Pillar Drill or Drill Stand

[two lttle crafters]

Hi
I need to drill a large quantity of 25mm diameter holes into softwood (pine) to a depth of 20mm. The holes need to be reasonably accurate. But not perfect.

1st option.
I was l;ooking at pillar drils, there are load to pick from but what size do you need before it would have enough tourqe to drill the holes with a flat bit or forstner bit.


2nd Option
I have looked at drill stands, again they are plenty to pick from, My own power drill is reasonably power full and can drill 25mm holes with ease. Just not sure how good it would be once attached to a clamping device or how good are they.

Like everything else in life I do know you only get what you pay for and a £600 floor standing press drill is the answer, and my budget is more limited than than space.

So needs to be something along the lines of a bench mounted drill and as cheap as chips.

Is there and benefit to be gained by using a particular tye of drill bit? is a Forsner bit more or less demanding on a machine.

Thanks

 

[marcros]

how many holes? is it a one off job or likely to be repeated? Could you use a router?

 

[Spindle]

Hi

Have you considered doing it with a plunge router? A 1/2" router would cope easily.

Regards Mick

 

[SteveF]

look for a well built second hand bench \ pillar drill ...if u will use it again

someone will chip in with some makes and more suggestions

startrite
fobco
meddings
tauco
delta

check quill is good
check it is single phase

Steve

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

If its a one off I wouldn't go mad. Any of the static holders to take a regular hand drill will easily suffice. I wouldn't buy one of those in a million years as my regular drilling solution but for a single job...certainly. To buy a 2nd hand meddings for a single job would just be financially insane.

On the other hand, if you want a permanent drilling solution for future work then get at least a small bench mounted drill press. You really don't need to spend that much, the Axminster ones at the lower end of the range are easily good enough for hobby use.

 

[Grahamshed]

Your decision may be influenced by how far from the edge your holes need to be. Most pillar drills have a relatively small throat.

 

[RogerP]

A drill in a drill stand will easily drill these holes. No need for anything else.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

That's a good point and also if you check out the Axy cheaper models they do a wide throat swivel head model (that looks a bit like Aliens). That would likely deal with any throat issues.

 

[two lttle crafters]

Hi

Thanks for the quick replies.

I would say to begin with I have about 160 holes to drill. Now depending on how successful this is will depend on wither I make any more. I had thought of a router also, but couldn't really work out a way of making an accurate jig, where as I do know how to do it for a drill. (I hope that last statement makes scene).

I would then need to see what the cost of a router and cutter would be against a drill cost and cheap drill bits. Although I do know a router is more versatile.

The drill stand purely on a cost basis might be the best route to go down, As any of the £20 -£30 ones on ebay and machine mart any good? It is important that it has a good solid depth stop so i don't go through my timber.

If looking for a bench drill in future are there any good enough for this sort of task round about the £150 mark. I would be reluctant to buy second hand as you can never be sure how hard a life it has had. Most adverts state only used a few times!


Thanks iain

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-ho ... rill-press

 

[KevM]

Okay one recommendation for what not to buy: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wolfcraft-45210 ... _sbs_diy_9 Absolute junk with no redeeming virtues, went straight back to Amazon the same day, truly horrible.

How far from the edge of the board do you need to drill?

You can use this sort of stand/press http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bench-Mountable ... cr_pr_pb_t pretty much anywhere you can clamp it, for your application you'd need to either bore out the base to give you clearance for your 25mm bit, or maybe make a sub-base to take the whole shooting match, and swivel the drill so that it clears the base. I haven't used this particular model so can't speak for its qualities.

 

[wizard]

I started off with a new Clarke CDP351F Drill Press it lasted a few years needing lots of repairs but it had no power. I now have a 50 year old meddings that will last forever, cost under £400.00

 

[two lttle crafters]

Hi Kev

Thats just what i was looking at on ebay, there are loads, there looks to be two basic types, one as you have shown and one with an exposed spring. It would be good to know if anyone has one or has used one. I am not going right through the timber only about 15mm into the timber so the stand would require to have a good depth stop.

Are forstner bits better than the standard flat bits? what i mean is would a forstner bit put less strain on a drill machine and need less torque to drill a hole. I will be drilling 25mm from the edge,

iain

 

[two lttle crafters]

Bob

I like the look of the axminter drill, It say 250w motor, my power drill is 550W, would a 250w motor cope with 25mm diameter holes with ease or would it be putting too much pressure on the motor.

Iain

 

[tool-me-up]

This should do it if throat is deep enough ( 104 mm ), 100W more than the axminister but I reckon the axminster has better spindle bearings if you are looking for something to last more than a couple of years.

full specs
Voltage .......................................................... 230V~
Frequency. ..................................................... 50Hz
Power ............................................................ 350W
Operating time (max) ..................................... 15min
No load speed ................................................ 600-2600 min
-1
Chuck size ..................................................... 13mm (1.5 - 13mm)
Speeds .......................................................... 5
Table size ....................................................... 160x160mm
Table Tilt ........................................................ +/- 45°
Chuck centre to column (throat) .................... 104mm
Chuck/Spindle Travel ..................................... 50mm
Chuck to base (max) ...................................... 250mm
Chuck to table ............................................... 0-173mm
Sound pressure:............................................. 73dB(A)
Sound power: ................................................ 86dB(A)
Uncertainty .................................................... 3dB
Protection class: ............................................
Weight ........................................................... 16.3kg
The sound intensity level for the operator may exceed 85dB(A) and
sound protection measures are necessary.

Less than £60 delivered

 

[RogerP]

............
Are forstner bits better than the standard flat bits? what i mean is would a forstner bit put less strain on a drill machine and need less torque to drill a hole. I will be drilling 25mm from the edge,
iain

Many flat bits have a long point which may be a problem.

 

[KevM]

Iain,

If you're not drilling too fast you can make a moderately accurate depth stop by just drilling through a sacrificial block of wood and leaving it on the bit with only 15mm exposed. If you're only drilling close to the edge the benefit of the portable drill press (aside from cost and space which may be more significant for you) are outweighed by the precision and convenience of a proper drill press.

Generally speaking Forstner bits cut a cleaner hole than flat bits (which also have a longish centre point that make a mess of the base of your hole) leaving a neater sidewall and base, maybe important if you're leaving the hole unfilled/unfinished. I'd guess probably more torque compared to a spade bit, also some brands have a less pronounced centering action and have got a tendency to wander until they bite which might expose any weakness in a lightweight drill press. If you're just looking at a prototype or two and don't need to knock these out quickly don't underestimate what you can do with a hand brace and auger bit, particularly in pine, although you will have the mark left by the lead screw in the middle of your hole.

Kev

 

[tool-me-up]

Forstner bits in general take more torque to operate than a standard drill bit as the have more cutting surfaces.
I believe a brad point bit being the easiest to drive , you may be better off with an auger as these have a similar cutting surface to standard drill bits....

 

[two lttle crafters]

the spec for the drill looks good where did you see it?

I tried a flat bit and the point was ok, it didnt show on the other side. Just wondering if you got less chatter with the other type of bits

 

[wizard]

This should do it if throat is deep enough ( 104 mm ), 100W more than the axminister but I reckon the axminster has better spindle bearings if you are looking for something to last more than a couple of years.

full specs
Voltage .......................................................... 230V~
Frequency. ..................................................... 50Hz
Power ............................................................ 350W
Operating time (max) ..................................... 15min
No load speed ................................................ 600-2600 min
-1
Chuck size ..................................................... 13mm (1.5 - 13mm)
Speeds .......................................................... 5
Table size ....................................................... 160x160mm
Table Tilt ........................................................ +/- 45°
Chuck centre to column (throat) .................... 104mm
Chuck/Spindle Travel ..................................... 50mm
Chuck to base (max) ...................................... 250mm
Chuck to table ............................................... 0-173mm
Sound pressure:............................................. 73dB(A)
Sound power: ................................................ 86dB(A)
Uncertainty .................................................... 3dB
Protection class: ............................................
Weight ........................................................... 16.3kg
The sound intensity level for the operator may exceed 85dB(A) and
sound protection measures are necessary.

Less than £60 delivered

silverline your having a laugh :lol: