Help with my mill-drill

[rob_45ca]

I am new to this site. I tried to search mill drill but did not find much. I am a blacksmith and I bought a drill mill but it only has a drill chuck. I would like some kind of tool holder for it. I need to know how to tell what the tapper is so I can maybe buy some tool holder for it. Any help would be appreciated

[mattthegamer463]

Welcome. If you could post the model number that would help, its probably R-8 or a MT3, possibly MT2 if its a little smaller machine.

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[danlb]

There are only a few tapers used in the more common mill drill. If you remove the drill chuck's arbor from the quill, you will instantly be able to see if it's a straight taper (in which case it's likely to be Morse taper MT3 or MT2. If the taper is a little more more complex, with a steeper angle near the chuck, then you have a good chance that it is R8.

If you can remove the chuck (and it's arbor) without un-screwing the draw-bar, then there is a good chance that you have a drill, with an X-Y table for accurate placement and not a true mill.

Welcome to the forum.

Dan

[rob_45ca]

It is a Astro 8 speed drill mill m# MD-16 made in Taiwan. There is a a draw- bar holding the chuck in. Thanks for all the fast reply's.

[mattthegamer463]

Looks like MT2 from what I can find about MD16 mill drills

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[Willy]

If it is an R8 taper machine it would look somewhat like the one in the top in the photo.
The MT2 and MT3 tapers would resemble the two next to the R8 arbor. They would however incorporate a threaded hole for the drawbar instead of the tang shown on these two.
Do a quick look online for the various spindle taper dimensions if you are unsure if it is MT2 or MT3.

[BCRider]

If you have not done so already you want to start by loosening the drawbar a couple of turns then tap it with a dead blow mallet to snap the chuck out. Then you can compare the arbor to the pictures and sizes in Willy's post as well as this table of sizes for Morse Tapers. What you find will tell you what you need to know about the taper size.

Once you know the taper size you can look at getting some tooling holders. Look for options that give you the least overhang or extension. The less overhang the less risk of chatter.

Oh, and welcome to the HSM site. It's like a club meeting but without beer every day

What other machine tools do you have to go with the new mill drill?

[gellfex]

Welcome and let me recommend getting a ER style collet chuck. I've been using one for decades on my Jet M/D, and it makes life so much easier for most small work not screwing with a drawbar to mount end mills and drills. The only time I pull it off is to use a boring head. The ER-32 collets size continuously from 1/8 to 3/4 and I have a 1/4" Jacobs with a 1/2" straight shaft on it for smaller drills.

[Willy]

It's like a club meeting but without beer every day

Yup, some days it's just good whiskey and ice.

[754]

If you have not done so already you want to start by loosening the drawbar a couple of turns then tap it with a dead blow mallet to snap the chuck out. Then you can compare the arbor to the pictures and sizes in Willy's post as well as this table of sizes for Morse Tapers. What you find will tell you what you need to know about the taper size.

Once you know the taper size you can look at getting some tooling holders. Look for options that give you the least overhang or extension. The less overhang the less risk of chatter.

Oh, and welcome to the HSM site. It's like a club meeting but without beer every day

What other machine tools do you have to go with the new mill drill?

BC Rider...you are in the wrong county...up here in the County of Yale....we have beer...

[rob_45ca]

Thanks for all the help. I have a 12" atlas lathe as well. I am up here in the Great white north. I see that in the US I could buy a set of R8 collects for about $40, up here that same set will be $121. I may order from US and pay the 34 cent exchange. Now I see I could have posted a pic on here of the unit and that would have helped. I can see already I will learn a lot here. Thanks

This site has been nice to to me just by calling me junior. At over 60 I don't hear that much.

[camdigger]

Thanks for all the help. I have a 12" atlas lathe as well. I am up here in the Great white north. I see that in the US I could buy a set of R8 collects for about $40, up here that same set will be $121. I may order from US and pay the 34 cent exchange. Now I see I could have posted a pic on here of the unit and that would have helped. I can see already I will learn a lot here. Thanks

This site has been nice to to me just by calling me junior. At over 60 I don't hear that much.

Great White North? Puleeeze. Branford is roughly 43 degrees latitude. Over here, there is most of an American State between 43 latitude and the Medicine line at the 49th.
FWIW, my house is at about 52 parallel.

Welcome a board!


As a warning on your mill-drill..... tapping down on the drawbar is an accepted practice to get the spindle taper to release. Just be prepared to have the head of the drawbar shear off. The drawbar head is often pinned on with a 3 mm cross pin. It is usually resolved by making a replacement out of threaded rod. Or just removing the drawbar and welding the head on solid.