My older son will turn 9 soon and we are thinking of some present that is mechanically related. We bought a drill press type of holder for a Dremel tool. At first I thought that it was a mistake and I would be better off looking for a small, low power drill press. But after looking for such a press, I realized that they are not suitable for kids, due to belt drive and too much power. The high speed presses seem dangerous to eyes. (though he knows to wear eue protection, he could forget).
So, I guess my question is, are there little drill presses that could drill up to 1/4 and would be kid friendly, available.
All three of my boys started with the jig saw I got for 1.25 at a church men's club auction. Sure, you can cut yourself with it, but its not gonna pull you in and spit out loose pieces. Probably the fact that I grew up with a coping saw and orange crates contributed to my choice of a first power tool. My first power tool was a 1/4" electric drill at 18, I still use it occassionally. Gerry :-)} London, Canada
Get him a small chicom drill press and teach him how to change speeds. Keep the belt loose. Something 1/4 hp would be about right. Wont take off his fingers, but will hurt him enough to teach him to keep his fingers out of moving machinery he was told not to touch when running.
Gunner
"First Law of Leftist Debate The more you present a leftist with factual evidence that is counter to his preconceived world view and the more difficult it becomes for him to refute it without losing face the chance of him calling you a racist, bigot, homophobe approaches infinity.
This is despite the thread you are in having not mentioned race or sexual preference in any way that is relevant to the subject." Grey Ghost
I got started out with an egg beater drill, and a set of bits. The bits were so soft that one of them bent (really) instead of breaking. Years later, I wonder that I got anything done, but some how I did. I think this (below) is good advice.
Maybe, but for learning one should start off easy and progress to the harder things. Making it easier leads to more satisfaction & less discouragement. A hand drill is for when you can't use a drill press .
Regarding belt drive: I think it's better, as the belts can be adjusted loose enough to avoid major ugliness. That & a smaller motor should keep him out of too much trouble.
--Getcher self a copy of the Micro Mark catalog; they offer a pile of 'hobby' equivalents of home shop tools. Some of those would be perfect for a kid..
I teach a couple 4-H technology and robotics teams of 9-16 year-olds on top of my kids having run of the garage. I would hesitate to teach other people's kids without their umbrella insurance policy.
One 13 year-old boy this year had never drilled a hole before, he was very excited when I showed him how and let him at it.
#1 Kid sized safety glasses for all - strictly enforced! I like these because they are cheap and fit kids:
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Hearing protection on all loud tools #3 Repeated instruction and close supervision to start
Here is the order of power tools as they gain skill and confidence:
keyless hand drill - work clamped
scrollsaw - with foot switch and light
soldering
drill press - with vise. I like my delta quick release 4-inch drill press vise
wood bandsaw
wood miter saw - only with holddown clamp and roller stand
hand jigsaw
dremel tool - clamped work, no bits with teeth
pneumatic cutoff tool- work clamped - they love the sparks!
mill-drill - supervised only
Nobody has gotten to lathe, table saw, or circular saw yet and I don't have a welder (yet).
I've got one very nice one -- with only a 1/8" chuck (Albrecht keyless) -- but it has a belt drive. The later versions of it now have a full cover over the belt.
Unfortunately, while mine cost me $150.00 back around 1973 or so, they have since fallen in love with them and are asking around $800.00 last time I checked. These are the "Cameron Micro Precision" sensitive drill presses. While it is small, it is really a tool for a serious adult, not a kid.
What I would suggest (if they are still made) is a 1/4" hand held electric drill and the adaptor stand which makes it into a drill press. Typically, there is some slop so the bit can wander from side to side a bit, but it still is good enough for a lot of things.
They often are made only to work with the same brand of hand held electric drill.
Here is an example of one which claims to be "universal" on eBay.
370368985838
Here is another, which looks as though it is designed for an electric drill with a cylindrical section right behind the chuck, again will not fit all hand held electric drills:
370369050576
This next one is quite similar to the one which I used before I could get a real drill press (but it is a lot grungier):
300419545394
This one at least lists the electric drills which it was made to work with:
290427723546
O.K. *This* is the one which I used all those years ago (starting in about 1957 or 1958 IIRC):
290427047596
It could be improved by making two more feed arms and drilling and tapping for them at 120 degree intervals around the collar. You'll need ball handles for the ends, too.
The search string was simply "drill press stand", and I had to skip over a bunch of ones for Dremels and other such.
DoN, and others, here's an update. My son loves his dremel tool, which I like too because it is not powerful and can run slow. We bought a drill press-like adapter for it at Home Depot and I bought a drill chuck for it on amazon.
I wanted to convince him to get this
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But he said that he preferred the dremel adaptor. That's fine with me.
i
Have a look at the modelling power tools sold by Micromark ,I think they have a small drill press . Also Proxxon have some smaller power tools avavilable ,not sure if they are sold in the US .
"Kevin(Bluey)" wrote in news:576dnQj_aZZUb0 snipped-for-privacy@westnet.com.au:
They are - which shouldn't be too surprising since they're a US company!
The General Store - Proxxon N1246 Thrush Drive Greenville, WI 54942 Phone: 920-757-1718 Fax: 920-757-0974 Email: snipped-for-privacy@ProxxonTools.com Website:
Ignoramus5662 wrote in news:zKqdnVHeUZu67U_WnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:
One thing that the Dremel "drill press" will do that a real one won't is to serve as a "tool holder" that lets the user use both hands while buffing/sanding/grinding since the tool can be clamped in the horizontal position.
Your drill press cant be clamped in a lower position???????
Gunner
"First Law of Leftist Debate The more you present a leftist with factual evidence that is counter to his preconceived world view and the more difficult it becomes for him to refute it without losing face the chance of him calling you a racist, bigot, homophobe approaches infinity.
This is despite the thread you are in having not mentioned race or sexual preference in any way that is relevant to the subject." Grey Ghost
So -- get *that* one for you! It looks like a nice one for the price. If you want to do precision small hole drilling this will be better than most floor-standing drill presses. :-)
If I didn't have the Cameron Micro Precision, I would go for that one myself.
You'll find him using it eventually. :-)
BTW That *does* have a belt under the cover -- and you are expected to shift the belts at least for more torque if not for speed control.
"First Law of Leftist Debate The more you present a leftist with factual evidence that is counter to his preconceived world view and the more difficult it becomes for him to refute it without losing face the chance of him calling you a racist, bigot, homophobe approaches infinity.
This is despite the thread you are in having not mentioned race or sexual preference in any way that is relevant to the subject." Grey Ghost
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