Squaring Mini Drillpress to Work?

[Jay 1]

I recently purchased a Proxxon drill press along with a vise and x-y table. While I'm happy with the setup, I haven't yet figured out a good method for squaring the press to the work I'm drilling.

 

I've tried using a small square to align the head and work with mixed results. However I think the trick may be to square the head with the fixed shaft that the head raises and lowers on instead of with the x-y table / vise.

 

Was wondering how others square their mini drill presses?

 

Thanks!

Jay

[mtaylor]

Jay,

 

First thing I check is the squareness of the X-Y table to the head/bit.  If these aren't square, no matter how much you fiddle with the workpiece, it just won't drill the way you want.

 

I use a small square between the workpiece and the bit on both my drill press and my mill.  Get's tricky with something that's not square from the surface to be drilled to the table/vise and shims help with that.

[Jay 1]

Thanks Mark. One place where I get thrown off is when I adjust the head after checking the square--I'll tighten the head & it often gets thrown out when I do so. Hmm, methinks I have to be smarter than the tool so more fiddling is called for... May need to use some shims on the table as well--still getting used to working with such small tools.

[TK1]

Hi,

 

One way I check my drill press is square is by bending a piece of wire or paperclip into a "Z" shape (but approximately 90 degree bends).  Then with the drill press set up, insert one end into the collet and tighten. 

 

You should have one end held in the jaws, a length coming out at approximately right angles to the centreline of the collet, and the other end pointing down to the table. Bend wire down so the tip is touching the table at some point

 

Then rotate the collet/drill by hand, and check the other end of the wire (pointing at the table) contacts the table all the way through a 360 degree rotation.  If it does, then you're square.  if not, adjust the angle of the drill so it does touch all the way around.

 

Remove wire and insert drill bit without upsetting the drill alignment, and you have it aligned at 90 degrees to the table.

Hope the above makes sense...if the wire touches all the way around, the cetral point of the wire (in the collet) will be at 90 degrees to the table.

 

Regards,
Darren

[tkay11]

Very nice, TK1!

 

Tony (TKAY11)

[WackoWolf]

Here is something I have bought to do it for me, not that much but might be a over kill for you. Its call a "Mini Pro Tram System "

 

Edited July 5, 2013 by WackoWolf

[Jay 1]

Darren, your technique is awesome! Yep, totally understand what you described--simple and effective. Am going to bend some piano wire stock that I have and give it a try today.

 

Joe, that's a great tool! It's been years since I worked on a mill; learned how to tram 'em using old school techniques--getting the column right was the hardest and most time consuming. Am looking at Sherline mills, once I take the plunge, that's the 1st tool I'm going to buy because tramming a mill is a bear. I think the mini will work for the x-axis on my Proxxon but it maybe too wide for the y-axis (will have to read the tool's specs to know for sure).

 

Thanks fellas, appreciate your taking time to lend a hand--these are great suggestions!

 

Jay

Edited July 5, 2013 by JMaitri

[WackoWolf]

Jay,

 

   If you do a search for milling tram's on google you will find more. It was just that when I seen this one I fell in love with it, but I had to order it from the UK so I made sure I got a little something for the Lathe also. All in all I still spent under a $100.00 with the shipping, not to bad. Heck I spent more than that on collets and had to pay the shipping in the US LOL.

[Jay 1]

Joe, I'm going to give it a google today, thanks as I had no idea that there were devices for tramming mills (last time I used one was over 20 years aog). The device you posted looks sweet and it's small--perfect for hobby setups!

 

Now I just need to find a small center finder for drilling dowels on their sides (found some but they look too big for a mini drill press).

 

Jay

[WackoWolf]

Jay,

 

    Anytime I can be of help just give me a shout. I am still learning about getting the mill setup the way it should be everyday, the biggest thing for me is getting the software the way I want it to be. I am now is the stage of getting Mach 3 to run on a x64 platform which is a big issue right now, but hopefully sometime after the 15th of this month I will have it lick LOL.

[Jay 1]

Thanks, Joe--I'll definitely give you a shout! . Sounds like you're getting your CNC setup going, wow, CNC mills and lathe setups are awesome--you'll be able to do some really amazing stuff with your new rig!

 

Jay

[WackoWolf]

I have been working on the CAD drawings for the Confederacy as a POF model, it's not easy but I am getting there a little at a time. Here is a couple of pictures of what I have finished so far as of Saturday.

[tkay11]

Maybe not easy, but fun -- and certainly satisfying when you are able finally to pull up that 3D model, isn't it!

 

Tony

[WackoWolf]

JMaitri and Tony,     Sorry wrong pictures, those where from before these are Saturdays work. If you look the Gun port is finished, and also the step frame is done still need to be smooth out some more (but that part of the ship will be plank from the top to about two frames below the wales) Hmm now that I look at it again you will see the steps, either way I not that happy with that frame and will smooth it out more.

 

[wefalck]

The idea of using a bent wire for tramming is a good one, have to remember it !

 

I normally use a piece of round carbide held in a chuck (or better: collet), which is pushed against a try-square or a block of which I am sure that the side is at a right angle with the surface that sits on the cross-slide.

 

wefalck

[WackoWolf]

welfalck,

 

      They sell a setup almost like what you use, forget how much it was but I had like the one I show better and the price was good. But the way your doing it is a good idea also.

[Jay 1]

Joe, your CAD work is looking really nice! Am eventually going to go that route myself. I bought a few solid hull kits that I want to convert to POBs--those are sort of how I am planning to cut my teeth on scratch building.

 

@ Wefalck: Would you post a picture or two of your tramming setup, please? I think I know how you're setting your tramming gear up, but a photo's usually worth a 1000 words.

[wefalck]

@JMaitri, unfortunately I don't have a picture handy and no time at the moment to take one. However, there is nothing special, just a piece of drill rod (or in my case a broken-off carbide drill of 6 mm diameter) that is held in the drill chuck or (better) a collet. On the table there is a block with one side that is absolutely vertical to the table surface. You unlock the head/column and swivvel it until the rod touches in its full length the vertical face of the block. Voilà. Then you lock everything.

 

If you can run the head down so that the spindel nose touches the table, there is even a simpler method: just make the nose touch evenly the table surface. Voilà ancore.

 

wefalck 

[Jay 1]

Wefalck, you're right, both methods are very simple--much less complicated than the picture I had in my mind; now I completely understand your technique with the drill bit and block--thanks!

 

Jay

[wefalck]

If you use a vice, you may want to actually square up to the fixed jaw of the vice, rather than the table. This (partially) eliminates additional inaccuracies introduced by the vice. I am using this kind of (grinding) vice:

 

 

Here you can use the surface of the fixed jaw to level the spindel nose against, or its vertical face, when using a rod in the chuck/collet.

 

This method is not absolutely precise, but quick and sufficient for most of our practical applications.

 

wefalck

[Jay 1]

Wefalck I was wondering about this in relation to the vise I'm using, since it's what I use for most of my work. Thanks, your post answered my questions. I think I'll use a rod in a collet for a quick check, and it sounds like the technique will be fairly accurate for most of my drilling work with the Proxxon. I eventually want to purchase a decent milling setup, but for now, the Proxxon will work for most of what I'm currently building (and planning to build in the near future). The next major tool purchase will be a lathe (am looking at Sherline's 17" (~ 43 cm) bed model).

 

Jay

[WackoWolf]

JMaitri,

 

     Now thats a good lathe. When you call make sure you tell them that you are retire to get the 15% discount.

[wefalck]

If you are using an accurate vice with a vertical V-groove, you can also tighten the vice onto the rod held in a collet; then you lower the head of the drill press with the tilt-lock loose and it will automatically swing into the right position, when the vice touches the table; then lock the head. This may give you more accuracy, as the spindle nose of the PROXXON tools is rather small and it is, therefore, difficult to see, whether it sits flat on the reference surface, e.g. the top face of the vice.

 

wefalck

[Jay 1]

Wefalck, that's a great suggestion and solution for the Proxxon! You're spot on about the spindle size--it's difficult to see how it's sitting on a reference surface.

 

Joe, I didn't know they offered that discount--thanks for the heads up!

[mtaylor]

Wefalck .

 

Thanks for all the advice.  Great info.