Drillpress vs. pre-drilled enclosures

[somnif]

Yep, a set of these....

WOW that is a cheap set. Do you own it?

I do. They work just fine, though they have quriks. The 1/2 inch on the short, fat bit isnt exactly the 1/2 inch on the skinnier bit, for example

[Tuxedo3]

I do. They work just fine, though they have quriks. The 1/2 inch on the short, fat bit isnt exactly the 1/2 inch on the skinnier bit, for example

That's awesome, exactly what I needed.

[kgull]

Yep, a set of these....

WOW that is a cheap set. Do you own it?

Yep. They are a bit crap but more than good enough for aluminium. Just don't expect them to work for much else.

[Bret608]

I finally got some step bits and a center punch and started doing my own drilling recently. Just a good old hand drill is the ticket, although I would like to try a press at some point. I just found that when I ordered drilled enclosures from PPP or whoever, there would always be something just "off" enough with my measurements on the drill template to cause issues with boxing. It wasn't their fault or anything. I just found taping the template to the enclosure and actually laying the board and other parts on it a la juansolo allows me to make adjustments if needed and get it more accurate.

Now, that hasn't stopped me from taping a template onto an enclosure in a slightly cock-eyed manner! But at least everything more or less still fits together and I can use a long, round file to nudge the holes one way or another if needed.

[stringsthings]

How do you clean the stepped bits? Mine has a little build up but I've been afraid to try anything cause I don't want to dull it.

I usually just chip out the metal bits with my fingernail or thumbnail.  If that doesn't work,
I use a thin screwdriver tip.  If you spray a bit of WD-40 ( or the equivalent ) on the bit,
and then drill, that will also tend to remove bits of metal that were there before spraying.

[davent]

How do you clean the stepped bits? Mine has a little build up but I've been afraid to try anything cause I don't want to dull it.

A tool who's usefulness and new uses never ends, a stainless steel dental pick.  Cheap and indispensable.
dave

[Tuxedo3]

All this great information about buying a drillpress and my father-in-law buys me a battery drill for my birthday...  oh well I guess I'm good for a little while.

[matmosphere]

All this great information about buying a drillpress and my father-in-law buys me a battery drill for my birthday...  oh well I guess I'm good for a little while.

Nice!! I think you'll find some stepping bits and good ruler are all you'll need now.

[somnif]

If you want the stability and accuracy of a drill press, but have a decent hand drill, can get a press-guide attachment. They're usually under 30$ and help you avoid those off-angle and wobbly alignments. A good middle ground.

https://www.amazon.com/Wolfcraft-4525404-Attachment-4-Inch-8-Inch/dp/B000JCIMEA/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1503070719&sr=8-9&keywords=drill+press

[wgc]

Try using isopropyl as a lube when drilling aluminum- I got that tip here somewhere, it works great

[stringsthings]

Try using isopropyl as a lube when drilling aluminum- I got that tip here somewhere, it works great

Excellent tip!

[devilsnight]

When you guys talk about using a hand drill you do mean a cordless battery powered drill, right?? I just picture some ancient rotary kind of manual hand drill, Lol. I personally have a small table top drill press I bought from menards for maybe $60, not sure of the brand. Works excellent! You definitely can buy a cheap drill press style vise for 10 or 15 bucks also. money well spent if you plan on making pedals, or pedal boards, or any such thing

[somnif]

When you guys talk about using a hand drill you do mean a cordless battery powered drill, right?? I just picture some ancient rotary kind of manual hand drill, Lol. I personally have a small table top drill press I bought from menards for maybe $60, not sure of the brand. Works excellent! You definitely can buy a cheap drill press style vise for 10 or 15 bucks also. money well spent if you plan on making pedals, or pedal boards, or any such thing

I use a corded electric drill from Harbor Freight. 15$ and its served me well for several years now. The older version of: https://www.harborfreight.com/38-in-variable-speed-reversible-drill-60614.html

[Willybomb]

When you guys talk about using a hand drill you do mean a cordless battery powered drill, right??

Hell no!  I used to use a mains powered hand drill while kneeling on the enclosure on the kitchen floor.

Things got a lot better when I started using a drill press though.  Things got even better when I started using a right angle to align my templates properly (I line it up square as best I can, tape it in place, check with the angle and draw on the template any corrections.  Works moderately well.  I still can't get my holes to line up exactly how I would like though!).

[davent]

I f you're creating a drill template put center lines across you template, one top to bottom, one left to right. Now draw center lines on your enclosure top. Take a paper punch and punch a whole in each of the center line rays on your template. Now when you lay your template on your enclosure you can see to align the template on the enclosure.

dave