How many times have you tried to
drill really small holes using a big clumsy drill press? Oh, and
how many broken drill bits & ruined work pieces? Well, having
been there and done all that; in the early 1970's I designed and
built this really sensitive miniature drill press for the small
work. I use it on a regular basis and it has served me very well
over the years.
There is zero backlash in the quill feed and with just 3/8"
quill travel with each turn of the down feed knob, control of
the drill bit is a cinch! There is a graduated depth stop and
if desired, you could mount a small dial indicator for precise
depth control on yours.
An optional shop made electro-magnet is built into the base directly
below the spindle to hold ferrous workpieces or your own holding
device for non ferrous materials. This has proven to be a valuable
asset to the utility of the drill press. The magnet pole is not
visible in this photo.
The drill head moves up and down and will swivel around the column
to accommodate the work. I routinely drill .006" holes with
my drill press you will be able to reliably drill holes in metal
down to .004" diameter should the need arise. It is capable
of drilling holes up to .063" (1/16"). Many shops will
have lots of uses for this easy to build bar stock tool.
The plans set consists of 6 sheets of drawings and a sheet of
construction and assembly notes.