Drilling Help

[64Stang]

I am on the fence about purchasing a Drill Press and stopping drilling blanks on my lathe.

I have been drilling blanks on the lathe for months with "almost" no issues. I have a turncrafter lathe from PSI. At the beginning I was locking it down and advancing it with the crank. There is some play in the tailstock if it is not locked down. Within a month I burned through the back of the tailstock and they sent me a replacement under warranty ($15.00 to ship the old one back to them.) If I don't lock the tailstock down, there is too much play to get consistent results, especially with a 7mm bit.

So I am on the fence on switching to a drill press and getting a jig for my blanks.
The drill press and jig I was thinking of getting are linked below.
Any suggestions? I am sick of ruining blanks on this lathe. The wobble is terrible. The lathe turns round blanks otherwise.

PORTER-CABLE 8-Amp 12-Speed Drill Press

Shop PORTER-CABLE 8-Amp 12-Speed Drill Press at Lowes.com


WoodRiver Deluxe Self Centering Pen and Bottle Stopper Drilling Vise

Buy WoodRiver Deluxe Self Centering Pen and Bottle Stopper Drilling Vise at Woodcraft

 

[jttheclockman]

None of that stuff is going to guarentee you perfect holes. Lots can go wrong using a drill press too. I think you need to look at your method of drilling on the lathe again for sure you are doing it wrong. You have to lock the tailstock or it will not advance a bit. Can you describe or take a photo of your setup when drilling??? You are using a drill chuck in the tailstock, right????

 

[KBs Pensnmore]

How is it set up? Blank on headstock end and drill bit in the tail stock??
I have about 1/16" sideways movement on my tail stock, with a long series 7mm bit and chuck it comes to 5/16"+, so I know all about it. What I did was to get 2 dead centres and line them up looking down from the top, measure the sideways movement, wind out the tail stock, measure again, then drilled and fitted grub screws to take out the difference. My lathe has a slot running down the center.
Check from the side also, as my tail stock is about 1/16" to low as well. Next time I pull it apart, will have the head stock milled, to rectify it.
Use a combination bit (I can't remember correct name), they are used in machine shops, to support the end of turned between centers, to start drilling as the long bit has a bit of flex and won't start on center.
Stick with drilling on the lathe, it is a lot easier. No adjusting blocks or shifting the table.
Kryn

 

[Boz]

I stopped drilling on the drill press and went to the lathe and have never looked back. I have the same one you do. Yes you need to lock down the tail stock to the bed. The quill, the part that you crank forward to advance the bit, can be a bit loose so I tighten the lock on it then back off about one 1/2 turn or less the keep the cylinder from moving around. A good keyless chuck to hold the bit on the tail stock really helps. Look into a blank chuck for the head stock. For 7 mm holes look at the Colt bits. They eat through anything with very little problem.
Be aware that when you retract the quill depending on the length of your morse taper you can push it forward and when you start drilling again the bit is all over the place. DAMHIKT

 

[64Stang]

I am "glad" to hear that someone else is having the same experiences I am. Sorry, should have been more specific about my current setup. I am using the PSI Dedicated Pen Blank Drilling Chuck and a keyless chuck on the tail stock.
I am using a Whiteside Pen Maker's Bit (7mm). I have used others, but this one is solid.

With this rig I have had the keyless chuck come out of the taper, if I am not careful....lets just say bad things happened. I see that people are so particular about drilling dead center, but I have certainly drilled them off center with my lathe and all comes out okay in the end. The issue I am having is that it is reaming out the hole and wobbling horrible. I will try the suggestions, most I have already done. I am interested in others with the same lathe if they have eat through the back of their tailstock with the quill as I did. Don't want to keep on exchanging them and to be honest it doesn't really solve my issue anyway.

 

[redneckmedic]

What do you mean burning out your tail stock? This concept is new to me.

 

[64Stang]

The quill came out through the back of the tail stock. I attributed its wear to the friction caused by locking the tail stock down while drilling.

 

[randyrls]

I see from the picture that the ring that keeps the quill in the tail stock is worn away. I suspect that the matching interior ring in the tail stock is also worn. I believe that your drill bit needs replaced or sharpened. I don't like brad point bits because they are difficult to sharpen. I use standard twist drill bits for drilling all blanks. I also sharpen a drill bit when it starts to resist biting into the blank.

The drill press is a good one. If you can spring for the extra money on the pen vise, the Paul Hoffman design is solid and the best one available.
CLASSIC NIB - HOME OF THE ORIGINAL PH DESIGNS VISE AND PRESS

Added Later: I avoid the enlarged entry hole. When you retract the bit, stop the tool, insert the bit into the blank and then restart the tool spinning.

 

[Bob Atchison]

Funny! I just started using the lathe as a drill and wonder why I ever use a drill press. I guess one man's trash is another man treasure.

 

[64Stang]

Thanks, the ring on the quill itself is okay, the internal ring on the tail stock wore away. I haven't attempted to drill a blank on a drill press, but I have to believe that with the right press (long quill travel) and a vice (like the one mentioned above) would make it easier and faster to drill blanks. I have many posts about using drill presses and the majority of issues center around the quill travel and vice, or lack there of.

 

[64Stang]

I see from the picture that the ring that keeps the quill in the tail stock is worn away. I suspect that the matching interior ring in the tail stock is also worn. I believe that your drill bit needs replaced or sharpened. I don't like brad point bits because they are difficult to sharpen. I use standard twist drill bits for drilling all blanks. I also sharpen a drill bit when it starts to resist biting into the blank.

The drill press is a good one. If you can spring for the extra money on the pen vise, the Paul Hoffman design is solid and the best one available.
CLASSIC NIB - HOME OF THE ORIGINAL PH DESIGNS VISE AND PRESS

Added Later: I avoid the enlarged entry hole. When you retract the bit, stop the tool, insert the bit into the blank and then restart the tool spinning.

Thanks for the tip, I will try that. The other option I have is to buy another lathe with less slop in the tail stock.

 

[ugrad]

Thanks for the tip, I will try that. The other option I have is to buy another lathe with less slop in the tail stock.

That could end up the expensive option, shim the tailstock and you can get rid of most if not all of the slop.

Regards
Peter

 

[Aaron]

You may also to make sure of using a quality drill bit(s), the cheaper tend to become flexible when the heat up...causing alot of mistravel...

 

[Jim Burr]

Try drilling an oil lamp tank hole...2 3/4" forstner bit...on a drill press!! Your lathe is your friend!:biggrin:

 

[64Stang]

You may also to make sure of using a quality drill bit(s), the cheaper tend to become flexible when the heat up...causing alot of mistravel...

I am using a Whiteside bit
Buy Whiteside Pen Maker's Bit for 7mm at Woodcraft.com

I am thinking that the brad point might be part of the issue...if it starts a tad off center, it's hard to get it centered again.

 

[Whaler]

I use nothing but Norseman bits from here Drill Bits for the Pen Turner they are the best that I have ever used.

 

[clapiana]

that drill press is a good bang for the buck. I would also recommend saving up another $50 and get the Paul Hoffman vise it's 10 times the vice of that woodcraft unit. I never cared for drilling on the lathe

 

[64Stang]

So here is the update. I put centers in and attempted to line it up. When I played with the slop in the tail stock, I realized I might of got lucky because it was center at one of the extremes. I then cut on a cookie tin and super glued a strip in a strategic location to shim it. After placing it back in the lathe, it worked perfectly...no slop! So I decided I would really tempt fate and drill a blank with my 7mm bit. I even did it without the tail stock locked down...mostly because I am lazy and wanted to test it under the worst conditions. The hole was perfect! I know I may have to do something more permanent than super glue, but I called it a win anyway and spent some quality time with my new son and had a glass of wine! A true Christmas miracle! :biggrin:

 

[plantman]

I see from the picture that the ring that keeps the quill in the tail stock is worn away. I suspect that the matching interior ring in the tail stock is also worn. I believe that your drill bit needs replaced or sharpened. I don't like brad point bits because they are difficult to sharpen. I use standard twist drill bits for drilling all blanks. I also sharpen a drill bit when it starts to resist biting into the blank.

The drill press is a good one. If you can spring for the extra money on the pen vise, the Paul Hoffman design is solid and the best one available.
CLASSIC NIB - HOME OF THE ORIGINAL PH DESIGNS VISE AND PRESS

Added Later: I avoid the enlarged entry hole. When you retract the bit, stop the tool, insert the bit into the blank and then restart the tool spinning.

:bananen_smilies051:If you don't want to spend the extra money on the pen vice, look up T.V. Geist Manufacturing Inc. Same vice without the powder coating for $59.95 instead of $120.00. I highly recommend it. Jim S

 

[tool-man]

I personally drill on my lathe as well as my drill press. I think each has its place. But I want to make one comment about the vise I use with my drill press.

The pictured vise is very similar to one I use to hold my blanks on the drill press.

It happens to be a Grizzly H7575 ($27) but others make a similar model. www.Grizzly.com
The vertical slot on the fixed face makes it very easy to clamp your blank perfectly vertical.

The vise is positioned (bolted) on my drill press table so that a 3/4" blank is perfectly centered. And adjusting my drill press table slightly left or right to center different sized blanks is very simple. So if you can live without the self-centering feature that the pen-blank vises offer, a vise like this is an economical alternative. And the vise has many other uses such as holding metal rods to drill holes in the end. The vise jaws are removable so you can make custom jaws out of hardwood for special purposes.:biggrin: