What is the best drill press for metal and how do you dril

[woodlandfarms]

So I know this is welding and this is also not a shop class, but I am struggling a bit.

How do you drill metal? And various Metals (hard and soft, aluminum yada yada).

Drill Presses. I keep seeing Drill Slow, and then I look at drill presses and all of them are like 500 RPM at the slowest.

Drill Bits.. Why Anular? Why the various types?

What are the poor mans tricks the keep stuff from slopping around?

Maybe someone has a link to a site? And I know there is expensive ways as well, but wouldn't mind responses toward the normal / poor shop owner.

 

[bcp]

A start:

How to Use a Drill Press Machine

Bruce

 

[sidecarist]

Typically the larger the drill bit and the harder the material the slower you will want to go. For holes 1/2" and smaller twist drills are my go to. For thin materials a step drill works great. Larger holes I use a hole saw.

Annular drills are a subject all by themselves and are expensive for occasional use.

The drill will tell you if it's happy, the chip is the indicator. If the chips are like dust, or not existent then the drill is dull, etc. You will get a feel for if the drill is cutting or not.

Lubrication is important good cutting oils for steel have a lot of sulfur in them. A shop substitute is 80/90 gear oil. I like ATF on aluminum.

Hope this helps.

 

[17 Oaks]

Drill slow and cutting oil is CHEAP and its your friend. If the drill starts squealing, lighten up and oil up...

IF you drill a lot of metal, then step up to Cobalt drills or High Speed Steel is 2nd best, the Ti Coated are good but the coating wears off and you can be left with a drill they won't go thru wood if its cheaply made.

 

[JerryK]

I mounted a big lighted push-pull type switch in the front top of my drill press at forehead height. Right hand operates the down lever, left hand steadies the thing being drilled, and the forehead lightly rests on the pulled out push-pull switch. Anything grabs/catches/looks wrong/or involuntary old guy twitches and the forehead shuts the thing off... sometimes even when you don't want it to. But hogging out big stuff is a little safer because it is there.......

 

[Shield Arc]

I've been very happy with my Grizzly drill press.
For larger holes I use annular cutters.

 

[BukitCase]

On the "sorta" cheap side, this one goes down to 200 rpm

https://www.harborfreight.com/heavy-duty-16-speed-floor-drill-press-38144.html

With a 20% off coupon it'd be $225. Would work for drilling maybe up to 3/4" holes in 1/2" mild steel as is, and if you're handy enough you could probably adapt this motor

743 RPM 115 VAC INLINE GEARMOTOR | AC Gearmotors | AC Gearmotors | Electric Motors | www.surpluscenter.com

to replace the (likely) 1725 rpm motor - this would cut ALL the speeds to 43%, which for a METAL drilling machine would be MUCH better all around. That'd put your lowest speed to 86 rpm, which could work for a 1" twist drill if you follow all the OTHER suggestions so far...

Annular cutters are amazing, but NOT a "poor man's tool" (unless you meant AFTER you bought the drill and cutters - I have about $2600 in a top line mag drill press and 2" DOC cutters from 7/16" up to 1-1/2" - most annular cutters do NOT like hand drills, un-lubed drilling, or poorly clamped materials in normal drill presses.

Add one of these

Heavy-Duty Mill/Drill with Stand and Power Feed | Grizzly Industrial

and annular cutters plus adapter can do even more, and more accurately - even FURTHER from "poor man's shop", and that's NOT including the OTHER $2 or 3K in "accessories" so you can actually DO things...

Depending on how accurate your bigger holes need to be, hole saws can work OK - I've cut 2-1/2" holes in 3/4" steel using them at slowest (180rpm) speed (normal 12-speed Taiwan DP) and a CONTINUOUS stream of compressed air cooling them - messy but doable. A "magnetic broom" can help afterwards with cleanup, like one of these

3" Magnetic Sweeper with Wheels

If a little "slop" is tolerable, and you already have a plasma cutter, you can get different sized LARGE washers to use for a "drilling guide" (hint - the washer size will NOT be your finished HOLE size :laughing

It'd probably help if you told us more about your actual NEEDS; material thickness, hole diameters, and more accurate price range than "poor" (my definition ain't the same as Bill Gates', for example ) ...Steve

 

[lennyzx11]

My JET drill press has pulleys under the top cover and a nifty table that tells you what rpm is what on different pulleys. It is at least 25 years old that I know of.

 

[Big Barn]

When it comes to "poor man tricks" I think everyone's previous comments have you covered.

Here's my first drill press my dad and I recovered and restored from an old barn on farm land we were renting in the 1950's.



It's the ONLY one I had in the shop for over 30 years. I've restored several other small machines since then, all older with heavier cast iron tables and guards.



Terry

 

[tcreeley]

After reading it in an old blacksmithing guide, I have found that bacon fat left over from the pan is great to use as a cutting oil. I have a capped jar handy and just slide up onyo the drill bit before cutting. Lasts outside fine. Stays solid.

I like the old drill presses best. Well made. My father in law passed two onto me that he had picked up from his work as a machinist. One is an Atlas.

I have a hand crank from 1890 or so mounted on the wall.. It works but I like electric better.

Slow and easy, clamp your work down. -Holding it ......one of these days it will spin free and take a nice nick out of your finger!