Portable Drill Press

[eastern57]

I still drill by hand. But I still occasionally get skewed holes... all the technique in the world won't make up for lack of focus. wouldn't mind having a press some day, but for the most part, I can still get pretty consistent results with my handy.

[Ingchao]

I have to say, a drill press is a must have for any shop, not just for sabersmiths.
I bought mine for building sabers, but it's helped me on a bunch of other stuff, too.
And don't forget a cross-slide vise, rubber jaw pads and center drills.

How well your workpiece is held down and positioned is key to good results. IMHO, I can't begin to tell you how much my work has improved since I got the above mentioned items.
If you have to, make a road trip to Harbor Freight. The closest location is 75 miles from me and I try to get there every 6 months or so.With the coupons they give out, it's more than worth the trip! If you play it right you can get all of the above mentioned items including the drill press itself, for around $100.

[Andro]

Sweet stuff. I've got six stores within an hours drive from my house, one being fifteen minutes away. So I'll have to drop by sometime.

[xl97]

Ive had those/that bench top drill press models for a few years now..

has done right by me.. and they are under $40 bucks @ HarborFreight where I got mine..

they are stricly hobby of course.. and do have limitations..

for me I have found..

*getting a decent 'milling vise' will be hard...(or expensive)

*the 'throat' is small and tends to get in the way or certain projects

* to re-adjust the height of something. you need to loosen the 'pin/handle' and move the table up or down....or left/right..etc)

and you loose alignment..

so its not as nice as a stand alone drill press with a crank that 'walks' up a toothed/geared pole. (again getting a milling vise to fit is key for these, so you can center your work easily)

for cetnering your work under the bit (using milling type vise) maybe try using one of these:

http://www.grizzly.com/products/Roun...r-Finder/H2940

[Ronan]

I just successfully drilled 3 holes in a handle with my dremel drill press attachment. No idea why people are having a hard time, it sure was a HECK of a lot easier than trying by hand.

Id love a regular drill press... no place to put it... well i could get imaginary but i'm moving in a year... no way i'm lugging that around xD

Edit: With my coupon i paid $120 USD for my Dremel (the fancy one, real brand), drill press attachment, and the big kit with too many bits/parts to count.

Again, Drill press have become really cheap (a good one can be had for $150), but in my case... i just can't put it anywhere (my furniture is glass tops with modern metal working, and my 'work' bench is a nice peice of wood tucked away, hidden from view, with already too many things/projects/etc on it).

[xl97]

you can get a benctop drill press liek the ones posted and like the one I have been using for YEARS for under $40..

and I guess Im not sure how big your dremel set-up..but Im betting its NOT much smaller than a benchtop drill press.. (maybe height is a bit more?)

[holloway]

Thanks for the advice on drill presses, xl97. I've been thinking about getting one but I assumed they were far more expensive than that. The biggest problem I have is space... don't really have a workshop as we're currently in an apartment.

[Ronan]

you can get a benctop drill press liek the ones posted and like the one I have been using for YEARS for under $40..

and I guess Im not sure how big your dremel set-up..but Im betting its NOT much smaller than a benchtop drill press.. (maybe height is a bit more?)

It tucks away in a shoe box, so a lot smaller than the drill press i have seen around.

But i did find this:


Home Depot calls it a Buffalo Mini Drill Press, it's like CAD$120 with the vice & taxes.

[Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie]

All I had until this week was one of these:



Once I got it all lined up and clamped down, it worked pretty well. (Took me forever to get the drill straight in it, but I got it.) I was even able to secure my mini-vice to it to hold my parts.

Just a few days ago, my step-father decided to clear out his shop and sell all his tools. I bought his full-size stand-up drill press for $100. It looks a lot like this one, but a little older. For what I need it for, it's kind of overkill, but I couldn't pass up the deal.

[xl97]

SCORE!>. good job man!