It’s a fact that building a custom truck means drilling holes in it and in the parts that go onto it. At some point, you’re going to have to build a bracket for something, and that something is going to need holes in it if you plan to attach it to the truck without glue or chewing gum. The best way to drill holes in any part is with a drill press. The stability of the table and accuracy of the drill head means the holes will be round and in the right spot, unlike holes drilled with a handheld power drill.
We needed a drill press with some specific features to make the press way more usable than our hand-held drill. First off, it had to have multiple speeds for drilling through different materials without burning up our cheesy drill bits. Next, it needed a large enough table so that we could drill into large pieces of sheetmetal and plate. It also needed a large enough head so that we could drill into large objects, like motor mounting plates. Central Machinery’s production drill press was just what the doctor ordered.
1.Available through Harbor...
1.Available through Harbor Freight stores and website, the drill press (ITEM 39955-1VGA) must be assembled. It’s best to build the drill press in the spot you plan to keep it at because it’s heavy and moving it isn’t easy. The work table slides onto the spindle and the worm gear is fed into the table collar. The worm gear is what allows the table to be raised and lowered via the crank handle on the right side. Then, the drill head and motor assembly is slid onto the top of the spindle. This requires two sets of hands because the assembly is pretty heavy. The head is secured with two set screws.
2.In addtion to a chuck that...
2.In addtion to a chuck that will accommodate drill bits up to 22mm diameter, a lubricant reservoir is included. It simply snaps into a clip on the side of the drill head, ready to dispense whatever liquid you need to keep the bit cool.
3.So far, we’ve used the drill...
3.So far, we’ve used the drill to put holes in all sorts of material, including aluminum, steel, and stainless steel. The slotted table makes attaching a tabletop vise like this one easy too.
4.Last, but certainly not...
4.Last, but certainly not least, we especially like the adjustable rotary table, which can be rotated left and right around the spindle and also angled. These features aid drilling precisely at odd angles or into large parts.