DoN. Nichols wrote:
Jon Danniken wrote:

My concern is that the bit will wander, but perhaps the size of the
bit (3/4") means it is stiff enough to resist skating. Also,
perhaps the top hole will serve as a drill bushing and keep the bit
aligned all the way through.

The "bushing effect" from the top hole will make up for a lot
with a bit that size.

The first bit in MSC of that size is #01520485 at $19.33
(Smaller gets cheaper fast.) There are 18 bits in the web page,
ranging up to $324.08 as one of the "Non Catalog Items". None of
them are described as split point, and the illustrations are not
clear enough to let me tell from them.

If you could get one with a split point, you would not have any
problems with it walking. I've even drilled a 1/16" hole in a 1/4"
rod supporting a bearing on my garage door track -- using a hand held
electric drill, and I had no problems with it walking without center
punching beforehand.

It would most certainly make my work a lot easier, more than twice
as easy, actually, and even a little more, since it would eliminate
the second spotting procedure for the other side.

I would say that you can get away with it, because the drill is
being supported less than 2-1/2" from the drill point. Even if the
quill has a lot of slop in the casting the first hole will serve as a
one-shot bushing while you start the second side hole.

Thanks Don, I appreciate it. I found a suitably-sized MT2-shanked bit on
ebay, so we'll have to see how it's going to work out. Fortunately the
application isn't _too_ demanding of precision, so I'll know after a few
test pokes if it's going to work.

Others have mentioned vises. I didn't because your original
fixture would prevent it being spun. And with that long a workpiece,
putting the side of the workpiece against the left hand side of the
column will control the spinning anyway. (It won't control the
workpiece lifting as the bit breaks through, however.) So if you can
get a lever operating drill press vise of reasonable size, and bolt
that down to the table, you should be fine. (Remember to lock the
table pivot under the table since yours, like mine, is a round table
which can spin in its mount if not clamped.)

For a nice lever-operating vise, take a look at MSC # 09145566.

There are several sizes, and this one looks as though it will
work well for your 2-1/2" square steel tubing. It has a throat depth
of 1-13/16" which should be plenty. (It is similar to an old one
with a Craftsman name which I picked up at a metalworking club
meeting about a year ago and which is my favorite drill press vise.
This one would be better in that it has more choices for clamping it
to the table.

The price, however, is perhaps enough to send you elsewhe

$283.94

Aye, as much as I'd like to furnish my new tool with some well-needed
accessories, I'm relegated to cobbling up jigs for the time being, at least
as far as it is reasonably practical. Along those lines, I'm thinking of
using two sections of tubing (or very sturdy angle stock) bolted securely to
the table, leaving a channel between them to slide the long tubing to be
drilled through.

The long section to be drilled will already be scribed and punched, and I'll
tap it with a hammer from either end as required to encourage it into the
correct position. I'll come up with some means to secure it from rising up
off of the table in order to prevent a surprise when the bit pushes out of
it's hole.

Thanks again,

Jon