Author Topic: holding fixtures (Read 10308 times)

Michigan Flinter · « **on:** December 31, 2009, 04:14:21 AM »

I'm about ready to drill the holes to pin the barrel and pipes to the stock.I use my drill press with a pointed post in the base ,on centerline to the drill ,to aline the placement of the holes.My problem is holding the stock and running the drillpress at the same time .What type of holding fixture ,or other method, do you use to keep the stock from moving ? This is a precarved stock .I'd rathger start with a blank makes drilling the holes less work and worry. Thanks for your replys. Eric D. Lau Riverdale Mi.

billd · « **Reply #1 on:** December 31, 2009, 05:41:11 AM »

My drill press is a bench top model. I use a scissors jack from a car to hold the other end of the stock to balance it. Easy to keep level, infinitly adjustable. I just made a crude cradle to bolt on top of the jack to keep the gun from falling off.
Bill

David Veith · « **Reply #2 on:** December 31, 2009, 04:34:28 PM »

I built a telescoping pole set up with across padded board with a heavy base. Good for other uses like steadying the fore end and so on. First one was just two boards with a slot nut and bolted together with a base.
David Veith

Scott Semmel · « **Reply #3 on:** December 31, 2009, 04:47:32 PM »

My machinist's vise is one of my favorite thingies, pad the jaws put the other end on one of those roller things from home depot and even a klutz like me can get the holes in the right places. I only use the jig with the matching point for the tang screw.

B.Habermehl · « **Reply #4 on:** December 31, 2009, 05:56:28 PM »

Clamp a piece of 1 by4 to the drillpress table wedge the free end with another piece of wood the correct length. Save the point to point jig for tang bolts and lock bolts. Carefully do your layout, and start to drill the holes with the proper sise drill bit in a pin vise between your fingers. This will allow you to fudge as needed. The chuck the bit in the drill press and finish drilling. I have been using this method foever and seldom miss, If I do its usually the fault of my layout. BJH

Dennis Glazener · « **Reply #5 on:** December 31, 2009, 06:10:54 PM »

I use one of the telescoping roller stands that you see on sale at Northern Handy Man, Harbor Freight etc for around $10. They work great for me when drilling cross pin hole, tang bolts etc.

It also works well in conjunction with my versa-vice to hold the stock while working on it.
Dennis

Roger Fisher · « **Reply #6 on:** December 31, 2009, 06:28:51 PM »

My shooting box with 1 shim levels the stock in the press vice. It is a bench drill press. Foolproof it is not however

erdillonjr · « **Reply #7 on:** December 31, 2009, 06:35:41 PM »

I get my wife to hold the other end. Ed

rich pierce · « **Reply #8 on:** December 31, 2009, 06:38:10 PM »

I drill them by hand. Sometimes I use a drilling jig, you know, the c-clamp thingy. But I've gottten good at drilling them by hand with an eggbeaer hand drill. I get the gun level, put a little bubble level on the drill, start the hole with a gimlet or an awl, and it comes out where I want. When I hit the lug or the tabs on the thimble, I stop and see where it hit just to give me confidence.

Dr. Tim-Boone · « **Reply #9 on:** December 31, 2009, 06:40:24 PM »

Dennis, you got a picture of that to post???

t.caster · « **Reply #10 on:** December 31, 2009, 07:12:23 PM »

Hi Eric, I usually stack up cigar boxes and wood scraps to the right height. A real pain!
Got a new benchtop drillpress for Christmas and I have been pondering the same dilemma. I have tried a clamp on vise with a piece of wood to raise up & down, but I dont like it. I was figuring on trying the old sizzor jack out in the barn next time.

Hey, you coming down to our shoot Sunday, or Chief Okemos Gun Show, or both like me???
Seeya

Dennis Glazener · « **Reply #11 on:** December 31, 2009, 07:13:57 PM »

Tim,
Here is a link to it. Just a cheap roller stand but it comes in quite handy. I use it to support one end of the stock when the other is in the vise, mill, drill press etc.

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r296/tglazener/IMG_0126.jpg

Take care,
Dennis

SR James · « **Reply #12 on:** December 31, 2009, 07:22:48 PM »

Harbor Freight makes a table extension for bench top drill presses that I've found handy.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=96395

James Rogers · « **Reply #13 on:** December 31, 2009, 07:34:47 PM »

I have a very large vice from the shipyard on a low bench beside my drill press. I use it for rough work in both metal and wood but it also serves as an adjustable "stand" to hold a piece of wood I can rest the gun on.

Dr. Tim-Boone · « **Reply #14 on:** December 31, 2009, 08:05:50 PM »

Quote from: SR James on December 31, 2009, 07:22:48 PM

Harbor Freight makes a table extension for bench top drill presses that I've found handy.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=96395

I have a very nice table like that but it doesn't help when using the centering post for a tang screw.....or at least I haven't been able to figure out how!>>>>>>>>>>>>

Pete G. · « **Reply #15 on:** December 31, 2009, 08:20:15 PM »

I have my benchtop drill press about 30" to the left of my vise. I built a small table about 8"x 12" with a vertical 1x4 that can be clamped in the vise. Adjust height as necessary and tighten the vise where needed.
When using the vise to hold a rifle the drill press table provides an adjustable support.

Bill-52 · « **Reply #16 on:** December 31, 2009, 08:44:09 PM »

I built two supports from scrap wood in the shop. As you can see, they're built to clamp anywhere to the bench and telescope to the necessary height.

The first two photos show one support with the telescoping feature intact. The third photo shows the other support with the telescoping feature taken off and the padded top piece at an angle (I'm using it at this stage to support the butt and prevent wobble).

I've not used them for my bench drill press yet (just starting first rifle) but they are designed to adjust to the necessary height.

Bill

Nate McKenzie · « **Reply #17 on:** December 31, 2009, 11:09:40 PM »

My first choice is a wife or child. Second choice is the roller stand pictured above.

Don Getz · « **Reply #18 on:** January 01, 2010, 01:34:02 AM »

Eric.....I used to use my vertiacal mill as a drill press to do those holes, not very speedy. After watching Jim Chambers do
it with a hand drill, I changed my ways. I now do it with an electric drill, hand held. I will hold the rifle in a vise, horizontal, upright. I put a vertical pencil mark on the stock where I want the pin to be. I take a caliper and measure the barrel at that point, and lock it. I then place a small parallel clamp across the top flat of the barrel and the bottom of the stock. Then, by holding the point of the caliper up against the top jaw of the clamp with the bottom jaw being down
along the stock. This tells me exactly where the bottom of the barrel is. I then take a scribe and push a small hole into
the stock just below that bottom jaw of the caliper. I then take that hand drill, with the proper size bit, and get the drill
as close to horizontal as possible and merely drill the hole. It works great and is a fast way to do it...........Don

John Archer · « **Reply #19 on:** January 01, 2010, 01:49:54 AM »

Dave Rase makes a wonderful little jig for drilling holes for pins for barrel tenons and pipes.

John.

Randall Steffy · « **Reply #20 on:** January 01, 2010, 01:52:28 AM »

Don G,
If you get one of the newer electric hand drills (mine is Dewalt-3/8") with integral level bubble in the top/end of the drill you will really like it. Gives you confidence for true vertical or horizontal. I am quite impressed with mine, when used as you describe above. That feature is not just a gimmick as I first thought.

Roger Fisher · « **Reply #21 on:** January 01, 2010, 01:58:13 AM »

Quote from: erdillonjr on December 31, 2009, 06:35:41 PM

I get my wife to hold the other end. Ed

Holy Kats Ed and you have survived this long!

I have a hard rule never ever ever have my wife and/or significant other help when stocking a rifle....It could lead to all sorts of mayhem

SR James · « **Reply #22 on:** January 01, 2010, 10:23:33 AM »

Brain veg...forgot we were talking about drilling for the tang screw. Still handy for other stuff though!

Rich · « **Reply #23 on:** January 01, 2010, 12:31:30 PM »

The easiest way I've found to drill the barrel pins is as follows:
I remove the barrel from the stock and draw a line around the barrel circumference, centered on the barrel lug or staple. I made a fence for the drill press table. I then hold the top flat of the barrel against the fence and adjust the fence until the drill bit, when lowered, hits the barrel lug. I lock down the fence and mark the fence with a line that matches up with the line on the barrel. I reinstall the barrel into the stock, making sure it is all the way down. I put a couple of layers of masking tape on the reverse side of the stock to minimize chipping out. Line up the line on the fence with the line on the barrel and drill straight through. To hold the stock, I bought an adjustable roller stand from Harbor Freight for about $10.

PIKELAKE · « **Reply #24 on:** January 01, 2010, 04:38:14 PM »

I use the same basic setup as Rich. Table top drill press and a piece of angle iron as a fence. I have a support similar to BILL52's, but not quite that fancy. Sometimes , on a pre-carved stock I have to shim the stock on the table to steady it. If I measure it right and pay attention to what I'm doing, all goes well. I would just as soon not get anyone else involved. Happy New year. In fact latter today, I may drill a couple of holes myself.

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Author Topic: holding fixtures (Read 10308 times)

billd

Scott Semmel

erdillonjr