Does anyone have a method for drilling straight(er) holes?

[jball85]

I'm looking to improve the accuracy of the holes on my future enclosures. What are you using?

[juansolo]

Drill press. It's the only way.

[muddyfox]

I've gotten pretty accurate handdrilling with a stepper bit and what helped me was to draw another  bigger circle around the future hole so that I can judge if I'm straying away from the centre. Ideally the hole will be smack in the middle of the bigger marking, of course.

Then I got a drill press. EOT. 

[bcalla]

Drill press. It's the only way.

+1.  I screwed up every enclosure (at least a little bit, sometimes a lot) until I got my drill press.

[peAk]

I'm looking to improve the accuracy of the holes on my future enclosures. What are you using?

I feel your pain. If you don't get a press (I still haven't), like others mentioned, a step drill bit would help.

[twin1965]

I make sure my drilling templates are as accurate as possible. I tape these to the top of the enclosure making sure that everything lines up properly. I then use a centre punch (an important step). I drill pilot holes using a 1mm drill bit. I find that starting with a small bit lowers the chances of it wondering as it fits snuggly in the centre punch. Then I use a couple more bits until I end up with a 4mm hole. This is the first size of my stepper bit. I then drill appropriate size holes but I make them a little bit bigger. This allows some wiggle room and makes it easier to fit the controls.
This seems to work for me and so far everything's been spot on.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

[icecycle66]

If getting a drill press is a step too far, then get a vice.

The trick to drilling good holes is stability.

[JohnL]

+1 on the center punch. If not that then at least the hammer and nail method, but for under $10 I would get the center punch.

[electrosonic]

I used to have an issue drilling the sides of  die cast enclosures. With the angled sides, the drill bit would not hit the surface at a 90 degree angle so the hole had a tendency to drift and the holes are not perfectly circular.

Now I temporarily tape a small drill bit on the opposite side of the enclosure and to make sure the drill bit hits the surface at 90 degrees.

Hope that makes sense

Andrew.

[davent]

Accurate layout, accurately center punched, start with a very small (1/16"), very sharp, quality drill bit, not some piece crap from the local big box, i step up from the pilot to 3/32 ->1/8" and then a Unibit for the needed larger holes. You can do it with a hand drill but a drillpress is such a pleasure, a great tool to have if you can find the space, they don't have to be very big.

I need all the help i can get so i start with an optical center punch then use a spring punch to enlarge the dent.




Seven pots in a row with a hand drill.

[Clayford]

This press from HF is a good deal for our boxes. Benchtop presses are all you really need. I've seen guitars built with them. Look for the 20% off coupons to... you can get it super cheap! I have a used floor mount JET that I got super cheap from a going out of business sale. WAY more than I'll ever need. If you can get an XY vise ( aka cross slide vise, milling vise) for the press even better. Fair warning, they cost about as much as the cheapie press I linked. Totally worth it though. Their auto center punch is also worth it's weight in brass, though not as cool as Davent's optical punch.

[peAk]

This press from HF is a good deal for our boxes. Benchtop presses are all you really need. I've seen guitars built with them. Look for the 20% off coupons to... you can get it super cheap! I have a used floor mount JET that I got super cheap from a going out of business sale. WAY more than I'll ever need. If you can get an XY vise ( aka cross slide vise, milling vise) for the press even better. Fair warning, they cost about as much as the cheapie press I linked. Totally worth it though. Their auto center punch is also worth it's weight in brass, though not as cool as Davent's optical punch.

Where do you usually find the 20% off coupons?

[davent]

Here's the optical punch.


http://www.leevalley.com/en/Wood/page.aspx?p=45502&cat=1,180,42311

Follow that with a punch much like the one Clayford linked above.

I have but never use a vice even when hand drilling. Great drill bits cut, they don't grab and spin the enclosure at all.
dave

[Clayford]

This press from HF is a good deal for our boxes. Benchtop presses are all you really need. I've seen guitars built with them. Look for the 20% off coupons to... you can get it super cheap! I have a used floor mount JET that I got super cheap from a going out of business sale. WAY more than I'll ever need. If you can get an XY vise ( aka cross slide vise, milling vise) for the press even better. Fair warning, they cost about as much as the cheapie press I linked. Totally worth it though. Their auto center punch is also worth it's weight in brass, though not as cool as Davent's optical punch.

Where do you usually find the 20% off coupons?

HF email blasts, and in their mailed advertisement papers. Go here to sign up.  If you have a local Harbor Freight, also check in the Sunday paper, in valpak or super saver coupon mailers. They might not be called val-pak in your area, but it's an advertising envelope full of coupons from different companies in your area. I've gotten them or something similar wherever I've lived. KY, OH, NC, SC, WV, VA. If you have a local HF, take your mailed advert paper in for them to scan, it's how they know you're using it. After x time of no scans they remove you to save on costs and waste.

[peAk]

Just found an online coupon for 25%

Got it a for a little more than $50.00 before tax shipping

Here is the coupon code: 93481220

Thanks for the tip!!