For a long time I've wanted to drill straight and true holes but financial
realities prevented me from buying a "real" drill press. Walking through
Sears one day I fell to the temptation of a "$79.99 Special!" benchtop drill
press. It performs exactly as advertised but its limitations are
significant. For example I built a dust-sucking top for sanding drums, but
the 3.5" depth means I have to remove the top if I want to use Forstner bits
or any straight bits > 3/16" on a 1" board.
I've spent hours in the garage^H^H^H^H^H shop, coffee cup in hand, looking
at the beast trying to figure out how to make it truly functional. My
current "best idea" is to cut the (somewhat) stainless steel shaft about 4"
tall, fasten the flange to a couple pieces of steel, and connect that to a
solid roll-around stand to get > 8" of swing and material handling of > 4".
(Shelf brackets could provide the vertical adjustments of the tables(s).)
Are there any links to "bargain basement" drill presses made more
functional, or is this a future topic for
www.markjerde.com (Don't bother going there, there's no "there" there yet.
;-)
Thanks.
-- Mark
Mark Jerde wrote:
> the floor model was ok. ;-) I couldn't feel any play in the floor model
> spindle, but I really don't feel any in mine either.
It's probably there though. If your experience mirrors mine, you'll be
amazed at how sloppy your old drill press was once you get the new one.
--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan <[email protected]>
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
Chris Merrill wrote:
>> I've already figured out a zero-cost way to run it slow
>> enough to use a circle cutter. (Out of the box it runs too fast.)
>
> Well...we're waiting...
<g> Promise not to laugh.
Short piece of approx 1.5" diameter strong hose left over from a plumbing
project. Fit one end of hose over chuck of corded hand drill. Tighten with
hose clamp. Remove belt from DP. Hose won't fit over the smallest pulley
so make two 1" slits lengthwise in the hose so it will. From 1/2" x 4" x 8"
rubber left over from another plumbing project, cut a strip the same width
as the belt & long enough to go around the small DP pulley. Put the rubber
strip around the pulley, put the slit hose over it, and tighten with hose
clamp. Plug in drill, operate (at slow speed) with left hand, control DP
depth handle with right hand. Circle cuts fine.
Ugly as sin, but functional.
My plan is to make a jig that fits in the DP belt tray that holds the drill
& shields the operator (me) from possible contact with the hose clamps. If
I'd have kept the brake cables & handles from an old bike that went in the
trash a couple years back I'd have done it already. Wire in a garden hose
doesn't work well. I may have to break down and buy a lawn mower throttle
cable... ;-)
-- Mark
You know, I think it's great that you want to put real thinking into something
like this instead of just tossing money at it, but there are limits to
everything. I used to have one of these little drill presses. I put probably 20
hours and around $30-40 of new parts into it, trying to make a more serviceable
machine. Never did work well enough to make it worthwhile.
I ended up finding a couple of vintage heavy-duty DPs for $40 and $65 used
locally. Much better.
GTO(John)
GTO69RA4 wrote:
> I ended up finding a couple of vintage heavy-duty DPs for $40 and $65
> used locally. Much better.
Oh, my eyes are open! I even stooped to lay some broad hints at a family
friend of my wife's, who has two DPs and two planers. He still has 'em. My
hints were like dropping marbles on a sidewalk... ;-)
-- Mark
GTO69RA4 wrote:
> I used to have one of these little drill
> presses. I put probably 20 hours and around $30-40 of new parts into
> it, trying to make a more serviceable machine. Never did work well
> enough to make it worthwhile.
If you don't mind, what did you try and why didn't it work? If I can avoid
making mistakes others have made that's a good thing.
-- Mark
Following up... I decided to do nothing with this small bench drill press
& get a "real" floor DP instead. I discovered a major flaw in its design
and/or manufacture. With a 1/4" drill bit in the chuck, when the depth stop
is hit, the end of the 1/4" drill bit moves about 1/8" to the left! This
happens all along the range of the depth stop.
So I guess the moral of the story is when looking at a DP in a store, put in
a longish drill bit and observe what happens to the business end of the
drill bit when the depth stop is hit. Do this for several depth settings.
If I'd have done that I'd have saved some money toward a good DP... unless
the floor model was ok. ;-) I couldn't feel any play in the floor model
spindle, but I really don't feel any in mine either.
-- Mark
Mark Jerde wrote:
> For a long time I've wanted to drill straight and true holes but
> financial realities prevented me from buying a "real" drill press.
> Walking through Sears one day I fell to the temptation of a "$79.99
> Special!" benchtop drill press. It performs exactly as advertised
> but its limitations are significant. For example I built a
> dust-sucking top for sanding drums, but the 3.5" depth means I have
> to remove the top if I want to use Forstner bits or any straight bits
> > 3/16" on a 1" board.
>
> I've spent hours in the garage^H^H^H^H^H shop, coffee cup in hand,
> looking at the beast trying to figure out how to make it truly
> functional. My current "best idea" is to cut the (somewhat)
> stainless steel shaft about 4" tall, fasten the flange to a couple
> pieces of steel, and connect that to a solid roll-around stand to get
> > 8" of swing and material handling of > 4". (Shelf brackets could
> provide the vertical adjustments of the tables(s).)
>
> Are there any links to "bargain basement" drill presses made more
> functional, or is this a future topic for
> www.markjerde.com (Don't bother going there, there's no "there"
> there yet. ;-)
>
> Thanks.
>
> -- Mark
Norm Underwood wrote:
> Remove the table, flip the head over, and mount the base to the
> ceiling so it's hanging down. (I'd be sure to use heavy duty lags
> into solid members...)
I thought about that but the support pipe can't mount from the top -- the
hole in the head doesn't go all the way through. Plus the belt & pulleys
get in the way.
But I like the way you think... ;-)
-- Mark
Fri, Oct 10, 2003, 3:31pm (EDT+4) [email protected]
(Mark=A0Jerde) says:
I thought about that but the support pipe can't mount from the top
<snip>
No imagination, eh? If you're going from the ceiling, you make a U
in the end of the pipe. Or, you could fasten a pipe to the wall, and
then just make an L. No prob.
Or, you could get a bit fancy, make a cart, with an arm you can
raise and lower, then you'd be able to adjust driling height, plus have
a mobile drill press. Then there's always extras - motor to move it,
steering wheel, seat, radio, etc. No end of possibilities. No prob.
JOAT
There must be a hundred silver dollars in here. I can't handle that sort
o' money, you've gotta be in the league of lawyers to steal that much.
- J. H. "Flannelfoot" Boggis
Life just ain't life without good music. - JOAT
Web Page Update 9 Oct 2003.
Some tunes I like.
http://community-2.webtv.net/Jakofalltrades/SOMETUNESILIKE/
T. wrote:
> No imagination, eh? If you're going from the ceiling, you make
> a U in the end of the pipe. Or, you could fasten a pipe to the wall,
> and then just make an L. No prob.
My shop is a small, single-car garage and shares space with two exercise
machines and a freezer. Mobility of shop equipment is key. ;-) My
imagination is great -- In my mind's eye I have woodworking tools on the 2nd
floor, metalworking tools and a dust collector on the first floor... (1)
Every woodworking tool ducts down -- but reality intervenes.
Whatever I do with the drill press, it has to be able to roll around....
;-) Affixed anywhere is a kiss of death.
-- Mark
(1) 3rd floor -- talking about imagination -- is large enough for my
computer programming office & a pipe organ. The pipe organ is built by me
on the 1st and 2nd floors. <g> I love Bach organ music. In addition to
LPs and CDs of his work and the "standard" bound music, I have 6 of 7
volumes of a c. 1912 arragement of all J.S. Bach's organ music.
Imagination isn't the limiting factor. Like most wreckers, I suppose, $
are. <g>
-- Mark
Sat, Oct 11, 2003, 7:15am (EDT+4) [email protected]
(Mark=A0Jerde) says:
<snip> two exercise machines and a freezer. Mobility of shop equipment
is key. <snip>
No prob. First off, get rid of the exercise machines. Keep the
freezer - well, I'm taking it as a given that it has food in it. If you
keep a supply of push sticks in it, get rid of it too, and start using
wooden push sticks.
The woodworking machines will be the raw material. You make an H
frame, something like a hydraulic press, fasten the drillpress on the H
crosspiece. Then wheels on the bottom. Mobility and space to store in
one shot. No prob.
JOAT
There must be a hundred silver dollars in here. I can't handle that sort
o' money, you've gotta be in the league of lawyers to steal that much.
- J. H. "Flannelfoot" Boggis
Life just ain't life without good music. - JOAT
Web Page Update 9 Oct 2003.
Some tunes I like.
http://community-2.webtv.net/Jakofalltrades/SOMETUNESILIKE/
Mark Jerde wrote:
> Grandpa wrote:
>
>>Sounds like you didn't know what you wanted when you bought it. You
>>had a choice so why feed the fire of the Craftsman slammers here. BTW,
>>mine works great and I'm as happy as a clam with it, but then I knew
>>what I wanted to do with it before I bought it.
>
> <g> I have no complaints about the DP. It works just like the box said it
> would. Now I'm trying to see if there's a way I can inexpensively increase
> its capabilities. I've already figured out a zero-cost way to run it slow
> enough to use a circle cutter. (Out of the box it runs too fast.)
>
> For me, WW is almost more about the tools than the wood or projects. ;-)
> Certainly SWMBO has remarked that most of the shop's work stays in the shop.
Ahhhhh, I see - you like to tinker. Now THAT is an art unto itself!
Grandpa wrote:
> Ahhhhh, I see - you like to tinker. Now THAT is an art unto itself!
I found some cheap pipe & fittings at the Borg this evening that appear
close enough to work. Maybe in a week or two my bench DP will have morphed
into typical floor DP capacity. I still have a few things to "figgr out"
about a table mechanism though... ;-)
There's a cutting torch & metal lathe in my future somewhere; I'm sure of
it. <g>
-- Mark
Grandpa wrote:
> Sounds like you didn't know what you wanted when you bought it. You
> had a choice so why feed the fire of the Craftsman slammers here. BTW,
> mine works great and I'm as happy as a clam with it, but then I knew
> what I wanted to do with it before I bought it.
<g> I have no complaints about the DP. It works just like the box said it
would. Now I'm trying to see if there's a way I can inexpensively increase
its capabilities. I've already figured out a zero-cost way to run it slow
enough to use a circle cutter. (Out of the box it runs too fast.)
For me, WW is almost more about the tools than the wood or projects. ;-)
Certainly SWMBO has remarked that most of the shop's work stays in the shop.
This is the DP I want: (1)
http://www.grizzly.com/products/item.cfm?itemnumber=G9977
This is like the one I could afford:
http://www.grizzly.com/products/item.cfm?itemnumber=G7942
I enjoy thinking about low-cost ways of making the latter work more
like the former.
-- Mark
"I have simple tastes. I want the best."
-- Seen on a 1976 poster
-----------
(1) No, it's not the one I want but it's a start. I eventually want CNC.
I just installed DesignCAD & am working through the tutorial. To mash a
button and watch a machine dance -- that will be fun!
Sounds like you didn't know what you wanted when you bought it. You had
a choice so why feed the fire of the Craftsman slammers here. BTW, mine
works great and I'm as happy as a clam with it, but then I knew what I
wanted to do with it before I bought it.
Mark Jerde wrote:
> For a long time I've wanted to drill straight and true holes but financial
> realities prevented me from buying a "real" drill press. Walking through
> Sears one day I fell to the temptation of a "$79.99 Special!" benchtop drill
> press. It performs exactly as advertised but its limitations are
> significant. For example I built a dust-sucking top for sanding drums, but
> the 3.5" depth means I have to remove the top if I want to use Forstner bits
> or any straight bits > 3/16" on a 1" board.
>
> I've spent hours in the garage^H^H^H^H^H shop, coffee cup in hand, looking
> at the beast trying to figure out how to make it truly functional. My
> current "best idea" is to cut the (somewhat) stainless steel shaft about 4"
> tall, fasten the flange to a couple pieces of steel, and connect that to a
> solid roll-around stand to get > 8" of swing and material handling of > 4".
> (Shelf brackets could provide the vertical adjustments of the tables(s).)
>
> Are there any links to "bargain basement" drill presses made more
> functional, or is this a future topic for
> www.markjerde.com (Don't bother going there, there's no "there" there yet.
> ;-)
>
> Thanks.
>
> -- Mark
>
>
Mark Jerde wrote:
> I've spent hours in the garage^H^H^H^H^H shop, coffee cup in hand, looking
> at the beast trying to figure out how to make it truly functional.
I think it would be beyond my abilities, personally. Hard to do well,
without destroying the precision of the thing.
I understand about being broke, and about loving to tinker. I grew up poor,
and I had to make my own toys. That carries through to this day, and I
make as many of my toys as I can manage. I can certainly appreciate the
allure of the challenge of turning that little thing into something more
capable.
Having said all that, I _love_ my 15" drill press, and I have no regrets
about not spending the $300 more wisely on something more important. It
hurt, it was terribly irresponsible, but I just absolutely use the hell out
of that thing, and it's my favorite machine by a wide margin.
The big machine is just so much better in every way than the little one it
replaced, that I don't think any amount of tinkering to gain more working
room could begin to close the gap between the two.
So having said that, and knowing how wonderful a real drill press can be, I
think you're way better off to start looking at used/damaged/broken stuff
and put your effort into fixing up something that will be able to do the
job at the end of the day.
Doing all that stuff you're contemplating to your 8" DP is like putting a
Dodge V10 engine into a Ford Festiva. Even if you get it to work, it's not
going to drive very well. You'd be better off to buy a junked rustbucket
Firebird or something and rebuild it.
--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan <[email protected]>
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...
> Sat, Oct 11, 2003, 1:51am [email protected] (Silvan)
> statess:
> <snip> like putting a Dodge V10 engine into a Ford Festiva. Even if you
> get it to work, it's not going to drive very well. <snip>
>
> I vote, go for it. http://www.geocities.com/jharkola/Viku2.html
>
Well, at least it didn't make the mini any worse I suppose. No danger
to the driver since it's an Austin Rover engine, so it's unlikely to
operate in most instances anyway. He probably spent less time adapting
the engine to the mini than he will spend repairing the engine to keep
it running.
> JOAT
> There must be a hundred silver dollars in here. I can't handle that sort
> o' money, you've gotta be in the league of lawyers to steal that much.
> - J. H. "Flannelfoot" Boggis
>
> Life just ain't life without good music. - JOAT
> Web Page Update 9 Oct 2003.
> Some tunes I like.
> http://community-2.webtv.net/Jakofalltrades/SOMETUNESILIKE/
>
>
Sat, Oct 11, 2003, 1:51am [email protected] (Silvan)
statess:
<snip> like putting a Dodge V10 engine into a Ford Festiva. Even if you
get it to work, it's not going to drive very well. <snip>
I vote, go for it. http://www.geocities.com/jharkola/Viku2.html
JOAT
There must be a hundred silver dollars in here. I can't handle that sort
o' money, you've gotta be in the league of lawyers to steal that much.
- J. H. "Flannelfoot" Boggis
Life just ain't life without good music. - JOAT
Web Page Update 9 Oct 2003.
Some tunes I like.
http://community-2.webtv.net/Jakofalltrades/SOMETUNESILIKE/
T. wrote:
> Sat, Oct 11, 2003, 1:51am [email protected] (Silvan)
> statess:
> <snip> like putting a Dodge V10 engine into a Ford Festiva. Even if you
> get it to work, it's not going to drive very well. <snip>
>
> I vote, go for it. http://www.geocities.com/jharkola/Viku2.html
I thought of you when I drew that comparison. Yes indeed, it would be like
jamming a V8 into a BUG.
I just didn't say that because I didn't want to hurt your feelings... :)
Did you ever get that crazy thing finished, BTW?
--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan <[email protected]>
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
"Mark Jerde" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> For a long time I've wanted to drill straight and true holes but
financial
> realities prevented me from buying a "real" drill press. Walking
through
> Sears one day I fell to the temptation of a "$79.99 Special!" benchtop
drill
> press. It performs exactly as advertised but its limitations are
> significant. For example I built a dust-sucking top for sanding
drums, but
> the 3.5" depth means I have to remove the top if I want to use
Forstner bits
> or any straight bits > 3/16" on a 1" board.
>
> I've spent hours in the garage^H^H^H^H^H shop, coffee cup in hand,
looking
> at the beast trying to figure out how to make it truly functional. My
> current "best idea" is to cut the (somewhat) stainless steel shaft
about 4"
> tall, fasten the flange to a couple pieces of steel, and connect that
to a
> solid roll-around stand to get > 8" of swing and material handling of
> 4".
> (Shelf brackets could provide the vertical adjustments of the
tables(s).)
>
> Are there any links to "bargain basement" drill presses made more
> functional, or is this a future topic for
> www.markjerde.com (Don't bother going there, there's no "there" there
yet.
> ;-)
>
> Thanks.
>
> -- Mark
Remove the table, flip the head over, and mount the base to the ceiling
so it's hanging down. (I'd be sure to use heavy duty lags into solid
members...)
"Mark Jerde" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>Walking through Sears one day I fell to the temptation of a "$79.99
Special!" benchtop drill press.
>
> Are there any links to "bargain basement" drill presses made more
> functional, or is this a future topic for
> www.markjerde.com (Don't bother going there, there's no "there" there
yet.
> ;-)
Grainger has a couple general purpose floor standing drill presses in the
$200 price range.
Or if you want to COBBLE... measure the specs of the 'tube' and hunt down /
make a longer one?
Mark Jerde wrote:
> I've already figured out a zero-cost way to run it slow
> enough to use a circle cutter. (Out of the box it runs too fast.)
Well...we're waiting...
--
************************************
Chris Merrill
[email protected]
(remove the ZZZ to contact me)
************************************