The best price for tools

For the home hobbyist with limited floor space and a limited budget, you have probably already considered purchasing an all-in-one machine. There are many brands to choose from, and they typically combine the three most necessary machines into one multi-purpose work center. These three machines are the drill press, milling machine, and the lathe. The drill press is designed to quickly, easily, and accurately produce round holes in various materials using a wide array of drilling tools. The milling machine accepts a wide variety of special cutters, such as end mills, face mills, hole cutters, drills, and taps, and performs the majority of the jobs that you will undertake. The lathe is designed to machine round stock and is primarily used to make shafts, pins, and parts with external threads such as bolts and studs. But can one machine do all of these things well or are you better off spending the extra money to buy each individual machine?


The truth is, if you plan to do any serious machining or need to work in tougher materials such as stainless steel or mild steels, the multi-purpose machine will probably not give you the results and performance that you require. However, if you have very limited floor space and only need the use of these types of machine tools occasionally, they it will most likely suit your limited needs. The multi-purpose machine is actually best suited to the model maker that needs to make small brass and aluminum parts that add detail to their boat and train models. If the multi-machine is your choice, I would recommend that you buy it new rather than used, and get the heaviest model available. This will reduce vibration, increase productivity, and give you the most flexibility with the size of jobs that you can take on.

The multi-purpose machine does function fairly well as a light-duty lathe, and it will work in a pinch to make small replacement shafts and pins. Some models can even be set up to cut screw threads by means of a set of change gears attached to the lead screw of the machine. The biggest drawback I would have to say is the extremely small work table that is mounted on the machine for drilling and milling operations. The majority of work that is done in the typical machine shop is mill work, and if you could only afford one machine for your shop, I would recommend that you buy a decent bench top mill rather than a multi-purpose machine. Except for the model maker, the home hobbyist will not need a lathe on many occasions, but the milling machine can handle a wide variety of machining tasks, including all the jobs that a drill press can do. The multi-purpose machine can be an invaluable tool for your home work shop, and it may prove to be an excellent choice for your needs. If the milling and drilling capabilities of the machine later seem to be inadequate for your needs, then you will need to add a small bench top mill to your shop as your next machine purchase.

Mark has been an entrepreneur and business owner for nearly 20 years. Come visit his latest website over at http://www.jetdrillpress.net/, which explains some of the reasons to buy a floor drill press for your work shop or garage.

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