Drill Press Advice for Enclosures

[ScrewitIllDoitMyself]

(I know this question has been asked time and again.. but I value your opinions since you do this all the time.)

I finally have enough $ to grab a drill press. I just wanted to know if this one was good for enclosures.
Are there specs that i should be looking for??

JET J-2530, 15" Bench Model Drill Press 115V 1Ph  354401

http://www.jettools.com/us/en/p/j-2530-15-bench-model-drill-press-115v-1ph/354401

Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
-D

[R.G.]

HOLY COW that's expensive.

It's a good one, all right. Most "Jet" brand tools are. The specs are just fine, but unless you're going to use the bejeezus out of it, you may be buying too much.

I bought a floor model drill press in 1976 for about $120. That's about $6000.00 in today's dollars    or maybe it just seemed like it at the time. I still have it. It's a 12" swing. When it was new, it would drill circuit boards with 0.030" drill bits, although I've used some of the accuracy out of it now. But it'll still happily gnaw through cast metal enclosures like they're butter. Better, it will do it to about 0.005" accuracy. And I've drilled 1/2" mild steel.

I preferred a floor model because not having a floor model means you permanently give up part of your work bench area, which was precious to me. If I were buying a new one right now and didn't have the time or experience to ferret out a great deal on a used one because someone on craigslist bought too good a drill press, I'd probably buy one of Grizzly's. See:
http://www.grizzly.com/products/12-Speed-Heavy-Duty-Bench-Top-Drill-Press/G7943 for their 14" bench model, or
http://www.grizzly.com/products/12-Speed-Heavy-Duty-14-Floor-Drill-Press/G7944 for the floor model.

In general, for making a few enclosures for yourself, you can do 90% of what you need with a $100 bench model with a 9-10" throw. FX enclosures aren't very big.

I guess, in general, you're buying an almighty-fine tool for drilling enclosures.

Do NOT buy a drill press without also buying a drill press vise and some C-clamps and learning to hold down the stuff you're drilling so it does not damage you while you're drilling. It is remarkably easy to loss part or all of a finger, or get a deep slash in your hand, arm, or belly if the work grabs.

[aion]

If you're doing any PCB drilling at all, I'd recommend this one:

http://www.micromark.com/microlux-3-speed-mini-drill-press,7797.html

It's built for smaller stuff like PCB drilling, but these days I don't etch PCBs too often and have lately been using it exclusively for enclosures, which it handles without any trouble at all. So, I think the question you should ask is whether you're looking for it to handle enclosures and smaller, or enclosures and bigger.

BTW, I got mine for a lot cheaper than $179... closer to $130, a couple of years ago. I think it was on sale on Micro Mark's website so you might keep an eye out.

[CodeMonk]

This :
http://www.harborfreight.com/5-speed-bench-drill-press-60238-9067.html

And this:
http://www.harborfreight.com/3-piece-titanium-nitride-coated-high-speed-steel-step-drills-91616.html

And this:
http://www.harborfreight.com/spring-loaded-center-punch-621.html

Is all you need.



Edit:
Plus clamps and a vise as RG suggested.

[PRR]

> HOLY COW that's expensive.

+1.

You can drill enclosures with a bargain drill-press 1/10th the price.

My neighbor does ALL kind of work on cars (vintage and hot-rod) using a $130 machine. Headlight brackets, carb bases, stuff MUCH thicker and more-precise than banging holes in sheetmetal.

CM's fancy center-punch is much more useful, in this work, than a hyper-precision spindle. Get your dent just-right in layout, any drill (GOOD drill bit) will follow it.

And clamps. (I just took a night off the forum because I had an accident with un-clamped work and didn't care to bleed on my keyboard.)

[thelonious]

I use my basic Craftsman benchtop drill press for both enclosures and PCBs and it works just fine. You should use the slowest speed for enclosures and the highest speed for PCBs.

+1 on the step drill bit. It makes drilling an aluminum enclosure cake. If you want the bit to last longer, use a drilling fluid/lubricant of some kind. I use a thick dish soap and water solution.

[Seljer]

+1 on the step drill bit. It makes drilling an aluminum enclosure cake. If you want the bit to last longer, use a drilling fluid/lubricant of some kind. I use a thick dish soap and water solution.

Although its trickier than with normal drill bits, you can sharpen them to get more use out of them. I believe a bench grinder or maybe a dremel could do the job.

And yeah, +1 on cutting fluid.

[gjcamann]

I second Harbor Freight. Their tools aren't the best, but good enough for me. Maybe check Craigslist is you want high end.

[DeMorhag90]

I recently bought new drill that mostly for Home DIY and little work like fixing car headlight etc. I think it's more reliable and perfect lightweight gear.

I get  worthy to fulfill the drilling requirements and the reviews of Bosch PS31-2A attractive and reliable!

[amptramp]

I picked up a bench drill press at Canadian Tire about ten years ago when it was on sale at $59.  You should have a separate electronics bench and mechanical bench since cutting swarf goes everywhere.  You might spend more worthwhile money on digital calipers and a centre punch.

[davent]

I can't see well enough to consistently 'centre a centre punch, luck involved, so i have one these centre punches, if it's not centered it's because i' wasn't paying attention.



I was going to put in the link but I see it's no longer available, indispensible for me.
dave

[Aph]

I can't see well enough to consistently 'centre a centre punch, luck involved, so i have one these centre punches, if it's not centered it's because i' wasn't paying attention.

I was going to put in the link but I see it's no longer available, indispensible for me.
dave

There are a few optical center punches listed on Amazon...

[r080]

I am curious how others handle drilling the sides of enclosures. Do you turn the table a few degrees and clamp? I have been leaving the table at 90 degrees, line up, clamp, only drill a pilot, then finish on a workbench.

[iainpunk]

i drill most enclosure with a christmas tree drill bit from ali express and a hand cranked drill, and am about 85% satisfied with my drill holes, but its only for my self and the sound is what matters, not the looks IMHO

cheers

[davent]

I am curious how others handle drilling the sides of enclosures. Do you turn the table a few degrees and clamp? I have been leaving the table at 90 degrees, line up, clamp, only drill a pilot, then finish on a workbench.

I just do it by hand or drill press. The key is a good solid center punch dent, a sharp drill bit small enough to fit the dent so it's not going to skate off the mark. I pilot all holes with a 1/16"/1.5mm bit and slowly step up until at the step bits first step, whether using a drill press or hand drill.
dave