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

[Clayford]

Sweet!\

[peAk]

Sweet!\

Dumb question, but if using a step drill with a press like this, do you still need a starter hole?

[davent]

Yes, even with center punching the step bit can still skate pretty easily, being totally anal... after center punching i pilot all the holes with a 1/16" then 3/32" then  1/8" finally  the step bit.
dave

[peAk]

Yes, even with center punching the step bit can still skate pretty easily, being totally anal... after center punching i pilot all the holes with a 1/16" then 3/32" then  1/8" finally  the step bit.
dave

Just to be clear, if you have your enclosure clamped down and you are using a drill press, you are saying that the bit can still walk? I was under the assumption that it wouldn't walk with a press.

[muddyfox]

Yes it can walk. My drill press does have a bit of play which can cause alignment problems unless I feed slowly. Pilot holes can both help and hinder. They help if you keep the box clamped while changing from pilot bit to step bit but if you move the enclosure (if you drill all the pilot holes first) then there's a possibility that step bit won't be perfectly aligned with a pilot hole and the drill can pull the hole to the side. Not by much but if you are OCD then yes, you might have a problem there. 

[peAk]

Yes it can walk. My drill press does have a bit of play which can cause alignment problems unless I feed slowly. Pilot holes can both help and hinder. They help if you keep the box clamped while changing from pilot bit to step bit but if you move the enclosure (if you drill all the pilot holes first) then there's a possibility that step bit won't be perfectly aligned with a pilot hole and the drill can pull the hole to the side. Not by much but if you are OCD then yes, you might have a problem there. 

Well, I am going to have to drill that Multiplex soon and that will have 10 knobs, 4 LEDs, 4 switches, ....errr....

...and this is what pushed me to get the press. Can't have the graphics off on this one.

[muddyfox]

Easy does it... as simple as that.

[davent]

I can't see well enough to tell whether a center punch is lined up with the crosshairs of a layout nevermind telling whether the fat blunt end of the step bit is lined up with the small center punch dimple so i never secure the enclosure.

With a good punch mark and a 1/16" bit in the drillpress i slowly advance the spinning bit to the enclosure, i can get it pretty close to where it needs to be so the bit and dimple meet to a degree, with the slow feed and unsecured enclosure (loosely hand held) the bit will center the enclosure under it because the enclosure is free to move laterally held lightly by hand on the press table.

I step through up by 1/32" 'til i reach the stepbit start size and it's steps are 1/32" so each step is removing very little material, with such a small amount of material being removed, the pressure of the sharp drillbit and the enclosure/press table friction, the enclosure will just sit there and take being drilled, i can let go of the enclosure and the only time it moves is a slight jump as the bit breaks through. Did i mention sharp drill bits?

Of course this is not the recommended way to do things.

Followed the same drilling sequence when drilling by hand but by hand you can easily just put the 1/16" drillbit in the center of your punch mark, perfect!

Used the same method to accurately drill pcb's, let the drillpress drill bit center the pcb pad under it, then finish drilling the hole.

dave

[icecycle66]

Also, I drill things with a bit of give in all directions. That's what washers are for as far as I'm concerned.
That way I can wiggle the parts into place to some degree.

[Clayford]

I can't see well enough to tell whether a center punch is lined up with the crosshairs of a layout nevermind telling whether the fat blunt end of the step bit is lined up with the small center punch dimple so i never secure the enclosure.

With a good punch mark and a 1/16" bit in the drillpress i slowly advance the spinning bit to the enclosure, i can get it pretty close to where it needs to be so the bit and dimple meet to a degree, with the slow feed and unsecured enclosure (loosely hand held) the bit will center the enclosure under it because the enclosure is free to move laterally held lightly by hand on the press table.

I step through up by 1/32" 'til i reach the stepbit start size and it's steps are 1/32" so each step is removing very little material, with such a small amount of material being removed, the pressure of the sharp drillbit and the enclosure/press table friction, the enclosure will just sit there and take being drilled, i can let go of the enclosure and the only time it moves is a slight jump as the bit breaks through. Did i mention sharp drill bits?

Of course this is not the recommended way to do things.

Followed the same drilling sequence when drilling by hand but by hand you can easily just put the 1/16" drillbit in the center of your punch mark, perfect!

Used the same method to accurately drill pcb's, let the drillpress drill bit center the pcb pad under it, then finish drilling the hole.

dave

Dave and I have the same basic theroy - but I start at 3/32 then hit my step bit. And yes all drill presses have some wobble in the spindle, even $4000.00 production floor mounted drill presses. We call them "manufacturing tolerances". The longer your stroke the more likely it is to happen. Setup your work so it's close to you bit without being right up on it. 

[jball85]

Ive got a drill press vice, but every affordable drill press I've found, is reported to have serious drill bit run-off. If anyone has a model under $250 (preferably $200) that has worked accurately for them, please list the brand and model below.

[jball85]

oh and yep, Ive got a center punch. Its mainly the led and 3pdt holes, that I have trouble lining up.

[Clayford]

Even my Jet has run out. You have to do everything you can to limit it. Your run out will increase as your stroke/depth increases. Your work shouldn't be more than an inch or so from your bit, with the spindle at complete rest(i.e. not stopped down 4 inches so it's 1" from your work" That's 4" of play you don't need).  Make sure the bit is up as far as it can go into the chuck, your vise secured, your work is square to the bit.

Observe your bit at speed before you drill, you might not have it seated correctly. Bits that have a 1/4" Hex shank are more likely to wobble than smooth shafts. Those are not for a drill press, they are for a hand drill, and can/will increase your runoff  Cutting lube helps too. A HF step bit with some lube went through an EB VPJR just fine. I've seen quality custom guitars built on $100 HF presses. Good tools help, but proper setup helps a LOT more. 

[davent]

Drill presses are great but you don't need one for this stuff and it's no guarantee that your results will be better then what you achieve with a handdrill.

For both you need the holes accurately layed out.

You need accurate center punched marks, i can't do that with a regular view-from-the-side punch so use an optical center punch to mark the holes then deepen/enlarge  the marks with an automatic center-punch.

Drill pilot holes with a very sharp (quality) bit that is small enough to nest in or be contained by your dead accurate punch marks.

After that- step up with individual bits in small increments to the step bit starter size or the final sizes needed.

If you have a row of pots with a slight alignment problem you can always make the holes a bit oversize or file the misses oval to bring it all back into line. And unless things are crazy out of whack and nothing is said, you're probably the only one that will notice.
dave

[jball85]

I drilled a pilot hole then went up in increments (bigger drill bit sizes), this worked great. Im in the process of hunting down a titanium unibit. Does anybody have experience with cheaper versions of the unibit (not Irwin brand)?