How to control/reduce speed of drill press

This is quite possibly an insane idea. As in dangerous, and won't work either. But, I'll suggest it anyway and you can decide if it's as insane as I think it is.

Get a Lazy Susan bearing:

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a piece of plywood on either side. Clamp the bottom piece to your drill press table, with the center of the bearing lined up with the center of your chuck (a little tricky, but not impossible). Clamp your workpiece to the top piece of plywood.

Carefully lower the quill until it just makes contact with the workpiece. Apply just enough friction to the workpiece to let it spin at 400 RPM. The holesaw is spinning at 620, the work is spinning at 400, the difference is

120 RPM!

Probably not something you really want to try, but fun to think about, in a sick sort of way.

Personally, I'd go with the idea already suggested elsewhere -- rough-cut with a bandsaw, then clean up with a router and template bit. Or maybe just a sanding drum?

Reply to
Roy Smith
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Not if you don't try to reinvent the wheel.

As stated in a previous post, cut a half circle with a router and a template and the T/S goes away.

You also eliminate the necesssity of cleaning up saw cut surfaces.

Whether a full half circle is necessary is academic.

Trying to do this job with a hole saw is another kettle of fish IMHO.

Lew

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

You probably won't ruin the bit running it too fast. Just pull out every second or so and let it cool off. You will probably make smoke and possibly burn marks on the wood... But you can hand sand them off.

Reply to
Joe AutoDrill

"dpb" wrote

You half to ask a wine snob.

Somebody is going to feel left out if their bottle was deprived of a full half circle support.

I'm from the Two Buck Chuck crowd.

Lew

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

Secondary thoughts... I didn't notice the fact that it was a 1/3 HP motor. Ouch. Terribly underpowered. Might be able to do it, but it's gonna be tough especially if the glue in the ply gummifies.

Now... The bit spinning that quick is scary enough, but a hand drill spins it that quick anyhow so... You get my point I hope? Clamp everything down well and wear safety gear.

Now.. If the budget allows, but a better DP:

Delta DP400 or 17-900 (3/4 HP $400) Jet JDP-17MF (3/4 HP $550) Grizzly #G7944 (3/4 HP $325) Grainger #3Z917 (1/2 HP $650) Jet JDP-20MF (1-1/2 HP $1100) Grizzly #G7948 (1-1/2 HP, $625) Grainger #3Z919 (1 HP, $1100) Ellis #9400 (2 HP, $2000-3000 - Ask for dealer pricing) Grizzly #G0521 [Drill/Tap Machine] (2 HP, 3 Phase, $1250)

Personally I love the G0521 option except for the fact that changing speeds sucks. Their design makes it tedious at best.

Regards, Joe Agro, Jr. (800) 871-5022

01.908.542.0244 Automatic / Pneumatic Drills:
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Spindle Drills:
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Tapping:
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Site:
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Reply to
Joe AutoDrill

"Joe AutoDrill" wrote

The only hand drill you want to use for any hole saw above 2" diameter is a right angle one with a 200 RM setting.

Unless of course, you don't give a hoot about your wrists and the hurt you inflict on them when that hole saw binds, which it will.

Lew

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

See if you can find a turntable that will turn at 480 rpm in the same direction.

nb

Reply to
notbob

Most of us have two hands.

Reply to
-MIKE-

If your saw cut surfaces need more cleaning up than your routed ones your saw has a serious problem.

Reply to
J. Clarke

"J. Clarke" wrote

T/S blade, Yes HoleSaw, No

No matter how you cut it, a hole saw is not a finishing tool.

Lew

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

Understatement Of The Week goes to...........

Those hole-saws are CRUDE! I have bought the best, cheapest, staggered teeth, bi-metal, Swiss-made custom ground...... no matter. Drill-press or not.. they do not leave a finished hole. A router, properly used with proper bit, does leave a very nice hole...if it isn't too small.

Reply to
Robatoy

I don't understand "if it isn't too small" - what's "it"?

I routinely cut large holes with small bits. For fun, I uploaded a drawing showing the toolpath for a (large) blind hole "drilled" with a "small" bit to

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might find it interesting that the toolpath (red, starts at center of hole) consists only of straight line moves, marked by a circle the size of the bit at each end, and the finished hole (green) is good to about +/- 0.001"

I'm not sure there is a "too small" :)

Reply to
Morris Dovey

On 8/13/2009 8:55 PM Morris Dovey spake thus:

Reply to
David Nebenzahl

And so does the guy I was responding to. If /you/ understood what he was saying, I'd be just as happy to hear the explanation from you.

Reply to
Morris Dovey

The finished hole or the cutting bit?

Lew

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

What? YOU don't have a CNC? (Truth be told.. Morris has two...TWO, I tell ya!)

Some of us in here actually make a living with woodworking and woodworking related equipment. The fact that some evolve towards more precision and repeatability in output, in some cases require the procurement of more advanced technologies in order to fill the orders. IOW, you don't haul cattle feed in large quantities in a two-seater sports car. The fact that CNC's are really shiny and make cool noises....well, that's done deliberately by the designers to generate large quantities of envy in others. That includes twirling chickens.

Reply to
Robatoy

capabilities aren't infinite. It related more to the bit size than anything. In fact, I use a .125 to make a .5 hole, in the matter you describe, rather than plunging a full .5 straight in.

Reply to
Robatoy

O ye of little faith! :)

I felt the same until the day I chucked up a 1/32" bit and let 'er rip at the same feed rate I use for 1/4" bits (I did increase the spindle speed a bit) and discovered that it's /all/ about cutting the wood out of the way.

I'm not surprised. The implications for hand-held routers is clear: It's possible to use a bushing and template to accurately "drill" about any size hole the same size or larger than the bit being used. Deeper holes just need more passes - true regardless of the type of router being used.

[ Note to Dave: There's nothing elitist about CNC - it's just another tool technology, and can generally be DIY'd for less than the cost of the conventional tooling it replaces. You're invited to follow the link in my sig to see an example/proof. ]
Reply to
Morris Dovey

I hate to say this, but I'd replace the drill press with one that has more speeds. You need slower speeds for cutting metals and other hard materials. I recommend a floor model for maximum flexibility. I use two cone pulleys under the hood to change speeds when I need it. I typically use 1000 rpm (for wood and large-radius tools) and 300 rpm for metals and stone.

Reply to
Phisherman

A project in itself, but some have modified a drill press (or band saw) for low speed operation by adding a third speed reduction pulley via a jack shaft, thus:

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might also find a couple of these clamps handy to keep the workpiece under control on the drill press table:
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just made a bunch of 4" diameter half-moon cut-outs in 2 x 4" material by clamping two workpieces edge to edge, then centering the hole saw on the joint, clamping the whole assembly to the drill press table (with a sacrificial wood spacer underneath) and sawing thru.

Sometimes a ~1/4" hole drilled tangent and just inside the saw kerf to provide a place for the sawdust to escape makes the operation easier.

David Merrill

Reply to
David Merrill

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