I was using some dial indicators this afternoon to look at the runout of my press. I say "look at" cause I'm not sure the exact method for doing so. I ended up testing the press with a drill bit and looking at the shank just below the chuck and above the cutting edges. I was getting a reading of 0.0005". It would appear to be better to use pin gauge instead so I would not be reading any variance in the bit . Can anyone suggest what other methods they use or even what kind of tolerances are acceptable. The square n pin gauge method seems best for my situation but I have not got my hands on the square yet.
Testing drill press runout
- Thread starter JCovert
- Start date
What a great question! I just bought a drill press too and was wonder the same thing. If you use a bit, they all appear to wobble.
Hopefully someone will step up and answer this question.
Hopefully someone will step up and answer this question.
Hey Jcovet, I'm no professional but I think your right on and I'm not sure if there is a better way. But the only beef I have with spinning by hand is that at high speed I'm sure it would throw itself further out, not to mention up and down.
Would it be possible to slow your drill down to the slowest, put a 6" pin gauge in and run it up and down against the Pin Gauge? Another problem is there is no pressure against it.
Here is a thought, Mount your Dial indicator up high enough that you could actually drill a piece flat wood while riding on the Shank. Put a little pressure on it by drilling and see how bad it gets. (might need a drop of DD4H oil! lol)
Would it be possible to slow your drill down to the slowest, put a 6" pin gauge in and run it up and down against the Pin Gauge? Another problem is there is no pressure against it.
Here is a thought, Mount your Dial indicator up high enough that you could actually drill a piece flat wood while riding on the Shank. Put a little pressure on it by drilling and see how bad it gets. (might need a drop of DD4H oil! lol)
Update: I have just finished dialing my press in and have come to a helpful conclusion. I'm not rushing out and buying a new press. I have been lucky to have my grandfathers dial indicater that reads on a .0005" scale and found that by installing it on the chuck I can get my table to .001" of square and as stated above the chuck has about the same run out of .001" +/- so I will continue to tinker before and verify after drilling with the best square I can get in my hands. This being said I have already made vast improvements from what it was and again I'm not going to run out and buy another press. I hope this will help anyone who is also curious. Using a dial on the chuck to check run out was great to feel safe with the drill. Then taking the dial and chucking it in the drill and running it over a piece of glass to get the table square was even cooler. Please respond if you have better suggestions or notes on your procedures. Thanks.
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JCovert said:
I believe a good quality machinists square is what you will be looking for to do this kind of work. They are solid one piece construction and precision machined. Now here is a one with a neat feature of a magnetic base that may be useful, as it will stick in one place while checking things. This one is available from Woodcraft and is on sale for $17.99, just click on the picture to take you there. It's about a 4" square and it can be useful in other areas of the build too.
- Nov 24, 2011
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All great info! I don't happen to know what the small fence parts that attach to the base of the proxxon, in the "T" groves are called or a good place to get those items. I appreciate the help on that. Thanks!!!
Kinser Racing said:
Chris here is a parts reference for the Proxxon Drill Press below, hope it helps. #51 and #53 are what I believe you are looking for and you may need #50 too.
- Nov 24, 2011
- 3,903
- 30
- 48
- 13
- Nov 24, 2011
- 3,903
- 30
- 48
- 13
I've had the opportunity to be able to use one of these tramming indicators. Easy to use but it can be tedious. The brand I used was different than the one shown here. This one runs about $99, relatively inexpensive for what it is. There are more expensive ones out there but this one will do the trick too. Keep this in mind, this tool is not for the mini drill presses that most use, a 1/2" chuck is required for proper mounting. I haven't seen a smaller version of this anywhere yet.
You might be able to use this smaller version that doesn't use dial indicators and has a smaller 1/4" shank for mounting. Price doesn't change though, still a $99 tool.
You might be able to use this smaller version that doesn't use dial indicators and has a smaller 1/4" shank for mounting. Price doesn't change though, still a $99 tool.
JCovert said:
I use 1,2,3 blocks for this and for setting up the drill.
http://www.amazon.com/Anytime-Matched-Hardened-Precision-Machinist/dp/B00BGBOJZO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1407013406&sr=8-2&keywords=1+2+3+blocks
These and a small machinist square, such as
http://www.amazon.com/Robert-Larson-885-1002-2-Inch-Engineer/dp/B0012XRZSY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1407013507&sr=8-2&keywords=machinist+square
, have become integral parts of my build. I don't know what I'd do without them.
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