A drill press does not allow for the X/Y (left and right) movement but does allow Z (up and down). The spindle is the real problem and milling machines fixes that problem. I think the only down fall to mini-mills is the amount of slop, er play, vs regular sized mills.

I've used my mini-mill religiously for over 10 years.

It has done everything I've needed it to do as far as making knives.

It has its limitations, and they are many. But I haven't filed a slot in a guard in a decade. That mill is worth its weight in gold, as far as I'm concerned.

Get one.

Around what price would a mini mill be and what brand would you recommend?

I am like Karl. I have a mini mill and have had for close to ten years. I use it on every knife and it is a great time saver.

The main problem with mini mills is you have to know the limitations. They can not do large jobs and are slower than a full size mill. That said they will work just fine.

Personally I have a Sherline mill and it works great and holds pretty good tolerance. It is not the cheapest mini mill but it is good quality. I have heard that the Harbor Freight models work well if you do some modifications such as better gears.

However if I get the chance to get a big mill I will jump at it, but for now the Sherline does what I need. Just make sure to get good quality end mills and set it up correctly.

Johnathan, a mini mill will probably start at around $500 or so. Harbor Freight some times has theirs on sale for like $479.00. A Sherline will set you back $900 - $1200, and a Prazi is even more. But a big mill like a Bridgeport will be several thousand used.

Brion

I recently got rid of my mini mill and upgraded to a grizzly g3103. For slotting guards the mini mill will work. If you want to do more than that then your really asking a lot, but depending on your skill can do more. Remember your going to spend as much on accessories and tooling on your mill as you are on the mill itself, unless it's an expensive machine. Probably the cheapest your going to spend on a new mini mill, tooling, instruments, etc.. is going to be around a 1000.00 dollars. Look on places like craigslist, Ebay, etc.. for people selling their used equipment and sometimes you can get a good deal.

Check out little machine shop to get a general idea of what all the tooling and accessories are going to cost you. www.littlemachineshop.com If you get one of the mini mills I recommend their dvd on taking the machine apart and rebuilding it. They will walk you through step by step on how to tram it and to set up the machine.