Something Bugs Me

[Tenson]

I'm looking for a drill press as mine is shot.

Something that bugs me is why don't drill press' use linear guides? They all rely on a quill that fits snugly in the bushing. Why don't we see ball bearing linear guides?

 

[sunnybob]

Cost.

 

[Walney Col]

And rigidity. You'd need 3 linear rails spacesd at 120 degrees apart to give you at least a fighting chance of withstanding the torque and even then it's not the direction of force that liear rails are designed for.

Col.

 

[gregmcateer]

Can I add a question - Bear in mind I'm a simple soul, so a simple answer will be great -
Is there a way to hold a taper / quill (?) in the drill - mine seems to drop out as soon as I withdraw the drill a bit from the workpiece.
TIA
Greg

 

[Myfordman]

The taper needs to be near perfect and no rust or other damage.
Then the drill or chuck taper will grip perfectly and need a special drift to remove it.

 

[Terry - Somerset]

Also seems to me that the top pulley needs to stay aligned with the motor pulley.

The option of putting the motor on top of the quill/linear rails thus avoiding pulleys may work but probably only with a decent variable speed motor - essentially a higher precision more powerful and stronger version of that which was sold for clamping the black and decker to a column to make a "pillar drill".

 

[MikeK]

Can I add a question - Bear in mind I'm a simple soul, so a simple answer will be great -
Is there a way to hold a taper / quill (?) in the drill - mine seems to drop out as soon as I withdraw the drill a bit from the workpiece.
TIA
Greg

It doesn't take much force to set a drill chuck with a Morse Taper. Before I attach the MT chuck, I clean the taper surface to ensure there is nothing on it that will interfere with seating it. Open the jaws of the chuck so they are fully retracted into the chuck and won't be damaged during the seating process. Then I push the chuck into the quill, put a block of wood on the table and raise the table near the end of the chuck. One firm pull of the handle and the taper is set.

 

[Tenson]

I realise what I'm picturing is the vertical axis of a manual mill, without the x and y table. For the price of some high end drills like Fobco, Startrite etc. I feel that sort of precision and rigidity could be offered.

I'm starting to think about getting some linear guides from eBay, a nice chuck and shank and then cobbling it together with the motor from my beat up old bench drill!

PS my old drill has the chuck affixed by taper. I can't get it out even with a pickle fork.

 

[pcb1962]

PS my old drill has the chuck affixed by taper. I can't get it out even with a pickle fork.

I'm not sure what you mean by a 'pickle fork', but this is the correct tool for removing a chuck.

 

[Tenson]

Hi, my drill has the taper directly on the main shaft and that goes in to the chuck. I'm not expecting an answer on how to remove it, I was just saying taper fittings can be rediculusly strong.

This is a pickle fork for separating two push fittings.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

That's far too fast a taper to remove a drill chuck from a quill. Better options exist - http://www.arceurotrade.co.uk/Catalogue ... dges---NEW - use a pair, not one on it's own, which may bend the spindle.

In passing, at the time drills like the Fobco and Startrite were designed (1950s, I think) linear ball bearings were not developed. They came to be used commercially with the development of CNC machinery from the 1970s onwards, though the idea has probably been around for longer - most ideas have!

 

[pcb1962]

Hi, my drill has the taper directly on the main shaft and that goes in to the chuck. I'm not expecting an answer on how to remove it, I was just saying taper fittings can be rediculusly strong.

This is a pickle fork for separating two push fittings.

OK, I thought you meant the taper into the quill was unremovable.
Not heard the term pickle fork before, I have always called your tool a ball-joint separator.

 

[memzey]

Just to add that I have an ancient Fobco Star that I can't imagine being any sturdier, more rigid or precise. At full extension any run out is less than half a thou' (the limit of my dti). I'm not sure why a woodworker would need any more than that (it certainly is more accurate than I could ever hope to be).

 

[katellwood]

Food for thought but this was my way of solving any play in the shaft of my quite old Poolewood floor standing pillar drill



There are bits of brass rod at the bottom of the grub screws so as not to scratch the shaft, tension is dictated by the locking nuts.

It has taken out all the play in the shaft and remains vertical.

I also have a startrite bench drill where the chuck attaches in a completely different way than a more taper

 

[Walney Col]

Somewhat out of the ordinary and a little over priced and not readily available in the UK is the Wabeco range of drill stands from Germany.

You need your own drill to go in it but they're ridiculously strong rigid and versatile and have been used many a time as the basis for a mini milling machine.

https://www.wabeco-remscheid.de/catalog ... mm/id/347/

Col.

 

[MikeK]

I have the Wabeco B1230 drill stand used when I install high-security locks in the field. After lugging a small table drill press around, I decided to lighten my load and see if any of the drill stands would work. The only stand I found that doesn't wobble around or change the geometry of the drill is the Wabeco line. I bought the B1230 because it was the closest I could find that was light and might be fitted into a Bosch (Sortimo) L-Boxx.

Here is the finished product. I had to trim 30mm off of the end of the solid steel column in order for it to fit diagonally in the L-Boxx 2. After cutting the foam inserts, I should have cut 40mm off so the column has more padding between it and the sides of the box. The assembly tools do not come with the drill stand, but I had them as excess from other projects, so I included them in lid carrier.

Here is a closeup of the items stored under the base plate. The Bessey clamp is used to compress the drill trigger and hold it at a constant speed. I control the drill with a separate switched power strip. The tapping attachment, T-handle, and optional 90-degree bracket are also shown.

This is the assembled drill stand ready for the drill. The stand will accept any drill, or other device, with a 43mm collar.

This is the assembled drill stand with the tapping attachment. I have used this five or six times to tap M5 threads into 5mm 6061-T6 aluminum plate, and the attachment worked like a charm.

 

[MikeK]

PS my old drill has the chuck affixed by taper. I can't get it out even with a pickle fork.

My Optimum drill press came with this chuck removal tool.

It is inserted in the opening in the quill and gently tapped with a hammer. It doesn't take much before the chuck drops out.

 

[Robbo3]

As both myfordman & MikeK have said both parts of the morse taper need to be clean & dry. The chuck on my drill press (Sealey) has been in place for some 25 years without budging & I have used it for drum sanding a procedure that often results in the chuck dropping out.
In addition when I bought my new VS1628 lathe I forgot to clean the morse taper in the headstock before putting it to use. When the time came to remove the drive centre normally a light tap with a knockout bar held lightly in the fingers is all that is needed. I progressed to a 2 1/2 llb lump hammer & ended up moving the lathe away from the wall to get enough room to swing it before it flew out.

I also know Tenson's pickle fork as a ball joint separator.

I seem to recall one make of drill stand having a hexagonal column which meant it always stayed over the centre point ot the table whereas the Black & Deckers could rotate on the circular pillar.

Wabeco English page
- https://www.wabeco-remscheid.de/catalog ... m_store=de

 

[memzey]

When it comes to chuck removal the drifts are only needed if your chuck is attached via a morse taper. If your machine uses a Jacob's taper then you need another method. On my example a threaded circular collar on the quill is rotated down until it displaces the chuck. Different machines will achieve this in different ways.