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Recommendations for a small drill press for pcb drilling?

post #1 of 10
1/28/10 at 2:49am
Thread Starter 
The problem with cheap drill presses is typically that there's a lot of play in the mechanism, or it's just not straight at all. I have a friend who has a big chinese drill press, but if i were drilling 1/32" holes with it, it would probably just etch a circle around where i wanted it to drill a hole.

I could swear there was already a thread covering this, with a recommendation from AMB, but for the life of me i can't find it.

I have a dremel tool, and I see that there are drill press add-ons for it, but i have some doubts about the quality of these. Actually, I'll be honest, years ago i bought their model 202 drill press adapter and discovered that it's total crap. Worthless. A complete joke. There was a LOT of play in the Y axis, to the extent that the business end of a drill bit would deflect more than 1/4".

That problem was intrinsic to the construction of the press itself (the shaft is more of an oval than a circle), but it was also the wrong model for my dremel. I have a newer dremel and need the model 220 drill press adapter for my model 395 dremel. Has anybody here successfully used this kind of thing? Been burned in the past and I'm not looking forward to repeating the experience.

goldmine electronics is recently pushing a cheap mini-press. url here:

Mini Drill Press for PC Boards-The Electronic Goldmine

$80 is a good deal, and they say they use it in their own shop, but I'm skeptical, and a cursory investigation of the tubes and ebay doesn't turn up some other OEM version of the same thing reviewed somewhere. Anyone ever used one?

I'm not poor lately, but i'm hoping to find something reasonably accurate that costs less than a $360 Proxxon mini-mill. Although that would be awesome, if i used it enough to justify a $360 investment.
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post #2 of 10
1/28/10 at 3:27am
Hey Eric, I have used the dremel press to make several pcb's , the critical part for me is having sharp bits. Even the diamond tip jeweler bits run out of steam after a while.

It is not as solid as a drill press but considering that I don't have to buy an additional tool and can move from free hand to press, it was an easy choice for me.





..dB
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post #3 of 10
1/28/10 at 3:37am
How about the harbor freight micro mill? If you wait for the 20% coupon, it's quite a deal. I have the slightly larger mini mill and have been very happy with it.
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post #4 of 10
1/28/10 at 8:51am
I have the dremel attachment pictured as well and although I havent used it for PCBs yet I have used it fairly successfully for regular drilling of random stuff. it does have a bit of play, but its not unusable. obviously a purpose built thing is going to be better, but it has served my needs fairly well. I second the part about sharp bits though. one thing, dont use the crosshairs to line things up, even with the press locked in the center its actually toward you from the middle of the crosshairs.... why bother.

a minimill is high on the do want list. that being said I dont know what I would do without the dremel
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post #5 of 10
1/28/10 at 9:06am
Doesn't have to be ultra-ridgid or high tolerance for that work. It's mostly convenience, so typical drill stand, or a dremel press would be fine.

However, if you want to be drilling some faceplates and doing other chassis work at some point, especially if working in steel, then you will want a fairly sturdy drill press. They show up a lot on CL, and aren't much money usually.

I recently picked this one up:

After removing the rust, replacing the bearings and a missing knob, and repainting:


A cheap press will work, but you can pick up a nice *stiff* older press that will easily hog through anything you can hold on the table- for less than the price of a cheesy newer press.

Many new presses are nice also, but they are a considerable investment. The affordable ones have horrible runout. Again, not so much an issue for drilling PCBs, but for heavier chassis work, it makes a difference.

Just something else to consider before plunking down your dollars.
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post #6 of 10
1/28/10 at 9:13am
hey thats an awesoem refurb job voodoochile!! you've inspired me. I stopped short of getting a cheaper pressed for the reasons you mention but have been waiting till I have a need great enough to get one, but with 2 amps and 2 dacs coming up I think i'll do as you suggest
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post #7 of 10
1/28/10 at 9:18am
Thanks! It's a bit of work, but it is not difficult work.
I picked up that drill press for less than the price of an aluminum drill-holding stand.

The Delta in the background was my grandfather's, and there is a place in Bethel Vermont that has the same model available right now for $200, in good shape, already gone through. Shipping would be a deal killer on that one, but these older machines are all over, and when the owner stops using them, they quickly are relegated to boatanchor status.
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post #8 of 10
1/28/10 at 12:13pm
I have a 10" Delta that I bought at Lowes a few years ago for ~$100 that does a good job on PCBs. I haven't measured the runout on it, but it handles carbite PCB bits just fine; I've gone down to around #70 with it and no breakage (unless the operator does something stupid ). I would agree with Mark though, that a used vintage drill press would be worth searching out on craigslist, local classifieds or whatever.

I have used Drill Bit City; drill bits:shop tool, power tool, shop tool, power tool, drill bit, router bit for the PCB bits and have been happy with them, other than they can't replace individual bits when I have broken them.
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post #9 of 10
1/28/10 at 3:11pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by dBel84 View Post
Hey Eric, I have used the dremel press to make several pcb's , the critical part for me is having sharp bits. Even the diamond tip jeweler bits run out of steam after a while.

It is not as solid as a drill press but considering that I don't have to buy an additional tool and can move from free hand to press, it was an easy choice for me.
Alright, good to hear that it doesn't suck. Maybe I'll pick one up for the interim and wait for a good deal on a more serious piece of gear to come along.

Quote:
Originally Posted by oneplustwo View Post
How about the harbor freight micro mill? If you wait for the 20% coupon, it's quite a deal. I have the slightly larger mini mill and have been very happy with it.
My concern with Harbor Freight power tools is that they always seem to be a kit, just not packaged as a kit, and missing some vital part upgrade or rework instructions.

Somehow i hadn't been able to find that model on their site last night, and was only seeing more expensive gear. I agree that if i could get that heavily discounted from their usual asking price, it might be a good way to go.

I may keep an eye out on CL, etc.

Thanks, folks.
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post #10 of 10
1/28/10 at 5:22pm
I just use the dremel free hand.

You could always DIY

$30 High-Speed PCB Drill Press

PCB Drill Press Using Salvaged Door Hinges
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