Micro-Make Variable Speed Drill Press - Comments good/bad/ugly!

[Gaetan Bordeleau]

another way is to add an extension between the bar and the base

the extension could have many forms

here is an example

[Hank]

Gaetan,

Thanks - a very sensible solution at a minimum of modification! I'll presume that this will only require a shop OP-ORD change and not involve an actual SEA-ALT in order to effect the change as this drill press will more than likely never taste salt water.  NAVY TALK!!!!!

Sorry, I couldn't restrain myself - must be COVID-19 Cabin Fever!!!!

Hank

[kurtvd19]

I just checked the 3 small drill presses I have here. 

 

I own the Micro-Lux Variable speed drill press.  The column is 16" long x 1 3/16" dia. - it is solid steel and screws into the base plate.  The solid steel column is mentioned in both this variable speed unit and the 3 speed units descriptions on the Micro Mark web site.

 

The other two were owned by Steve Wheeler and will be sold to benefit the WI Maritime Museum.

 

One is a Proxon unit.  The column is 17" long x 3/4" diam - it is solid steel and screws into the base plate.  It is tapped top and bottom about 1 1/8 deep - certainly a metric thread so I didn't check the size.  The Proxon web site lists the column height as 12" - so this is the column that Steve replaced with the longer 16" piece.  It is rock solid even with the longer column.

 

The other that Steve had is a no-name Chinese unit with a 12" long x 1  3/16" diam tube.  It is held into the base with a set screw.   It is very solid but not anyway near the quality of the other units though I think it would meet the needs of 90% of modelers who are not tool junkies - it isn't pretty but Steve remarked that it did a good job when he used it.

 

Kurt

 

 

 

 

[Hank]

Kurt,

Much appreciate it - I've noted the column dimensions on my downloaded M-L 3sp D.P. owner's manual for future reference. Finding a short piece of suitable stock shouldn't be too difficult - and my machinist/modeler friend w/3 fingers should be able to fashion a lower shaft for me with no problem. Like his parrot, he works for peanuts.....

 

Hank

this COVID-19 thing has got me goofy!!!!😷

[Roger Pellett]

Since this is going to be used for model making and for drilling and not milling loads on the column should be light.  If you need enough beef that you are worried about bending the column you have the Delta in your garage.

 

Roger

[Hank]

Roger,

Thanks - and Yes! that's quite correct.

 

Hank

[Hank]

Delivery Day was TODAY!! This was delivered by USPS this morning and I just got around (5pm) to getting it set up as I "may" decide to start using it on a new project very soon!!!

I have not plugged it in yet, so I don't know what it's running characteristics are yet. Maybe after supper. So, here is the Micro Lux 3 speed Drill Press:

It's sitting on the dining room table and in case it catches fire, I have plenty of oil & vinegar to toss on it...along with salt, pepper, …..🙄 This way The Admiral can cuss me at supper tonight and then I can disappear with it not to be seen again for....who knows how long!!!

[mtaylor]

Sounds good.  I love it when a great plan comes together.

[Hank]

Thanks, Mark! If I can find the box my XY Table is packed away in, I might be in business!!!! Oh yeah....and the mini drill bits!

[Bob Cleek]

Right out of the box, I'd be interested in knowing the run out, if any, on the quill and on a bit in the chuck on that machine. That's the measure of accuracy. (The slightest run out will start breaking tiny bits.) Slap a dial test indicator on that puppy and let us know!

[Hank]

2 hours ago, Bob Cleek said:

Right out of the box, I'd be interested in knowing the run out, if any, on the quill and on a bit in the chuck on that machine. That's the measure of accuracy. (The slightest run out will start breaking tiny bits.) Slap a dial test indicator on that puppy and let us know!

OK, imagine we're in the scene from 2001 - A Space Odyssey and I'll play the part of H.A.L. and you (Bob) play the part of Dave. Dave is outside the Pod Bay Door and asking for H.A.L. to open the Pod Bay doors. Only, for our purposes we'll be talking about the Drill Press, stuff Bob mentioned to me about the drill press (above quote) and we'll take it from there:

h.a.n.k. - Bob, all those nasty things you just mentioned to me about the drill press....you know, the quill, and the run out?? Well, those kind of words...those kind of words hurt me Bob!!!

B.O.B. - Well, I'm sorry h.a.n.k., I thought everyone knew about that stuff. I didn't know you were a pancake short of a stack when it came to 'chinery!!!

h.a.n.k. - Your smartass comments regarding breakfast choices don't help this situation, either!!! Here Bob, stand a bit closer in that puddle of water....that's right....now, take this extension cord in your hand....

I guess the Chorona, Chorona has got to me!!! Sorry, but I don't have a quill, I use gel point pens and how far should I run out??? Where .....?? You're talking to someone who has little in the way of tool adjustment, micro-fiddling with precision instruments, etc. And....I don't have a dial test indicator, at least I don't think I do. I'm basically an out of the box tool guy - and hope it works like advertised. So, enlighten me as to what you're looking for and I'll try to find out.

 

Hank

[Jaager]

I have to join you Hank.  I have to admit that I do not know the meaning of run out in this context.  From how it is used, I have been taking it to mean out of round.  But it is an awkward term unless it means that when the quill is extended it comes out at an angle.  The bearings not being precise.

[Hank]

In terms that Bill Clinton would understand: Define "Quill"!!!!

 

I know, I'm bad....I'm going to go to Hell, but I had to say it!!!!!!🥵

[Wacom]

Run out best described as wobble, if the drill bit wobbles.. not good..no wobble.. very good.

You can usually tell by eye if its OK. Sometimes if the bit wobbles, slack off the chuck, rotate the bit a little then re tighten chuck, this can help.

Your drill press looks like a rebadged Proxxon Tbm, if it is then your chuck should be good.

[Hank]

17 minutes ago, nzreg said:

Run out best described as wobble, if the drill bit wobbles.. not good..no wobble.. very good.

You can usually tell by eye if its OK. Sometimes if the bit wobbles, slack off the chuck, rotate the bit a little then re tighten chuck, this can help.

Your drill press looks like a rebadged Proxxon Tbm, if it is then your chuck should be good.

OK, I understand that. Some of my stamped flat countersunk wood bits have an almost triangular shape to the base which makes for a drawn out process to get them "true" in the chuck. I'll check the "wobble" with a couple very small bits in a little while. I have moved the D.P. to the garage for an initial test run.

Thanks for the clarification!!

[Bob Cleek]

Okay, guys. I'm just using lingo I've picked up over the years and may well be misusing it because I'm no machinist. I actually figured you guys would know more about it than I do! Not to worry. I'll explain.  Download to RAM, H.A.N.K.: Run-out or runout is an inaccuracy of rotating mechanical systems, specifically that the tool or shaft does not rotate exactly in line with the main axis. ... In the case of bearings, run-out will cause vibration of the machine and increased loads on the bearings.

 

What I want to find out is whether the "quill," which is the spinning shaft part of a drill press that moves up and down as the lever is moved, rotates exactly in line with its main axis. I asked also the same question about a drill bit held in the chuck of the drill press. (The chuck is the thing that holds drill bits in its adjustable jaws.) This is because sometimes run-out is caused separately by inaccuracy of the chuck mounting or adjustable "jaws" mechanism holding the bit (even though they are commonly "self-centering.") Of course, if the quill to which the chuck is attached has run out, it will consequently be apparent in an otherwise perfectly centered bit in the chuck. The combined length of a quill, chuck, and bit amplifies the degree of inaccuracy at the drill bit's point. A very small bit of run out in a chuck taper mounting will be many times as great at the bit's business end.

 

The way run out is commonly tested, we're talking thousandths of an inch here, is with a "dial test indicator," also generally called a "DTI" by folks who use them.  A dial test indicator, which I'm sure you'll recognize even if you've never used one, is a tool that measures minute distances by using a plunger that is connected to a "clock face" (or a digital read out) with a needle that indicates the distance the plunger moves. If a DTI were applied to a perfectly cylindrical spinning drill press quill with zero run out, the needle would remain steady at "zero." If there were, say, .005" run out, the needle would move back and forth between "-.005" and "+.005" on either side of zero and would be said to have .005" run out.

 

Below: Testing for run out (quill and chuck) with a DTI measuring against a rotating bit shaft. The silver-colored post at the base of the DTI dial body has a small spring-loaded point at its end which senses the movement the DTI measures. 

 

 

 

Any new piece of machinery usually requires "tuning" or "set up." (All new machinery made in China seems to require it.) Drill presses particularly need to be set up to minimize run out if small drill bits are used because the small bits will easily break if they wobble when drilling. The table also must be adjusted to be perfectly perpendicular to the quill and bit axis so that the holes drilled will be perfectly round (and cut edges clean and sharp.) This is also easily done with a DTI. While it may seem that, for woodworking, tolerances "tighter than a gnat's butt" are unnecessary, the better a machine is set up, the better it runs and the longer it lasts, regardless of the need for tight tolerances. In modeling, the smaller the job, the more important accuracy becomes.

 

A DTI with its stand is a very handy instrument to have in your shop to keep tools accurately adjusted and set up. (They are also just the ticket for checking to see if a table saw blade is perpendicular to the table top and that your lathe headstock and tailstock are in perfect alignment so you aren't cutting tapers unless you want to.) For the professionals who use them regularly, there are the usual top-of-the-line brands such as Starrett and Mitutoyo, priced accordingly. However, for amateur home shop use, a kit containing a perfectly accurate DTI with a good stand can be had for twenty-five to fifty bucks and even less if you go to the bottom of the price range on eBay. (I wouldn't advise buying a used precision instrument like a DTI sigh t unseen, though.) DTI's aren't much use without a decent stand, as they must be held securely in place to take measurements. I have a $38 Grizzly DTI and magnetic-base stand set that came in a nice fitted case. DTI's are delicate instruments and usually are sold with cases. You don't want them banging around in the bottom of your tool box.  See: https://www.grizzly.com/products/iGaging-1-Dial-Indicator-and-Fine-Adjustment-Magnetic-Base/T24804 

 

The difference between a dead accurate drill press and a sloppy one can very often be nothing more than a bit of dirt in the Morse taper socket holding the chuck that the factory didn't clean properly before assembly. (A frequent occurrence with the Sum Ting Wong brand products of the Patriotic Revolutionary People's Drill Press Collective.) A simple cleaning and reassembly is often all it takes to set things right.

 

YouTube is your friend here. There are several videos on "tuning a drill press with a dial test indicator." Here's a good video that explains how to set up a new drill press which you will may find interesting. The use of the dial test indicator begins at 8:30.

 

 

Edited May 9, 2020 by Bob Cleek

[Hank]

Bob,

Much appreciate the video and explanation of terminology. Got it!! OK, without my very fine bits available (packed up) I put a 1/8" Dremel wood bit in the chuck and turned the machine on. It ran very smoothly, quietly, and I could discern no visible wobble of the bit. I have the belt set to the middle  tension pulleys and noticed that the speed was about the same as the older Delta d.p. So, I'm thinking that for the small work with hardwoods that I may be doing in the future, I may go ahead and reset the belt to the highest speed while the d.p. is still in an unused state and I can play around with it and see if the change makes a positive difference. As for your concerns, I'll look into that and see if my modeler/machinist friend can stop by and give the unit a proper setup. He's good for things like this. I'm going to do the same with my Jim Byrnes table saw as he (my friend) has done setups on all of our fellow modeler's Byrne's Saws (except mine). I'll post any results on the d.p. when I'm able.

Thanks again,

Hank

[Bob Cleek]

Sounds like it hasn't come from the factory with any major run out issues. Still, tell your buddy to bring his dial test indicator and you'll bring the bourbon! You may be surprised at the run out readings, though. Anything below around .005" is acceptable, but that's only about twice the diameter of a human hair.

[Hank]

Bob,

I'll indeed to that. Don't know when (Corona Corona, etc.) but will make sure he checks out the run out, etc. Thanks for your tech. knowledge and interest!

[Gaetan Bordeleau]

10 hours ago, Bob Cleek said:

005" is acceptable

You are very generous, I would cut in 2, at least, so below .003".

If I turn a part ,005" that fit to another one, I would consider that I mist this part.

Grinding is more precise and can easily go under .001"

But every time you add a 0 in precision, you will add few 0 in the price.

 

Here is an example;  Spindle Run Out at the Chuck Mounting Taper is within 0.0002″

https://cameronmicrodrillpress.com/sensitive-manual-micro-drill-presses/new-cameron-214-series/

 

 

[Hank]

Gaetan,

Thanks for your input - we'll see eventually how accurate or "sloppy" this d.p. turns out to be. Stay tuned!

[Bob Cleek]

9 hours ago, Gaetan Bordeleau said:

You are very generous, I would cut in 2, at least, so below .003".

If I turn a part ,005" that fit to another one, I would consider that I mist this part.

Grinding is more precise and can easily go under .001"

But every time you add a 0 in precision, you will add few 0 in the price.

 

Here is an example;  Spindle Run Out at the Chuck Mounting Taper is within 0.0002″

https://cameronmicrodrillpress.com/sensitive-manual-micro-drill-presses/new-cameron-214-series/

 

 

I agree completely. I was intentionally generous, given that the discussion was about an economy-model Asian-built machine. The subject of the discussion, I believe, sells for around $55. The beautiful Cameron machine starts at around $2,000!

 

I had not been aware of the Cameron micro drill press before. It's made about 100 miles from my home. I'd love to have one, not because I actually need its high tolerances, but because it's a work of art! In another life, perhaps.

 

I wonder if they sell "seconds" that only test out at .001" for a lot less money?  

[druxey]

I used to have a Dumore sensitive drill press....

[Hank]

My friend/modeler/machinist does have a test indicator and will "mic" it when he can get over to see me. Until then, it's work on the shop building...making small steps forward!