Drill Press Recommendation

[chromesphere]

Hi All,

Theres only so much research you can do before it just seems much easier to ask those with experience.

I'm ditching the hand drill and going for a drill press (finally).

Theres 2 things about the drill press im not so sure about.

One is the power.  I've heard that cheapo drill presses can have trouble drilling, say, a 12mm hole for the 3pdt footswitch into metal.  The one im looking at has 300 or 350watt motor i think.  The metals not that thick, but will the engine stall?  Doesnt it matter if the engine stalls?  Can you just keep hitting it till it goes through?

Next is the throat depth.  One i'm looking at is 104mm.  I'm not entirely sure what i throat depth is...how far done the drill will move?  I'm not working on amps or anything, just stompboxes.  The trickiest drill hole i would have is the 12mm dc power jack hole.  Going into the top of the hammond enclosures is tricky (espically with a hand drill!).  Had a couple of close calls!  (picture enclosure flying off across the room) 

Anything else you can think of thats important or i should keep in mind?

Thanks for any advice!  I appreciate it!
CS

[kupervaser]

If you buy a unibit you can just use it with a hadn drill or an electrical screwdriver without a drillpress.
It works perfectly. I used to use a drillpress, but it took a lot more time changing the drills and adjusting the hights.

[jasperoosthoek]

I bought a cheap drill press years ago. The biggest problem is that the chuck is not balanced properly. This means that the drill bits also rotate a bit 'sideways' and causing quite strong vibration when you drill something. Therefore the thing is basically useless except if you don't care too much where the drilled holes end up.

[chromesphere]

Hey, thanks for the replies.

Well...theres a cheap brand 'icon' 350w for 80 bucks, and a ryobi 250w for $120.  I assume the ryobi is better quality, but im just concerned about the power when drilling out those 12mm holes...I have a feeling that i will be using my hand drill again for those...

Even the icon for $80 has to be better then a hand drill as far as accuracy goes though...

CS

[jasperoosthoek]

You might want to invest in a good step drill bit. I say invest as mine was half as expensive as my drill press. ($45 for a drill bit...) Also they only work well with a drill press. With a normal hand drill you will never have it at a 90 degree angle. Therefore the step drill bit will eat away more on one side causing the hole to 'move'. But with a drill bit they work absolutely beautifully.

I drilled all my encloses with a stepper drill even with my crappy drill press. The hardest part was aligning the first hole. I used a nail and hammered a small hole. And then I should have used a vvv shaped drill bit for the first hole. (Instead I used a wood drill with a sharp point, I think). Afterwards I just finished it with the stepper drill bit. You can always use HSS wood drills on aluminum. Even the flat ones work fine. As long as you keep the drill temperature low. I also sprayed some WD40 as a lubricant/cooler.

[amptramp]

I have a table-top drill press with a selection of five speeds which means that even a large load like a step drill can be accommodated without too much trouble and I have used 1/16" drills at the highest speed without any problems.  I bought it new-in-box, unused at a garage sale for $40.  It has enough room to put a vise on it although I have not got one of the vises that are drill-specific (low profile types that can be mounted to the sliding table).  A throat depth of 104 mm / 4 inches sounds just barely adequate, allowing you to drill a centre hole in an 8" diameter sheet or casting.  The throat depth is the distance from the centre of the spindle to the closest part of the pillar.  As for power, most drill presses can handle steel and are capable of going through aluminum like butter.

[petemoore]

  Dent the entry point with denter, punch.
  To fight burring at the drill exit point [where it comes out the other side:
  Enter from both sides until the outer rim has been cut 'in', this way the bit won't 'blow out burrs when cutting/grabbing large amounts of metal as it shears it's way out.
  Very little metal removed as the bit enters. Large shears or chunx removed fast as the bit exits.
  High pressure acceptable for entry, low pressure/high speed for reduced exit burring [this is where a drill press makes control much easier] sharp bit helps too.
  even with regular bits finishing a started hole [with small bit, it's easier to start the hole]...go into each side of the substrate to a depth where the side of the bit-tip has cut to the drill size, corner of shank just enters surface [stop]. Start in from the other side and go all the way through...no burrs [greatly reduced]. 
  googled:
  metal cutting fluted drillbit
  http://www.supertoolinc.com/
  investigating the tool drawers is always fun, occasionally good for some mileage.
  Try Harbour Freight for a stepped bit deal.

[chromesphere]

HI all,

Wow some great advice here guys, thanks a lot!

I think i might go for the ryobi, sounds like powers not going to be a problem, and when i think about it,  it's just 5mm of alumimum.  I'm not drilling throw cast iron!  It seems alot of people use step bits.  I might have to try one of those as well.

Thanks for the drilling tip on those large holes Pete.  I'll have to try that out.  I always dread drilling out those 12mm holes, as the bit ALWAYS gets stuck at the end.  Then you have to just pull the trigger and hope it cuts it without breaking the aluminum (or throw the case across the room as happened once before).  I'll try your technique. Sounds safer 

Thanks agian for the advice!
CS

[G. Hoffman]

One is the power.  I've heard that cheapo drill presses can have trouble drilling, say, a 12mm hole for the 3pdt footswitch into metal.  The one im looking at has 300 or 350watt motor i think.  The metals not that thick, but will the engine stall?  Doesnt it matter if the engine stalls?  Can you just keep hitting it till it goes through?

What kind of metal?  It makes a big difference.  If you are just talking about aluminum Hammond enclosures and the like, you will have no problem.  Aluminum is barely different from a hardwood like maple in terms of tool speeds, feed rates, and material hardness.  Any standard drill press will have no problem.  Titanium?  Seriously dude, don't even try doing it yourself, hire a professional.  That stuff sucks to work with!

Also, how thick of a piece are you talking about.  A piece of 1/4" tool steel is probably not going to be a big problem, as long as you go slow and use a bit of 3-in-1 oil or cutting fluid as a lubricant.  

Its also important to note that the motor in a drill press will usually be an induction motor, as opposed to the universal motor in your hand drill.  The difference between a 1 horse power universal and a 1 horsepower induction motor is HUGE.  A universal motor might give you its rated power with no load.  An induction motor will give you the rated power under load, and for brief periods of time will go significantly over that rating providing you don't draw more power than your circuit breaker can handle!  But you will never need to do that with a drill press.  Just watch your feed rate, and adjust to an appropriate spindle speed (most drill presses will have a chart to help you set the pulleys appropriately).

Next is the throat depth.  One i'm looking at is 104mm.  I'm not entirely sure what i throat depth is...how far done the drill will move?  I'm not working on amps or anything, just stompboxes.  The trickiest drill hole i would have is the 12mm dc power jack hole.  Going into the top of the hammond enclosures is tricky (espically with a hand drill!).  Had a couple of close calls!  (picture enclosure flying off across the room)  

Throat depth is the distance from the post that supports the drill head to the center of the spindle.  Basically, it is half the size of the material you can drill.  Even for amps, you can usually get by with the smallest drill press I'm familiar with, and for effects size is simply not likely to be an issue.

Power isn't going to be an issue, but finding one with decent bearings is pretty important.  Most drill presses should be fine, though.  Really, any half-way decent  drill press will be such a huge improvement that you'll wish you had switched sooner!  Do be careful, though.  A drill press can grab your work piece, and rip it out of your hands.  That can be painful, and can even potentially be very dangerous.  Of course, the same is true of a hand held power drill, but the drill press is noticeably more powerful.  If you are at all uncomfortable with a particular operation, get a drill press vice and use it to hold the work.  I seldom find them necessary, but then I've been using drill presses since I was less than a decade old!

Oh yes, and as Norm always said, remember to wear your safety glasses!  Also, think through any operation you make with ANY power tool.  Figure out what will go wrong, if something goes wrong, and where would be the worst places to put your hands.  Don't put your hands there!

Always remember:




Gabriel

[chromesphere]

Hey Gabriel,

Thanks for answering my questions so directly and concisely.

I always use a clamp when drilling.  If the drill bit gets stuck, i find it kind of pulls your hands towards the bit.  I'll look into the drill press vice.

Thanks again for the info.  I feel better equiped to make the purchase.
CS

[therecordingart]

I have a cheap-o that has been wonderful for the past 5 or so years.

http://www.harborfreight.com/5-speed-drill-press-38119.html

It has only stalled going through steel. Aluminum enclosures and PCBs are completely smooth.

[Hides-His-Eyes]

Crikey, that is cheap.

[therecordingart]

Crikey, that is cheap.

It's not a "great" drill press, but over the years I've done hundreds of PCBs and projects without it ever crapping out on me (except for the steel I tried to go through). It has definitely paid for itself many times over. I'm going to run it until it dies.

[chromesphere]

Hi therecordingart,

That drill press, specifications wise, looks almost exactly the same as the cheap-o i was looking at, at my hardware store.  Price is very close too, 60USD -> 80AUD.  I've ordered one and am waiting for it to come in.  And like you said If it dies down the track, ill get a new / better one.

I think i'll postpone these two tremulus lune boards / enclosures till it shows up

CS