New Drill Press

Got my fathers day gift 1 day early when my daughter bought me a Skil 10" drill press.I can now make my own centering rings.I ordered a circle and wheel cutter from Amazon made by Pro Tools.Makes holes from 7/8" to 5",hoping to make 24mm as well as 29mm centering rings.Now all I need is a jig saw to cut my fins.My little work shop is growing.Happy fathers day to all dads here on the Rocketry Forum.:clap:

I've looked at that particular drill press as well and will be waiting to hear how it works for you.

Be sure to post your experiences.

Thanks!

o1d_dude said:

I've looked at that particular drill press as well and will be waiting to hear how it works for you.

Be sure to post your experiences.

Thanks!

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I will,as this is my first Drill press I asked a good friend who has just about every tool there is to come over and help me set it up.This person has alot of experience with such tools and will provide me with tips on safety as well.I'll keep you posted.cjp.

cjp said:

I and will provide me with tips on safety as well.I'll keep you posted

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A drill press is an incredibly handy device to have!

The single most important thing to remember? Clamp your work piece securely, especially when using something like a fly cutter.

A friend earned himself a trip to the ER by failing to heed that rule. The fly cutter won.

-Kevin

troj said:

A drill press is an incredibly handy device to have!

The single most important thing to remember? Clamp your work piece securely, especially when using something like a fly cutter.

A friend earned himself a trip to the ER by failing to heed that rule. The fly cutter won.

-Kevin

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Let me second that. And make sure(!!!) the press is anchored very well while you are at it!!! NOTHING must move except the cutter. And go light and easy. Don't forget to allow for the cutter kerf

gdjsky01 said:

Let me second that. And make sure(!!!) the press is anchored very well while you are at it!!! NOTHING must move except the cutter. And go light and easy. Don't forget to allow for the cutter kerf

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Thanks for the advice,you really can't be to careful when it comes to power tools,everyones imput is greatly appreciated.

Wow! What a great gift. Have fun with it.

troj said:

The single most important thing to remember? Clamp your work piece securely, especially when using something like a fly cutter.

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I'd say that's number 2 with number 1 being wearing eye protection.

cjp said:

Got my fathers day gift 1 day early when my daughter bought me a Skil 10" drill press.I can now make my own centering rings.I ordered a circle and wheel cutter from Amazon made by Pro Tools.Makes holes from 7/8" to 5",hoping to make 24mm as well as 29mm centering rings.Now all I need is a jig saw to cut my fins.My little work shop is growing.Happy fathers day to all dads here on the Rocketry Forum.:clap:

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Congratulations! I couldn't live without my drill press. A word of caution, though. If it's this type of circle cutter, be sure and put the drill press on the slowest speed.

Congratulations on the new tool.

Here is another lesson I learned when working in my dad's shop 40 years ago...

When locking tools in the press with the chuck key, the key is prone to slip and skin your knuckles on the tool. I put the tool in the chuck, tighten it down by hand enough to hold the tool in place, then wrap the fingers of my left hand around the tool before tightening with the chuck key. That way if the chuck key slips, my knuckles just rub against the fingers of my left hand.

And to everybody else- I bought a drill press from Harbor Freight a few years ago. I don't know if it is good for continuous heavy duty, but for occasional use in my home workshop it is working well.

I love my drill press. Just got it awhile back.Dont know how I got by this long without one. I did pick up a Craftsman workcenter/table for mine. Its (table) has its pros and cons like everything else. The drillpress in pic isnt mine.I just posted it so you can see the table I got.Anywhoo-now you can make one of these........have fun

A mistake i made as a kid.... NO GLOVES..... (i was wearing them, and the chuck wadded them up...)

Like wise, i was on the lathe this weekend... NEVER machine stainless in flip flops.... i have a nasty blister now.... UHHH.....

for drill presses, and lathes... always remove the key from the chuck... orrrrrr... it will chuck the key at you...

the bearings make or break a drill press...
I have a small harbor freight one i bought for 35.00... It works great, but i am slowly killing the bearings cutting centering rings... theres a reason you go up in size the cost goes up exponentially.... - the bearings....

We constantly use my grandpa's 24 inch craftsman drill press, it'll definitely do the job.

Now here's something uncommon, I'm 15, and no I'm not a parent, but I got a present!

My grandpa gave me an MG 11 degree driver, we're going to play a round at a local course so I can break it in, haven't been golfing for a while, so it should be fun!


Braden

qquake2k said:

Congratulations! I couldn't live without my drill press. A word of caution, though. If it's this type of circle cutter, be sure and put the drill press on the slowest speed.

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It's like that but has a cutting blade on both sides.I bought that one because it also came with a brad point to use with thinner wood.The slowest speed is 570rpm's.I'll set it up on that for now.And thank you.

cjp said:

It's like that but has a cutting blade on both sides.I bought that one because it also came with a brad point to use with thinner wood.The slowest speed is 570rpm's.I'll set it up on that for now.And thank you.

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I got the same one at harbor freight. (with two blades...)
i always set them opposite of eachother the same thickness as 1 blade. so it cuts a channel same thickness of the blade. this lets it kick out the wood instead of grind on it...(sometimes i cut channels to set casting tubes in for making propellant, and sometimes thick centering rings.)
(same as any good cross cut blade section looks like...)

this is overkill for cardboard, but i wanted to see how well it would work on it...

This very same Skil drill press is on sale at Lowes today for $99 so i'm outta here!

Although the slowest speed only goes down to 570 rpm I'm hoping that will be slow enough to cut rings.

I can always return it, right?

o1d_dude said:

This very same Skil drill press is on sale at Lowes today for $99 so i'm outta here!

Although the slowest speed only goes down to 570 rpm I'm hoping that will be slow enough to cut rings.

I can always return it, right?

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Lowes takes stuff back pretty much without questions.... i bought something once, left it on the shelf for 3 months, then found it was used and broken... and took it back...
i am sure someone else bought it after i did....

my press is the one from harbor freight, and it run down below 600rpms i think,, still fast and more than enought...

one thing to remember is the higher you turn the rig, the less tourque it has to cut... the slower, the more tourqe..
I 've found higher rpms yeild a cleaner cut,, if that is what i am after...

o1d_dude said:

This very same Skil drill press is on sale at Lowes today for $99 so i'm outta here!

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And they had a small band saw, which is something I've wanted for a long time.

o1d_dude said:

This very same Skil drill press is on sale at Lowes today for $99 so i'm outta here!

Although the slowest speed only goes down to 570 rpm I'm hoping that will be slow enough to cut rings.

I can always return it, right?

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Yes,that's the same store I got mine from,I saw the band saw for the same price $99.

ClayD said:

this is overkill for cardboard, but i wanted to see how well it would work on it...

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That looks the same as the one I just ordered.Hope to have it in a few days.My friend and I set the drill up,and he showed me a few things about saftey.He has just about every type of power tool and years of experience to back it.When I get my cutting tool,he's comming over to show me how use it.It's nice to have help and someone who likes to share knowledge about such things.A very good friend.

Okay, I'm back. The new Skil drill press is sitting on the floor in the shop while I watch the chicken on BBQ.

It's 96 degrees but I'm sitting the shade and the Delta breezes are coming in. Supposed to be 101 tomorrow. Guess summer has finally arrived in NorCal.

Funny thing I noticed on the box. In addition to the "Made in China" label, it also says "Imported by Robert Bosch Tools". I did not know that Bosch owned the Skil label. That explains a lot of things.

o1d_dude said:

Okay, I'm back. The new Skil drill press is sitting on the floor in the shop while I watch the chicken on BBQ.

It's 96 degrees but I'm sitting the shade and the Delta breezes are coming in. Supposed to be 101 tomorrow. Guess summer has finally arrived in NorCal.

Funny thing I noticed on the box. In addition to the "Made in China" label, it also says "Imported by Robert Bosch Tools". I did not know that Bosch owned the Skil label. That explains a lot of things.

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Kit,

I'm guessing your Skil DP will provide you good service. It looks like my Delta DP, just with a red lid that says "Skil". You'll see a lot of similar tools sporting different brand names. I bought my Delta almost 10 years ago, and it has proved to be a very good tool. I'm looking for a large, floor model as an upgrade, but will keep my Delta bench model. Did the same thing with bandsaws. I have a benchtop Delta (great for hobby stuff), and I bought a big Powermatic about 3 years ago.

You can never have too many tools! My wife holds a slightly different view, but I tell her she sings a similar tune when it comes to purses and shoes.

my dad has got an old heavy duty one that i don't know the name of, but it works like a charm, cuts through any hardwood like a breeze, and allows me to make really precise cuts. i may have to rebalance a tiny bit since when i put a 1" circle cutter, you can see a small wobble in the leading point, but nothing too serious, and the rings come out perfect

Trident said:

You can never have too many tools! My wife holds a slightly different view, but I tell her she sings a similar tune when it comes to purses and shoes.

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Lee, I'm pretty sure I've seen some pictures of your workshop and you're living proof of never having too many tools!

I just finished putting the little devil together and have to admit that it's pretty sturdily built for a $100 tool. I checked all the adjustments and alignments and didn't have to make any adjustments of my own so it looks like the QC is there as well.

Still want to mount it on a plywood base for stability but that's a task for tomorrow.

If today wasn't the last day of the Lowe's special, I'd encourage everyone who has been sitting on the fence to pick one up but alas and alack, it's too late now.

o1d_dude said:

Lee, I'm pretty sure I've seen some pictures of your workshop and you're living proof of never having too many tools!

I just finished putting the little devil together and have to admit that it's pretty sturdily built for a $100 tool. I checked all the adjustments and alignments and didn't have to make any adjustments of my own so it looks like the QC is there as well.

Still want to mount it on a plywood base for stability but that's a task for tomorrow.

If today wasn't the last day of the Lowe's special, I'd encourage everyone who has been sitting on the fence to pick one up but alas and alack, it's too late now.

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Congratulations,it's nice to know that I chose a good drill as my first one,I bolted mine done to the work table, that makes it pretty stabale.

I thought about bolting mine to the workbench for all of about a heartbeat or so. The reality is that I need the workbench for...well working on stuff. I have a few random unused work pedestals/benches both shop built and store bought that will be pressed into service.

BTW, here's a link to a nice review I just found...

Skill Drill Press Review ($119 at Lowe's)

Be sure to follow the link in the review to the recommended tool speed chart.

That Skil is a nice looking drill press. My floor model has a laser guide which is nice. And the small Harbor Freight drill press I used to have didn't have the crank on the table. That was a pain. You guys should be very happy with your drill presses!

With the exception of the color, it looks a LOT lie my Ryobi. Bought it at the orange home improvement store for 99 bucks. Has a laser on it too. Next up for me is a bandsaw.

i would venture to say they are all from the same.....

a delta that was pulled from the dump over 25years ago, that sits right next to the 'central machine' one i bought last year are identical... th 25yearold one still works, but was modified for single purpouse(other than a drill press..)..