HELP! Questions about drill presses: can I fix the "wobbling" problem?

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truckerdave

truckerdave

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Dec 7, 2008
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Location
Rochester, New York
I now have 2 junk drill presses!
The 1st one is a cheap model. Brand is "GME", bought it at Lowe's over 4 years ago. Now when I drill the bottom of the drill bit ?wobbles?, the holes are a little oversized and it makes it impossible to drill the bottom out of shell casings now and real hard woods just get too damn hot as there is too much friction. 1st question is it worth fixing, is it even fixable, and where or how do I do it?
the 2nd one, bought tonite off of Craigslist is an OLD Craftsman drill press. I think my first mistake was trying to save money and buy used. This press also ?wobbles?. Are either of these drill presses worth fixing or not worth the trouble?
If not, I'm am going to hate to do this, but I still can bring the old Craftsman back to the guy I bought it from, but I will not be looking forward to that confrontation!
 
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You might try checking the chuck to make sure it is seated fully.
Retract the jaws up into the body,a block of wood on bottom of chuck and tap with hammer.
Have you "spun" many bits in the chuck? if so, the jaws may be damaged.
a new chuck can usually be had to replace it.
one issue or the other is likely the cause, if all your bits are wobbling.
 
johnnycnc said:
You might try checking the chuck to make sure it is seated fully.
Retract the jaws up into the body,a block of wood on bottom of chuck and tap with hammer.
Have you "spun" many bits in the chuck? if so, the jaws may be damaged.
a new chuck can usually be had to replace it.
one issue or the other is likely the cause, if all your bits are wobbling.
Click to expand...

As to "spun" bits, I only know the history of the GME drill and no, that rarely happens. I will try the other item you mentioned tonite. If that isnt the cure, what do I do next? (w/o spending too much more money!)


BTW, How would the chuck work it's way loose? I've never dropped the tool or mis-used it. (they are just too darn expensive to replace and as a truckdriver with 4 kids to feed, clothe, and house, new tools are NEVER in the budget!)
 
This sounds "off the wall", but I have found my bits "bow" a little and cause the top of the hole to widen.

Sharpen the bit, the problem is reduced. Use a cooling agent (water) and the problem is further reduced--remember I do mostly resin, so the water may NOT be a great idea with wood.
 
truckerdave said:
As to "spun" bits, I only know the history of the GME drill and no, that rarely happens. I will try the other item you mentioned tonite. If that isnt the cure, what do I do next? (w/o spending too much more money!)


BTW, How would the chuck work it's way loose? I've never dropped the tool or mis-used it. (they are just too darn expensive to replace and as a truckdriver with 4 kids to feed, clothe, and house, new tools are NEVER in the budget!)
Click to expand...


It doesn't take but a few good rounds of spin outs to chew a chuck up inside the jaws.
Hard to say, but yours being an inexpensive model, I doubt the chuck was top of the line, as in the jaws could have been a bit soft, and thus easier to damage..who really knows though.

The chuck on my delta has come loose more than once. They are on a taper
connection, and it happens.Vibration, rotation, clunking the quill up hard..it all adds up.
To go through it, if the chuck is loose,REMOVE IT first.
Clean the tapers, male and female. make sure no burrs or rust or dirt.
Clean tapers with a good solvent to remove excess grease or oil.
Then seat it back on with the wood and hammer.
I hear ya on feeding the kids! little guys just seem to get a bigger appetite everyday.:biggrin: I have 3, btw.
 
This may also sound "off the wall" too, but when I first noticed a possible problem when drilling, I took one of my pen mandrels, which I know are straight and chucked it in the press and turned it on, I could easily see the "wobble". The further the distance from the chuck, the more pronounced was the effect. Now I know the mandrel is straight and the end inserted into the jaws was flat and flush so the wobble must be in the press itself, right???
Did that make sense?
 
ed4copies said:
I fold, John may have seen this before, but not me!!
Click to expand...

Ed, I think you gave some good insight also. Drills will walk around a bit on entry until the full diameter is in. That could be what you are seeing?

But yeah, chewed up chucks are de riguer at my job. The helpers, bless their little hearts, just seem to forget to snug things up good sometimes.
Or a drill pushes up, doesn't go through. Then when a reamer follows and tries to go thru..
A cnc has little conciense and will spinout a drill and have you running
like you have been shot at when the grinding and squalling starts.
Shattered bits are common if you don't run quick enough.
The chuck jaws are usually trash for accuracy after one good one or a few minor incidents. we use Jacobs chucks (pricey), and the jaws are replacable with a kit.
 
More drill press questions!

I almost have my wife convinced that I REALLY NEED a new drill press!
I was planning a shopping trip to Sears and Home Depot, maybe a few more.
are there any models in particular that I should STAY AWAY from or any that I HAVE TO LOOK AT?
Anyone tell me, in the under $200 range, will I be able to find a sturdy, reliable, and adequate machine for pen making?
As far as the other 2 machines, I am thinking either door stop, boat anchor, or if anyone wants them for some pen blanks??(oh yeah, and lives in NE Ohio, I could deliver them to your doorstep if I get my new one! :-) )
 
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I just got rid of a ryobi bench top. It seems that the bearings for the shaft thingy were garbage. I could wobble the shaft back and forth which made drilling straight impossible. I wouldn't recommend ryobi.
 
Good news, not so good new, and bad news!
Good news!
I took my original "GME" driil press and a block of wood and hammered the snot out of it and, HOLY COW, it drills straight again! Thx for all the tips.
Not so good news!
The old Craftsman drill seems to be damaged beyond my ability to repair it. Admittedly my abilities to fix things like that are EXTREMELY LIMITED. i may consider donating the the old tool to anyone who wants it. I kinda wish I could fix it though. It seems like a much sturdier tool than my cheap one.
Bad news!
My wife wont let me buy a new tool now as I really dont need it.
Oh well, thx to everyone who helped!
 
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