Hello,

I'm thinking it would be useful to have a pillar drill but don't know
much about them. What should I look for? What should I avoid?

I also see that some are "desktop" models but others are 6', like
this:
http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/pr...1f-drill-press

I haven't looked at this model closely, I'm just using it to
illustrate the size.

Is one size better than the other? Or is it that you use the big one
for tall objects, if so, what sort of things?

Thanks,
Stephen.

In article ,
Stephen writes:
Hello,

I'm thinking it would be useful to have a pillar drill but don't know
much about them. What should I look for? What should I avoid?

I also see that some are "desktop" models but others are 6', like
this:
http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/pr...1f-drill-press

I haven't looked at this model closely, I'm just using it to
illustrate the size.

Is one size better than the other? Or is it that you use the big one
for tall objects, if so, what sort of things?

For me, the choice was governed by having plenty of floor space
to stand a floor-standing one, but rather too little bench space.
I don't think I have ever drilled anything that wouldn't fit in
a bench one yet, but my brother has something for me to drill at
some point which would require the floor standing one.
A minor point was also to choose one which could take morticers,
which are normally significantly longer than standard drill bits.

Mine is this:
http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/pr...1f-drill-press
It was cheaper - I've had it a long time, and ISTR it was on offer.
Works well for what I use it for (mosting drilling project boxes,
heatsinks, and similar for making electronic items).

A few very slight niggles:
o The belt idle pully doesn't seem to have a perfectly centred bearing,
and generates some vibration (I meant to try getting a replacement
under warranty, but never got round to it);
o The lamp socket is probably E26 (US) rather than E27 (EU), which
means the lampholder comes apart when you unscrew an E27 bulb.
o The plastic guard is obviously an after-thought for the EU market.
When you flip it up, it prangs the light switch. It isn't up to the
quality of the rest of the drill press and quickly broke, although
it still just about works.
However, none of these would stop me recommending it.

It has a good quality chuck, but I sometimes want to use bits under
4mm which it can't grip, so I had to buy a small spare drill chuck
which I grip in the larger chuck. To date, I've never bought a
morticer, but this drill press can take them.

As with any power tool, read up on safety. When using one in the
engineering workshop at university, I did manage to have it hurl a
sizable lump of brass across the workshop. As a consequence, I also
bought a suitable drill press vice for it, and I wouldn't try using
it without one.

Some years ago, someone posted a list of accidental alternative uses
for common tools. ISTR that a drill press was for hurling lumps of
metal across the workshop, and someone else claimed to have hurled
a lump of metal through the daughter's boyfriend's closed car window.
I smiled...

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

On Jul 19, 9:03*pm, Stephen wrote:
Hello,

I'm thinking it would be useful to have a pillar drill but don't know
much about them. What should I look for? What should I avoid?

I also see that some are "desktop" models but others are 6', like
this:http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/pr...1f-drill-press

I haven't looked at this model closely, I'm just using it to
illustrate the size.

Is one size better than the other? Or is it that you use the big one
for tall objects, if so, what sort of things?

Thanks,
Stephen.

Personally I've always favoured the floor-standing models and have
often had reason to make use of the extra pillar height.

Remember to factor in an appropriate sum for a substantial vice.

I've used Machine Mart, but I rather favour Axminster as a supplier
for that class of equipment and indeed my pillar drill actually came
from them many years ago. It's easily the most heavily-used piece of
equipment in my workshop.

In article ,
John Rumm writes:
On 19/07/2011 21:57, Andrew Gabriel wrote:

Some years ago, someone posted a list of accidental alternative uses
for common tools. ISTR that a drill press was for hurling lumps of
metal across the workshop, and someone else claimed to have hurled
a lump of metal through the daughter's boyfriend's closed car window.
I smiled...

They are apparently good for scalping people! (who get their long hair a
little too close)

Yes, there was a poster-sized picture of someone who had been scalped
by either one of these or a lathe, on the wall in the engineering
workshop at university. Loose clothing can also catch and pull you
onto the bit generating nasty injuries. Like I said, read the safety
instructions ;-)

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

On Jul 19, 9:03*pm, Stephen wrote:
Hello,

I'm thinking it would be useful to have a pillar drill but don't know
much about them. What should I look for? What should I avoid?

I also see that some are "desktop" models but others are 6', like
this:http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/pr...1f-drill-press

I haven't looked at this model closely, I'm just using it to
illustrate the size.

Is one size better than the other? Or is it that you use the big one
for tall objects, if so, what sort of things?

Thanks,
Stephen.

Quality of build, larger, and more heavily built the better.

I bought a secondhand Meddings through Ebay for 200 quid. Superb
thing. There's lots of old British models knocking about secondhand,
and the build quality exceeds a lot of what's built today.

Only 2 minor grumbles about mine. The chuck is keyed, superb quality,
but I may change it for a keyless chuck someday. The table is the old-
fashioned, support-the-weight, slacken the clamp on the pillar, and
move, type - rather than the rack-and-pinion height adjustment some
modern machines have. And that table is quite a weight in my left
hand. Obviously not an issue with smaller machines.

I use mine mainly for joinery, so making up your own extended table to
bolt onto the steel table is good, along with a range of battens/rails/
clamps to set up repetitive work. Also a machine vice for small steel
parts. You will no doubt build up your own library of convenient bits
and bobs to position work and speed-up working.

I have a stand-alone morticer, so haven't tried morticing on a pillar
drill - but I think they might struggle, especially for the first
plunge if it's deep and in harder woods. Maybe you can rough out with
a forstner bit first. But I'd be wary if you plan to do a lot of
morticing - the mechanical cross-slide on the table is a lot of what
makes a proper morticer the effective beast it is.

On Jul 20, 4:28*am, " wrote:

Quality of build, larger, and more heavily built the better.

Agreed. Although it can be hard to find single phase pillar drills
like this.


Only 2 minor grumbles about mine. The chuck is keyed, superb quality,
but I may change it for a keyless chuck someday.

I did that, changed it back later (although to a new keyed chuck).
Although I like a keyless chuck on hand drills, I just didn't get on
with it on a pillar drill.

The table is the old-
fashioned, support-the-weight, slacken the clamp on the pillar, and
move, type - rather than the rack-and-pinion height adjustment some
modern machines have. And that table is quite a weight in my left
hand.

My bench drill ('80s Taiwan) is rack, but my old British floor-
standing pillar drill has this same problem. So there's now a pulley,
wire rope and cast-iron brick counterweight system to balance it.


I have a stand-alone morticer, so haven't tried morticing on a pillar
drill

This is IMHO unworkable.

First of all, it's easier to convert an old hand morticer (big handle
and a plunging chisel) to have a powered rotating auger on the head
than it is to add chisel plunging to a pillar drill frame.

Secondly you want a workpiece vice with easy traverse, in at least one
axis. A non-traversing morticer is a good start and better than
nothing, but you can buy those cheaply new anyway. For any serious
use, you need a clamped vice and the ability to traverse without
undoing the clamp (which will cost £500+ in a new machine).

An ancient hand morticer and the head from a £50-£99 no-vice morticer
(which I've even seen in Aldi) is a fairly easy combination to build.
The trick is finding one on ebay that's near enough for buyer
collection.

On Jul 19, 9:03*pm, Stephen wrote:
Hello,

I'm thinking it would be useful to have a pillar drill but don't know
much about them. What should I look for? What should I avoid?

I also see that some are "desktop" models but others are 6', like
this:http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/pr...1f-drill-press

I haven't looked at this model closely, I'm just using it to
illustrate the size.

Is one size better than the other? Or is it that you use the big one
for tall objects, if so, what sort of things?

Thanks,
Stephen.

I remember the floor mounted pillar drills I used at school some years
ago, had safety foot switches built into the base, and always thought
this would be an essential feature if I ever bought my own pillar
drill. They were Boxford make and were old but good quality, although
one of the brand new pillar drills used to wobble slightly as if the
column was not strong enough, which is something I like to check first
if I was buying floor mounted one.

In article ,
Andrew Gabriel wrote:
Some years ago, someone posted a list of accidental alternative uses
for common tools. ISTR that a drill press was for hurling lumps of
metal across the workshop, and someone else claimed to have hurled
a lump of metal through the daughter's boyfriend's closed car window.
I smiled...

Of all power tools I consider a properly mounted pillar drill to be the
safest, if the most basic and obvious safety precautions are observed. Far
safer than drilling with a hand held power drill.

Of course the work should be secure, and any loose clothing or long hair
etc avoided or made safe, and the eyes protected. But those are all basic
safety when doing pretty well anything DIY.

--
*A fool and his money can throw one hell of a party.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Wed, 20 Jul 2011 00:57:05 -0700 (PDT), Andy Dingley wrote:

Quality of build, larger, and more heavily built the better.

Agreed. Although it can be hard to find single phase pillar drills
like this.

Agreed, but it depends on the intended use. I have £40 "Performance
Power" (or similar "brand") small bench mounted pillar drill. Worth
it's weight in gold for what I use it for, nothing demanding 1/1000th
inch accuracy just consistent multiple 90 degree to the face in 2D
drilling at a fixed distance from an edge.


--
Cheers
Dave.

In article o.uk,
Dave Liquorice wrote:
Agreed, but it depends on the intended use. I have £40 "Performance
Power" (or similar "brand") small bench mounted pillar drill. Worth
it's weight in gold for what I use it for, nothing demanding 1/1000th
inch accuracy just consistent multiple 90 degree to the face in 2D
drilling at a fixed distance from an edge.

Totally agree. I had one of the original Nu-Tool bright green 40 quid ones
from B&Q. So superior to a B&D drill and stand that went before.

Three things I wished could be improved with it.

The motor didn't have enough power for say large holesaws.
A bigger maximum distance between table and chuck - with a larger drill
bit and using a vice, this clearance wasn't adequate for even quite small
items.
A better 'fit' for the sliding bit the chuck fits. Too much slop which
couldn't be adjusted out satisfactorily.

I recently replaced it with a Lidl one which addresses the first two
points. The motor has more than adequate power. Slightly more range (about
an inch) - any was welcome. The slop is no worse.
If I could find the correct diameter tube for the pillar I'd fit a
slightly longer one still.

--
*If you ate pasta and anti-pasta, would you still be hungry?

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On 20 July, 10:33, "Dave Plowman (News)" wrote:
In article o.uk,
* *Dave Liquorice wrote:

Agreed, but it depends on the intended use. I have £40 "Performance
Power" (or similar "brand") small bench mounted pillar drill. Worth
it's weight in gold for what I use it for, nothing demanding 1/1000th
inch accuracy just consistent multiple 90 degree to the face in 2D
drilling at a fixed distance from an edge.

Totally agree. I had one of the original Nu-Tool bright green 40 quid ones
from B&Q. So superior to a B&D drill and stand that went before.

Three things I wished could be improved with it.

The motor didn't have enough power for say large holesaws.
A bigger maximum distance between table and chuck - with a larger drill
bit and using a vice, this clearance wasn't adequate for even quite small
items.
A better 'fit' for the sliding bit the chuck fits. Too much slop which
couldn't be adjusted out satisfactorily.

I recently replaced it with a Lidl one which addresses the first two
points. The motor has more than adequate power. Slightly more range (about
an inch) - any was welcome. The slop is no worse.
If I could find the correct diameter tube for the pillar I'd fit a
slightly longer one still.

--
*If you ate pasta and anti-pasta, would you still be hungry?

* * Dave Plowman * * * * * * * * London SW
* * * * * * * * * To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Two things to look for. One is throat depth, (Distance of chuck from
pillar ) and second is quill travel (The amount of vertical travel in
the chuck) In both cases bigger is better especially if you want to do
a bit of woodworking. Also if you want it for woodworking then a
square table is more convenient for fitting an auxiliary table
compared to a round table

I wouldn't bother worrying about attaching a morticer. They need a
good strong motor and substantial strength in the geared rise and
fall. Even then the common Taiwanese/Chines morticing attachments are
s***e. Been there, done that, then bought the Multico.

Its the old story. The more you pay the more you get.

Must say, I lust after a Meddings. Scarce this side of the Irish Sea.


Paul Mc Cann

What's the correct procedure for refitting a taper-chuck? If it comes
loose, is finger pressure enough to make it hold securely?

Many thanks.

On Tue, 19 Jul 2011 21:03:52 +0100, Stephen wrote:

Hello,

I'm thinking it would be useful to have a pillar drill but don't know
much about them. What should I look for? What should I avoid?

I've got a bench-top one, but wish I'd spent the extra on a floor-
standing type, as there have been a few times when I've needed to drill
holes in the ends of taller objects and it would have been useful.

At least on the cheaper models, it seems there's a lot of rebranding /
badge engineering, so it's maybe worth shopping around for included
extras, better warranties etc.

The table on mine has a lot of bracing on the underside - good for
strength, but it makes clamping workpieces a fiddle at times. It's on the
to-do list to attach a solid bit of steel plate to the underside, but I'm
sure that some models come without this niggle anyway.

Someone else mentioned built-in work lights, but I find that mine casts
too many shadows due to the positioning of the bulb; I think I'd rather
that part of the development budget went elsewhere and it not have the
light at all - having good lighting around the bench works much better
IMHO.

cheers

Jules

Bert Coules wrote:
What's the correct procedure for refitting a taper-chuck? If it comes
loose, is finger pressure enough to make it hold securely?

Many thanks.

Depends on the quality of the mating parts and cleanliness.

If in doubt, clean the tapers carefully and the with the chuck jaws
retracted into the body, hold the chuck in place and tap it smartly
upwards with a piece of wood.
If that does not make it hold then there is something wrong and you
should investigate NOT hit is harder!!

Bob

On Wed, 20 Jul 2011 12:41:14 +0000 (UTC), Jules Richardson wrote:

I've got a bench-top one, but wish I'd spent the extra on a floor-
standing type, as there have been a few times when I've needed to drill
holes in the ends of taller objects and it would have been useful.

Fairly sure that the head on mine revolves on the column. If I wanted
to drill something tall I'd attached the base the other way round on
the bench and rotate the head so the quill was over the edge of the
bench. Then worry about how to support/hold the work.

The table on mine has a lot of bracing on the underside - good for
strength, but it makes clamping workpieces a fiddle at times.

A drill press vice makes holding things a lot simpler. Things can
twist out of clamps, not so easy to twist out of a vice that is
bolted to the table. I might get a small cross vice at some point, it
should make positioning work a little easier and allow basic milling.

--
Cheers
Dave.

In article o.uk,
Dave Liquorice wrote:
The table on mine has a lot of bracing on the underside - good for
strength, but it makes clamping workpieces a fiddle at times.

A drill press vice makes holding things a lot simpler. Things can
twist out of clamps, not so easy to twist out of a vice that is
bolted to the table. I might get a small cross vice at some point, it
should make positioning work a little easier and allow basic milling.

A vice is fine - assuming the items are small enough to fit it. But for
drilling larger ones - especially sheet - it's good to clamp them to the
table.

--
*Two wrongs are only the beginning *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Bob Minchin wrote:

If in doubt...

Thanks very much for that, Bob.

Bert

On Wed, 20 Jul 2011 16:22:49 +0100, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

A vice is fine - assuming the items are small enough to fit it.

I don't think I've had anything to big for the vice yet... B-)

But for drilling larger ones - especially sheet - it's good to clamp
them to the table.

I'd reach for the sheet metal punch. B-)

--
Cheers
Dave.

"Jules Richardson" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 19 Jul 2011 21:03:52 +0100, Stephen wrote:

Hello,

I'm thinking it would be useful to have a pillar drill but don't know
much about them. What should I look for? What should I avoid?

I've got a bench-top one, but wish I'd spent the extra on a floor-
standing type, as there have been a few times when I've needed to drill
holes in the ends of taller objects and it would have been useful.

You can usually turn them around on the base so they overhang the bench.
It may help.

On Jul 20, 1:18*pm, "Bert Coules" wrote:
What's the correct procedure for refitting a taper-chuck?

Morse or Jacobs taper?

Morse should be inserted clean and slightly oily (just to prevent
rust), with the top of the taper chamfered or rebated so that driving
it out with a drift doesn't raise a burr. They never (if in reasonable
condition) give trouble,

Jacobs need nailing, welding or at least Loctite. Pain in the arse.

In article o.uk,
Dave Liquorice wrote:
A vice is fine - assuming the items are small enough to fit it.

I don't think I've had anything to big for the vice yet... B-)

Your hobby watchmaking? ;-)

But for drilling larger ones - especially sheet - it's good to clamp
them to the table.

I'd reach for the sheet metal punch. B-)

Even with ply?

--
*I'm pretty sure that sex is better than logic, but I can't prove it.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Andy Dingley wrote:

Morse or Jacobs taper?

How do I tell the difference?

Jacobs need nailing, welding or at least Loctite. Pain in the arse.

Well, mine hasn't been that: it's come loose no more than a few times over
several years. So maybe it's a Morse.

Thanks.

Bert

On 21/07/2011 08:09, Bert Coules wrote:
Andy Dingley wrote:

Morse or Jacobs taper?

How do I tell the difference?

A Morse taper hole will be inside the drill press quill. A Jacobs taper
hole will be inside the back of the chuck.

Morse tapers are also longer - about three inches for the No 2 that is
commonly used on drill presses.

Colin Bignell

On Jul 20, 1:41*pm, Jules Richardson
wrote:
On Tue, 19 Jul 2011 21:03:52 +0100, Stephen wrote:
Hello,

I'm thinking it would be useful to have a pillar drill but don't know
much about them. What should I look for? What should I avoid?

I've got a bench-top one, but wish I'd spent the extra on a floor-
standing type, as there have been a few times when I've needed to drill
holes in the ends of taller objects and it would have been useful.

At least on the cheaper models, it seems there's a lot of rebranding /
badge engineering, so it's maybe worth shopping around for included
extras, better warranties etc.

The table on mine has a lot of bracing on the underside - good for
strength, but it makes clamping workpieces a fiddle at times. It's on the
to-do list to attach a solid bit of steel plate to the underside, but I'm
sure that some models come without this niggle anyway.

Someone else mentioned built-in work lights, but I find that mine casts
too many shadows due to the positioning of the bulb; I think I'd rather
that part of the development budget went elsewhere and it not have the
light at all - having good lighting around the bench works much better
IMHO.

cheers

Jules

I wish OP's, such as this gentleman, would give more information as to
what they want the requested tool for, what branch of DIY is their
enthusiasm, and what their skill and activity level is.

The points given by all the contributors - some regular names there -
are all absolutely valid and are as the result of experience with such
a drill.

The OP's request makes me think that he is unfamiliar with pillar
drills and thinks it might be worth his while getting one. On that
basis my comment, based on experience, is to go for a simple bench
drill at the low end of the market to find out what the tool can do
and what he is really going to use it for.

I had a cheap Red Devil for quite a number of years which performed
adequately - I successfully sold it on to a friend who is delighted
with it and got an old Fobco off Ebay; I was fortunate enough to get a
cheap 3ph inverter from the same source and very rarely have to move
the belt. The difference in build is very apparant, but for general
workshop drilling of wood, plastic and medium metal the cheap drill
was sufficient.

Rob

In article
,
robgraham wrote:
The OP's request makes me think that he is unfamiliar with pillar
drills and thinks it might be worth his while getting one. On that
basis my comment, based on experience, is to go for a simple bench
drill at the low end of the market to find out what the tool can do
and what he is really going to use it for.

That's generally good advice for many power tools. Using them for your own
purposes should show up where they are lacking, if indeed at all.

--
*There's no place like www.home.com *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Wed, 20 Jul 2011 15:39:35 +0100, Dave Liquorice wrote:

On Wed, 20 Jul 2011 12:41:14 +0000 (UTC), Jules Richardson wrote:

I've got a bench-top one, but wish I'd spent the extra on a floor-
standing type, as there have been a few times when I've needed to drill
holes in the ends of taller objects and it would have been useful.

Fairly sure that the head on mine revolves on the column. If I wanted to
drill something tall I'd attached the base the other way round on the
bench and rotate the head so the quill was over the edge of the bench.
Then worry about how to support/hold the work.

I had actually wondered about that with mine - but it all seems like a
bit of a faff. I'm not sure if there's a good way of making the process
more easy without compromising rigidity, though.

The need to sometimes drill taller objects makes me think that having the
bench drill for the majority of tasks, but also having a floor-standing
one around for the rest would be the best route.

The table on mine has a lot of bracing on the underside - good for
strength, but it makes clamping workpieces a fiddle at times.

A drill press vice makes holding things a lot simpler. Things can twist
out of clamps, not so easy to twist out of a vice that is bolted to the
table. I might get a small cross vice at some point, it should make
positioning work a little easier and allow basic milling.

Yes, I do have a vice too, but I seem to find that for most - but by no
means all - jobs clamping to the table is quicker and doesn't present any
problems, other than the fiddle of aligning clamps so that the table
braces aren't in the way.

cheers

Jules

Dave Liquorice wrote:

On Wed, 20 Jul 2011 12:41:14 +0000 (UTC), Jules Richardson wrote:

I've got a bench-top one, but wish I'd spent the extra on a floor-
standing type, as there have been a few times when I've needed to drill
holes in the ends of taller objects and it would have been useful.

Fairly sure that the head on mine revolves on the column. If I wanted
to drill something tall I'd attached the base the other way round on
the bench and rotate the head so the quill was over the edge of the
bench. Then worry about how to support/hold the work.

I have one of the Aldi Powermax ones, and this is indeed how you can do it.
You just loosen the grub screw holding the body of the drill onto the
column, rotate it through 180 degrees and retighten.

As you say you then have to work out how to support both the drill, and the
work. But it's doable at a pinch.

As others have said, it would be great to have a pillar drill with a larger
'throat'; these cheap Chinese drills only go up to 50mm or so. But it's
absolutely been one of my best buys in recent years.

J^n

On Jul 21, 4:57*pm, John Rumm wrote:
On 21/07/2011 10:37, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

In article
,
* * *wrote:
The OP's request makes me think that he is unfamiliar with pillar
drills and thinks it might be worth his while getting one. *On that
basis my comment, based on experience, is to go for a simple bench
drill at the low end of the market to find out what the tool can do
and what he is really going to use it for.

That's generally good advice for many power tools. Using them for your own
purposes should show up where they are lacking, if indeed at all.

While I agree in principle, I have found in reality that you are often
just better skipping forward to the decent one in the first place (even
if that means a s/h one). Since in most cases when you buy the cheap
one, you work out that a) yes it is quite handy, and b) the cheap one
does have limitations you would rather it did not. The result being you
end up buying it twice.

I thnik the issue is that first time buyers have no real knowledge of
what to look for, beyond 'a pillar drill.'

One point not mentioned regarding power. A couple of hundred watts is
enough for drilling all sizes of hole. More power has its uses, but
might not be something the OP actually needs.


NT

robgraham wrote:
On Jul 20, 1:41 pm, Jules Richardson
wrote:
On Tue, 19 Jul 2011 21:03:52 +0100, Stephen wrote:
Hello,

I'm thinking it would be useful to have a pillar drill but don't know
much about them. What should I look for? What should I avoid?

I've got a bench-top one, but wish I'd spent the extra on a floor-
standing type, as there have been a few times when I've needed to drill
holes in the ends of taller objects and it would have been useful.

At least on the cheaper models, it seems there's a lot of rebranding /
badge engineering, so it's maybe worth shopping around for included
extras, better warranties etc.

The table on mine has a lot of bracing on the underside - good for
strength, but it makes clamping workpieces a fiddle at times. It's on the
to-do list to attach a solid bit of steel plate to the underside, but I'm
sure that some models come without this niggle anyway.

Someone else mentioned built-in work lights, but I find that mine casts
too many shadows due to the positioning of the bulb; I think I'd rather
that part of the development budget went elsewhere and it not have the
light at all - having good lighting around the bench works much better
IMHO.

cheers

Jules

I wish OP's, such as this gentleman, would give more information as to
what they want the requested tool for, what branch of DIY is their
enthusiasm, and what their skill and activity level is.

The points given by all the contributors - some regular names there -
are all absolutely valid and are as the result of experience with such
a drill.

The OP's request makes me think that he is unfamiliar with pillar
drills and thinks it might be worth his while getting one. On that
basis my comment, based on experience, is to go for a simple bench
drill at the low end of the market to find out what the tool can do
and what he is really going to use it for.

I had a cheap Red Devil for quite a number of years which performed
adequately - I successfully sold it on to a friend who is delighted
with it and got an old Fobco off Ebay; I was fortunate enough to get a
cheap 3ph inverter from the same source and very rarely have to move
the belt. The difference in build is very apparant, but for general
workshop drilling of wood, plastic and medium metal the cheap drill
was sufficient.

Rob

More and more often I think this poster has many of the features of a
troll. He asks a lot of questions but rarely replies in the resulting
thread.
I wonder if he fires these naive questions off then sits back to watch
the responses come in.

Bob

In article
,
NT wrote:
One point not mentioned regarding power. A couple of hundred watts is
enough for drilling all sizes of hole. More power has its uses, but
might not be something the OP actually needs.

Remember we're talking induction motors here. A couple of hundred watt one
will struggle with the larger drill sizes into a hard material - even on
the slowest speed. That's one reason I changed my old B&Q one. The present
one is 500 watts and that's been fine on anything I've used it for.

FWIW I'm not sure why they spend the money providing all those speeds. I
leave mine on the slowest.

--
*Preserve wildlife - Go pickle a squirrel*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On 22/07/2011 12:49, NT wrote:
On Jul 21, 4:57 pm, John wrote:
On 21/07/2011 10:37, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

In article
,
wrote:
The OP's request makes me think that he is unfamiliar with pillar
drills and thinks it might be worth his while getting one. On that
basis my comment, based on experience, is to go for a simple bench
drill at the low end of the market to find out what the tool can do
and what he is really going to use it for.

That's generally good advice for many power tools. Using them for your own
purposes should show up where they are lacking, if indeed at all.

While I agree in principle, I have found in reality that you are often
just better skipping forward to the decent one in the first place (even
if that means a s/h one). Since in most cases when you buy the cheap
one, you work out that a) yes it is quite handy, and b) the cheap one
does have limitations you would rather it did not. The result being you
end up buying it twice.

I thnik the issue is that first time buyers have no real knowledge of
what to look for, beyond 'a pillar drill.'

Hence the question I presume...

One point not mentioned regarding power. A couple of hundred watts is
enough for drilling all sizes of hole. More power has its uses, but
might not be something the OP actually needs.

For woodwork I would suggest about 3/4 hp (500W ish) is about right.
That will cope with hole saws, sanding drums, and even a small amount of
wood turning if you can cope with your lathe being rotated 90 degrees!


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
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\================================================= ================/

On 22/07/2011 14:09, Bob Minchin wrote:
robgraham wrote:
On Jul 20, 1:41 pm, Jules Richardson
wrote:
On Tue, 19 Jul 2011 21:03:52 +0100, Stephen wrote:
Hello,

I'm thinking it would be useful to have a pillar drill but don't know
much about them. What should I look for? What should I avoid?

I've got a bench-top one, but wish I'd spent the extra on a floor-
standing type, as there have been a few times when I've needed to drill
holes in the ends of taller objects and it would have been useful.

At least on the cheaper models, it seems there's a lot of rebranding /
badge engineering, so it's maybe worth shopping around for included
extras, better warranties etc.

The table on mine has a lot of bracing on the underside - good for
strength, but it makes clamping workpieces a fiddle at times. It's on
the
to-do list to attach a solid bit of steel plate to the underside, but
I'm
sure that some models come without this niggle anyway.

Someone else mentioned built-in work lights, but I find that mine casts
too many shadows due to the positioning of the bulb; I think I'd rather
that part of the development budget went elsewhere and it not have the
light at all - having good lighting around the bench works much better
IMHO.

cheers

Jules

I wish OP's, such as this gentleman, would give more information as to
what they want the requested tool for, what branch of DIY is their
enthusiasm, and what their skill and activity level is.

The points given by all the contributors - some regular names there -
are all absolutely valid and are as the result of experience with such
a drill.

The OP's request makes me think that he is unfamiliar with pillar
drills and thinks it might be worth his while getting one. On that
basis my comment, based on experience, is to go for a simple bench
drill at the low end of the market to find out what the tool can do
and what he is really going to use it for.

I had a cheap Red Devil for quite a number of years which performed
adequately - I successfully sold it on to a friend who is delighted
with it and got an old Fobco off Ebay; I was fortunate enough to get a
cheap 3ph inverter from the same source and very rarely have to move
the belt. The difference in build is very apparant, but for general
workshop drilling of wood, plastic and medium metal the cheap drill
was sufficient.

Rob

More and more often I think this poster has many of the features of a
troll. He asks a lot of questions but rarely replies in the resulting
thread.
I wonder if he fires these naive questions off then sits back to watch
the responses come in.

Hardly matters. The thread is now there with useful information waiting
for anyone to google.

(might be worth collating into the wiki as another entry in the power
tools FAQ)

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
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| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

In article ,
Bob Minchin writes:
Bert Coules wrote:
What's the correct procedure for refitting a taper-chuck? If it comes
loose, is finger pressure enough to make it hold securely?

Many thanks.

Depends on the quality of the mating parts and cleanliness.

If in doubt, clean the tapers carefully and the with the chuck jaws
retracted into the body, hold the chuck in place and tap it smartly
upwards with a piece of wood.

Instructions for mine say lower and press the chuck face (jaws
retracted) into a piece of scrap timber on the workpiece table.

I was rather surprised that was all, but mine has never fallen out.

If that does not make it hold then there is something wrong and you
should investigate NOT hit is harder!!

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

In article ,
John Rumm wrote:
One point not mentioned regarding power. A couple of hundred watts is
enough for drilling all sizes of hole. More power has its uses, but
might not be something the OP actually needs.

For woodwork I would suggest about 3/4 hp (500W ish) is about right.
That will cope with hole saws, sanding drums, and even a small amount of
wood turning if you can cope with your lathe being rotated 90 degrees!

That agrees with my findings in practice. My current one is 500 watts and
has never stalled. Unlike my eerier one which was IIRC 250 watt.

--
*Before they invented drawing boards, what did they go back to?

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In article ,
Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
Unlike my eerier one which was IIRC 250 watt.

It was an eerie shade of green...

--
*Monday is an awful way to spend 1/7th of your life *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On 22/07/2011 20:42, John Rumm wrote:
.... snipped

... and even a small amount of
wood turning if you can cope with your lathe being rotated 90 degrees!


Morse tapers are not designed to cope with side loads so "turning" is a
risky business unless there's a draw bar holding the taper in place, and
AFAIK pillar drills usually don't have a draw bar - take care!

Dave

On 23/07/2011 12:12, NoSpam wrote:
On 22/07/2011 20:42, John Rumm wrote:
... snipped

... and even a small amount of
wood turning if you can cope with your lathe being rotated 90 degrees!


Morse tapers are not designed to cope with side loads so "turning" is a
risky business unless there's a draw bar holding the taper in place, and
AFAIK pillar drills usually don't have a draw bar - take care!

Indeed, Not suggesting one uses it to knock out a bowl or similar, but a
small knob, finial or acorn etc you should be ok once locktited in place ;-)


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

On Jul 23, 12:12*pm, NoSpam wrote:

Morse tapers are not designed to cope with side loads so "turning" is a
risky business

That'll be why they're used on woodturning lathes then.

Andy Dingley wrote:
On Jul 23, 12:12 pm, wrote:

Morse tapers are not designed to cope with side loads so "turning" is a
risky business

That'll be why they're used on woodturning lathes then.
They are not used for side loads on any lathe unless axial pressure is
present as well.

On 23/07/2011 20:07, Andy Dingley wrote:
On Jul 23, 12:12 pm, wrote:

Morse tapers are not designed to cope with side loads so "turning" is a
risky business

That'll be why they're used on woodturning lathes then.

AFAIK those without a drawbar are used as drives and centres on lathes,
always with a support at the other end of the workpiece.