Drillpress

[Uncle Alvah]

For the purpose of building a Longrifle, drilling the touch hole, tang screw and such, would you say the Grizzly Baby drillpress is excellent, adequate, marginal, or completely inadequate? 2" of spindle travel  sounds like it might not be up to the chore.
http://www.grizzly.com/products/5-Speed-Baby-Drill-Press/G7942

[Joe Schell]

Ive been using a craftsman thats about the same size for years. 2" travel is plenty for a rifle build, the tang bolt and lock bolts are only around 1 1/2".

[Black Hand]

I prefer an electric/battery hand drill...

[Lucky R A]

      It all depends on how many and what style of building you are going to do.  As a general rule it is better to buy the best you can afford in the beginning, so you will not be replacing it later.  Remember this is a long term purchase and may be used for things beyond building a few muzzleloaders.  No hand held drill will provide the accuracy that can be achieved with a drill press and a point to point attachment on a cross slide vice.  I would opt for a least a moderately priced floor model.

[Black Hand]

No hand held drill will provide the accuracy that can be achieved with a drill press and a point to point attachment on a cross slide vice.  I would opt for a least a moderately priced floor model.

And yet, the holes I drilled in the 20 or so guns I built were in line and exactly where I needed them...

[Stoner creek]

Contact David Rase on ALR. He makes a drill jig that makes hitting center almost idiot proof. You can use a hand drill with the jig. It's all I use. He also makes a trigger guard filing device that's a life changer. The dude is a regular genius!

[flehto]

I've had a Craftsman free standing drill press for 35 yrs and it's been trouble free and has accurately drilled a whole lot of holes. Some drill presses don't have the  higher speeds necessary for the many small drills used in gun building. Mine has 8 speeds and is quite versatile. 2" spindle travel might just make it for gunbuilding, but could be a problem for other types of work. I'd opt for longer travel.

I do use an electric holeshooter for drilling some holes, but when accuracy is called for, the drill press is used. The webs at the breech on my Bucks County LRs are 1/16" thick and using a holeshooter for the bbl lug pinhole would be folly.....anyways for me.

The pic shows my drillpress w/. a large sheet of 3/4" thick, reinforced plywood that allows all 4 bbl lug pinholes to be drilled in one setup...or 3 RR pipe pin holes.  Usually takes 15 minutes to do the drilling.

A drill press is a machine that's used the most in gunbuilding and where accuracy is often needed. Don't skimp on buying a drillpress......Fred

[45-110]

a "good" quality drill press can be used for drum sanding, buffing, and carding with wire wheel when rust blueing. so it good to have several speed choices....more is better. you will really appreciate a quality chuck too, 0"to 1/2" if possible.

[n stephenson]

I finally got tired of my drill press being in the way and, moved it to another of my shops were it collects dust. I have a point to point drilling clamp for when I need it.

[rich pierce]

For me a cheap drill press is helpful compared to a hand drill. I don't buildvoften so don't have the practice I guess. I've used the alignment gizmo with some success but for drilling for barrel pins and thimbles and tang bolts my garage sale tabletop junker drill press has been a plus. I want to start making locks from castings and so now want a much better drill press. Mine has some wobble.

[Acer Saccharum]

I'd recommend a 1/2 horse,  1/2" capacity chuck, floor model with adjustable and tilt table. As heavy duty as you can afford it. The little one linked above is not much more than a toy.  If you don't have room for a floor model, consider a bench top machine.

[Kingsburyarms]

I have a Table Top Jet Drill press from Rockler - Strong and can be used for more than drilling and takes up about the same space as what you are looking at - The Grizzly ITEM# G7943 would be a better investment if space and you want a table top model.

Jon

[Hungry Horse]

I have a Harbor Freight bench top drill press, and one of their Chinese made cross feeds. I drill touch holes, mill sight notches, and have even roughed out a replacement tumbler for an antique lock with it. I also cut my patches on it, with a repurposed hole saw, that I reshaped, and sharpened on the drill press. It is one of the most used power tools in my shop.

  Hungry Horse

[WKevinD]

I use one of Daves jigs for lock bolts and tang bolts but everything else is with this. I have replaced the standard Craftsman on/off switch and us a Harbor Freight cross slide vice for precision alignment.
Everything from pinning stock to underlugs, patchbox cavities, screw head shaping etc.
I had a benchtop in my old shop but this outperforms that one by a bunch.

PS the sign on the sweat box to the presses right says "Don't Put It Down...put it away" I wish I lived by that rule.
Kevin

[Scota4570]

I have a cheap little drill press like what you describe.  It is a bottom rung of drill presses.  Even so, mine gets a fair amount of use.  The accuracy is far better than any hand held drill.  Holes go straight, to depth, and stay round. As far as drill presses, go bigger,  older, and you get better.   If accuracy mattered I would never use a hand held drill.  Lot of folks do fine with hand tools though.  Folk art quality of build where the holes are a little off but work, you'll be fine. 

Ones expectation of precision is the deciding factor.  I am quite obsessive and want things to be correct the first try.  I have no interest in building using 200 year old backwoods tools and methods.  So, when real accuracy is needed I use a milling machine with a drill chuck.  It does not even need to be modern or particularly nice.  I have one of these:
https://www.astromart.com/images/classifieds/278000-278999/278559-1.jpg 

For instance, drilling and tapping a touch hole liner.  I set it up in the mill.  Spot a center hole, drill a pilot hole, drill to size, leave the barrel in the mill and don't move anything, lower the table, put a pilot rod in the chuck to guide the tap, tap the barrel, done.  Drilling and tapping fine thread holes can be sketchy with a hand held drill and eyeball method for the tap.  I don't want to ruin any barrels. 

Somebody mentioned using a drill press with sanding drums and such.  Be careful, the chuck is probably pressed onto a tapered spindle.  A side load can work it loose and damage the taper.

[P.W.Berkuta]

Scota 4570 is correct - side loading of a drill press quill is NOT recommended. You might get away with LIGHT side pressure but that's not what it was designed for. I started with my dad's Craftsman Atlas bench top drill press and that was very accurate but it took up bench top space. I bought a floor model from Harbor Freight - not a smart move as the head does not sit perpendicular with the table - it is about 1/2 degree off. I use this drill press for rough work and when I want true vertical alignment I use my mill.
My suggestion is to go with as much quality as you can afford. I would rank Harbor Freight as a "hobby tool" that is seldom used by someone -- i.e. "a computer geek that wants to build balsa wood model rubber band airplanes".

[hanshi]

A few years ago I got a good deal on a new bench top drill from Harbor Freight; it was on sale plus I had a coupon.  I then got a "drill press vice-2" to hold work.  I don't build - though building a kit remains a possibility; but I do make accessories and other stuff. 

I have a friend who can use an electric hand drill with a precision rivaling a drill press; but I can't even attempt that level of skill.  So far the DP does all I ask of it.  It isn't as precise as good quality machines but should do fine if I ever do want to tackle a build.

   

[deepcreekdale]

 I use both a drill press and a jig I got from Thomas Snyder of Michigan. Sometimes, depending on the mood, on breech tangs to triggerplates, I use the old drill a small hole half way, then come in from the other side until they meet and enlarge to the bolt clearance size. All methods work well. What I would like to have, is an antique, hand cranked drill press like they had in colonial times. Just for the flavor I guess. I like using traditional methods if I can. For some reason, the gun just ends up looking more correct than if it is built using modern machining methods. At least to my taste.

[Kingsburyarms]

"a computer geek that wants to build balsa wood model rubber band airplanes".

Uh hum,,,, I am one of those.... 

[rick/pa]

I also have a small Craftsman bench top drill press about 30 yrs old. In fact it looks so much like the Grizzly you have pictured that I would bet it was made by them for Sears. Same specs even. Would I like to have a floor model?  You betcha! Since I live in a 90 year old house with a small basement and low ceilings down there one's out of the question.  The bench top press does what I need it to do but as others have pointed out, buy the best you can afford, you'll do it sooner or later anyway and its keeps you from spending money twice.

[Dennis Glazener]

Scota 4570 is correct - side loading of a drill press quill is NOT recommended. You might get away with LIGHT side pressure but that's not what it was designed for.

Better listen to Scota4570 and P. W. years ago before I started building muzzleloaders I had a heavy duty 5/8" chuck bench drill press. I used it quite often to mill small pieces of aluminum block. Even bought one of those drill press "milling tables" one day I was happily milling away on a piece of Aluminum and off comes the chuck and of course it still had the 1/2" end mill firmly placed in the chuck. Well it bounced off the work bench and straight toward my feet, I didn't know I could dance so fast. It didn't hit me but it did break the cutting edge off the end mill! Could very easily have cut me pretty badly. The good think was it gave me a good reason to buy a milling machine
Dennis