Thread: Drilling Guides - Which one?

I have never used them so can not say a lot on the subject. As for space a small benchtop drill press will not take up much room and will be more versatile.

Regards
John

Geebug,
Just had a look at the wardrobe shed. You do have space issues. Very clever what you have done all the same.

Regards
John

Gee

the amount of space for a small pedastal drill would be about the same

virsitility

Id prefer a body mount style So that once located you can drill one handed if necessary so the other hand is free.

Originally Posted by orraloon

I have never used them so can not say a lot on the subject. As for space a small benchtop drill press will not take up much room and will be more versatile.

Regards
John

Thanks John - why would a benchtop drill press be more versatile?

It mentions that the drill guides can be adjusted so you can drill angled holes etc. Can a drill press do that?

Originally Posted by echnidna

Id prefer a body mount style

The one in the picture is a makita drill (I think) and they seem to have a nice round housing for these sorts of attachments. I have two drills neither of which have that type of housing.

Originally Posted by Geebung

Thanks John - why would a benchtop drill press be more versatile?

It mentions that the drill guides can be adjusted so you can drill angled holes etc. Can a drill press do that?

Every drill press I have seen had a table that could be tilted for drilling angled holes. I still have somewhere a stand that takes a hand drill and turns it into a basic drill press. Mine's a little wobbly, but not too bad. If space is an issue it doesn't take up much more space than the drill by itself. Has a small table or you can shift the table out of the way and drill straight onto the base. I don't use it much now I have a proper drill press. I have seen people use them though to drill things that won't fit into a DP (dog holes on benches etc)

Peter

As Peter says, most drill presses have a table that can be tilted. This works fine for lightweight pieces, as long as the piece is light enough to be maneuvered with one hand and clamped to the table with the other. For heavier pieces, the drill guide may be superior. Or, you can suspend the drill press from the table, as shown in pics 05 and 06 here: http://mysite.verizon.net/vze8eg0u/kwameweb/

More description of the piece here: http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com...ad.php?t=41341

Joe

Geebung,
I found the Torquata drill guide absolutely useless.

Originally Posted by Wizened of Oz

Geebung,
I found the Torquata drill guide absolutely useless.

Why? Was it difficult to use? Did it not perform the function it is intended for?

Geebung. I have owned the Medallist for years and whilst only used when hand drilling and real precision is necessary, it does the job it is supposed to do. I find the 'self centering' capability when edge drilling very handy and accurate. The downside - It only fits my small Makitta cordless drill - does not fit my other drills - corded Makitta hammer & DeWalt cordless. I use my small Makitta for other things and I find it a bit of a pain to mount the Medallist - it's fiddly. However for drilling straight holes and angled holes you can't go wrong for the price.

Originally Posted by hitch

The downside - It only fits my small Makitta cordless drill - does not fit my other drills - corded Makitta hammer & DeWalt cordless.

Thanks Hitch. You have confirmed my fears...I already have three drills...I didn't particularly want to fork out for another one...the Medallist did seem like a good option but I think I need to go for the chuck mounted (although Wizened has said his Torquata is useless).

Dilemma...maybe I should just stick to using my set square!

The footprint of a bench drill press is very small and yes, very versiltile.

Got a little Ryobi one and until I smashed the cast table it was one of the handiest things in the workshop.
I know a few people with drilling guides, all are gathering dust in a dark corner of their workshops.

I also have one of the Medalist drill guides & I semi-permanently mounted a cheap 'Arlec' brand corded drill from Kmart in it. If you hold it down, it will always drill a 90 degree hole - the Torquata one can easily be off a few degrees. Self centering works, as does the centre drilling v-blocks for round stock - pipes & dowel. The spring/s can be left off - I can't remember if mine came with one or two, but some jobs need a return spring, others don't. Ditto the depth stops.

The only other thing that came close for convenience was the Triton cordless drill, now discontinued.