Buying a drill press

[Jumble Jumble]

So. I know I want a drill press. I don't know any more than that. Do I buy a press and a motor separately? What about a "table"? There always seems to be one of those involved.

The sorts of things I want to do are:

Drill neck mounting holes (or drill them out for inserts)
Drill control holes in rear routed bodies
Push in ferrules

You know, basically the normal stuff. I'm also probably going to try to make some basic furniture in the future, so I'd like to be able to drill holes for dowels, and have some sort of easy system for lining the center of the drill up very accurately.

I don't know what to look for at all. I will have a sturdy bench to mount it on.

Basically "what is drill presses?"

 

[john_p_wi]

Basically "what is drill presses?"

In general a drill press is a device with a vertical, rotating shaft, that has the ability to easily adjust the vertical position (depth) of said hole being drilled, in truth - it is a horrifying torture machine with the ability to rip said work piece out of ones hand and fling it across the room at horrifying speed whilst rendering the drill bit useless for future use.

Here in the US, we have easy access to "Jet" Brand presses, they are a little pricey, but are fairly robust and decent.

List of items to look for:

    The chuck, quality of and run out.  Does the bit wobble - increasing the hole dia?  Is it easy to change bits.  What is the largest diameter the chuck will accomodate?

    Is the quill tight?  Similar to above, wobble is not good.

    Table size and "squareness to the quill".  Can the table be adjusted for work angle?

    Size, how large of piece can you fit?  From the drill bit to the support - Horizontal dimension.

    Vertical size, how much space is between the table and chuck?  Minus the length of the drill bit. 

    Speed how easy is it to adjust speed?

    Some tables are easier to mount vises and clamps too, others can be larger / smaller etc.  From experience, whatever the largest piece you expect to use, in the future a larger item will need to be drilled.  Big, flat tables are nice.

As an example:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/JET-15-in-16-Speed-Woodworking-Bench-Top-Drill-Press-354165/203695066

 

[stratamania]

This is something I have been looking at myself at some point. This is what I have found so far and the points mentioned above.


There are essentially two types smaller bench mounted ones which tend not to have a large table. Bosch may be worth looking at in the UK.

http://youtu.be/_-J0OyEUNKo


And the other a pillar drill, is the floor standing type with a larger table.

Here's one on E bay at the moment

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/310904902097


Also you may need a vise for holding the work to the table.

 

[Cagey]

Drill presses are very useful - every shop should have one. If you only have one major tool, that would be the one to have.

As Stratamania said, there are basically two styles - bench mount and floor standing. Generally speaking, you can get bench mounts up to a 12" swing (diameter of a part you can get to the center of, or 6" from centerline of drill bit to head mounting post) while floor mounts pick up from there and get larger. For guitar work, I've never needed more than a 12" unit.

You want variable speed and most of them provide that, but may do it differently. Some have a variable sheave system, some have a stack of pulleys you move the drive belt from one to another, some are electronic. I'd stay away from the electronic ones.

Some have laser centerline finders, but most users find them gimmicky and don't use them. More of a marketing feature than a real one.

A bigger stage (the worksurface your part sits on) seems handy, but is often not necessary. You can and probably will buy other attachments for the existing stage to give you centering, clamping, fencing, indexing and larger surface area capabilities. You will most definitely want an X/Y axis clamp (often called a "cross slide drill press vise") if you're going to work on necks. They're easy to get, and aren't as expensive as you might imagine as they're all made in China.

The press I have works great, but is no longer available. If I had to buy a replacement today, I'd probably be looking at Jet's JDP-15M...

But, there are a lotta choices out there.

 

[sixstringsamurai]

Harbor freight tools

the have three, 8, 10, 13 In.

from $70-$250

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

What can also be helpful are using a separate one as a side drill, for instance, a dedicated drill for drilling side jack holes.

In a production environment, this reduces time from having to swap out drill bits and jig up for different applications.

Mount it up, set up a jig for different body styles, drill multiple bodies one after another making the process go faster while retaining accuracy.

 

[Fat Pete]

I think a 12" swing is may be just too small to drill string-through holes on a Teles/Strats so that may be something to check if you ever want to do that.

As Cagey says, I don't think you need to worry about a large stage as they're usually slotted to allow the attachment of vices etc. - you could just bolt a piece of melamine covered board or similar to create a larger table

I had the opportunity to use my brother's drill press recently - I don't know the model, sorry, but it isn't a very high-spec model but it's solidly built and the chuck doesn't wobble. Being able to run a drill fairly slow but with a decent amount of torque and in a straight line is great when you're used to more basic tools. I was able to drill very easily and cleanly through 2" of ash.

 

[Tony Raven]

Oh, yah -- +1 (at least!) on the cross-slide!! I'm thinking of getting a small compound table (same x/y principle) for reworking pickup routs -- freehanding with a router makes me twitchy.

I got my press on sale at Tractor Supply for $150. Big ol' floor-standing model, a "Black Bull" or something. Works just fine, but I had to assemble it myself -- it was actually packed in one big box. I wanted a machine that was big enough so I could drill into body edges, & didn't need a table or stand. The claimed 16 speeds is serious overkill as I prefer VERY slow turns when working on wood & even soft ("less than mildly work-hardened carbon steel") metal. (Only downer: the cover vibrated noisily so I had to stick in some neoprene foam.) The tilt table is great.

The same store has a small tabletop press (same brand) for a mere $70. There's only like 15" from chuck to footplate, though, & the table takes another 2" off that -- with a bit sticking out 1.5", this might not be up to working big pieces, but it oughta be fine for the great majority of guitar build & repair needs.

A small Skil will cost twice as much, but has a little more height & a better table.

These things are all over the place, whether the local "farm supply" store or True Value or Menard's. The advantage of buying locally is that, if you encounter chuck wobble or such, you can probably get a right-now trade. Beats the heck outta trying to get warranty service.

 

[Tony Raven]

Before I forget: if you do get a benchtop model, bolt it down. Okay, it could be a safety thing, but I knew a guy who did some furniture & had a small press mounted right at the corner of his bench. When he wanted to drill into the end of a table leg or some such thing, all he did was turn the press 90 degrees to the side, which left him space all the way to the floor.

 

[Cagey]

I think a 12" swing is may be just too small to drill string-through holes on a Teles/Strats so that may be something to check if you ever want to do that.

No, I've done it, as well as use the press to install the ferrules on the back. You do have to move the body around to get to all of them, though. That's why if I were to replace mine, I'd get that Jet unit I mentioned earlier. The 15" swing would eliminate the need to re-orient the body. Not that it's a major hardship, but if you don't have to do it...

 

[bagman67]

I think a 12" swing is may be just too small to drill string-through holes on a Teles/Strats so that may be something to check if you ever want to do that.

No, I've done it, as well as use the press to install the ferrules on the back. You do have to move the body around to get to all of them, though. That's why if I were to replace mine, I'd get that Jet unit I mentioned earlier. The 15" swing would eliminate the need to re-orient the body. Not that it's a major hardship, but if you don't have to do it...

Which suggests that some of the bodies with a fatter lower bout might still not work on the 12" swing unit - Jazzmasters come to mind.


THat said, thank you, dudes, for this valuable information.  I've been working toward picking up a drill press myself, and this is useful info indeed.

 

[Cagey]

Oh, yah -- +1 (at least!) on the cross-slide!! I'm thinking of getting a small compound table (same x/y principle) for reworking pickup routs -- freehanding with a router makes me twitchy.

That cross-slide vise is indispensable. Fully half or more of the work I do on the press uses that vise. Then, I take it off the press and use it to mount my body/neck holder jig because it's a heavy little rascal and it won't fall over.

I'm not sure how much easier it will be for you to create/modify pickup cavity routes with a drill press, though. My guess is it'll be much harder. But, I understand the fear of the routerbeast. It's a wicked tool that can do one helluva lotta damage in a hurry if you aren't careful, especially if you're freehanding. But, the thing to do, really, is to buy/fabricate templates so you don't have to freehand your cavities. A proper template with a pattern follower bit is a relatively safe operation and produces professional results.

 

[Cagey]

Which suggests that some of the bodies with a fatter lower bout might still not work on the 12" swing unit - Jazzmasters come to mind.
THat said, thank you, dudes, for this valuable information.  I've been working toward picking up a drill press myself, and this is useful info indeed.

I'm sure there are some bodies that will defy you. Jazzmaster isn't one of them, though. While it does have a big butt, you can get where you need to go from the sides.

In my search for a case for the L5S, I found that the vast majority of guitars are 12" or less in width, which made finding any kind of case for the L5S a real pain (it's 13.5" wide). I ended up having to buy something for a ES335-style guitar, which I'll now have to modify by having someone make some padding inserts. Otherwise the guitar just rambles around in there.

Still, if you can afford a larger press, then by all means, go for it. They're less tricky to deal with and you never have to wonder if you can do what you wanna do.

 

[stratamania]

Here is a place in the UK for the Jet, Cagey mentioned. Some good close up pics also.

It's not always the case we can get the same tools in the UK and Europe as in the US or vice versa.

http://www.axminster.co.uk/jet-jdp-15-pillar-drill

And a video of the machine I found.

http://youtu.be/dKclIYtPjDQ