at 9:01 PM.. |
#21
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I have a larger PM45, it certainly won't fit in a closet but then again I don't need or want it to. Matt is great and really is there for support if needed. He sent me a an entire mill head gratis b/c he didn't like the internal casting of the one I received. I didn't request it and I haven't had any issues with it. The 'new' one has been in it's shipping crate for 8 years now. The one thing with any of the square head, gear drive, mills is that they all will leak over time. Someday I might downsize but I like the rigidity / weight and my floor drill press just collects dust. |
#22
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Budget
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You will end up with a hard anodized mil spec firearm. I have no idea of the CA process to apply for a serial # for a home built And then can you engrave deep enough at home or is that another $100 for engraving.
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Rule 1- ALL GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED Rule 2 -NEVER LET THE MUZZLE COVER ANYTHING YOU ARE NOT PREPARED TO DESTROY (including your hands and legs) Rule 3 -KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER UNTIL YOUR SIGHTS ARE ON THE TARGET Rule 4 -BE SURE OF YOUR TARGET AND WHAT IS BEYOND IT (thanks to Jeff Cooper) |
#23
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__________________
If you build a man a fire, you'll keep him warm for the evening. If you set a man on fire, you'll keep him warm for the rest of his life. |
#24
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It's much more convenient left setup for whenever I need to use it. That generally occurs multiple times a day.
__________________
Randall Rausch AR work: www.ar15barrels.com Bolt actions: www.700barrels.com Foreign Semi Autos: www.akbarrels.com Barrel, sight and trigger work on most pistols and shotguns. Most work performed while-you-wait, evening and saturday appointments available. |
#25
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For machines that get used every day, what you say makes a lot of sense. But when you've got a 400 sq foot shop that is used for wood, metal, paint, welding, and canvas work, you gotta be able to move the machinery around, and get the smaller machines outta the shop when they're not being used. I last used my milling machine (an EMCO FB2) last November. It rolls to the center of the shop when used, and rolls into the closet when it's not being used. Tonight, I was using the wood planer in the same floorspace as I last used the milling machine. Once I finish the "never ending project" of restoring my 57' ketch, then I'll build a guest house/shop combo that will provide enough space to leave my machines in place, and to have a dedicated area for each working discipline.
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If you build a man a fire, you'll keep him warm for the evening. If you set a man on fire, you'll keep him warm for the rest of his life. |
#26
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By the time you get to one end, the other end is already overdue...
__________________
Randall Rausch AR work: www.ar15barrels.com Bolt actions: www.700barrels.com Foreign Semi Autos: www.akbarrels.com Barrel, sight and trigger work on most pistols and shotguns. Most work performed while-you-wait, evening and saturday appointments available. |
#27
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I can't tell you how much I long for a larger shop........
__________________
If you build a man a fire, you'll keep him warm for the evening. If you set a man on fire, you'll keep him warm for the rest of his life. Last edited by RickD427; 02-03-2021 at 9:41 AM.. |
#28
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I have the basic floorplan sketched out for my next shop.
It's hopefully going to be a 50x80 steel building.
__________________
Randall Rausch AR work: www.ar15barrels.com Bolt actions: www.700barrels.com Foreign Semi Autos: www.akbarrels.com Barrel, sight and trigger work on most pistols and shotguns. Most work performed while-you-wait, evening and saturday appointments available. |
#29
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#30
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Agree! |
#31
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Just trying to help the gent out. As they say - "Buy once, cry once."
__________________
If you build a man a fire, you'll keep him warm for the evening. If you set a man on fire, you'll keep him warm for the rest of his life. |
#33
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#34
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+1 Easy Jig Gen 3
They've got great resale value, so you'll be able to break even on the jig and bits. A hand drill will suffice and a DeWalt DWP611. A vise. Tap magic... Do not use WD-40 Sent from my HD1925 using Tapatalk |
#37
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The way they used to do it was by drilling holes to remove most of the material and then use the drill press like a mill just to clean up the inside. Much easier on the drill press.
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I'd agree with you but then we'd both be wrong... NRA Certified: Chief Range Safety Officer Instructor: Basic Pistol Shooting Instructor: Personal Protection Inside the Home |
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