Hello All,
I need advice on purchasing a table top drill press… I will be
making holes in lots of beach stones. tiles, pottery and glass… I
was told not to use my flex shaft, not a good idea because of the
volume? I need advice as to what to purchase.,… Then holes I will be
drilling will be to put a 14 gauge wire through,
I look forward to your replies…
Thanks,
Rosanne
Hi Rosanne,
I use the dremel work station 220-1 with a dremel tool just for that
station. I can use it as a drill press and several other ways too.
Foredoom also makes a similar tool.
Regards
Robin
Covington makes a bead drill. Check em out. I recall this is their one
machine that is not a fortune.
Your def. going to use coolant and one of several routes. Simple as
using an old pen cartridge and silicon carbide grit(slow). A triple
ripple diamond bit- fast A diamond bit core drill fastest.
If my memory serves correctly an additional feature for one
model(more expensive of course) automatically moves the bit up and
down. Which is whatcha need for all except the core drill.
Water works fine.
I use a hypodermic syringe to meter out the spray and a clean
pesticide sprayer for the water pressure side. Be crafty.
I also need this advice. There is a drill press available for my
Foredom flexshaft so that’s one possibility. I just received another
Micrormark catalogue and their drill press looks interesting for
jewelry work. I haven’t checked Harbor Freight yet. So, I’d welcome
suggestions from those folks who are happy with their drill press of
choice. I’ll be doing piercing in fairly heavy gauge sterling, lots
and lots of it. I find it meditative; it keeps me relatively sane.
Marly
Hey Marly
I bought a drill press from Harbour Freight, and am thrilled with
it. I’ve had it about 7 years, and have been able to use it for teeny
tiny holes in metals even thick to 12gauge and copper pipes, to 4"
oak and heart pine boards for the barn. I can use tiny bits for 20
gauge all the way up to 1/2" bits for bolts in wood, and for the
larger holes, used the paddle bits. I made some holders for the
stamps I use the most out of 1" thick walnut where I did’t want the
hole to go all the way through the wood, but to hold the larger
stamps, 5/8", 3/4" that I have.
Dinah
Marly
I recommended the Foredom Drill press to a wampum bead maker years
ago, it cut his breakage dramatically.
Marly,
I have a collection of small bench top drills ranging from harbour
freight, an antique, a little dumore (very expensive, you had better
be sitting down when pricing), a unimat SL, and some other toys for
making holes. Some are better than others but a drill press is not
accurate period. Stick a twist drill in one and you are screwed.
Those things just don’t work well, even with expensive bits.
My advice is to pick one that looks ok, isn’t heavier than you can
lug, and is a colour you like. Price is a consideration but not much
of an indication of accuracy. Take my thoughts with caution, I have
been known to make mistakes. (and I am admitted tool junky 
jeffD
Demand Designs
Analog/Digital Modelling & Goldsmithing
http://www.gmavt.net/~jdemand
I use the dremel work station 220-1 with a dremel tool just for that station.
I can’t point you all to a brand or model, but I’ll say two things to
look for. The question is about drilling small holes in stone, so you
want higher speeds than the hardware store drill presses often have.
You also need a chuck that goes to zero. Many (most) half-inch
chucks won’t hold a 2mm drill, because they don’t close down to zero.
One of my favorite tools in my studio is my Dumore Sensitive Drill
Press. The company is still in business, I believe, but the older,
all metal models are unsurpassed for use in a jewelry making studio
(they were originally designed for model makers). I got mine on ebay,
the very first ebay item I ever bought, and it’s still going strong.
Really well-made tool. Can’t be beat.
Linda Kaye-Moses