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Proud owner of a Dremmel drill stand


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Not sure if this should be under tools or masts and rigging. AS the title says I am now the proud owner of a stand for my cordless dremmel in the hope it will make life easy when drilling those rails for the belaying pins. What I was delighted to see was that you can swing the stocck 90 degrees so the dDemmel is in the horizontal position. I am shortly approaching the time when I will be tapering the masts and spars and wondering if anyone uses their Dremmel to taper masts in some way and if so how do they achieve this?  Just for the record I am starting with Walnut Dowel

Completed     St Canute Billings            Dec 2020

Completed    HMS Bounty Amati          May 2021 Finished

Currently building HM Bark Endeavour  

 

 

 

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The old machinists' rule something should not stick out of a chuck more than 3 to 4 times the diameter. With stiff material, such as certain steel you may be able to go safely to 5 or 6 times the diameter. This applies to wood as well, but it also depends on the absolute diameter.

 

The reason is the run out that can dramatically and suddenly increase when you are working on a part, due to the sideway pressure you are applying.

 

The consequence is, that you have to support longer parts at the other end - in a so-called tailstock or a so-called fixed steady. I would imagine that it would unnecessarily difficult to device a tailstock or steady for the hand-held drill mounted in the drill-stand. If you want to go that route, it is much easier to take a long board, figure out a sort of clamping fixture for the drill and a steady or tailstock at the other end. Much more stable, than the drill-press.

 

There are examples here on the forum and elsewhere on the Internet. A classical example, that has been up on the Net for 20 years is this: http://www.lathes.co.uk/fonly/ (Government Health Warning: Don't look at the other pages of this Web-site, they make you drool ...) 

wefalck

 

panta rhei - Everything is in flux

 

 

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To second Wefalck,

A budget, corded 1/2" drill would make a turned stock driver.  Fix it in a jig on a board.  Many come with an ability to set the RPM.

As a common tool, there may be some available second hand.

I intend to try a ball bearing race as a tail stock holder.  They come with a range of ID.  Shim if necessary.

 

My Unimat SL has a short bed as far as mast lengths go.  I figure that by using a race in the tail stock holder, there is no limit in how much length can extend beyond the race. The effective  bed length can be doubled by being able to flip the stock end to end.

 

 

NRG member 45 years

 

Current:  

HMS Centurion 1732 - 60-gun 4th rate - Navall Timber framing

HMS Beagle 1831 refiit  10-gun brig with a small mizzen - Navall (ish) Timber framing

The U.S. Ex. Ex. 1838-1842
Flying Fish 1838  pilot schooner -  framed - ready for stern timbers
Porpose II  1836  brigantine/brig - framed - ready for hawse and stern timbers
Vincennes  1825  Sloop-of-War  -  timbers assembled, need shaping
Peacock  1828  Sloop-of -War  -  timbers ready for assembly
Sea Gull  1838  pilot schooner -  timbers ready for assembly
Relief  1835  ship - timbers ready for assembly

Other

Portsmouth  1843  Sloop-of-War  -  timbers ready for assembly
Le Commerce de Marseilles  1788   118 cannons - framed

La Renommee 1744 Frigate - framed - ready for hawse and stern timbers

 

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Just now, James H said:

I was thinking that it could be used as a drum sander is the Dremel is lowered

My first drum sanding table used a 1/6 HP motor.  It did not supply enough power.  I suspect that a motor generates excess heat when asked to do more work than it was engineered to supply.

NRG member 45 years

 

Current:  

HMS Centurion 1732 - 60-gun 4th rate - Navall Timber framing

HMS Beagle 1831 refiit  10-gun brig with a small mizzen - Navall (ish) Timber framing

The U.S. Ex. Ex. 1838-1842
Flying Fish 1838  pilot schooner -  framed - ready for stern timbers
Porpose II  1836  brigantine/brig - framed - ready for hawse and stern timbers
Vincennes  1825  Sloop-of-War  -  timbers assembled, need shaping
Peacock  1828  Sloop-of -War  -  timbers ready for assembly
Sea Gull  1838  pilot schooner -  timbers ready for assembly
Relief  1835  ship - timbers ready for assembly

Other

Portsmouth  1843  Sloop-of-War  -  timbers ready for assembly
Le Commerce de Marseilles  1788   118 cannons - framed

La Renommee 1744 Frigate - framed - ready for hawse and stern timbers

 

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Is your Dremel stand metal or plastic?  Check for wobble by mounting the Dremel and see if it moves with a bit pressure.  Some of these are not the sturdiest. 

Mark
"The shipwright is slow, but the wood is patient." - me

Current Build:                                                                                             
Past Builds:
 La Belle Poule 1765 - French Frigate from ANCRE plans - ON HOLD           Triton Cross-Section   

 NRG Hallf Hull Planking Kit                                                                            HMS Sphinx 1775 - Vanguard Models - 1:64               

 

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CH-53 Sikorsky - 1:48 - Revell - Completed                                                   Licorne - 1755 from Hahn Plans (Scratch) Version 2.0 (Abandoned)         

         

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

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4 hours ago, mtaylor said:

Is your Dremel stand metal or plastic?  Check for wobble by mounting the Dremel and see if it moves with a bit pressure.  Some of these are not the sturdiest. 

Yes, that's a common complaint with the Dremel drill press.. All indications are that the flexion in the Dremel unit makes it a bit-breaker for the small size bits. I've found the Vanda-Lay Industry rotary tool drill press to be adequately solid, although for serious drilling I opt for my Unimat SL. I've just discovered the "Micro Fine Drill Mill Adaptor Miniature Quill."  It's 1/2" shaft chucks into a full size drill press. It has a separate quill with a knurled grip that permits drilling with very small bits with fine control. I think I'm going to check it out. 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Miniature-Shank-JT0-Chuck-Manual-Control-Avoids-Breakage/dp/B06XZ4KJSV/ref=pd_lpo_469_img_1/138-4377185-5044154?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B06XZ4KJSV&pd_rd_r=4b546926-1697-465b-b65e-5ff710252f39&pd_rd_w=p7Mbu&pd_rd_wg=iFknW&pf_rd_p=16b28406-aa34-451d-8a2e-b3930ada000c&pf_rd_r=FJQWZ5GFRGH7NZF6FP3Q&psc=1&refRID=FJQWZ5GFRGH7NZF6FP3Q

 

611-mQ8zsTL._AC_SL1267_.jpg

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Thanks every one I clearly did not think this through properly. I also need to try this out and hope that as it is made by Dremmel, I should at least be able to use it for drilling. As regards the making of masts it was not my idea to hold the mast in the Demmel  but to hold some kind of small rotary sanding tool and hold the mast in my hand. I suppose it would be just as well  to hold the mast in an ordinary electric drill and use the Dremmel in your hand with one of Dremmel's sanding attachments. 

Completed     St Canute Billings            Dec 2020

Completed    HMS Bounty Amati          May 2021 Finished

Currently building HM Bark Endeavour  

 

 

 

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When using a drill to shape masts, I like to use sand paper and my hand. I also have a Dremel drill stand and used it to drill some stuff before I got my replacement drill press. I noticed that the dremel had a lot of wobble even though it was bolted to my bench. I think it’s because of the plastic housing for dremel, it doesn’t provide a lot of support. If a traditional drill press is not economical for you right now, or you just don’t have space for one, then the dremel drill press should do what you need it to. A sanding drum on your dremel is going to have to much power and will remove to much wood. 
 

Bradley

Edited by Keithbrad80

Current Builds:

Flying Fish - Model Shipways - 1:96

 

Future Builds:

Young America 1853 - Scratch Build - 1:72

 

Completed Builds:

HMS Racehorse - Mantua - 1:47 (No pictures unfortunately)

Providence Whale Boat - Artesania Latina - 1:25 (Also no pictures)

Lowell Grand Banks Dory - Model Shipways - 1:24

 

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Pride of Baltimore 2 - Model Shipways - 1:64 (Also no pictures)

 

 

 

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5 hours ago, DaveBaxt said:

Thanks every one I clearly did not think this through properly. I also need to try this out and hope that as it is made by Dremmel, I should at least be able to use it for drilling. As regards the making of masts it was not my idea to hold the mast in the Demmel  but to hold some kind of small rotary sanding tool and hold the mast in my hand. I suppose it would be just as well  to hold the mast in an ordinary electric drill and use the Dremmel in your hand with one of Dremmel's sanding attachments. 

It still doesn't sound like you're entirely clear on the concept. 1. Put your hand drill motor in a vise.  2. Put the dowel you will be using for the mast or boom in the chuck of your drill motor. 3. Hold the far end of the dowel with a piece of cloth or drill a hole in a piece of wood and rig a support for the outer end with clamps or whatever. 4. Turn on drill motor. 5. Run a sanding block with 120 grit or so up and down the length of the dowel to shape it. 

 

If you have the option of sending the Dremel drill press back where it came from for a refund, I'd say "Send it back!" I've never heard of anybody who had one that was satisfied with it. It simply lacks the rigidity to do the work at the tolerances modeling demands. Dremel mototools have their place and are useful for a lot of jobs, but Dremel's stands and attachments are often more in the "toy" category than in the "serious tool" category. Your mileage may vary, but I'd suggest if you are for whatever reason wedded to a Dremel mototool for power, you'd be dollars ahead to get a Vanda-Lay Industries drill press or  mill/drill set up and realize a much higher quality level of work. If you aren't wedded to the mototool for power, get a dedicated mini-drill press. 

 

Below are the Vanda-Lay drill press, and mill. the lower two photos are of the mill set up as a cut-off saw and as a wood lathe.  This system, powered by a Dremel mototool (any type) or a Foredom handpiece, is somewhat similar to the legendary Unimat DB/SL in concept. They are made entirely of CNC-cut aluminum and stainless steel and very nicely done. It's a family business and their service is prompt. Their prices are quite reasonable, in my opinion. Their drill press, and mill/drill/circular saw/lathe fill the need for machines that can turn out good work at a price point well below purchasing any dedicated machine tool in the same size range. The mill/drill has tremendous versatility. They make good sense for those who have yet to commit to investing thousands of dollars in a micro-machine shop full of dedicated tools.  https://www.vanda-layindustries.com/index.html

 

 

 

 7_drill_press_w_drill_table.jpg

 

cutoff_saw_display1.jpg

 

micro_lathe_2.jpg

 

 

 

 

Edited by Bob Cleek
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Using a power-tool along a mast or spar to be shaped would only work, if you were using it as what is called a 'tool-post grinder', i.e. mounted to the cross-slide of a lathe. Otherwise, it would be very difficult to run the power-tool steadily enough along the piece of wood in your big power-drill.

 

Using a sanding-block or strips of sanding-paper run a long the wood as sort of steadying effect and you bring linear surface into contact with the wood, rather than a round one.

 

Old machinisists handbooks from the 19th century are source of useful ideas for us hobbyists. At that time lathes usually did not come with all those fancy attachments that are seen today as needed to do quality work. Machinists had to improvise. If you don't have a tailstock for your arrangement, but need to steady the far end of a long work-piece, you can fashion what would be called a 'fixed-steady' from a block of wood clamped to the work-table (as would need to be your drill in a horizontal position). To the front of this block you glue/staple a piece of thick cardboard into which you have punched a hole of the diameter of the dowel you start to work with. This will not last for ever and you may need to replace the cardboard from time to time. You could also use a piece of wood instead. Once you are done, you just cut off the thick part that is left on your mast/spar.

wefalck

 

panta rhei - Everything is in flux

 

 

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Thanks guys for clearing that up. and I now see where you are coming from . If I can get my money back I will. Until then I will have to make do with a power drill and sand paper or perhaps a mini plane as I have one of them. I do have some spare dowel to practice on so hopefully I will be able get the hang of it at some stage. 

Completed     St Canute Billings            Dec 2020

Completed    HMS Bounty Amati          May 2021 Finished

Currently building HM Bark Endeavour  

 

 

 

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Why bother with a make-shift lathe of any kind? The old time spar-makers simply made the spar a tapered square in cross-section, then planed it octagonal, finally 16-sided and then rounded it off. One can do this easily at model size using a V shaped holder and a 7-10-7 proportioned scale to mark the sides of the square stick out before cutting it octagonal. One can use a mini-plane or sharp chisel for this. It takes little time and, at model size, after the 8-square is cut, sandpaper does the rest of the job. No power equipment required!

Be sure to sign up for an epic Nelson/Trafalgar project if you would like to see it made into a TV series  http://trafalgar.tv

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36 minutes ago, druxey said:

Why bother with a make-shift lathe of any kind? The old time spar-makers simply made the spar a tapered square in cross-section, then planed it octagonal, finally 16-sided and then rounded it off. One can do this easily at model size using a V shaped holder and a 7-10-7 proportioned scale to mark the sides of the square stick out before cutting it octagonal. One can use a mini-plane or sharp chisel for this. It takes little time and, at model size, after the 8-square is cut, sandpaper does the rest of the job. No power equipment required!

This is the method given in the MS Norwegian Sailing Pram kit by David Antscherl. As a matter of fact I am going to shape my mast today. I used the same method on the gaff and boom.

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In years of arrow making I found that chucking up the arrow in a drill and using sandpaper to round it usually ended up with an oval shaft. The edge grain resists the sandpaper. A little practice with a shooting board and a block plane usually produced better results.

 

Edit- chucking up the shaft in a drill motor and then holding it against a belt sander produces pretty good result but quite often the chuck on the drill loses grip and you fire the shaft across the shop. It's amazing how far they will go.

Edited by Don Case
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It all depends also on the size of the spars. Some may be just too short and thin for planing. The shape can be easily checked with calipers and corrected by running the sanding-block down the long axis of the ellipse. For small spars a shooting board and a sanding-block might be a good combination. Or holding the dowel in a pin-vice/drill chuck and then working with sanding-block on a wood board. For the finishing touch it is a good idea to have the piece rotating. I tend to use steel-wool for this, rather than sanding-paper.

wefalck

 

panta rhei - Everything is in flux

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

I think you’re going to like it. I use mine all the time. And not just for modeling 😉. You need two things that will reduce your frustration though because accuracy is not a dremels  strong suit. First, get a vice you can attach to the base. That’s what those square holes and grooves are for. Second, get an on/off switch and plug your Dremel into that. You’re going to find that every time you turn it on, it moves. I plug mine into my work bench. Makes life easier. I don’t use it for spars or dowels. It’s useless. I use my lathe or a hand drill for that. But for sanding and drilling, and cutting...it’s great. 
 

This is all referring to the stand. Just wanted to make that clear 🥸 

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I bought my drill press back in the early 70’s.  It’s chuck accepts drill bits up to 1/2in dia. and the fractional hp motor that drives it never lacks power.  The depth between the centerline of the chuck and column is about 10in.  At the time it cost enough that it was a major purchase.  Since buying it, I have used it almost daily in my shop.

 

Today, a similar bench top drill press bought from a big box home improvement store costs less than $100.  At this price, I cannot understand why anyone would spend money trying to adapt a Dermel tool as a drill press.

 

Roger

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18 minutes ago, Roger Pellett said:

Today, a similar bench top drill press bought from a big box home improvement store costs less than $100.  At this price, I cannot understand why anyone would spend money trying to adapt a Dermel tool as a drill press.

I think it's mainly because Dremel markets it's "moto-tool" as being able to do a thousand and one different things and therein lies a lot of it's appeal to less-sophisticated DIY-ers. My wife gets more use out of her Dremel that she uses to sand down her dogs' nails than I do out of mine in my workshop! :D 

 

There are some things Dremels will do very well (and a Foredom flex-shaft machine will do better,) but the more things any tool is advertised as being capable of doing, the less likely it is to do very many of them well.

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20 hours ago, Bob Cleek said:

I think it's mainly because Dremel markets it's "moto-tool" as being able to do a thousand and one different things and therein lies a lot of it's appeal to less-sophisticated DIY-ers. My wife gets more use out of her Dremel that she uses to sand down her dogs' nails than I do out of mine in my workshop! :D 

 

 

Also, not everyone is blessed with the space to keep and operate bench tools. The Dremels are very versatile and don't take up lots of space. The Vanda-Lay products mentioned earlier are ideal for those with a small workspace. I used to use the AcraMill Plus with a Dremel as a drill, mill, mini table saw, and more. But, yes, if you have the space a small bench-top drill press is easier for a lot of things. Plus, you don't have to spend the time reconfiguring it, like you do with Dremel attachments.

Clare Hess

He's a -> "HE"

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  • 1 month later...

I have now had my Dremmel drill stand for some time now and have to agree with most that the stand is pretty useless of trying to drill anything accurate and even worse when trying to drill metal . Unfortunately I was unable to get my money back so I might try and sell it on ebay. I have now recovered from the expence of buy something usless and have been looking at bench drill. The one which is readily available form a local ship model shop is this one:-

https://www.hobbies.co.uk/proxxon-tbm-220-bench-drill-702060-28128 

The vice is not included so altogether is around £200 mark. I would really like some input and whether I can get more for my money. I don,t want to make the same mistake as I did with the Dremmel. I am really surprised at Dremmel as the cordless Dremmel is an excellent product and I have used it many times. Thanks again .Best regards Dave

Completed     St Canute Billings            Dec 2020

Completed    HMS Bounty Amati          May 2021 Finished

Currently building HM Bark Endeavour  

 

 

 

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I have to agree with your assessment, Dave. I bought the Dremel stand years ago and quickly gave up on it. Nevertheless, I've been dragging it around on all my moves, cross-country and all. Don't ask me why.

Chris Coyle
Greer, South Carolina

When you have to shoot, shoot. Don't talk.
- Tuco

Current builds: Brigantine Phoenix, Hawker Hurricane

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Here in the US, our big box home improvement stores sell imported bench top drill presses for less than half what you are planning for a Proxxon Hobby drill press.

 

A drill press is actually a simple tool.  If I were you before spending $200+ (US) I would shop around and see what’s available.  I personally would avoid one with electronic speed control.  I prefer belt driven tools.  If the electronics fails, you can be faced with an expensive repair.  IMHO electronic variable speed control is often added to tools to increase market appeal but provides little utility.   I can change spindle speeds on my belt driven drill press by moving the belt to different sheaves but rarely do so.

 

Whatever you buy check to see that it is equipped with ball or roller bearings, and that the column and table provide rigidity.

 

A possible advantage of the Proxxon tool might be its ability to accept smaller drills used in model building.  The chuck on my drill press will not close on drill bits with diameters less than 2mm.  This limitation is easily overcome bu mounting the drill bit in a pin vice and mounting the pin vice in the drill press chuck.

 

As an ex-owner of several boats, both sail and power, the old saying was that if you added “Marine” to the description of a product it automatically cost much more.  It would seem that the same is also true of tools marked “Hobby.” 

 

Roger

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3 hours ago, Roger Pellett said:

Here in the US, our big box home improvement stores sell imported bench top drill presses for less than half what you are planning for a Proxxon Hobby drill press.

 

A drill press is actually a simple tool.  If I were you before spending $200+ (US) I would shop around and see what’s available.  I personally would avoid one with electronic speed control.  I prefer belt driven tools.  If the electronics fails, you can be faced with an expensive repair.  IMHO electronic variable speed control is often added to tools to increase market appeal but provides little utility.   I can change spindle speeds on my belt driven drill press by moving the belt to different sheaves but rarely do so.

 

Whatever you buy check to see that it is equipped with ball or roller bearings, and that the column and table provide rigidity.

 

A possible advantage of the Proxxon tool might be its ability to accept smaller drills used in model building.  The chuck on my drill press will not close on drill bits with diameters less than 2mm.  This limitation is easily overcome bu mounting the drill bit in a pin vice and mounting the pin vice in the drill press chuck.

 

As an ex-owner of several boats, both sail and power, the old saying was that if you added “Marine” to the description of a product it automatically cost much more.  It would seem that the same is also true of tools marked “Hobby.” 

 

Roger

Roger thank you for your input and I agree that anything involving the marine industry is usually over priced and probablly the same with tools bought for the modelling industy will be the same. However I am hoping that if I buy it from a model shop hopefully it would be what I need but could be wrong. I am hoping that perhaps someone on this forum is using the same make and model and let me know if it is suitable.I can then shop around and see id I can get it cheaper or at least one that is similar.Best regards  Dave

Completed     St Canute Billings            Dec 2020

Completed    HMS Bounty Amati          May 2021 Finished

Currently building HM Bark Endeavour  

 

 

 

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Interestingly enough the Proxxon 220 gets  a mention in the power tools section https://thenrg.org/articles/power-tools but does not give any information about this dtill stand. However it does mention that the Dremel drill stand might not be accurate. enough.. I have done a search on line for any reviews on the Proxxon 220 and the only down side I can find with this machine is the Proxxon vice not being stable enough . Fortunately the vice comes seperate so I can always purchase a more robust vice. Your input and help is appreciated .

Best regards Dave

Edited by DaveBaxt

Completed     St Canute Billings            Dec 2020

Completed    HMS Bounty Amati          May 2021 Finished

Currently building HM Bark Endeavour  

 

 

 

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22 hours ago, DaveBaxt said:

I have now had my Dremmel drill stand for some time now and have to agree with most that the stand is pretty useless of trying to drill anything accurate and even worse when trying to drill metal . Unfortunately I was unable to get my money back so I might try and sell it on ebay. I have now recovered from the expence of buy something usless and have been looking at bench drill. The one which is readily available form a local ship model shop is this one:-

https://www.hobbies.co.uk/proxxon-tbm-220-bench-drill-702060-28128 

The vice is not included so altogether is around £200 mark. I would really like some input and whether I can get more for my money. I don,t want to make the same mistake as I did with the Dremmel. I am really surprised at Dremmel as the cordless Dremmel is an excellent product and I have used it many times. Thanks again .Best regards Dave

 

Hi Dave - A word of caution as I'm going to encourage you to spend some well earned money!!!  Have a look on the Cooksongold website as they sell Foredom tools.  I have just swapped over to these and got rid of all of my Dremel gear after this was recommended to me.  I was very reluctant to be honest but the difference is like night and day.  Loads more control with torque rather than speed and a really decent drill press too which suits our needs.  I have a hand piece that accepts 1/4 diameter bits too.  I wish I had bought this years ago as the amount of money I have spent on little bits here and there that turned out to be useless.  Here's a picture of the drill press and the standard hand piece using a small Proxxon vice.  Just another option for you that will stand the test of time.

 

 

IMG_4136.jpeg

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Dave,

 

If you are looking for a cheap, functional bench drill press then a £102 Machine-Mart (MM) one would do eg  ....  https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/clarke-cdp102b-bench-drill-press-230v/    With a bit of Googling you might find it elsewhere for £80 or so, but with MM you can actually have a look at the drill in their local store and drive it back if not happy. Always bolt the drill to your bench.       

406536FA-547E-4192-88A2-FF06D5FE6004-lar

 

The drill looks very similar to the one I've had in my garden shed for 20 odd years. Belt driven, chuck takes 1.5mm - 13mm drills.  You might want a basic, £10 vice also...  https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/clarke-3-inch-vice-cdv30c/       

 

This drill is based on a Chinese design that is re-badged the world over.

 

MM also do a very similarl looking £84 bench drill ...   https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/clarke-cdp5eb-5-speed-bench-mounted-pillar-dri/    .... but the On/Off switch is to the rear of the left side of the drill body...idealy it should be up front and centre.     

 

Richard

 

 

 

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In about 1977 I bought what by modern standards would be a primitve hand-held drill. At that time I hadn't heard of Dremel and, I think, PROXXON was not on the market yet. This drill consist of a motor in an aluminium tube, brass tube screwed to the motor shaft with a set-screw that acts as a seat for the collets. A set of good steel collets for bit up to 1/8" (or 3.2 mm) belongs to it. I am still using it almost daily.

 

In around 1983 I bought the PROXXON bench drill, when it first came onto the market and with it all the extras then available, namely a kit to convert it into a light wood-lathe or disk-sander. I have abused it for all these purposes and light routing too. It was worth every 'Pfenning' I spent on it. I gather the ball-bearings could do with replacing by now, but originally, it was capable to do more than what was advertised, namely drilling 0.5 mm holes, I frequently drilled holes down to 0.3 mm diameter with it. Or course, it could not compete with the small Swiss precision benchdrills I knew from my university's workshops. I added to the abuse by buying a larger 3/8" drill-chuck for non-modelling work, but otherwise preferred the collets, which would take up to 1/8" shafts.

 

The PROXXON drill is belt driven (I still use the first belt), but I rarely used anything else but the highest reduction (the motor is a standard 90 W sewing machine-type motor with presumably 3500 rpm. In order to reduce speed further, I am using a plug-dimmer. This in turn is plugged into a socket that is wire to a foot switch, allowing hands-free operation.

wefalck

 

panta rhei - Everything is in flux

 

 

M-et-M-72.jpg  Banner-AKHS-72.jpg  Banner-AAMM-72.jpg  ImagoOrbis-72.jpg
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3 hours ago, No Idea said:

 

Hi Dave - A word of caution as I'm going to encourage you to spend some well earned money!!!  Have a look on the Cooksongold website as they sell Foredom tools.  I have just swapped over to these and got rid of all of my Dremel gear after this was recommended to me.  I was very reluctant to be honest but the difference is like night and day.  Loads more control with torque rather than speed and a really decent drill press too which suits our needs.  I have a hand piece that accepts 1/4 diameter bits too.  I wish I had bought this years ago as the amount of money I have spent on little bits here and there that turned out to be useless.  Here's a picture of the drill press and the standard hand piece using a small Proxxon vice.  Just another option for you that will stand the test of time.

 

 

IMG_4136.jpeg

 

I'd strongly second this recommendation. The initial cost is about twice what a decent Dremel or Proxxon will cost, but, indeed there is no comparison. The Foredom flex-shaft tool system is several multiples better than the less expensive options. (Do not opt for one of the Chinese copies now on the market. They've gotten terrible reviews.) As for drill presses, Vanda-Lay Industries, which produces an excellent system of "Dremel powered" drill presses and mills, etc., has informed me they would be happy to supply their equipment with fixtures to hold the 1" diamenter Foredom handpieces instead of the larger Dremel bodies. I'll be upgrading my Vanda-Lay drill press to hold my Foredom handpieces instead of a Dremel moto-tool in the near future. Torque trumps speed every time in fine work!

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