Mini Bench Drill Press

[Gregory]

Ron Burns Topic about  a mini drill press got me interested in looking for something to replace my Dremel version which leaves a lot to be desired.

 

I went ahead with this one from Amazon which gives me the option of returning it hassle free.  It's listing now for $69.99.

 

 

There are several different vendors selling what appears to be identical machines, at different prices, with various accessory packages and minor construction differences.  

 

Here is an illustration showing the dimensions.  The head vertical travel is about 1 & 3/4  inches, which is plenty for my purposes.

The head can be swung from side to side using some lock down screws, which I will discuss further later on.

I think the size is going to be great for the modeling environment.  A much smaller footprint than my old Dremel set-up.

 

 

 

Here is mine with everything that was in the box.  I put the 3/8 inch drill there to give a little perspective to the size.

It weighs in at 3.6 LB.  (The product listing says 4.8 LB, but maybe that was with everything in the box plus the box ) Materials and workmanship appear 1st rate.  Shafts and head parts appear to be stainless steel, but the listing says something about the shafts being chrome plated something.  I guess the head parts could be aluminum, but it feels heavier than what I would expect for aluminum. Base is aluminum with a very smooth finish.  No rough edges or burrs on any of the parts.

No detectable play where it matters, so securing the work piece seems to be the main concern here.  I'm exploring some vise options.  The main challenge will be getting a decent vise that will work in the available space.

The ones I am looking at will cost as much or more than the drill press itself.

The red arrows point to the swivel lock screws.  The bottom one has a lever that is not shown in the Amazon illustrations.  It makes for easier adjustments, however the upper screw requires an allen wrench, which I feel is somewhat inconvenient.  They do provide a long screw with a knob on the end that I think may replace the hex head screw.  I don't anticipate using the swivel feature very much, but it would be important for someone who needs a bigger space than the table provides for the workpiece.

The blue arrow points to the travel limit adjustment screw.   Here is where I would want something more convenient to use.  I will be adding a longer screw with some kind of knob on the end for this adjustment.

The power supply says the DC out is up to 120 W at 5 A.   It is adjustable across a range of 12 to 24 volts.

Using an in-line watt meter I found the drill was pulling 10 W  0.19A at 12 v and 17 W 0.27A  at 24v, so the power supply should be more than adequate at even half the rated specs.

 

So, what happened when I powered it up?

I was very pleasantly surprised.  It is very quiet with no vibration that I can detect from 12 to 24V.

 

The specs on this at Amazon say 450RPM.   I don't have any way to measure it, but that seems low, even at 12 V.   The same machine under other vendors say 7000.  That number seems doubtfully high.

The label on the motor is all Chinese, but there is a number - 1750 - 3500, so that would seem more realistic for motor RPM.

The pulley arrangement looks to be a 2 to 1  reduction so that would be 875 to 1750 at the chuck.

I anticipate doing most of my work at 12V, but I'm ready to learn about where higher RPM becomes useful.

 

That all said, the torque seems to be very high. At 12 volts, I couldn't manage to stop the spindle with my fingers.  There was starting to be pain involved, and I didn't want to push it.

Maybe some good work gloves would make a difference, but I will leave that experiment for someone else.

 

How does it perform workwise?  I haven't got that far yet, but should be experimenting with different bits and materials in the next few days.

 

Meanwhile, I wanted to get this first impression  out there for those who are interested. 

 

I think one could spend a lot more than $70 and not get this level of quality.

 

That said, there can always be quality control issues, and some may have higher standards than I do, so I wouldn't buy it without a generous return policy.

 

 

 

 

Edited January 16 by Gregory

[Gregory]

It just occurred to me that a picture with my hand in it would give a much better perspective of size.

 

 

Now you know why I never made it as a " Hand Model " ..

Edited January 16 by Gregory

[rlwhitt]

Gregory, thanks for posting this review.  This is an interesting product, I'm looking for something like this.  I'll be interested to see what can be done for fixing the work to the base.  Looks like at minimum with all those slots it might be pretty simple to get a fence on there.  

 

Have you tested to see how small a bit that chuck can handle?

 

Went back and looked at the Amazon listing detail.  Looks like 0.7mm 

 

Thanks!

 

Edited January 16 by rlwhitt

[David W]

Interesting tool and probably a bunch more suitable then my floor mounted 16 speed, 3/4Hp drill press for model building.

My only concern with one of these is that power pack and how it will survive long term vs a 120VAC unit with a rheostat for speed

[Roger Pellett]

0.7mm=.02755in which my converter rounds up to 1/32”.   Small (Real) Jacobs chucks will close to zero.  For many of us, this inability to accept very small wire sized drills might be serious limitation.  

 

Roger

[Gregory]

31 minutes ago, David W said:

My only concern with one of these is that power pack and how it will survive long term vs a 120VAC unit with a rheostat for speed

I share your concern, however as I noted the power draw at 24V is only 17W at 24 volts, so for short term I think it will be OK.

 

I'm more inclined to get a more robust DC supply and use something like this:

 

DC to DC Step Down Power Supply

 

[Gregory]

1 hour ago, Roger Pellett said:

0.7mm=.02755in which my converter rounds up to 1/32”.  

I have found the listed specs for all kinds of Chinese stuff to be unreliable.  Generally, they are not catering to a market that cares about that kind of accuracy.

Here is a close up of my chuck.  I think the appearance of that opening is deceptive.  It's certainly smaller than 1/32.

 

Here are the smallest bits I have.  Of course, the 2 with the 1/8 shank are not an issue.  I don't have any decent calipers right now, but the bit on the bottom right is a little smaller than 24 gauge wire. ( .028" )

Here it is chucked up.

 

 

Here are a few holes  in some plywood with the bit above.  The piece wasn't clamped , so there may have been some micro-movement.

 

I'm looking froward to using this on a project.

 

 

 

[Chuck Seiler]

A #76 drill bit is .02" and #70 is .028".  If those are too small for the chuck, I believe there are mini chucks availabe with 1/8" shaft that can be chucked into the drill,  IIRC they go down to 0.

[Gregory]

I don't anticipate doing any work that can't be done with the 1/8 shank micro drills, and I have them at least as small as #81.

[rlwhitt]

26 minutes ago, Gregory said:

I don't anticipate doing any work that can't be done with the 1/8 shank micro drills, and I have them at least as small as #81.

 

I've got a set of shanked bits for the little Arrowmark drill I just got, so I'd be OK even if it didn't go down to 0.   Thanks!

 

[Chuck Seiler]

7 hours ago, Gregory said:

I don't anticipate doing any work that can't be done with the 1/8 shank micro drills, and I have them at least as small as #81.

Are they carbide or high speed steel?

[Gregory]

9 hours ago, Chuck Seiler said:

Are they carbide or high speed steel?

The 1/8 shank ones are carbide. 

 

The carbide ones break very easily, but work well  if one is careful. 

Edited January 17 by Gregory

[Chuck Seiler]

TWO WEEKS LATER...  Have you had opportunity to use the press more since last posting?  Any further revelations?

[Gregory]

Have not used it a lot, but have not uncovered any concerns.   I feel it is well made, and have not detected any play in the mechanism.

 

I don't foresee doing any work with it that would tax it to any extent. 

 

If you have any specific task you would like for me  to attempt,  I would give it a shot if I have the materials available.  I think I might be limited by the quality of my bits.

 

I have no reservations about recommending it to anyone who could see this fitting into their work environment.

 

[Chuck Seiler]

Did you attach a vice to it, or s all your work free standing?

[Gregory]

I'm working on putting together a small vice and X-Y table.   I will need to elevate the drill press.

 

Hope to post update soon.

[rlwhitt]

3 hours ago, Gregory said:

I'm working on putting together a small vice and X-Y table.   I will need to elevate the drill press.

 

Hope to post update soon.

 

I will be very interested to see what you come up with.  Some of these on Amazon are being sold with a little plastic vice that looks pretty lame.    Thanks for you valuable research!

[Gregory]

O.K., Call me indecisive. 

 

When I was clicking through small vises at amazon, I was presented with this.

 

BACHIN Rotary Table  $57.59

Check out the video for an idea of the working parameters.

Decent ( cheap ) mini-vises  + an X-Y table were pushing if not exceeding that price point.

 

I feel this will give better control than moving a vise around on an X-Y table, and the movement range should be adequate for my needs.

  I won't have it until Saturday, so won't have an update until then.

[kgstakes]

I'd be interested in what you come with as well for a vise and X-Y axis.

 

Question would a little machine shop or other small x-y table work?  Just throwing out ideas.

 

 

X-Y Table Assembly This small precision X-Y table can be used on a drill press or other machine to precisely locate your workpiece. The table is 90 mm (3.54") by 200 mm (7.87"). It has three 8 mm T-slots. The complete X-Y Table assembly is 10.5" wide, 9" deep and 2.9" high. The X-axis travel is 135 mm (5.31") and the Y-axis travel is 70 mm (2.76"). The height of the table is 60 mm (2.36"). The base is 100 mm (3.94") by 175 mm (6.89"). The dials are graduated in 0.001" and one turn of the hand wheels moves the table 0.050". The X-Y table is made of cast iron and steel. There are adjustable gibs on both axes. $189.95

[Chuck Seiler]

The vertical shaft (?) on the original press is only 8.66 inches.  At 5.31 inches in height, will this rotary table fit?

[Gregory]

17 minutes ago, Chuck Seiler said:

The vertical shaft (?) on the original press is only 8.66 inches.  At 5.31 inches in height, will this rotary table fit?

I will be making a platform to raise the drill press to a working height for the table..

 

Stay tuned..

[Gregory]

2 hours ago, kgstakes said:

Question would a little machine shop or other small x-y table work? 

It should.  See my last reply to Chuck..  If it wasn't made clear earlier, the drill head can be positioned away from the provided table, or removed from it all together.

[kgstakes]

After looking at all the pictures of the drill press you could pretty much put anything under the head.  Looks to me all you have to do is replace the “support post”.  Make a longer one.  
 

yeah you have to figure out how much travel you would really need for a table but I think a longer support post would cure that part of the problem.  
 

Course  guess that part was obvious🤪🤪

[Chuck Seiler]

On 2/1/2024 at 8:29 PM, kgstakes said:

Looks to me all you have to do is replace the “support post”.  Make a longer one.  

If this was made of wood, no problem.  Metal is not my forte.  Where would one get one?

 

What is the diameter of the post?

[Gregory]

30 minutes ago, Chuck Seiler said:

What is the diameter of the post?

12mm

I think extending it with a dowel or metal rod using a good coupling would be relatively simple, but I am going to start with rotating the head and elevating the table.

 

I am waiting for delivery of my rotary table today.  Hope to have update today or tomorrow.

[rlwhitt]

25 minutes ago, Gregory said:

12mm

I think extending it with a dowel or metal rod using a good coupling would be relatively simple, but I am going to start with rotating the head and elevating the table.

 

I am waiting for delivery of my rotary table today.  Hope to have update today or tomorrow.

I think I can see where you are going.  I too would have to find a solution that did not involve metal work.  If you have a sturdy board to mount your rotary table to, then behind that a block mounted to the board to which in turn you could screw the rotated base of the press.  

[Twokidsnosleep]

I think I need one of these 😏

Or a stand for my Dremels

Edited February 3 by Twokidsnosleep

[Gregory]

9 minutes ago, Twokidsnosleep said:

Or a stand for my Dremels

I had one of these..

 

I even had a dedicated tool for it, so I didn't have to change it out..  I got by with it for many years but I decided I needed more precision.  It had to much play in it for the scales we are working at.

It would never have been suitable for any  detail milling work.

[Chuck Seiler]

I have a Dremel drill press from Vanda-Lay (MSW sponsor).  It is a great piece of equipment but is designed for older models of Dremel that were more symmetric.  I am having trouble ensuring accurate alignment when I change out the drill.  Most times it works fine, but with real precision, even 'a little off' is not good enough.. 

 

I got extended posts for my Vanda-Lay press.  I believe they are 1/2" diameter.  12mm is .47"  That may be an option.  Larry at Vanda=lay sells those separately.

[Bob Cleek]

44 minutes ago, Chuck Seiler said:

I have a Dremel drill press from Vanda-Lay (MSW sponsor).  It is a great piece of equipment but is designed for older models of Dremel that were more symmetric.  I am having trouble ensuring accurate alignment when I change out the drill.  Most times it works fine, but with real precision, even 'a little off' is not good enough.. 

 

I got extended posts for my Vanda-Lay press.  I believe they are 1/2" diameter.  12mm is .47"  That may be an option.  Larry at Vanda=lay sells those separately.

I have a Vanda-Lay Dremel mototool drill press stand also. I agree, it's far better than the version made by Dremel and the best option out there short of a dedicated benchtop drill press or mill. I have a dedicated new-style Dremel tool mounted in it and haven't noticed any mounting problems. I believe Vanda-Lay may offer different mounting collars for the old-style and new-style Dremel mototools. I gave them a call some time back to ask if they had a mounting collar that would fit a one-inch Foredom handpiece and they said that indeed they did and could provide one on special order. I've never gotten around to ordering one since I have another small combination drill press and milling machine. I'm presently musing about buying the additional parts and turning my Vanda-Lay drill press stand into the full-blown Vanda-Lay combo drill press and X-Y-Z milling machine to use with my Foredom flex shaft machine. I'm curious about the rigidity and accuracy of their new mill/drill and I expect its milling ability is somewhat limited by the power source options. If anybody has one, I'd like to know their thoughts.

 

The entire Vanda-Lay line, which keeps growing, seems extremely clever and reasonably priced. The fit and finish of the entire system, which is entirely CNC-machined aluminum and stainless steel (I think the support post rods are, as I recall.) is perfectly executed. Their system keeps growing. After expanding their milling stand to include a Z-axis, they now have accessories that turn it into a wood turning lathe, a grinding stand, a table router, circular cut-off saw, and grinding and buffing mandrel. Over the years I've acquired more dedicated small power tools than I have time to use and hardly need any of the Vanda-Lay system products because I already have dedicated machines to do all this combination system does, but I still want one because they are just so darn neat.  I would say that, regrettably, their main limitation is their dependence upon the Dremel mototool as a primary power source. The option of using the Foredom flex-shaft instead would, I anticipate, be a great improvement. Beyond that, if Vanda-Lay can ever develop their own foot-controlled variable-speed and reversible higher-powered and more compact and balanced power source, they'd be on their way to having an excellent candidate for the model engineering power tool niche once occupied by the venerable Unimat system which has been vacant for decades now.

Edited February 3 by Bob Cleek