MOTM

On the big vs. little drill press topic-

Being a retired machinist�I have used both \ufffda few times\ufffd and IMHO I see no real advantage in a larger machine over a smaller machine�if:

a) The smaller machine has the capacity to comfortably do the work�(the work piece physically fits, and the machine has the right speed and hp for the job).� Drilling�thin aluminum panels I find a smaller machine "handier".�

b) The machine is sturdy/rigid enough.� Do you have a way to hold the work piece securely?�

Does the chuck wiggle around?� A lot of the cheap bench top drill presses (often available under $100) are real bad about this.� If you can grab the chuck and wiggle it around with your hand, there go any tolerances you may have been trying to keep by using a drill press.� I would prefer to use a hand drill.� Also, some of those cheap drill presses will stall out with hardly any pressure.�

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Chips sticking to the bit and scarring the work piece can be minimized with proper (made for aluminum) lubricants.�

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Ideally, instead of using a drill bit, a rotary broach would work great for cutting these holes, but is kinda expensive for just a few panels.� And of course a milling machine would be a lot better than using a drill press (easy to control exact location and diameters of holes, could stack a lot of panels and do them at once). �

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I\ufffdm just gonna use an old craftsman bench top (mini)�press.�

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Hope this novel was of some help.

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Robert �