Bench Drill Recommendations?...

[RAc]

Hi there,

 

I need to get a bench drill mostly for concertina maintenace/construction work. I believe I have a fairly good idea of what features I'll need (and won't need) but I'm kind of at loss about what model/type/strength to go for. Can any of you gice recommendations and hints about what to look for and what model to shy away form or purchase?

 

Thanks so much!

[adrian brown]

Hi Rüdiger,

 

Get one that doesn't vibrate too much, which normally means: the heaviest one you can find/transport. Don't be shy of an old one, but just check there's no sideways play in the spindle. I've used an old Fobco Star 1/2" (the floor standing model) for the last 35 years and was very disappointed when its return spring broke last year! However parts are easy to find online and now I have a nice broken spring for you know what…

Adrian

[RAc]

Thanks Adrian,

very much appreciated!

What revolution range and granularity should I target? Most tools in the price range I consider have something in between roughly 600 - 3000 rpms in 3-5 steps, will that suffice? I guess for the occasional milling job, the lower the revolution bottom border the better (though in that case I should also go for a stronger machine which I presume will not be needed for most jobs, given that metal work, in particular with larger drills will be exception)?

[OLDNICKILBY]

Fobco is the one < they often appear on E bay. The bearings are cheap to buy and very easy to change. We have 2 in the Factory over 35 years old and they are in daily use. You could get a cheap Bridgeport for sensible money and that will do anything that you ask of it ,except make the coffee. It has an excellent speed range and is good for sensitive drilling, down to point 3 mm with a steady hand

[adrian brown]

Thanks Adrian,

 

very much appreciated!

 

What revolution range and granularity should I target? Most tools in the price range I consider have something in between roughly 600 - 3000 rpms in 3-5 steps, will that suffice? I guess for the occasional milling job, the lower the revolution bottom border the better (though in that case I should also go for a stronger machine which I presume will not be needed for most jobs, given that metal work, in particular with larger drills will be exception)?

 

I have 4 speeds on the Fobco from 475 - 4260 RPM, and I've never felt the need to have a variable speed adjustment. I've only done a little light routing (milling in wood, but with routing cutters) and the high top speed is certainly very useful for that. If you want to do milling in metal, you really need a combination milling/drilling machine that will have a much bigger spindle and bearings to withstand the lateral forces. The disadvantage with these is that you often have a very limited sleeve travel, which limits its use as a drilling machine and you won't get it to run to 4000 RPM. The German company Optimum used to have a nice compromise between the two, that I was thinking of getting one a few years ago, but it seems they've discontinued it since.

 

Hope this helps anyway,

 

Adrian

 

[OLDNICKILBY]

The Bridgeport has the same Quill travel as a Fobco , but then there is the vertical on the Knee. It would be possible to buy a Milling Table for a Pillar Drill , that is an X and Y travel table for around 100 Euros. The old adage " Don't send a boy on a mans errand " applies here You get what you pay for There are many Chinese copies of a Turret Mill most are quite O K. We have one with a 1200 mm by 300 mm travel and it has been in daily use for 14 years and a 300 traverse by 200 that is over 20 years old and has not put a foot wrong. Both are in our Tool Room

[OLDNICKILBY]

Whoops I should have said 1000 x 200 and not 300 x 200

[Dana Johnson]

Not sure what folks on your side of the pond mean by bench drill, but what we call a drill press and a vertical mill ( like the Bridgeport ) are not really interchangeable. Ordinary drill presses are not built for lateral loads, even light ones. The bearings aren't as much the issue as the method of chuck attachment. Most non hobby drill press chucks are mounted on taper shanks to accommodate larger taper shank drills with the chuck removed. It is a self holding taper like a tail stock center on a lathe ( which also can use taper shank drills ) but side loading risks dislodging it and having the chuck come loose. Hobby type drill presses may have a different chuck mounting system like a left hand thread screw to attach the chuck to the spindle, but a drill chuck isn't meant for side loading either. You can get away with light loading as in milling in wood to some degree, but an x/y table on a drill press is meant for accurate positioning, not milling. There are mill / drill units that do both, and have collets for the tooling, a beefier spindle and a seperate chuck you put in a larger collet. Don't buy a drill press to mill. A mill / drill will do better, these are decent if you want to save space, but are a compromise machine. If you are working 6mm or under, or mostly in wood, you are never going to use the lower speeds, but for small drills and most wood bits, you'll want the high ones. Speed depends on cutter size and work material. The smaller the cutter, the higher the rpms. The harder or tougher the material, the lower the rpms. When you are thinking of size think of what you'll be using it for. Drill presses, esp. Floor models can take large tall workpieces, mills have less adjustment ( but much more solid ) and you need to subtract the length of the drill in the chuck from your total room. I have both types of machines and with the large milling vise on the table, I often find myself at my vertical limits on the knee to use a moderate length drill like a 6mm on parts that stand a bit above the vise. If they were clamped to the table directly there would be more room, but the vise is much quicker. For hand positioning of light drilling, I have a scavenger board mounted on a block I clamp in the vise and use as a drilling table when I am doing pilot holes and the like in action pans with small drills where hand holding is sufficient. ( generally an inherently unsafe practice, though it is often used when people don't know the risks or the power of an object grabbed by a spinning drill )