centering on a benchtop drill-press - Basic Question

I've got some 5/8" CRS that I want to drill a centered hole in the end of. Seems simple enough, right? I've got a benchtop drill-press that I have mounted on the end of the bench and turned the head so that it is hanging over the edge (the rod is about 18" long and the press column is about 12"....). mount my vice on the table, turn the table

90deg so that I can approach the end. Everybody got the picture?

Now to get it centered under the bit, I seem to need about 4 pairs of hands to:

1) slide the vice back and forth to get it under the bit, maintaining parallel to the bit. 2) rotate the table sideways to get it under the bit 3) move the rod up/down in the vice and maintain parallelism(sp?) to the drill-bit

Seems like there should be a better/easier way but I'll be #@#$@ if I can figure it out. Too many dimenstions to have to think/move in.

Also, the quill travel is only 2". If I step-drill to the final size, I start off with smaller bits, which are not as long as the larger diameter bits. That means I have to move something to be able to get the bit in/out. THAT means centering everything all over again....

So, other than saving for a floor-model press, is there a better way?

Bill W

Reply to
wildbill
Loading thread data ...

That's what lathes are for... I know that if you do not have one, it is not the most useful comment. If you are in N Illinois, feel free to stop by and use my lathe.

Does your drill's table have a hole in the middle? Alternatively, can you drill a hole in the middle of your table, large enough to let the

5/8" rod through? I would rather use the hole with the table horizontal, than turn the table. This assumes that you can position your vise so that you can still hole the suspended rod. i
Reply to
Ignoramus5104

And if you've got the hole in the table and a three jaw chuck to center on a drill in the chuck (over the hole) you should be able to get pretty close right there.

John

Reply to
JohnM

Hey Bill,

Cut a slot 3" long with a hand-saw through the 2" part in the end in the middle of a 2 X 4. Drill a 1/4" hole through the 4" part of the

2X4 at 1" in from each end of the 3" slot (that's 2 holes total, and none of this is in anyway critical). Clamp the 2X4 to the drill press table somehow, and locate the saw slot so the chuck is between the two 1/4" holes and over the slot, and lock everything down. Put a bolt and nut through the most inboard 1/4 hole and hand tighten. Drive a small wedge in the end of the saw slot to make a VERY slight spread, and then drill a 5/8 hole (or whatever size your raw stock will be). Remove the little wedge. This hole is now in line with and centred under your chuck. Now if you insert the stock in the hole, and clamp it with an outboard bolt and nut in the other 1/4" hole, you have a clamping arrangement that allows you to slide the work up and down to suit to drill it.

Have fun.

Brian Laws>I've got some 5/8" CRS that I want to drill a centered hole in the end

Reply to
Brian Lawson

Before I bought a mill I fixtured jobs like this with a drill press vise that had slotted flanges on the base so it could be bolted to the table.

Attach the vise to the table in approximately the right position, chuck some 1/2" rod, then move the table & vise close enough to the rod that

1/16" sheet metal barely fits between the rod and the vise. 5/8" rod clamped in the vise ought to be centered under the chuck. You can check centering by chucking a short piece of bent wire, adjusting the bend to swing 5/8" diameter with a ruler, and checking alignment with a magnifier as you turn the spindle by hand. I often do this on the mill (with a wiggler point) for quickie welded assemblies and can usually get within 0.005".

Or use Brian's suggestion.

JimW

Reply to
jim.wilkins

No lathe (yet) that I could chuck the rod in so that's out...

Brian's suggestion sounds like the way to go as what I am doing doesn't need great precision.

Jim's suggestion is pretty cool also

I knew there had to be a better way than what I was doing....

Thanks folks!

Bill W

Reply to
wildbill

take a small block of steel and drill a 5/8 hole half way through it. finish the thru hole with the diameter of the drill you want to do the center hole with. You should be able to figure out the rest of the procedure. A handdrill would even work fine to drill the center hole in the rod.

John

Reply to
john

PolyTech Forum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.