Need a Drill Press?

[rjben]

Any opinions on this:

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/...

Worthless cheep rubbish or fine for occasional light hobby use?

Thanks,

Rob

[parapaul]

IME Clarke stuff is usually OK. I've never found the need for a pillar drill though

[thinfourth2]

Its tiny and quite underpowered i wouldn't touch it with a bargepole but i spend alot of time drilling holes in big stuff


On the upside it does not have a keyless chuck which are universally garbage


So for light stuff it might not be too bad

[Scuffers]

250W is hardly going to 'power' it's way though stuff, less than most hand drills.

[MX7]

If you want one for that sort of money, I'd suggest having a look on Ebay for a used, good quality one. Item 250638325316 went for £40.

[rjben]

Thanks all, Ebay it is!

[PhillipM]

Scuffers said:

250W is hardly going to 'power' it's way though stuff, less than most hand drills.

But given the setup is far more rigid you can use the power more effiecently, you get a damn sight more pressure on the bit and hence more load per tooth whilst cutting, which means more work for the same power.
250W is fairly low powered but with decent bits it'd cut at a rate comparable to twice that on a hand drill.

The only problem would be if you even want to swing a big hole saw.

[Scuffers]

point taken, just comparing it with my DeWalt cordless hand-drill

DC901KN Specifications
Voltage 36 V
Battery Capacity Fits Li-Ion 2.2 Ah
Chuck Capacity 1.5-13 mm
Power Output 750 Watts
No Load Speed 0-400 / 0-1200 / 0-1600 rpm
Beats per Minute 0-6800 / 0-20400 / 0-27200 bpm
Max Torque 42 Nm

[thinfourth2]

Scuffers said:

point taken, just comparing it with my DeWalt cordless hand-drill

DC901KN Specifications
Voltage 36 V
Battery Capacity Fits Li-Ion 2.2 Ah
Chuck Capacity 1.5-13 mm
Power Output 750 Watts
No Load Speed 0-400 / 0-1200 / 0-1600 rpm
Beats per Minute 0-6800 / 0-20400 / 0-27200 bpm
Max Torque 42 Nm

Yeah but my 5 foot tall semi professional machine which can drill a 20mm holes in steel it is only a 750w motor and it has way more power and torque then any handheld machine i have used

[rjben]

PhillipM said:

Scuffers said:

250W is hardly going to 'power' it's way though stuff, less than most hand drills.

But given the setup is far more rigid you can use the power more effiecently, you get a damn sight more pressure on the bit and hence more load per tooth whilst cutting, which means more work for the same power.
250W is fairly low powered but with decent bits it'd cut at a rate comparable to twice that on a hand drill.

The only problem would be if you even want to swing a big hole saw.

Phill,

I will be wanting to use a hole saw, probably up to 6 inches but it will be through 2-3mm aluminium plate. What's the min power I should be looking at?

Cheers,

Rob

[thinfourth2]

6 inchs is a big hole saw

The thing you must look at is the distance from the center of the drill to the pillar

But for going through 2-3mm of ali sheet on the slowest speed 250W should be fine just use lots of lubricant which for ali i think it is best to use paraffin

[PhillipM]

rjben said:

Phill,

I will be wanting to use a hole saw, probably up to 6 inches but it will be through 2-3mm aluminium plate. What's the min power I should be looking at?

Cheers,

Rob

On the slowest speed that drill press will go through aluminium at that - just make sure you have a course pitch and sharp edge prep on the hole saw and plenty of lube, it'll be a slow job though.

Most of it is about the tool itself than the equipment tbh.
Good drill bit on st, underpowered drill = get the job done.
Crap drill bit on st, underpowered drill = Sit making pretty scratches on the surface.
A good drill bit on a fast, powerful drill = Get the job done before you've even thought about it.
A crap drill bit on a fast, powerful drill = Trip to A&E to retrieve shards from your arm.

Edited by PhillipM on Sunday 6th June 17:27

[rjben]

Thanks, any recommendations on good hole saw bits?

Cheers,

Rob

[PhillipM]

I'd be tempted to use a boring bar setup with 2 cutting bits - then you can just stick carbide inserts in there, otherwise 6" saw at ~500rpm is going to be a bit quick for a cheap HSS holesaw you can normally buy.

[Scuffers]

used Irwin bi-metal hole saws, seem to go though just about anything and last OK.

[rjben]

Sorry Phill, 'boring bar setup', I'm afraid that's Dutch to me!

Scuffers, cheers!

[PhillipM]

You'll want to clamp the ally between a couple of thick sheets of plywood and cut through them though, 'cause if the ally flexes the saw'll snatch and you'll know about it!
I've had smaller saws stop 2.5HP motors when they clog, and have a scar to show for it!

Keep backing out a little bit to clear the saw of chips if you're going to try a general purpose saw though - if it clogs it'll snatch too. And lots of lube, even WD40 will do fine.

Edited by PhillipM on Sunday 6th June 18:11

[rjben]

Thanks Phil, you're a big help. Why between 2 sheets of ply though? Are you expecting the saw to shatter?

[PhillipM]

Nah, just to stop the ally bouncing when you cut it, rigidity is key.

Tbh, with holes this big it's probably easier to drill a circle of holes and file it out, or use a circle pattern for a router with a carbide bit.

If you have trouble, try grinding every other tooth (or even 2 out of 3 teeth) off the saw for ally work.

Edited by PhillipM on Sunday 6th June 18:22

[thunderbelmont]

I bought a set of Bosch quick-release holesaws about 18 months back. They were used to cut a 50mm hole through a 3/16" thick stainless steel item. In fact 50 of them!! And I'm still using the same arbor now and it's doing the job as good as it was when it was new.

They do bigger arbors - including a 152mm jobby which you can buy individually.

Most recommended.

As for the pillar drill - I've had no issues with Clark stuff. You get what you pay for generally.