Small drill bit in large drill press?

Hi all.

Can anyone suggest a tool that would allow me to place a 2mm drill bit in the only pillar drill I have access to, which is a big floor standing type.

I'm quite new to the game so not 100% on the names of tools.

Thank you.

If your problem is that the chuck on the pillar drill doesn't close down enough to grip a 2mm drill bit then the simplest solution is to buy a smaller chuck with a parallel shank and grip that in the larger chuck.

There's a lot of cheap keyless stuff with a hex shaft about but I found a keyed one gripped better when into the real cheapo stuff not going to be used often.

pgk

Or , presuming the drill has a tanged Morse taper spindle as is likely on a pillar-drill, a smaller chuck with a taper-adaptor.

The way I do this is to put drill bit in a (larger) pin-vice and then put that in the drilling machine chuck.....but make sure it runs true....

I agree with pgk pgk (and by defininition Bob).

To "clock" the chuck you can spin it up and check to see how much it visually wobbles, stop the drill, turn it a few degrees and see if the wobble gets better or worse, then keep moving it in the direction that improves it until you have to go back again. Smaller chucks are seldom very accurate but it will help to get things a little better.

A pin-chuck would be better that a pin-vice - the cheaper ones are exactly that (cheap) but will still do the job most likely.

However, you may find the direct feed of a large drill-press is not very sensitive - 2mm isn't really small - but even so take care and go gently

Regards,

IanT

Edited By IanT on 02/04/2020 22:00:55

I use a pin chuck to hold  drills as small as 0.3mm in a pin chuck that uses collets. Your biggest problem with accuracy is the runout of the Jacobs chuck in your drill.

Paul

Edited By Paul Lousick on 02/04/2020 22:10:46

Loctite a collar onto the drill to take it up to the range of your drilling machine chuck.

Easy enough to make in the lathe short stub of steel, carefully drill a suitable sized hole down the middle ensuring the drill is started exactly central. turn the out side at the same setting. Hold the 2mm drill in the tailstock to ensure alignment and loctite the two together. Part off deburr and off you go to the drilling machine.

regards Martin

A large pillar drill with a small bit will have problems with speed and feel, speed is not too much of a problem but feeling the bit is, a useful accessory is one like this from Arceurotrade **LINK** this will give you the feel that will help avoid breaking the drill bit.

Mike

But this assumes that he has not only a lathe but a means to hold the 2mm drill to make the hole in the sleeve.

And the problem we are trying to solve is how to hold a 2mm drill in the first place...

ArcEuroTrade are currently shut so suggestions to buy from there are rather pointless.

Drill chucks with straight shanks are surprisingly difficult to find, and even more so in small sizes. Many chucks, many straight shank arbors but the two together are thin on the ground.

The pin chuck is a good idea, the most important part of which is that it has a straight, short shank. There are many things (wrongly) described both as pin chucks or pin vices, a lot of which have long, knurled shanks.

Given the OP says he is new to the game, a little appreciation of his situation and links saying 'buy this, it will solve your problem' would be more helpful.

The hardware stores around here sell a range of small chucks with about a 1/4" hex shank on them designed to fit in various cordless power drills and impact drivers etc. Hold the shank in the larger drill press chuck. Plenty of similar type things available on Fleabay etc too. Example show here: VYAAOSwWdFcsJLg">LINK

You can also buy drill bits designed for construction work from the hardware store that are 2mm with a 1/4" hex shank to fit straight into the hex tool holder on cordless drills etc. I would assume the same is available in the UK?

The quality brand name items from the hardware store are more likely to run true than the cheap no name junk off Fleabay though.

Edited By Hopper on 03/04/2020 08:40:05

Back to basics ... For a one-off job, find some plastic tubing of about 2mm bore and slip it over the drill shank before clamping in the big chuck.

MichaelG.

.

P.S. ... Although ARC is closed at present : Mike Poole’s advice is very wise.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 03/04/2020 09:37:04

ARC are closed but Chronos and Warco both sell a similar item

What we really need is an epicyclic gearbox built around a small chuck such that when you gripped the gear box case, the speed of the drill increased by 6 - 10 times the speed, but I expect that wouldn't be cheap (low cost).

..or takes the skin off your hands..

pgk

Used to have - probably still do somewhere - a gadget that did the opposite to improve masonry drilling in the days before variable-speed electric hand drills.

Hi chaps.

Thank you for your replies. Most helpful indeed. I have located an old battery drill that is 'time expired'...and I've salvaged it for its gubbins. I will put the chuck and its straight shank in the larger chuck in the drill press. Unfortunately It is a keyless chuck I've salvaged, but beggars can't be choosers.

The drill press is at work, so this is a 'lunchtime guvvy job'..

If I had a vertical slide for my lathe I would clamp the bits in there, and put the drill bit in my chuck, but I don't have said vertical slide, (I'd rather save my pennies for a milling machine). So the company drill press it is.

The reason I'm doing this is I'm drilling the frames etc. for an LBSC 'Rainhill' that I'm putting together during my 'lockdown' evenings'.

Does anyone know off the top of their head if Kennions are still operating at the moment? I feel rather guilty about ordering stuff online right now as it means someone going to the post office, (and therefore into risk), but then, mightn't they also want to keep their business going at some level too? Just a thought.

Regards

G.

As you have a lathe you could do as I suggested. Or fudge up a drill pad you could hold in your tailstock and drill from the hedstock end as you suggest for vertical slide usage.

Regarding Kennions, eMail Richard and see what he's doing. The mail address is on the website [email protected] I think.

regards Martin

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