Pillar drill

[btaylor13]

Hi everyone, I just need a bit if advice please.

I have bought an old pillar drill for my workbench and want to use it for drilling my pen blanks, but the drill does not come down far enough to go through the pen blank. It is stopped by a nut on the screw you can see in the picture.

Do you think I can remove this screw to let the drill move down more or is the full length of its reach?

Also the slowest speed is 515 rpm. Is this too fast for drilling the blanks?

Many thanks for any advice you can give.

Brian

 

[flexi]

I use a pillar drill for drilling, once the chuck has reached its limit, I stop raise the blank in the pen vise and continue to drill (being careful of breakout)

 

[btaylor13]

Do you use a hand held pen vice rather than one mounted to the platform of your pillar drill?

 

[btaylor13]

Flexi, what pen vice do you use?

 

[Penpal]

I have never changed the speed on my pillar drill. Too late after the event with purchase of too short a drilling length. however two drills always useful..

 

[btaylor13]

I have never changed the speed on my pillar drill. Too late after the event with purchase of too short a drilling length. however two drills always useful..

Hi PenPal - what speed do you drill your blanks?

 

[alpha1]

I do all my drilling on the lathe. If on the odd ocasion I use a pillar drill I use a pen blank vise and use the same system as mark(Flexi). But I find it so much easier to drill on the lathe using a set of pen jaws. It will be even easier and a lot more accurate once I finish modifying the pen jaws to fit on my metal lathe. I drill at low speed and peck drill.

 

[flexi]

I use the Axminster pen vise

 

[Padster]

I have the Bosch pillar drill - PBD 40, I drill nearly all blanks at 1500 rpm - rarely have any issues and use a home vise that I attached to the base.

Regards

Padster

 

[Phil Dart]

What is the length of the visible part of the thread in your photo Brian? And does the table rise and fall (and can it be locked in place?)

 

[Gadget-UK]

You will find the Threaded Bar and Nut at the top is to stop the drill before you do any damage to the mechanism (don't ask how I know that)
The base "Should" lift / swivel and have a clamp at the rear (like a threaded bar with a handle) to lock off the table to lift / lower.

 

[btaylor13]

What is the length of the visible part of the thread in your photo Brian? And does the table rise and fall (and can it be locked in place?)

The length is 6cm - the table does rise so I think I will have to use this to drill the blank and then move the table up.

 

[Curly]

The length is 6cm - the table does rise so I think I will have to use this to drill the blank and then move the table up.

The table lifting will only work if it doesn't rotate around the post as it is lifted and relocked. Few do.

Pete

 

[ValleyBoy]

Hi Brian

May I suggest using your lathe. This problem then goes away.

Cheers
Ash

 

[Hallelujahal]

Yup transformed my game when drilling on the lathe

 

[Dalboy]

As a rule of thumb smaller drill bits are drilled at a faster speed than larger but I never change mine and had no problems I think mine is about what you have yours set at. As for drilling through I don't have that problem as my drill press has a good travel allowing me to drill all the way through.
I drill in the press as well as on the lathe depending on how I feel and what is set up at the time.

@flexi yes I do remember that far back

 

[howsitwork?]

I tend to use pillar drill at about 850 rpm to reduce heat build up and , like Dave , peck drill ( frequently moving drill in and out to clear chips away and keep drill gullets empty.

I use a cross vice for accurate centering of blanks . If you need to move the table lift it with drill still in the blank to keep centred

 

[btaylor13]

Thank you everyone for your comments - really helpful.

 

[21William]

I do all my drilling on the lathe. If on the odd ocasion I use a pillar drill I use a pen blank vise and use the same system as mark(Flexi). But I find it so much easier to drill on the lathe using a set of pen jaws. It will be even easier and a lot more accurate once I finish modifying the pen jaws to fit on my metal lathe. I drill at low speed and peck drill.

Yes, same here.