Drill Press

The drill press is a vital and versatile tool. You can use it for the obvius purpose (drilling holes), but a drill press can also be used as a barrel sander, wire brush, cut off wheel, and probably a whole list of other applications I haven't even thought of.

My drill press is an old Delta Bench top model that I picked up at a local second hand shop for $40. It's strong enough for any job I've rin into (so far) and light enough that I can still pick it up, and move it from place to place.

A drill press is essential if reliable precision holes are to be used. With the appropriate bit or attachment, a drill press can also be used as a drum sander, a wire brush, grinding or sharpening stone, cut off wheel, buffing pad, and probably lots of other things I haven't though of. Mine had proven indispensable in the making of certain jigs that I use for dowel joining, tenoning and tapering on the table saw, and even jigs for the drill press itself, like the fence.

I describe how to make some of your own jigs, such as a centering bit, and V-Block on some of my other sites. Click on the underlined words to learn more.

For best results, a drill press should have variable speed, (this is commonly adjusted by adjusting a belt over a system of pulleys), an adjustable plate (the place where you put the workpiece). and a keyed chuck. I like having a keyless chuck on my cordless drill, but on a drill press you want a really solid hold on whatever bit your using, and a keyed chuck will usualy lock up tighter than a keyless. If you tend to loose the key (I did all the time) you can just tie a string around it, and hang it off the axle of the drill press lever, or if you want to het realy cancy, you can get a magnetic plate or tool bar and attach it to the side of the drill box. While it's a little more expensive, this second option is handy for keeping track of multiple bits you may be using too.

Budget Woodworking