Drill press with long throw?

[Randy Simmons]

I am not a huge fan of drilling on the lathe. My drill chuck is rusty, and I don't like changing out all the hardware.

My drill press is also pretty old and busted. The reason I no longer drill my blanks on it is because it hasn't got a long enough throw to drill all the way through the blanks I use (namely, the Zen and Graduate) in one pass. I would have to move the table up and down to get through it, and make at least two passes.

Are there any drill presses out there that can drill all the way through a zen blank? I believe they are a little less than four inches, maybe 3.5.

Thanks!

Randy

 

[The Penguin]

I have a floor model Craftsman...6" quill travel

 

[Randy Simmons]

I have a floor model Craftsman...6" quill travel

do you have a link or a picture?

how do you like it?

 

[Mack C.]

I am not a huge fan of drilling on the lathe.

Hi Rusty; Kindly tell me why!

My drill chuck is rusty,

Pray tell how did that happen?

I don't like changing out all the hardware.

I'm trying to imagine all the hardware you have to change out. I can only think of a dead center and a live centre. Then insert the drill chuck and a chuck to hold the pen blank + the drill bit.

I'm betting I can set that up faster than you can set up a drill press to drill pen blanks!:biggrin:

 

[The Penguin]

I think the one I have was discontinued.

I like it fine - 12 or 16 speeds I think...from about 300 up to 3000 or so.

6" (IIRC) quill travel

been a good press since I bought it...I think it was 2007

 

[jrap]

lowes has a porter cable drill press with 4 in of travel for$325

 

[Gary Beasley]

My floor standing Steel Ciy drill press has a 6 inch travel as well.

 

[TXTRNR]

If I remember correctly my 15" jet has 4in of travel.

 

[jfoh]

I bought the big 18" Delta press and it also will drill to the bottom of a six inch blank. But you have to be aware that many drill bits will drift a little. A shorter quill travel can be made better it you drill a blank then place a board insert under your pen vise and drill again. You can increase a 2 1/2" stroke to 4" with a 1 1/2" thick board inserted under pen vise. Makes drilling a two step process but a 1 1/2" board cost just a few dollars and a nice drill press will cost many hundreds.

 

[Randy Simmons]

Thanks a bunch guys for your great suggestions! I will check these out

 

[Culprit]

A used ShopSmith on Craigslist will drill a Long Click or Zen in one pass. They can be had for $200 and can be cut down to mount permanently on a bench as a permanent drill press. Or of course you can leave it as-is and use it for cutting blanks, drilling blanks, squaring blanks, turning blanks, pressing in components, buffing and sharpening your chisels.

 

[Dan Hintz]

Maybe you've already made your decision, but I have the Delta 18-900L... 6" quill travel, plenty of power, and under $900 to your door if you search for deals.

 

[jttheclockman]

Oh come on. No need for a new tool. First I can not believe you can not drill on a lathe without major problems but being that is the case someone hit the answer when they said put a board under the vice to raise it 3/4" or whatever height you want. Simple solution.

 

[yorkie]

I bought the Delta 18-900L after much research. 6 inches of travel, straight, strong and well made. Not cheap, but treat yourself. Worth every penny!!

18-900L

 

[TLTHW]

I am using a harbor freight bench top drill press with a 2 3/8" throw.(paid $10 for it)I drill to stops, loosen vise, slide 1 1/2" thick plywood block under, re-clamp and finish. I can watch for the point penetrating the bottom of the blank and reduce pressure to eliminate blowouts. Only drawback is not being able to raise bit completely out of hole for clean out.

 

[gallianp]

G7948 From Grizzly

Motor size: 1-1/2 HP, single-phase
Voltage: 110V/220V
Switch & wiring: 110V only
Overall height: 70-3/4"
Spindle travel: 4-3/4"
Number of speeds: 12
Drill chuck: 1/64"-5/8"
Spindle taper: MT #4
Range of speeds: 210, 310, 400, 440, 630, 670, 1260, 1430, 1650, 2050, 2350, 3300 RPM
Swing: 20"
Drilling capacity: 1-1/4" steel
Table T-slot size: 5/8"
Table: precision ground cast iron
Table size: 18-3/4" x 16-3/4"
Approx. shipping weight: 331 lbs.

 

[bluesguitar]

I agree with the OP that it can be a pain to drill blanks on the lathe, but you're most likely to drill straight through a long blank that way.

I picked up a Craftsman Floor drill press model with 4.5 inch stroke on Craigslist for $150 and it's fine, but it does "wander" a bit on a long blank, even frequently pulling out and removing chips and dust.

I find myself using the press when I'm doing a bunch of smaller blanks like Slimlines, and when I'm doing Sierras or the like, I use the lathe since it seems more likely to stay centered through a 3" blank.

So from a financial standpoint you might be best off using your benchtop drill press for short blanks and the lathe (with a new set of chucks) for the longies.

Mitch

 

[ed4copies]

I'm cheap!

I have 2-- 8 x 8 inch blocks that are 1.75" thick.


Drill until you run out of quill travel, extract.
Put blank back on drill bit, insert first 8x8 block under it.
Drill until you run out of quill travel, extract.
Put blank........................................


Get the picture??

Hope this helps, costs under $2 for the two poplar blocks--last a decade so far!

 

[pensbydesign]

powermatic has new drill press with 6" drilling length haven't seen it yet.

 

[betwisted]

it may not always be perfectly centered but on the couple of long blanks I had to drill I used my cordless and drilled very carefully...once glued up and turned...no issues.

Joe

 

[Randy Simmons]

I've seen some posts by people talking about putting a block under the blank after a short pass. That works for pen blanks.

But I also need a very long throw for drilling other things that I make, such as cigar tubes and parts for furniture.

So while I do appreciate the innovative solution to drilling pen blanks, it ultimately does not answer my question.

Just wanted to make it clear.

Thanks,

Randy

 

[jttheclockman]

Sorry but that answer about the blocks will work for cigar pen and also furniture parts. Not sure how much more throw you need. Good luck though.

 

[jbswearingen]

Once I got a proper chuck for holding a pen blank on the lathe, I decided I would NEVER go back to the stone age and use a drill press for drilling them again. My old (1971) only has 2" of travel on the tail stock, but it's still easier than using a drill press (I think).

I use this chuck from PSI (this is the link to the jaws; the chuck is purchased separately):

Pen Blank Drilling Jaws for C Series Lathe Chucks at Penn State Industries

This chuck also gets goo reviews; it has reversible jaws for drill pen blanks and stopper blanks:

Large Dedicated Pen Blank Drilling Chuck at Penn State Industries

I also use a Technatool G3 with pin jaws attached for drilling blanks.

 

[ed4copies]

I've seen some posts by people talking about putting a block under the blank after a short pass. That works for pen blanks.

But I also need a very long throw for drilling other things that I make, such as cigar tubes and parts for furniture.

So while I do appreciate the innovative solution to drilling pen blanks, it ultimately does not answer my question.

Just wanted to make it clear.

Thanks,

Randy

I have drilled 11" peppermills this way (long ago, thankfully), with a hole over an inch in diameter. While it is certainly NOT convenient, it is possible. As soon as I sold enough product to finance changing my equipment, I now use the lathe. No matter what your quill travel is, it will not drill a peppermill without resetting. The wood blocks are easier to remove and replace than the drilling table is to raise and lower.

 

[Randy Simmons]

Peppermills are such a pain... Lol