Tiny "precision" drill press

[Ron Burns]

Hi everyone, it's been some time since I've been here on MSW. For the past few years I've been out for medical reasons and recently had the urge to get back to my Winnie. Drilling tiny holes in wood and soft metal has been my nemesis. I've wasted more money thinking I could 'shoemaker' something together rather than just dropping the coin. Anyways, I think I finally found a tiny press for under $100.00 that doesn't break carbide bits drilling aluminum, brass and wood. It runs on a dc supply anywhere between 6 and 14 volts with the tiny motor running between 1600 and 7500 rpm. The chuck holds from .3mm to 6mm. So far, I've experimented down to .6mm using a carbide pcb bit with no breakage into brass about 70 times. For me, that is a world record!  Its small enough to almost fit in a pocket at aprox. 18.5 cm height, 13.5 cm depth and 8 cm width. I'm not sure what one calls the distance a spindle can travel but in this case it's about 1.3 cm. I found this wee guy on Ebay in case anyone is interested.  I've never been so happy since I bought my Byrnes saw! It's really nice to be back!

Ron

[Bob Cleek]

Cute little gizmo, although I'm always leery of tools that trade torque for speed. It's the speedy ones that eat up drill bits. 

 

I suppose in all your excitement, you forgot to post the link to the source of the item. All we have is a picture. No brand name, no URL.. Can you tell us more?   

 

UPDATE: Never mind. I found it! Mini Bench Drill Press Precision CNC Table Milling Machine Portable Driller NePr | eBay

 

It's interesting in that until now I haven't seen much more from the "Patriotic Chinese People's Machine Tool Collective "than marginal quality cast iron and plastic. 13MM of quill travel (the max drilling depth) isn't a whole lot, though. Does the chuck hold really small number bits well? is it possible to mount a collet holder on the quill instead of the chuck provided? Interesting tool. 

 

Have you put a DTI on it to check the runout?

 

 

Edited November 3, 2023 by Bob Cleek

[Ron Burns]

Hi Bob,  no I didn't forget to post a link as I really didn't want to advertise for any one individual. As you found, it wasn't that hard to find. For what I need, more than 1.3 cm wasn't a requirement. Changing out the chuck to a collet wouldn't be a problem. Trusty Allen key to the rescue. Id have to check on the size adaptor needed. Believe it or not, no brand name and I bet there isn't more than 3 grams of plastic on the whole thing including the PU belt. It's construction is what attracted me. All aluminum, brass and steel. It really is a gem. .3mm bits should satisfy most with that chuck. It sure makes me happy 😊 A bigger base would be nice and I have a cute vice on the way too. As to runout, I don't have such a device to check it. Me not snapping carbide bits while drilling brass without a vice should be a good indicator. Passing wind around those stupid things will snap them!

Edited November 3, 2023 by Ron Burns
Fading older brain forgot a point...

[Chuck Seiler]

I have seen that when evaluating drill presses, speed and torque are both issues to consider.  Determining speed is easy, as it is almost always given.  How do you determine torque?

[Gregory]

On 1/4/2024 at 6:22 PM, Chuck Seiler said:

I have seen that when evaluating drill presses, speed and torque are both issues to consider.  Determining speed is easy, as it is almost always given.  How do you determine torque?

I don't think there would be any practical way to determine torque for these mini tools.

 

It  becomes a matter of sharing personal experience as to quality of performance. 

[Roger Pellett]

Theoretical-  if you know the wattage that the machine draws and can measure RPM’ s you can determine torque.  Torque= Power (watts) / speed

[Daniel Kimmer]

Is there a way to change out the center post to obtain some additional height? The use of an x y table would be nice for the possibility of some precision when drilling wood deck fittings. Currently with it only being 7 inches in height there is not sufficient room for a table unless I misunderstood the dimensions of the drill press.  I can see where a small micro drill press would be useful but I would still want an X Y table. I also use very small bits and if this would help with the breaking of the bits it would be of help.

[Bob Cleek]

I came across this mini drill press the other day, It isn't as elegant looking as the one above, but it's rated at 120W/450 RPM as compared to the one above at 30W/4800 RPM, has a drilling depth (quill stroke) of 42mm (1.65") versus 13mm on the above one, and it has an adjustable depth stop on it.  $67.00 (w/ free shipping from Los Angeles) Mini Bench Drill Press Precision Table Milling Machine Portable Driller DIY 120W | eBay

I would suggest that anybody who is thinking of a mini drill press and an x/y table might want to consider Vanda Lay Industries' offerings. They started with a CNC'd aluminum mini drill press that holds a Dremel moto-tool (or any other rotary tool including the 1" Foredom flex shaft handpieces (which I'd consider a much better alternative than the Dremel) and their "system" has grown now to include a milling machine that doubles as a drill press and has x, y, and z tables, as well as a mini lathe option. I have their drill press with a Dremel in it and it is a high-quality piece of equipment, perhaps more than the Dremel moto-tool deserves. The Foredom handpieces would provide more accuracy and torque at lower speeds than the Dremel. See: HOME (vanda-layindustries.com)

[Gregory]

5 hours ago, Bob Cleek said:

I came across this mini drill press the other day,

Funny you should mention that.

Ron's little gadget got me interested in getting something to replace the miserable Dremel excuse for a drill press.

I found the one you are looking at on Amazon.

The one in the OP looked really well made but appeared to have some limitations, the main one being a depth limiting mechanism.

 

I haven't unboxed the thing yet, but might get around to it today and will report back.

 

P.S.

 

The information description our Chinese friends come up with can be amusing.   There seems to be some sort of competition to come up with the most words, regardless if makes any sense to more experienced users.  Here is a little snip:

 

" .....also for home use, such as DIY or installing furniture. "

 

Right!  That has got to be the main reason I bought this..😁

Edited January 15 by Gregory

[Bob Cleek]

2 hours ago, Gregory said:

I haven't unboxed the thing yet, but might get around to it today and will report back.

Looking forward to your review!

[allanyed]

So am I.  My oldie is near the end of its life as I used it for milling for quite a few years before I could buy a mill so the bearings of course are well worn.  With a new press on my wish list your review will be helpful.  Thanks in advance Gregory

 

Allan

[Gregory]

I just posted my first impressions of the machine I mentioned above.

 

Mini Bench Drill Press

 

I haven't had time to do any real work with it..  I will try to follow up soon.

[Dcox]

I've been considering this for some delicate work. Reviews have been mostly positive.