Which Drill Stand?

Stigura

Okay. Situation is; I make nest boxes, for starlings. Quite a Lot, actually. All's good, till I have to make 45mm holes in them. With a hole cutter. On my power drill. I won't try to sh!t ye: It gets 'emotional'.

Occurred to me: I need a solid work station, I can bolt things down on. And, one thing to bolt down would be a drill stand. Lovely! Lower that handle and let it write itself. No fear of spinning wood or a wild hole cutter coming at me.

But, on googling for stands? I'm amazed at the lack of choice! Silverman one, about €25.00, looks like a piece of tat.

Draper (€85.00) stipulates it's good for three of their drill models. What about my own, el cheapo, generic little work horse

This Wolfcraft one looks the kiddie .....

Anything else I've missed? Saw an old, s/h B&D one, for about a score. Tempting!

People....?

Thanks.

listermint

I tend the look for the best value , most comments and read all the different classes of review ratings.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Silverline-262212-250mm-Bench-Drill/dp/B002QRYEBQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=drill+press&qid=1564296201&s=gateway&sprefix=drill+pr&sr=8-3

colm_mcm

Forget the stands that take a standard drill. A proper drill press with a belt drive and adjustable gearing as linked above is the way to go. Not only will it be safer, it will last longer.

Cantona's Collars

https://www.lidl.ie/en/p/diy-deals/500w-drilling-machine/p21357

I’ve a fairly decent pillar drill and also that Wolfcraft stand fitted with a Makita variable speed drill.

With €100 to spend and a choice of one or the other, the Wolfcraft is what I’d buy. It’s accurate, sturdy and easily portable/stored away. A rack and pinion mechanism and good tolerances make it at least as accurate as a cheap pillar drill. Really a very well made option. There are cheap clones which are generally pure crap and best avoided.

The only thing that would sway me to a the cheap pillar drill would be noise output from the handheld drills motor, whereas the pillar drills are usually very quiet by comparison.

Calahonda52

Cantona's Collars wrote: »

https://www.lidl.ie/en/p/diy-deals/500w-drilling-machine/p21357

I have one of these and while it is great for small stuff, it struggles with larger hole saws: 110 mm and auger wood bits: 32 mm.

struggles= it stalls

Also worth considering a good 45mm forstner bit instead of a hole saw for that particular job Stigura.

my3cents

JayZeus wrote: »

I’ve a fairly decent pillar drill and also that Wolfcraft stand fitted with a Makita variable speed drill.

With €100 to spend and a choice of one or the other, the Wolfcraft is what I’d buy. It’s accurate, sturdy and easily portable/stored away. A rack and pinion mechanism and good tolerances make it at least as accurate as a cheap pillar drill. Really a very well made option. There are cheap clones which are generally pure crap and best avoided.

The only thing that would sway me to a the cheap pillar drill would be noise output from the handheld drills motor, whereas the pillar drills are usually very quiet by comparison.

If you have an old Wolfcraft drill stand then you may have the one that had the hexagonal pillar which was a really good design. I'd agree the new one is the best one to go for but it may not be quite as good as the old one?

my3cents

my3cents wrote: »

If you have an old Wolfcraft drill stand then you may have the one that had the hexagonal pillar which was a really good design. I'd agree the new one is the best one to go for but it may not be quite as good as the old one?

You're quite right - good spot! I have the older one with the hexagonal pillar alright.

Lumen

Don't both drill stand and pillar drill suffer the limitation that you can't drill holes more than about six inches from the edge of anything?

How about a cheap plunge router?

Lumen

Lumen wrote: »

Don't both drill stand and pillar drill suffer the limitation that you can't drill holes more than about six inches from the edge of anything?

How about a cheap plunge router?

One of the very useful things about the wolfcraft is that you can rotate the column 180 degrees in the baseplate so that you could for example put a hole cutter in the drill chuck, position the base as required and then drill/cut a hole in the centre of an 8 x 4 sheet if you were so inclined.

I've used it on several occasions to bore 10" x 1 1/2" holes in laminated beams 'in situ', by clamping the baseplate to the beam using a couple of F clamps, with the drill located 'outboard' so to speak. Perfect hole, 90 degrees to the beam. I'm fairly handy with a drill but that would have been a total pig of a job without the drill stand to use as a very effective jig. After that, it's back on the bench for regular duties.

anonanymore

I've a Record drill stand if any use to you, it was destined for scrap. It's been in an outhouse so a bit rusty. It's a heavy thing.

Stoner

anonanymore wrote:

I've a Record drill stand if any use to you, it was destined for scrap. It's been in an outhouse so a bit rusty. It's a heavy thing.

Don't scrap that. I've been looking for one too, noting on adverts recently.


Just bought a little one for my dermal on amazon day.

Came in handy cleaning up an old mortice marker I got in a lot of old tools on Friday.

Stigura

Okay, lads; Thanks, all round. I think JayZeus deserves the cigar, on this one, though.

Having taken on board what everyone's said? I had one last sniff around the bay. And there it was! Waiting for me where it hadn't been last night! Second hand (Ex Display) Wolf. Half the price. 'Buy It Now'! What's a man to do?!

I think That one was written!

I'm also, now, gonna grab me an £8.00, Bosch one of those bits JZ mentions. I'd never heard of them before. But, I quite believe I'll feel a lot happier using one of them, in a bolted down stand, than I've ever been with this CK Hole Cutter. That thing's just nasty!

Stigura

anonanymore wrote: »

I've a Record drill stand if any use to you, it was destined for scrap. It's been in an outhouse so a bit rusty. It's a heavy thing.

Exceptionally kind offer! Thank you.

Only, not being a driver, I'd have absolutely no way of getting to it. I Love the fact that Stoner wants Exactly what ye have. Hopefully you two can sort something out between ye's?

my3cents

Stigura wrote: »

... But, I quite believe I'll feel a lot happier using one of them, in a bolted down stand, than I've ever been with this CK Hole Cutter. That thing's just nasty!

You sure its a hole cutter you have and not more specifically a tank cutter.

A hole saw is an easy ride but a tank cutter is another story. This evil bastard is a tank cutter....

Stigura

That looks grim. But, believe me; This bloody thing produces beads of sweat!

Maybe someone ~ far more skilled than me ~ could take a file to those vicious teeth and renew their edge? That might well be the problem.

Thing is; This bitch doesn't exactly plunge smoothly into the plank, anymore. It more sort of grinds, screams and smokes.

Then, as it pops through? Ye have to Seriously be concentrating! Else the drill can whip out of ye grip, or the wood ye cutting can spin off into space. And All this is going on right at bits level! :eek:

And I have to do it nine times in a row. All the while getting ever more fatigued and trepidated! It's just bloody horrible!

Stoner

They do burn out.

We buy a lot of them in work for cutting steel.

Also large ones 67 mm for circular down lights.

I assume that's the right sized hole for starlings?

I just bought a packet of spade bits when I made bird boxes to get the size right for different birds. I didn't make many.

I've drilled hundreds of 25 mm ouger bit holes in timber in my time and I'd use a 900-1100 Watt high speed drill for it.


If I was setting up with a press I'd go with the advice above with the forstner bit as you can pull them up and down with the press as a lot of presses only have 350 to 600 watt drills and you get the work done going at it slowly in a nicer controlled way.

my3cents

Stigura wrote: »

That looks grim. But, believe me; This bloody thing produces beads of sweat!

Maybe someone ~ far more skilled than me ~ could take a file to those vicious teeth and renew their edge? That might well be the problem.

Thing is; This bitch doesn't exactly plunge smoothly into the plank, anymore. It more sort of grinds, screams and smokes.

Then, as it pops through? Ye have to Seriously be concentrating! Else the drill can whip out of ye grip, or the wood ye cutting can spin off into space. And All this is going on right at bits level! :eek:

And I have to do it nine times in a row. All the while getting ever more fatigued and trepidated! It's just bloody horrible!

Heat it up in a fire and use it to burn a hole through

No honestly if you are doing loads of holes you should have some form of jig to hold the timber while cutting. Even if you don't drill 45mm holes very often the wood you are cutting should still be clamped so it doesn't move. Then there should be scrap wood under the wood you are cutting to stop breakout and allow you to stop drilling with dignity.

One trick if you are using a standard size of timber is to mark out all your cuts on the plank and drill the hole before you do any cutting. That way you may have enough weight of timber to stop it moving as you drill it but even if not its easy to clamp a whole plank.

Stigura

you get the work done going at it slowly in a nicer controlled way.

Exactly!!! I intend to knock up a jig, to hold the wood still. Then, I can just kick back and take my time, letting the bit do its work. Nice and steady. We all know; Sweating and swearing as we work is only gonna end up one way!

And, as I'm now fifty quid up? I can buy several of these bits, and still be in pocket! Bonus!


As a crafty aside ~ though still firmly on topic: Last night, voice chatting to a friend in NZ, I mentioned my starling boxes. Then, on some whim, I googled " Starling Boxes " .....

Good God!!! You try it! They average out at €30.00 Each! :eek: I was saying; Maybe I should put mine on the bay? Fifteen quid a throw? I'd clean up! I make Nine, for thirty quid. Then Give The Things Away!!!

Stigura

my3cents wrote: »

..... allow you to stop drilling with dignity.

One trick if you are using a standard size of timber is to mark out all your cuts on the plank and drill the hole before you do any cutting. That way you may have enough weight of timber to stop it moving as you drill it but even if not its easy to clamp a whole plank.

" Stop drilling with dignity "! Cigar for you too! Absolutely bloody Nailed it!


That's an interesting concept too. Pre drilling a whole plank. Hmm .....

Stigura

JayZeus wrote: »

Also worth considering a good 45mm forstner bit instead of a hole saw for that particular job Stigura.

What; Like this? :cool:

Can't wait to give This bad boy a go! Thanks, again!

cletus

Dunno what sort of budget you have for this whole thing, but even a cheap bench top drill press is night and day different from those drill stands, at least in my experience. I have a Lidl/Aldi one that I picked up cheap a couple of years ago in the bargain bin

Stigura

Between that post and this, the whole situation's become nebulous, mate.

I can't go into details, obviously. But, my bosses health and well being have, as of this evening, become a matter of the greatest concern to me.

We're both of a certain age. But, he's the one that had the open heart surgery! Now, he's gone weirdly incommunicado. Frankly? I'm Deeply concerned.

Stigura

Christ All F*****g Mighty!!!!! Look at the time!

And, I've just this minute discovered my boss texed me Back ~ probably while I was out of the room! ~ to say he'd been in hospital, but was ok now. And his 'king phone had been on the blink!!!

Excuse me, while I throw up from stress!


I did, however, talk to my switched on mate, 'D', last night. I think we have a workable workaround

Just need a solid, cheap little workhorse of a Drill now.

Stigura

TaDaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!!!