Drill Press Basics: Types, Uses and Buying Tips
Contents
All metal items go through some type of fabrication process before they reach the shelves. This includes everyday household essentials such as cutlery, furniture, and kitchen appliances; construction materials like roofing and fencing; as well as a wide range of consumer electronics, cars, bikes, and buses. Less obvious are industrial goods, from fasteners and engine components to complex machinery. Most parts begin their life in metal fabrication shops where skilled tradespeople shape, cut, and finish sheet metals using a variety of tools and machinery ranging from drill presses and lathes to bandsaws, press brakes, and laser cutters.
Basics of Drill Presses
These are more powerful and precise motorised versions of handheld drills. They’re larger, heavier, stationary machinery that can create accurate and consistent holes in a variety of metals and at varied depths. Unlike smaller handheld drills, they won’t struggle with thicker or harder materials, and aren’t limited solely to drilling. The machines can take a variety of attachments, making them the ideal choice for boring, countersinking, counterboring, tapping and other metal fabrication techniques.
Parts and Working Principle
In its most basic form, a versatile drill press consists of several key components:
- Base: The foundation of press machines, usually made of cast iron to provide support and stability.
- Column: The vertical pillar connecting the base and the head of the machine. It allows the head and the attached table to be adjusted in height to accommodate workpieces of different sizes.
- Head: The upper part of the press, housing the motor, the pulley system and the feeding mechanism.
- Spindle: This is the component that attaches the drill bit and rotates to do the drilling. It can be moved vertically (via a feed handle) to get holes in the desired depth.
- Table: The component that supports the workpiece during fabrication. Tables can be adjusted vertically and horizontally, and most feature a tilting function for drilling at an angle.
- Chuck: This is the clamping device attached to the spindle. Chucks can be sourced in different sizes to accommodate drill bits of varying lengths and diameters.
Operating the drill press is relatively straightforward. Press operators insert a drill bit of a diameter matching that of the desired hole diameter in the chuck. This is secured by using geared keys until tight. The workpiece is then placed on the table and is aligned with the drill bit. Drilling is performed by lowering the spindle and pressing the bit into the workpiece using the feed handle. Drilling speed, depth, precision and safety are enabled by various parts, including depth stops, fences, interlocking guards to prevent accidental use, clamps that secure the table and workpiece, and emergency stop buttons.
What They Do
source: istockphoto.com
The primary function of these machines is to drill holes in the desired depths and widths in a variety of metals and materials, ranging from plastics and wood to ceramics and composites. Machines can perform spot drilling for precise pilot holes, centre drilling when guiding wider drill bits and step drilling with step bits in a variety of diameters without changing the tooling.
Chucks can also be fitted with different tooling, allowing the machine to bore (enlarging or refining existing holes, for instance, when installing fasteners); countersinking and counterboring when installing flush-sitting countersunk screws and bolts; and tapping, or creating internal threads in pre-drilled holes. Drill presses are additionally ideal for precision finishing tasks, such as reaming and spot facing. Those that can mill workpieces with mill cutters are also referred to as drill mill machines.
Types of Drill Presses
There are several types of drill presses. The most common are:
- Benchtop presses – small, compact types, usually mounted on a workbench, ideal for small DIY projects or drilling tasks in thinner sheet metals.
- Freestanding floor presses – larger and heavier stationary models fitted with more powerful motors and often equipped with enhanced adjustability and precision for different drilling tasks. Ideal uses are fabrication shops and heavy-duty home projects.
- Radial presses – these have height-adjustable arms to allow the spindle to drill over a larger area. Ideal for larger workpieces in odd shapes.
Other types include magnetic presses, which are portable and attach to ferrous materials such as piping; gang presses fitted with multiple drilling heads and mill drills that drill and mill workpieces along multiple axes.
Buying Considerations
Once you’ve determined which type suits your needs, consider the features that you can’t do without. Capacity, or the greatest diameter the press can perform, is essential for frequent heavy-duty use. This depends on spindle travel or how deep you can drill into the workpiece.
Consider motor power measured in horsepower, specifically when drilling through harder and thicker metals, as well as accuracy, which is influenced by factors such as variable drill speed, table size, adjustability, and the type and size of the chuck. Lastly, factor in both purchase and maintenance costs, and consider the location where the press will be used.
