I'm a bit too tight to buy an expensive pillar drill, but my inability to drill with accuracy has hampered a few DIY tasks over the years. I'm not generally doing stuff at fraction of a millimetre tolerance, but results better than my freehand efforts would be useful.

I have seen el cheapo pillar drills at 50 to 100 quid. I have also seen drill stands to take a regular hand held drill for similar money. My drill is an old-ish Bosch (650w power, IIRC). On the pillar drill front, lots of the cheap ones get poor reviews, with particular criticism levelled at side to side play in the chucks or the raising/lowering mechanism. At least I know my hand held drill is quite well made.

The question, then, is which approach is better? Perhaps both my options are **** and I need to dig deep, or forget it. Suggestions/experience please.

Thanks.

Terry.

On 02/12/2014 21:01, wrote:
I'm a bit too tight to buy an expensive pillar drill, but my inability to drill with accuracy has hampered a few DIY tasks over the years. I'm not generally doing stuff at fraction of a millimetre tolerance, but results better than my freehand efforts would be useful.

I have seen el cheapo pillar drills at 50 to 100 quid. I have also seen drill stands to take a regular hand held drill for similar money. My drill is an old-ish Bosch (650w power, IIRC). On the pillar drill front, lots of the cheap ones get poor reviews, with particular criticism levelled at side to side play in the chucks or the raising/lowering mechanism. At least I know my hand held drill is quite well made.

The question, then, is which approach is better? Perhaps both my options are **** and I need to dig deep, or forget it. Suggestions/experience please.

Thanks.

Terry.

I have one of the original B&D stands, also a more recent (25 year old)
one which fits to the standard "handle collar" and it is only marginally
better than the B&D.

IMO even my bargain basement pillar drill is better than this. There is
much more control on the drilling "capstan" which is a proper geared
drive, not just a lever. Also the speed control pulleys mean you have
more torque at low speed. It's all steel and cast iron so much heavier
than an alloy drill stand. And much easier to fit clamps to the
"floating" table. Certainly if you are doing precision metalwork,
spending more on a better pillar drill is worth it. But if you are
basically doing blacksmithing rather than machining a cheap one is OK.

You can have both my old stands if you are anywhere near Stroud!

On Tuesday, December 2, 2014 9:01:33 PM UTC, wrote:
I'm a bit too tight to buy an expensive pillar drill, but my inability to drill with accuracy has hampered a few DIY tasks over the years. I'm not generally doing stuff at fraction of a millimetre tolerance, but results better than my freehand efforts would be useful.

I have seen el cheapo pillar drills at 50 to 100 quid. I have also seen drill stands to take a regular hand held drill for similar money. My drill is an old-ish Bosch (650w power, IIRC). On the pillar drill front, lots of the cheap ones get poor reviews, with particular criticism levelled at side to side play in the chucks or the raising/lowering mechanism. At least I know my hand held drill is quite well made.

The question, then, is which approach is better? Perhaps both my options are **** and I need to dig deep, or forget it. Suggestions/experience please.

Thanks.

Terry.

Youtube shows how to make drill stands, cost zero.


NT

wrote in message
...
I'm a bit too tight to buy an expensive pillar drill, but my inability to
drill with accuracy has hampered a few DIY tasks over the years. I'm not
generally doing stuff at fraction of a millimetre tolerance, but results
better than my freehand efforts would be useful.

I have seen el cheapo pillar drills at 50 to 100 quid. I have also seen
drill stands to take a regular hand held drill for similar money. My drill
is an old-ish Bosch (650w power, IIRC). On the pillar drill front, lots of
the cheap ones get poor reviews, with particular criticism levelled at
side to side play in the chucks or the raising/lowering mechanism. At
least I know my hand held drill is quite well made.

The question, then, is which approach is better?

I got a very decent pillar drill at a garage/yard sale for peanuts.

Perhaps both my options are **** and I need to dig
deep, or forget it. Suggestions/experience please.

On 02/12/2014 22:19, wrote:

Youtube shows how to make drill stands, cost zero.

Can you make them without a drill stand, though?

In article ,
wrote:
I have seen el cheapo pillar drills at 50 to 100 quid. I have also seen
drill stands to take a regular hand held drill for similar money. My
drill is an old-ish Bosch (650w power, IIRC). On the pillar drill front,
lots of the cheap ones get poor reviews, with particular criticism
levelled at side to side play in the chucks or the raising/lowering
mechanism. At least I know my hand held drill is quite well made.

And that tends to be the problem with a drill stand. Sideways play. To
minimise that, you need a pillar drill where the chuck is concentric with
the pillar. Then it's just down to how well it is made.

Other thing is a normal mains drill tends to run far faster than you'd
ideally want. And can't be slowed enough with a speed control.

--
*The last thing I want to do is hurt you. But it's still on my list.

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

On 02/12/2014 21:01, wrote:
I'm a bit too tight to buy an expensive pillar drill, but my inability to drill with accuracy has hampered a few DIY tasks over the years. I'm not generally doing stuff at fraction of a millimetre tolerance, but results better than my freehand efforts would be useful.

I have seen el cheapo pillar drills at 50 to 100 quid. I have also seen drill stands to take a regular hand held drill for similar money. My drill is an old-ish Bosch (650w power, IIRC). On the pillar drill front, lots of the cheap ones get poor reviews, with particular criticism levelled at side to side play in the chucks or the raising/lowering mechanism. At least I know my hand held drill is quite well made.

The question, then, is which approach is better? Perhaps both my options are **** and I need to dig deep, or forget it. Suggestions/experience please.

Thanks.

Terry.

I would go for a cheap pilar drill. I have one, and although the quality
isn't great, and it has more play than I'd like, it's always ready for
use. If I had a drill-stand, I would probably rarely use it, because of
the hassle of fitting a hand-held drill into it before use.

Thanks for the replies. A cheap pillar drill it is, then. I hadn't given much consideration to plunge control advantage of a "proper" mechanism, versus the crappy lever that drill stands use. I'll do some searching to try to find something acceptable at the lower end of the price range.

Cheers. Terry.

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

And that tends to be the problem with a drill stand. Sideways play. To
minimise that, you need a pillar drill where the chuck is concentric with
the pillar. Then it's just down to how well it is made.

It is probably my lack of imagination, but I can't picture that
arrangement.

Chris
--
Chris J Dixon Nottingham UK


Plant amazing Acers.

On Wednesday, December 3, 2014 8:16:18 AM UTC, Chris J Dixon wrote:
Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

And that tends to be the problem with a drill stand. Sideways play. To
minimise that, you need a pillar drill where the chuck is concentric with
the pillar. Then it's just down to how well it is made.

It is probably my lack of imagination, but I can't picture that
arrangement.

Nod, I've never seen a pillar drill like that.


NT

wrote:
Thanks for the replies. A cheap pillar drill it is, then. I hadn't
given much consideration to plunge control advantage of a "proper"
mechanism, versus the crappy lever that drill stands use. I'll do
some searching to try to find something acceptable at the lower end
of the price range.

IMO the cheap ones all come out of the same factory. I got a Parkside
one from AldidLidl for about £40 and, AFAICT, it was basically the same
as the Clarke ones from MachineMart. But I got the 16mm chuck instead of
the 13mm on the boggo Clarke.

Not going to win any awards, but bloody good for the price and perfectly
acceptable if you're not after split-thou tolerence.

--
Scott

Where are we going and why am I in this handbasket?

On 03/12/2014 08:55, Scott M wrote:


Not going to win any awards, but bloody good for the price and perfectly
acceptable if you're not after split-thou tolerence.


You need a mill for that accuracy.

I have the same aldi/lidl drill and it works fine for most things.
Swapping the belts around can be a pain though.

Dennis@home wrote:
On 03/12/2014 08:55, Scott M wrote:


Not going to win any awards, but bloody good for the price and perfectly
acceptable if you're not after split-thou tolerence.


You need a mill for that accuracy.

I have the same aldi/lidl drill and it works fine for most things.
Swapping the belts around can be a pain though.

I find the wide range of speeds well worth the effort of belt changing.
Turn it off before you put your fingers in though!

I find for example that drilling or countersinking aluminium is much
better at a very slow speed because the aluminium doesn't go soft and
clog up. Drilling ceramic is better at a very high speed with very light
pressure.

Bill

Scott M wrote
wrote

Thanks for the replies. A cheap pillar drill it is, then. I hadn't
given much consideration to plunge control advantage of a "proper"
mechanism, versus the crappy lever that drill stands use. I'll do some
searching to try to find something acceptable at the lower end of the
price range.

IMO the cheap ones all come out of the same factory.

Bull****.

I got a Parkside one from AldidLidl for about £40 and, AFAICT, it was
basically the same as the Clarke ones from MachineMart.

If they did come out of the same factory, it would be identical.

But I got the 16mm chuck instead of the 13mm on the boggo Clarke.

Not going to win any awards, but bloody good for the price and perfectly
acceptable if you're not after split-thou tolerence.

In message ,
writes
Thanks for the replies. A cheap pillar drill it is, then. I hadn't
given much consideration to plunge control advantage of a "proper"
mechanism, versus the crappy lever that drill stands use. I'll do some
searching to try to find something acceptable at the lower end of the
price range.

I've had a drill stand and wouldn't buy one again.

I use a Fobco Star elderly Midlands-made bench drill. It is excellent,
and bought cheaply from the old-age retirement auction of a joinery
firm. I had seen one previously at the auction of a local kit-car
manufacturer but it only took a quick look at the state of that one to
understand why the company had failed.

I also have a cheap one bought in a B & Q sale years ago. It has more
speeds and a guard, but is nowhere near as good as the Fobco. It just
feels so much more solid and reliable and, judging by ebay prices, has
been a brilliant investment.
--
Bill

In article ,
Chris J Dixon wrote:
And that tends to be the problem with a drill stand. Sideways play. To
minimise that, you need a pillar drill where the chuck is concentric with
the pillar. Then it's just down to how well it is made.

It is probably my lack of imagination, but I can't picture that
arrangement.

Sorry - not well described. On a pillar drill the chuck is concentric to
the moving pillar - whatever that is called - so any slop restricted to
play between that pillar and its housing. They usually have a method of
taking up any play too - although on many cheap ones this isn't well made.

On a stand there is a housing to take the drill sliding up and down a
pillar and any pivoting on that translates into sideways slop at the drill
bit.

--
*Very funny Scotty, now beam down my clothes.

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

In article ,
Scott M wrote:
IMO the cheap ones all come out of the same factory. I got a Parkside
one from AldidLidl for about £40 and, AFAICT, it was basically the same
as the Clarke ones from MachineMart. But I got the 16mm chuck instead of
the 13mm on the boggo Clarke.

I replaced a B&Q one (PP?) with a Lidl which actually had a cheaper
purchase price - although quite a few years later. They do look like they
came from the same basic design since quite a few bits were
interchangeable. The Lidl one has a much more powerful motor, though - I
often managed to stall the B&Q one.

--
*Women like silent men; they think they're listening.

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

On 03/12/14 10:46, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
On a pillar drill the chuck is concentric to
the moving pillar

So you can only drill the pillar, not any other object?


--
Everything you read in newspapers is absolutely true, except for the
rare story of which you happen to have first-hand knowledge. €“ Erwin Knoll

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

In article ,
Chris J Dixon wrote:
And that tends to be the problem with a drill stand. Sideways play. To
minimise that, you need a pillar drill where the chuck is concentric with
the pillar. Then it's just down to how well it is made.

It is probably my lack of imagination, but I can't picture that
arrangement.

Sorry - not well described. On a pillar drill the chuck is concentric to
the moving pillar - whatever that is called - so any slop restricted to
play between that pillar and its housing. They usually have a method of
taking up any play too - although on many cheap ones this isn't well made.

On a stand there is a housing to take the drill sliding up and down a
pillar and any pivoting on that translates into sideways slop at the drill
bit.

I think I can see what you are trying to say.

On a pillar drill, the motor assembly is supported by the pillar
from which the device takes its name. A separate drive shaft
carries the chuck, allowing it to be raised and lowered, and it
is concentric with this shaft, not the pillar.

Chris
--
Chris J Dixon Nottingham UK


Plant amazing Acers.

On Wed, 03 Dec 2014 12:26:39 +0000, Chris J Dixon wrote:

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

In article ,
Chris J Dixon wrote:
And that tends to be the problem with a drill stand. Sideways play.
To minimise that, you need a pillar drill where the chuck is
concentric with the pillar. Then it's just down to how well it is
made.

It is probably my lack of imagination, but I can't picture that
arrangement.

Sorry - not well described. On a pillar drill the chuck is concentric to
the moving pillar - whatever that is called - so any slop restricted to
play between that pillar and its housing. They usually have a method of
taking up any play too - although on many cheap ones this isn't well
made.

On a stand there is a housing to take the drill sliding up and down a
pillar and any pivoting on that translates into sideways slop at the
drill bit.

I think I can see what you are trying to say.

On a pillar drill, the motor assembly is supported by the pillar from
which the device takes its name. A separate drive shaft carries the
chuck, allowing it to be raised and lowered, and it is concentric with
this shaft, not the pillar.

Chris

Think this is what you are after

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quill_drive

Avpx

--
"Worlds only harmonica-playing dog. Tuppence."
Gaspode the wonder dog
(Terry Pratchett, Moving Pictures)
12:30:01 up 8 days, 23:38, 6 users, load average: 0.26, 0.46, 0.47

In article ,
The Nomad wrote:
On a pillar drill, the motor assembly is supported by the pillar from
which the device takes its name. A separate drive shaft carries the
chuck, allowing it to be raised and lowered, and it is concentric with
this shaft, not the pillar.

Chris

Think this is what you are after

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quill_drive

Excellent - simply couldn't remember what it was called. Only thing I
could think of was torque tube on a car.

It's the essence of any decent drill press - the pillar bit simply being a
convenient way of providing an adjustable table.

--
*If only you'd use your powers for good instead of evil.

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

On 03/12/2014 10:32, Bill wrote:
In message ,
writes
Thanks for the replies. A cheap pillar drill it is, then. I hadn't
given much consideration to plunge control advantage of a "proper"
mechanism, versus the crappy lever that drill stands use. I'll do some
searching to try to find something acceptable at the lower end of the
price range.

I've had a drill stand and wouldn't buy one again.

I use a Fobco Star elderly Midlands-made bench drill. It is excellent,
and bought cheaply from the old-age retirement auction of a joinery
firm. I had seen one previously at the auction of a local kit-car
manufacturer but it only took a quick look at the state of that one to
understand why the company had failed.

I also have a cheap one bought in a B & Q sale years ago. It has more
speeds and a guard, but is nowhere near as good as the Fobco. It just
feels so much more solid and reliable and, judging by ebay prices, has
been a brilliant investment.

I bought a drill stand (cheapo jobby from MM), got it home and found it
wouldn't fit any of my drills. Went and bought a cheapo drill from
somewhere with the right size collar and being in the stand revealed
just how much run out it had, so the whole arrangement was a waste of
time.
Waste of cash - should have just put the money toward a half reasonable
pillar drill. Once again, that demonstrated that you hardly ever save
any money trying to do things on the cheap when it comes to tools.

On 04/12/2014 21:05, GMM wrote:
On 03/12/2014 10:32, Bill wrote:
In message ,
writes
Thanks for the replies. A cheap pillar drill it is, then. I hadn't
given much consideration to plunge control advantage of a "proper"
mechanism, versus the crappy lever that drill stands use. I'll do some
searching to try to find something acceptable at the lower end of the
price range.

I've had a drill stand and wouldn't buy one again.

I use a Fobco Star elderly Midlands-made bench drill. It is excellent,
and bought cheaply from the old-age retirement auction of a joinery
firm. I had seen one previously at the auction of a local kit-car
manufacturer but it only took a quick look at the state of that one to
understand why the company had failed.

I also have a cheap one bought in a B & Q sale years ago. It has more
speeds and a guard, but is nowhere near as good as the Fobco. It just
feels so much more solid and reliable and, judging by ebay prices, has
been a brilliant investment.

I bought a drill stand (cheapo jobby from MM), got it home and found it
wouldn't fit any of my drills. Went and bought a cheapo drill from
somewhere with the right size collar and being in the stand revealed
just how much run out it had, so the whole arrangement was a waste of time.
Waste of cash - should have just put the money toward a half reasonable
pillar drill. Once again, that demonstrated that you hardly ever save
any money trying to do things on the cheap when it comes to tools.

You can get good value from second hand "quality" tools, e.g. I bought a
mid range welder and similar air compressor from ebay at below entry
level prices, although both of them needed slight fettling.

Perhaps I have been lucky, only my Silverline half inch router is really
disappointing (and it just about coped with the kitchen worksurface
fitting which I bought it for).

In article ,
GMM GlMiMa-AT-yahoo.co.uk wrote:
I bought a drill stand (cheapo jobby from MM), got it home and found it
wouldn't fit any of my drills. Went and bought a cheapo drill from
somewhere with the right size collar and being in the stand revealed
just how much run out it had, so the whole arrangement was a waste of
time.

Only use I have for an old drill stand permanently fitted with an even
older mains drill is for drilling lots of holes in thick wood. My cheap
drill press has a maximum travel of 50mm - the drill stand rather more. So
can be useful if you have a long enough drill.

--
*Bills travel through the mail at twice the speed of cheques *

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

On Thursday, December 4, 2014 11:48:57 PM UTC, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

Only use I have for an old drill stand permanently fitted with an even
older mains drill is for drilling lots of holes in thick wood. My cheap
drill press has a maximum travel of 50mm - the drill stand rather more. So
can be useful if you have a long enough drill.

Sounds a lot easier than loosesning the chuck and dropping the bit further into the workpiece to get another inch.


NT