A wide drill press.

[Gill]

Hi Chris

I find that entry holes generally don't need to be any larger than you can drill with a multi-tool set up as shown. If I needed a wider or deeper hole, a proper plunge router would be my tool of choice.

The router attachments you can buy for multi-tools have their uses, but they don't have the accuracy or oomph of a proper plunge router. Let's face it, if you're making large holes in large boards, it's likely that the board will be more than 1/2" thick. Show that to your multi-tool, fit it with a router cutter and it might well walk straight out of your workshop and down to its attorney .

Gill

[Plaquerd]

Try a flex shaft "Dremel" type tool. They work great, mine hangs from the ceiling above my saw, drill 25 or so holes right at the saw (use a backer board) then cut them, drill again and cut and so on. I drill through thick hard woods with drill bits from .75 mm to 1/8" using this system and have never had a problem.
I do have a radial drill press........thought it would be a real asset to the shop........not, used it about two times now it might as well be a boat anchor.

[thecopperfish]

Hi Evie,
By large holes I mean holes larger than you would drill for fretwork. Generally fretwork holes are tiny and a dremel setup works well for those. But if I'm building a bow rack, or a large clock, etc. and I need to drill a 1/4" or larger hole 18" into the middle of a 3 ft. wide piece of plywood, my drill press won't cut it. In that case a press modified like in the drawing would come in handy.
Your friend,
Chris

[lucky788scroller]

When you cut your pipe for your drillpress to increase the throat, be sure that it is lined up at perfect angles or your hole will always be a little crooked, and also if you ever need to drill a large hole, theres a potential for the drill head to move some because its not fixed as close as it once was to the pole.Think of drilling with a handheld drill, its much easier to get an accurate hole and more leverage the closer the drill is to your body compared to holding the drill out at arms length and trying to drill. Dale

[bob bassett]

Have y'all looked at the battery-powered Dremel tools? I have one permantly located next to the saw.

[minowevie]

Chris, have you tryed a key hole saw, or a rotor zip. you could stay with in the line, and sand to the right size. I just got me one. and it is so cool. but I don't have the controle of it yet. but you can cut out anything with it. there is also forstner bits now in 3"1/8 inch now from
grizzly. you could also use a Metal Hole saw bit. they do cut wood. and they go up to 4"3/4 inch wide. also at grizzly. if you hold your toung just right, and stay straight up and down. you can get it to do the job. hope this helps. your freind Evie.
Oh. 18" mmmm rotor zip for sure.

[Rolf]

If you are drilling small holes in stacked, delicate fretwork they have to be very perpendicular or you risk losing the bottom layers. The hand held tools don't work for me as most of my work is stacked and delicate. #70 drill (.028"). I use a small drill press from Micro Mark.

[Okie_Arkie_Wood_Cutter]

I picked this gizmo up several years ago for drilling 90 ded holes on any flat project. I can move all over a 4 x 8 sheet of plywood. My drill is just a cheap Skill drill. It has a bad spot on the armatur and some times I have give to manually rotate the drill past the dead spot before drilling a hole. It a'nt pretty, but it is cheap and effective. When my old drill blows up all I have to do is buy another cheap drill and I'm back in the business of drilling 90 deg holes.

[Chase]

Originally Posted by Gill

Throat depth of drill presses is a topic which arises quite frequently on this forum.


Gill

Gill has a great solution. Mine is similiar. I also rotated my press and Craftsman tool (made by Dremel) 180º. Then I mounted it to a scrap of 3/4" OSB and elevated the whole thing with strips of 3/4" MDF. The press is mounted with t-nuts for quick disassembly. I put a strip along the wall and wedge the platform under it to keep it from tipping, although it could also be clamped to the edge of work bench.

Then I just slide the piece around under the bit and drill my entry holes.

You can level the drill bit with shims under the end of the board to get 90º entry holes.

Hope the pics make sense out of my explanation.

Chase

[Gill]

I wasn't going to reveal more of my set-up (heck, you'll have me giving away all my secrets!) but since Chase has developed the topic ...

I've got some platform wedges made up for my drill too! Here's one, set at a 4 degree slope:



I have others for regular angle drill tasks, set at 1/2 degree increments from 3 degrees through to 6 degrees. They're easy to make and consistent, but sometimes I need to drill at other angles. When that happens, I turn to my home made adjustable angle platform and either sit my drill underneath it or on top, depending on the nature of the task.



The little blue box in the background is a Wixey Digital Angle Gauge, something I wouldn't be without.

Making an adjustable angle platform should be well within the capabilities of any scroller. However, the struts for the adjustable angle platform are much easier to make with a plunge router rather than a scroll saw .

Gill