Need advise on buying a drill press.

[Molly Brown]

I took on a job to cut some 5/16=94 precision holes in stainless steel pipe. I never had to be this precise so I never needed a drill press before but now I do. I did all the research and understand all that I need except for one thing. I don=92t know what HP drill press to get. I won=92t be in any hurry to make the holes and I won=92t have to make more than a few of them so I don=92t think the HP of the drill press matters but I=92m not sure. Can anyone give me some advise on what size HP to look for to do what I want? Thank you.

[dpb]

I'd submit there's probably more to this choice than HP...

a) What's the definition of "precise"?

b) What's the particular SS alloy?

If you're really talking precision, milling machine may be more apropos than simply a press...

[Steve B]

It depends on the size holes you want to do, but I'd suggest buying oversize, as you never know what the next project is. Also buy a vise to hold the work, or good clamps and fences. Those things can throw a piece of work quickly, and cause some damage to flesh. Vises for them are less than $20.

Steve

visit my blog at

[Mat]

$69

good reviews. Have one like it for 30+ years no problems

[Molly Brown]

It=92s 1 =BD=94 stainless steel plumbing pipe. I will need to tap threads t= o the holes that I cut.

[J O E]

Bought my Harbor Freight drill press 4 or 5 years ago, on sale for $39.95.

They're $89.95 now, and go on sale periodically for $69.95.

Not a 'precision' machine by any means - spindle bearings allow some play in the chuck, but it's well suited for the home craftsman's needs.

I'd buy it again, even at the now increased price.

Joe

[HeyBub]

Now only $49.00.

I, too, have one - no complaints.

As for quality, what could go wrong with a drill press?

[Jules Richardson]

Yeah, that's what I've found with the cheap ones - there's a bit of slop in the system which isn't there on the better stuff. I've not found it really matters for wood, but on harder materials it can sometimes be an issue.

I wish I'd got a bigger drill, too - not necessarily a floor-standing[1] one, but at least with a bit more depth than what I have (I don't remember the numbers - only that sometimes it's not really quite enough :-)

[1] the temptation's always there to modify the bench-mounted one that I have... either extend the pillar, or somehow rig it so I can swing it out over the edge of the bench.

cheers

Jules

[Steve B]

I bought a floor standing honking 5 foot plus tall 1/2" chuck with moveable table and something like 128 speeds. I use it on most of my stuff except for small things, where I use the small one. I like being able to stand up there, and have the work at a comfortable height, and also that the bed moves up and down and tilts. The light is nice, too. It's a Chinese one, but I paid $100 for it. I didn't use it for years, now, use it mostly. It's overkill most of the time, but with the Drill Doctor 750, it sure makes drilling those jobs with lots of holes a lot easier.

Steve

visit my blog at

[dpb]

Molly Brown wrote: ...

Tap threads for what? Nothing terribly precise about a standard threading hole...the biggest problem will likely be in the facilities for centering and squareness, etc.

Didn't look; not sure what grades/alloys are most common; would still say much will depend on what the actual SS is that is being used ("s-s plumbing pipe") doesn't really say much useful in that regard.

I'd suggest rigging up something similar to the shown jig for drilling as it's quite easy to drill off-center and stainless will be worse by far than malleable iron for "walking".

Also center drills are designed for the purpose of making the starting hole for drilling and will be much more accurate than you're likely to be able to do by hand w/ punch/hammer if, indeed, there's some precision in location and orientation desired.

And, of course, you'll either want a step drill or drill in a couple of different steps rather than trying the final diameter in one go using just a small manual press.

Then, you will need a high quality tap for stainless as it is much more difficult material than malleable steel...

--

[Steve B]

I am glad YOU brought this up. I used to use my hands (bad idea) to hold things (make that hand, you have to use one hand on the down lever) for drilling. Then I used clamps, but it is difficult to find them with a deep enough throat to hold things, and the underside of the table is uneven. So, I bought a vise for $15 or so at the local cheap Chinese tool shop. It was one of the best tools I ever bought that I didn't know how much I needed. Then, I got a little smaller one for smaller stuff.

Unless you have a machinist style machine ( I won't display my ignorance here by naming some machine that might not be the right one ) it is vital to get the workpiece held tight to avoid movement, and then even runout will still happen. And it's good to try some test pieces, even if you use a piece of steel pipe instead of SS, if it is close to the right size.

Since I got my vises, I have made some special pieces for special use that hang in back of the drill press. Angle iron makes a remarkable number of jigs.

It's so much better to get repeatable accurate results.

Steve

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books while they last!

[Niner]

I've got a similar (although possibly not HF) knockoff drill of the same size. I've used it to cut 9/16" holes in 1/4" plate steel. It took a little time and plenty of cutting oil, but it did fine. If anything, what made the biggest difference was getting a good drill bit - I got a split point bit (dunno if it was cobalt) and it did a lot better. Probably did a single hole in a matter of minutes, so not like rigging it up and walking away, either.

My dad always points out I should use a metal punch of some type to put a little divot in the metal to help keep the bit from walking before it's started to bite into the metal. I'm bad about that, but last time I tried it, it did work pretty well.

Henry

[John]

I'm with the guys above. Bought one ten years ago because it was on sale. Never regretted it. Not much it can't do (I work with aluminum as well as wood, though I've drilled steel with it already as well). It won't hold a mortise jig, which annoyed me at one point (imagine that... had break out the hand chisel!), and the plate doesn't stay square when adjusting height which can be annoying when working with jigs that require multiple drill bits. But both of those can be gotten by very easily. As far as accuracy, I get about 1/64" play, depending on the bit and height. Best of all, it fits nicely in my shop.

John

[Nate Nagel]

yes, and use a 1/8" pilot hole for larger holes. For really big holes, use 1/8" and then a larger, intermediate size.

nate

[Joe]

Assuming you find the right drill press/whatever, don't even think about starting the drill and tap job without a T-type tap wrench. Go to www.use-enco and look at the 325-49280 and similar tap wrenches on page 110. The $66 may give you sticker shock, but it will perform the job faster than a Bridgeport J2, even with a Harbor Freight drill press. If you factor in all the time, wasted work pieces, broken taps and other problems it is a real bargain. Virtually every journeyman machinist, tool and die maker will have a set of these in his tool box. In combination with solid fixturing and clamping, the job will go very well. And by the way, any 1/3 to 1/2 HP drill press will do just fine. A floor model with a hefty column would be better, and higher priced models usually give you less spindle run out.

Joe

[clare]

Drilling stainless you want more than enough, ather than almost enough

- because you need to keep the bit cutting. Don't consider easing the bit through - you'll just end up burning the tip off. If you are using the aircraft type bits just about any half-inch capacity press will do the job.

[clare]

Lots. The chuck kept falling off mine untill I put it on with "permanent" Lock-tite. It's a cheap nasty peice of Chinese trash and the only thing it will drill a half-inch hole in is basswood or lead.

[HeyBub]

You've got a good point. And it won't drill a 22" hole in granite (as in an oil well).

Shucks, everything has its limits...

[Mat]

lol, Mine was made in Taiwan as is my 30 year old table saw, quite a bit bigger than the $49 one (40" vs 23") both rugged as hell. Maybe not finished up to American standards but I have put thousands of hours on them with no issues. Anyways, what is NOT made in china these days?

[Stormin Mormon]

Maybe Molly could write, and tell us what size holes she needs, for her project driling some 5/16" precision holes.

The vise is an excellent idea -- I've used drill press, and always with a vise, or some kind of clamp to hold the work down.