Drill press fence setup with Silver Bullet

[jspearm1983]

When drilling canted rear axles with a Silver Bullet or The Block, is there a way to setup a two-fence system that doesn't move and allows a perfectly lined up left and right side? I understand how I can use one fence at the bottom of the SB and draw a line on the wood for both sides and just flip it over, but I imagine it's very hard to get the other side's line drawn perfectly, and also very hard to drill on the line exactly the same on both side. Ideally, there would be a way to setup the drill height fence, but also setup a fore-aft fence, that is never moved. The fore-aft fence would ensure the whole on both sides are perfectly aligned down to the tightest tolerance.

Or, should I just use the fence for height, and draw the lines on both sides? Does it matter if the axles are off 0.003 fore-aft? How close can you really expect to get trying to line up the drill press on a 0.5mm line?

 

[bracketracer]

Some guys use a fence that has adjustable stops attached. You have to drill some test bodies to dial in the stops. Once you get it set up, drill a stack of bodies because you would need to readjust the stops when you set it up again.

 

[pony express]

I think the original design of the silver bullit-block was to use one fence for the side (the long length) of the block and maybe a fence for the end where you're drilling. That system you flip the block end to end after drilling one side to drill the second side. That system ensures that if you are not perfect on the drill (you don't have perfect square of the bit and the table) that at least the wheels will be aligned with each other. In that system if you are off square then one wheel will be toed in and the other toed out, but aligned with one another. I have two drill presses and on one drill press I use a vise and on the other a fence system. The fence system I use though is one fence for each back hole. There's three fences. Two side fences and one for the end. If my drill press bit is not square to the table then I get the same toe on each side and the wheels do not point in the same direction. In this system you have to be very confident in you're square to the table. To set this up you have to establish a square line at the back of the drill press table. You can set up a temporary fence there that is straight and is set in place (does not move) temporarily. Once that fence is established then put in your side fence one at a time that is perfectly square to the temporary fence. Both side fences now will be square to each other. The final step is then to set up the fence where you drill the back holes. Just make it square to both side fences. I had to be sure the fence was adjustable enough that I could move it until both sides were square at the same time. It's tough and took some time. Getting the correct distance from the fence to the drill bit (the final location of hole) usually takes some type of shim to get the exact location (distance from the bottom of the wood block). I believe the same distance from the bottom is the goal unless someone else has other ideas.

The fences should not be very high for the sides. High fences tend to prevent the silver bullet from doing its job. If you push the silver bullet hard against the fence with a sine bar set in the slot underneath then you could rock the silver bullet forward losing some of your camber-cant. If you have a tall fence then be careful putting the silver against the fence. It just needs to barely touch it. The end fence height does not make a difference.

I've been having trouble lately with carbide drill bits with the fence system. I might be crazy, but they do not drill straight without a vise system. It took me a while to figure out what was the culprit. I have no trouble with cobalt or high speed steel bits and the fence.

 

[jatofau1]

Go to youtube and type in pinewood derby silver bullet or Jewkes block. There are two videos that show you how to drill using the block.

 

[jspearm1983]

Thanks for the responses. One of the things I learned from Pony Express was that the silver bullet is mainly for ensuring the holes are drilled the same distance from the bottom of the block. I will think more about your described method and see if I can figure it out for using a fence to drill the holes at the same length from the rear of the Silver Bullet as well.

 

[jspearm1983]

Go to youtube and type in pinewood derby silver bullet or Jewkes block. There are two videos that show you how to drill using the block.

I've seen those, and they both show how it is used to drill the same distance from the bottom of the block. I'm more interested in making sure the fore/aft placement is perfect as well.

 

[bracketracer]

Have a look here also:

http://www.pinewoodderbyonline.com/threads/d4d-xy-fence.3251/#post-38595

 

[HurriCrane Racing]

In DD4H's video he showed magnetic stops that you can switch on and off. I got a par of those and they worked great!

 

[jspearm1983]

Have a look here also:

http://www.pinewoodderbyonline.com/threads/d4d-xy-fence.3251/#post-38595

That's great. With a little trial and error, you could set this to the perfect setting for when you flip the block. Thanks for the tip.

 

[jatofau1]

Just to save you some time. I used the block for two years for scout racing. I never got a perfect drill job. I always had to settle for a less than prefect drill job. I would recommend a drill fixture like the silver bullet pro. It will save you tons of time and frustration and will likely result in a more accurate drill job.

 

[DerbyDad4Hire]

 

[jatofau1]

John,

Another great tip. I wish I would have known this two year ago. Thanks.

 

[pony express]

The three fence system has the advantage of getting the back holes exactly across from one another. If you use a drill press and a vise system then you must use some type of edge finder to get the wheels perfect. These cars steer more from the back wheels than you imagine.

 

[jspearm1983]

Thanks DD4H! Sometimes the best solution to the problem is simple, yet I always want to make it difficult. That's a great tip.

 

[DJofSYN]

I square my table on my press first. I take my time doing this since once it's set I can drill a few of the rears at the same time. Ifor you do it right your axles should be spot on. It's a great system.

 

[LightninBoy]

"Redneck engineering". Awesome.