I am considering purchasing a Jet JMD-18PFN for drilling holes in
bowling balls. I'm upgrading from an old Walker Turner 15" drill
press. If anyone has this machine, I would appreciate some advice.
I would be using the power downfeed most of the time, but I also
need manual occasionally. Does it only have two handles for manual
downfeed, and if so could another handle be added without too much
trouble? Also, I need to move the table quickly in the x and y
directions when setting up to drill a ball. Is there a way to do
this or do you have to slowly crank the handles. Thanks in advance
if anyone has any info.

Tom,

I can tell you that I've sold quite a few multiple spindle drill heads to
mount to this unit over the past two years and everyone who has the unit
loves it. Not sure about the features you asked about (table movements,
etc) but it is one heck of a machine for the amount they charge.

The main benefit of owning this machine over some more cheaply produced
machines is the fact that you get better support from Jet than you would
from other brands. They don't necessarily change their design year to year
as their suppliers bid for the lowest priced parts, etc. ...At least that
has been my experience.
--


Regards,
Joe Agro, Jr.
http://www.autodrill.com
http://www.multi-drill.com

V8013

Know someone with a motorcycle in the NY Metro area?
http://host.mynocdns.com/mailman/lis...rides_yunx.com




"tom" wrote in message
oups.com...
I am considering purchasing a Jet JMD-18PFN for drilling holes in
bowling balls. I'm upgrading from an old Walker Turner 15" drill
press. If anyone has this machine, I would appreciate some advice.
I would be using the power downfeed most of the time, but I also
need manual occasionally. Does it only have two handles for manual
downfeed, and if so could another handle be added without too much
trouble? Also, I need to move the table quickly in the x and y
directions when setting up to drill a ball. Is there a way to do
this or do you have to slowly crank the handles. Thanks in advance
if anyone has any info.

Thanks, Joe, for your reply. I looked at a Harbor Freight machine of
the same basic design and was not impressed. It's made in China and
it's pretty rough. I assume the Jet is made in Taiwan. I've had a
little experience with their woodworking machines and they're pretty
decent for the money.

tom wrote:

Thanks, Joe, for your reply. I looked at a Harbor Freight machine of
the same basic design and was not impressed. It's made in China and
it's pretty rough. I assume the Jet is made in Taiwan. I've had a
little experience with their woodworking machines and they're pretty
decent for the money.


I have done a little bit of milling on an early-90s Jet mill-drill. I was
pretty unimpressed myself. Still, it got the job done. I don't think there's
much difference between the import mill-drills compared to the difference
between any of them and a Bridgeport or clone. Just my 2¢ worth, I know
a ton of guys have 'em, use 'em, like 'em. No spindle lock? Lose registration
every time you move the head? Chiwanese threads on the x/y feeds? Sheez. - GWE

I have done a little bit of milling on an early-90s Jet mill-drill. I was
pretty unimpressed myself. Still, it got the job done. I don't think
there's
much difference between the import mill-drills compared to the difference
between any of them and a Bridgeport or clone. Just my 2¢ worth, I know
a ton of guys have 'em, use 'em, like 'em. No spindle lock? Lose
registration
every time you move the head? Chiwanese threads on the x/y feeds? Sheez. -
GWE

Grant has avalid point. If you can find a used Bridgeport machine that is
still tight, then it is a better option as far as sturdiness, accuracy and
all that jazz.

Regards,
Joe Agro, Jr.
http://www.autodrill.com
http://www.multi-drill.com

V8013

Know someone with a motorcycle in the NY Metro area?
http://host.mynocdns.com/mailman/lis...rides_yunx.com

Joe wrote:
I have done a little bit of milling on an early-90s Jet mill-drill.
I was
pretty unimpressed myself. Still, it got the job done. I don't
think
there's
much difference between the import mill-drills compared to the
difference
between any of them and a Bridgeport or clone. Just my 2=A2 worth, I
know
a ton of guys have 'em, use 'em, like 'em. No spindle lock? Lose
registration
every time you move the head? Chiwanese threads on the x/y feeds?
Sheez. -
GWE

Grant has avalid point. If you can find a used Bridgeport machine
that is
still tight, then it is a better option as far as sturdiness,
accuracy and
all that jazz.

Regards,
Joe Agro, Jr.
http://www.autodrill.com
http://www.multi-drill.com

V8013

Know someone with a motorcycle in the NY Metro area?
http://host.mynocdns.com/mailman/lis...rides_yunx.com

I'm only going to be drilling; no milling. And bowling balls are not
that hard compared to working with steel. The head will never be moved
once it's set up so registration is not an issue. I've used the drill
press for 20 years with OK performance. The Jet is much heavier than
what I have now so I don't think I want to go any larger. A bridgeport
would be nice, but I think it's overkill for a pro shop.

it's pretty rough. I assume the Jet is made in Taiwan. I've had a

I have a JMD-18 without power down feed. Bought it new in 1997 or so.
I am almost positive it is made in china. The motor said made in Taiwan
and I went through three of them before giving up and buying a leeson
motor. In my opinion, they are way overpriced for what you get. The
machine cost me about 1500 and another 200 for the stand (plus tax).
For the same money you are much better off buying a import knee mill
and getting a lot more for your money.

Why do you need power down feed for drilling bowling balls?

Why do you need power down feed for drilling bowling balls?

He may need to control the feed rate to improve the surace finish...
Plastics tend to either "gall" or melt if fed too fast or slow... Then
again, don't they put liners in the drilled holes anyhow?

Regards,
Joe Agro, Jr.
http://www.autodrill.com
http://www.multi-drill.com

V8013

Know someone with a motorcycle in the NY Metro area?
http://host.mynocdns.com/mailman/lis...rides_yunx.com

On Mon, 07 Mar 2005 23:34:15 +0000, Joe wrote:

He may need to control the feed rate to improve the surace finish...
Plastics tend to either "gall" or melt if fed too fast or slow... Then
again, don't they put liners in the drilled holes anyhow?

Regards,
Joe Agro, Jr.

No liners on cheap bowling balls. After drilling, the holes are sanded
smooth, and the edges beveled. The tool for that is basically a die
grinder with a long mandrel. A piece of sandpaper, shaped kind of like a
figure-8, held to the end of the mandrel with a screw.

When I was in college (when dinosaurs roamed the earth ;-), I worked in
the sporting goods department at K-Mart (discount stores chain). I
drilled the bowling balls. I learned all I know in a 1 hour session with
the factory rep. I used a normal drill press with a special jig to hold
the ball. The jig had X and Y feeds (manual) like a mill table, but the
feed was pretty coarse. I marked out the the ball with a grease pencil
and a strange looking, curved triangle thingy with a couple of arms added
to it. Lined up the center of the ball (marked at the factory by a dot in
a circle) with the drill spindle by eye using a pointed rod. Locked the
ball down, then cranked over to hole marks, changed to the proper drill,
and drilled the hole. Repeat for the other two holes, then sand with the
tool mentioned above. The customer's name or initials where stamped in
with standard steel stamps.

The pro shops have nicer equipment, and don't necessarily drill exactly
the same way I outlined above. The ones I've seen do use a drill
press, not a mill. They know how to drill balls for special gripping
styles, and they know a whole lot more about properly fitting a ball.

I don't think a mill is necessary for drilling bowling balls, but it
wouldn't hurt. The only downside is that mill table feeds tend to be
fine, which means a lot of cranking. It would be cool to CNC the mill,
and do the whole job automagically. One could do some neat engraving on
the ball with a small cutter.

-Ron

Clipped Stuff
When I was in college (when dinosaurs roamed the earth ;-), I worked in
the sporting goods department at K-Mart (discount stores chain). I
drilled the bowling balls
Clipped more stuff

Curiosity on my part... I figured the holes would not be drilled along the
same axis but all on separate axis lines heading straight toward the center
of the ball. Is this not the case?

i.e. ...and this is a selfish question for me of course - but could I
possibly market three spindle adjustable drilling heads to the folks who do
this type of drilling in mass quantities? The heads I sell all drill along
the same plane... There is no adjustment possible for the curvature of the
ball. IMHO my stuff is way too expensive unless they are doing thosands of
balls a month or so, but ya never know what your product is useful for until
someone asks... I've sold for munitions disarmarment, slicing hams, and ...
believe it or not, drilling holes in lild steel! grin

Regards,
Joe Agro, Jr.
http://www.autodrill.com
http://www.multi-drill.com

V8013

Know someone with a motorcycle in the NY Metro area?
http://host.mynocdns.com/mailman/lis...rides_yunx.com

Joe, the holes do not usually point toward the center of the ball and
all three holes are not parallel to each other. You're right about
equipment costs. Nobody does enough balls to justify a cnc setup or
anything like that.

Joe, the holes do not usually point toward the center of the ball and
all three holes are not parallel to each other. You're right about
equipment costs. Nobody does enough balls to justify a cnc setup or
anything like that.

Can you explain what you mean by "not parallel to each other"?

Well, I'm not quote at the CNC cost level... At least not the cost of a
dedicated CNC... Maybe $1400-1800 from me plus a drill press / mill of
their choice. All depending on "stuff". I'll probably never sell a
bowling ball drill, but one never knows until he asks the questions, right?

Regards,
Joe Agro, Jr.
http://www.autodrill.com
http://www.multi-drill.com

V8013

Know someone with a motorcycle in the NY Metro area?
http://host.mynocdns.com/mailman/lis...rides_yunx.com

"Joe" wrote in message
news:xR8Xd.48517$ya6.12180@trndny01...

Curiosity on my part... I figured the holes would not be drilled along
the same axis but all on separate axis lines heading straight toward the
center of the ball. Is this not the case?

i.e. ...and this is a selfish question for me of course - but could I
possibly market three spindle adjustable drilling heads to the folks who
do this type of drilling in mass quantities? The heads I sell all drill
along the same plane... There is no adjustment possible for the curvature
of the ball. IMHO my stuff is way too expensive unless they are doing
thosands of balls a month or so, but ya never know what your product is
useful for until someone asks... I've sold for munitions disarmarment,
slicing hams, and ... believe it or not, drilling holes in lild steel!
grin

Regards,
Joe Agro, Jr.


There is a science to bowling ball drilling. Click on some of the links on
this page to get some ideas.
http://www.bowlingball.com/info/layout_drilling.php

And from:
http://www.geocities.com/alan_thompson/Tips.htm
"The pitches are the angles at which the holes are drilled. Drilling the
hole toward the direct centre of the ball is zero pitch. Drilling the holes
at an angle toward the centre of the grip is forward pitch. Reverse pitch is
drilling the hole at an angle away from the centre of grip. Finger pitches
are largely determines by flexibility. The holes need to be drilled at
angles that fit the amount of flexibility in the fingertips. Over time,
bowlers tend to lose flexibility in the finger joints and need more reverse
pitch in the finger holes."

"I cannot express enough the need to seek an IBPSIA certified pro shop
operator when drilling your equipment. Kmart and Wal Mart are NOT the place
to have equipment drilled"

Hope this helps.

Lane

There is a science to bowling ball drilling. Click on some of the links on
this page to get some ideas.
http://www.bowlingball.com/info/layout_drilling.php

And from:
http://www.geocities.com/alan_thompson/Tips.htm
"The pitches are the angles at which the holes are drilled. Drilling the

CLIP

Lane,

Thanks. VERY helpful info. Bottom line, my equipment will not work on
bowling balls - except for maybe lane balls where they drill a whole bunch
out for patrons to choose from... But I'd bet the farm that those balls are
usually donated and pre-drilled.

Regards,
Joe Agro, Jr.
http://www.autodrill.com
http://www.multi-drill.com

V8013

Know someone with a motorcycle in the NY Metro area?
http://host.mynocdns.com/mailman/lis...rides_yunx.com

I don't really need the power downfeed, but it would be nice to not
have to pull on that handle all day long. The Jet model with the
downfeed has a longer column (more clearance under the spindle) which I
may need, depending on what jig I end up using to hold the ball. Yes,
most better bowlers use inserts in all three holes. The holes are
drilled larger to allow this. A lot of pro shops are going to the
small milling machines over drill presses over the last few years. The
new balls have cores made up of several pieces of different densities,
and if you use a drill press sometimes the bit will wander off center
if you hit the edge of one of those pieces inside the ball. The
milling machine has a heavier quill and spindle, reducing that problem.

"Joe" wrote in message
news:Op9Xd.56419 Thanks. VERY helpful info. Bottom line, my equipment
will not work on
bowling balls - except for maybe lane balls where they drill a whole bunch
out for patrons to choose from... But I'd bet the farm that those balls
are usually donated and pre-drilled.

Regards,
Joe Agro, Jr.


Glad to be of help.
Lane

Joe wrote:

Clipped Stuff


When I was in college (when dinosaurs roamed the earth ;-), I worked in
the sporting goods department at K-Mart (discount stores chain). I
drilled the bowling balls


Clipped more stuff

Curiosity on my part... I figured the holes would not be drilled along the
same axis but all on separate axis lines heading straight toward the center
of the ball. Is this not the case?

i.e. ...and this is a selfish question for me of course - but could I
possibly market three spindle adjustable drilling heads to the folks who do
this type of drilling in mass quantities? The heads I sell all drill along
the same plane... There is no adjustment possible for the curvature of the
ball. IMHO my stuff is way too expensive unless they are doing thosands of
balls a month or so, but ya never know what your product is useful for until
someone asks... I've sold for munitions disarmarment, slicing hams, and ...
believe it or not, drilling holes in lild steel! grin

Regards,
Joe Agro, Jr.
http://www.autodrill.com
http://www.multi-drill.com

V8013

Know someone with a motorcycle in the NY Metro area?
http://host.mynocdns.com/mailman/lis...rides_yunx.com





Hmmm....remembering back to an equipment action at a plastics injection
molding house (Mr Coffee machines that are now made in the land of
chopsticks), there was a bowling ball drilling machine. Not sure why
they had it hanging around. Basically it was just a sliding head on a
fancy mount that could be adjusted for angle. Someone bought it for
about 100 bucks on a lark. Probably just hanging around that that guy's
shop too.

At one time, goodwill had bowling balls for $ .25 each. People were
using em for garden art and also mounting them on top of parking posts
(pipes filled with concrete) to give them a more finished look.

Saw old bowling balls used once to make a giant "clacker" (those things
with about 6 balls in a row mounted from a pair of strings). Was a
demonstration of inertial transfer or something in a school. Makes one
wonder if there are any other uses if ever balls are available for a
quarter again.

Koz

Usually, each hole points in a slightly different direction A hole
that points toward the center of the ball has "zero pitch". Pitch is
achieved by moving the table in the x and y direction. And each
customer has different pitches, so one three spindle head would not fit
everybody.

Koz wrote:


Joe wrote:

Clipped Stuff


When I was in college (when dinosaurs roamed the earth ;-), I worked in
the sporting goods department at K-Mart (discount stores chain). I
drilled the bowling balls


Clipped more stuff

Curiosity on my part... I figured the holes would not be drilled
along the same axis but all on separate axis lines heading straight
toward the center of the ball. Is this not the case?

i.e. ...and this is a selfish question for me of course - but could I
possibly market three spindle adjustable drilling heads to the folks
who do this type of drilling in mass quantities? The heads I sell all
drill along the same plane... There is no adjustment possible for the
curvature of the ball. IMHO my stuff is way too expensive unless they
are doing thosands of balls a month or so, but ya never know what your
product is useful for until someone asks... I've sold for munitions
disarmarment, slicing hams, and ... believe it or not, drilling holes
in lild steel! grin

Regards,
Joe Agro, Jr.
http://www.autodrill.com
http://www.multi-drill.com

V8013

Know someone with a motorcycle in the NY Metro area?
http://host.mynocdns.com/mailman/lis...rides_yunx.com





Hmmm....remembering back to an equipment action at a plastics injection
molding house (Mr Coffee machines that are now made in the land of
chopsticks), there was a bowling ball drilling machine. Not sure why
they had it hanging around. Basically it was just a sliding head on a
fancy mount that could be adjusted for angle. Someone bought it for
about 100 bucks on a lark. Probably just hanging around that that guy's
shop too.

At one time, goodwill had bowling balls for $ .25 each. People were
using em for garden art and also mounting them on top of parking posts
(pipes filled with concrete) to give them a more finished look.

The lawyers and insurance companies plugged that
pipe. None of the thrift stores around here
are allowed to take or sell sporting equipment
because of alleged liability issues.

Saw old bowling balls used once to make a giant "clacker" (those things
with about 6 balls in a row mounted from a pair of strings). Was a
demonstration of inertial transfer or something in a school. Makes one
wonder if there are any other uses if ever balls are available for a
quarter again.

Koz

The lawyers and insurance companies plugged that
pipe. None of the thrift stores around here
are allowed to take or sell sporting equipment
because of alleged liability issues.

If you want them for free, check out the Yahoo groups "freecycle" boards. I
know for a fact that you could get a few that way...

Joe - V#8013 - '86 VN750 - joe @ yunx .com
Northern, NJ
Ride a Motorcycle? Ask me about "The Ride"
http://www.youthelate.com/the_ride.htm

Born once - Die twice. Born twice - Die only once. Your choice...

Have unwanted music CDs or DVDs of any type? I can use them for our
charity. eMail me privately for details. Donation receipts available.

Know someone with a motorcycle in the NY Metro area?
http://host.mynocdns.com/mailman/lis...rides_yunx.com

On Tue, 08 Mar 2005 03:19:57 +0000, Joe wrote:



Curiosity on my part... I figured the holes would not be drilled along the
same axis but all on separate axis lines heading straight toward the center
of the ball. Is this not the case?

It was not the case when I drilled the balls. The pro shops do it
differently, adjusting the angles to the customer's grip requirements.

The way I was taught, the holes were all parallel with the spindle axis.
The ball was not rotated, only translated in X and Y.

Please remember that I was working part time for minimum wage, at a
discount store, with minimal training. The balls were cheap, drilling was
free, and the results were usable. For anyone serious about bowling, I
recommend a pro shop.


I've sold for munitions disarmarment,

I wonder if my brother uses some of your equipment. He's at Picatinny,
part of his job is disposal of old munitions.

-Ron

On Mon, 07 Mar 2005 19:55:02 -0800, Lane wrote:

"I cannot express enough the need to seek an IBPSIA certified pro shop
operator when drilling your equipment. Kmart and Wal Mart are NOT the place
to have equipment drilled"


I'm the guy who used to drill the balls at K-Mart. I agree with Lane.
The pro shops do a much better job. It's not the drilling that's
difficult, that's a simple machining job, I'm sure anyone on this
newsgroup could do it. Measuring and fitting the customer properly
requires a lot of specialized knowledge, that's where the pro shop has a
huge advantage.

-Ron

I wonder if my brother uses some of your equipment. He's at Picatinny,
part of his job is disposal of old munitions.

Possibly. We sold to them... But it was a while back. Them and NOAA (the
weather / atmosphere people) bought right around the same time if I remember
correctly...

The unit will have an "AutoDrill" label on it...

Regards,
Joe Agro, Jr.
http://www.autodrill.com
http://www.multi-drill.com

V8013

Know someone with a motorcycle in the NY Metro area?
http://host.mynocdns.com/mailman/lis...rides_yunx.com