Drill for boards???

[Canucker]

I recently got a mini hobby drill press from the electronics shop to drill my boards with but its not that great....who has something they're happy with? and did you get it online?
Part of my problem is that I don't have the right adapter...yes its the required 12 volts but its only 250mms not 500 as listed as the requirement....but it was only $30 and its plastic and pretty flimsy....I kinda want a real drill press.

[newperson]

if you are in the us check out a mini drill press from harbor freight.  with a coupon + sale you can pick one up for around 36 dollars.  i have used mine for many years now without any issues.  i have also drilled much more with it than pcbs.

[defaced]

+1  I'm very happy with my bench top and full sized floor harbor freight drill presses.  I have drilled PCBs with both using carbide bits, which is a sign the run out of the chuck is near zero. 

[Jdansti]

Anyone use a Dremel press?  I've asked my sweety for one for my birthday this weekend.

[newperson]

never used a dremel press, but using dremels in general they seem to get really hot after they have been on for a bit. 

[chromesphere]

I use a ryobi bench top drill press for pcb and enclosures. You may need the chuck adapter to use drill bits less then 1mm-1.5mm. Like this:

http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=TD2010

I bought a drill press instead of a dremel so that i can use it to drill both PCB's and enclosures.  The thing is, pedals aside, it's such a handy tool to have around.  Trying to drill a straight hole in wood with a hand drill does an inaccurate job.  If it died on me, i'd get another one.  Maybe a floor standing drill press next time to save some bench top space.

Good luck,

Paul

[Jdansti]

I agree about the usefulness of a regular drill press and I'm probably going to end up with a small Harbor Freight number too. The thing I like about the Dremel press is that it doubles as a holder so you can have both hands on workpiece for sanding and polishing.

[haveyouseenhim]

I think mine's a lil overkill, although it works pretty well and is extremely precise 

[Jdansti]

That's pretty nice - as long as it doesn't fall on you! 

[haveyouseenhim]

Yea lol. that's just a temporary setup. i'm making a stand to bolt it to. i just haven't gotten around to it because its soooo hot and humid here. it makes working outside miserable

[Jdansti]

I hear ya. I'm in the Houston area and it's miserable right now. You sweat like crazy and it doesn't evaporate. I had to overhaul the carb on my mower today. I was in the shade with a fan blowing on me and by the time I was finished, all of my clothes were soaking wet.

[haveyouseenhim]

southeast bama here... america's taint

[therecordingart]

I've been using the desktop drill press from Harbor Freight for about 9 years now. Aluminum boxes and PCBs are cut really well with it. I've drilled some steel with it which takes patience and cutting oil. I have stopped the chuck a few times in the midst of drilling going through hard materials.

[deadastronaut]

@jon: my missus bought me a dremel drill press,(as above) though i didn't have a dremel drill....i have a minicraft..

she thought she was getting me a good prezzie bless her.....never mind..

anyway , i opened it up and looked it over as you do....the part that holds the drill is plastic, and had quite a bit of play in it.....i wouldn't suggest it...too much wobble etc....

others may disagree,   i never got to actually use it but it didn't look sturdy enough imo....and sold it......just my 2p.

[R O Tiree]

Got this cheap on the evilBay...



I always design my boards so that rows of holes are 0.1" apart. Once the board is etched (and now I can do soldermasking as well - yay!) I mount it on this little milling machine, align the board so the rows are exactly parallel to the x-axis, then I can get really accurate hole-centering. I've also got little milling bits so I can cut the slots for 3PDT switch tags, etc.

[head_spaz]

Small 12V PCB Drilling Kit on eBay
Includes a unique mini chuck and 1 each :
0.80 .91 .01 .11 .21 .31 .41 & .5mm Drill bits.

Well worth the price just for the chuck.
But these drill bits aren't carbide, so they aren't so
brittle that you can't do it by hand. No press needed.
I'm building mini press using a linear bearing and a
couple of u-bolts to mount this motor.
But in the end, I think I may end up dumping the motor
and using Harbor Freight's Micro Die Grinder instead.
They're pretty well made and I prefer pneumatic tools
for their very high RPMs, plus the fact that they don't
load down as easy under load.
I just need to build a foot switch and pickup a solenoid
valve for the airline.
It's gonna work well, I guarantee!



And yeah, I have a small harbor freight drill-press and
I like it for most things, but NOT PCBs!!!
I even upgraded to a Jacob's keyless chuck that cost me
twice as much as the press, but as it turns out the spindle
has too much runout and it snaps carbide bits by the dozens.
Isn't very cost effective.

[Jdansti]

I saw a guy Cozumel making custom jewelry with a pneumatic drill like this:


http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000K801NI/ref=aw_d_detail?pd=1

It would probably work for PCBs as well.

[R O Tiree]

I saw a guy Cozumel making custom jewelry with a pneumatic drill like this:


http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000K801NI/ref=aw_d_detail?pd=1

It would probably work for PCBs as well.

Also has the advantage that the compressed air would blow the glass-fibre dust away from the board... right into your lungs

[Jdansti]

I saw a guy Cozumel making custom jewelry with a pneumatic drill like this:


http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000K801NI/ref=aw_d_detail?pd=1

It would probably work for PCBs as well.

Also has the advantage that the compressed air would blow the glass-fibre dust away from the board... right into your lungs

Good point!  I'm not sure where the air exits and if the dust would be any more than a conventional drill. Regardless of which tool you use, you have to protect your lungs, eyes, face, etc.

[Jdansti]

@jon: my missus bought me a dremel drill press,(as above) though i didn't have a dremel drill....i have a minicraft..

she thought she was getting me a good prezzie bless her.....never mind..

anyway , i opened it up and looked it over as you do....the part that holds the drill is plastic, and had quite a bit of play in it.....i wouldn't suggest it...too much wobble etc....

others may disagree,   i never got to actually use it but it didn't look sturdy enough imo....and sold it......just my 2p.

@jon: my missus bought me a dremel drill press,(as above) though i didn't have a dremel drill....i have a minicraft..

she thought she was getting me a good prezzie bless her.....never mind..

anyway , i opened it up and looked it over as you do....the part that holds the drill is plastic, and had quite a bit of play in it.....i wouldn't suggest it...too much wobble etc....

others may disagree,   i never got to actually use it but it didn't look sturdy enough imo....and sold it......just my 2p.

Thanks for the heads up, Rob. I might end up just using the feature that holds the tool in place while you grind or sand, and the feature that makes it easier to use the flex shaft. As RO pointed out, gotta watch out for the dust. Maybe a small partially enclosed dust hood connected to a shop vac that has a HEPA filter.