http://www.instructables.com/id/Drill-press-for-20-21/

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Drill press for ~$20by Victor8o5 on August 11, 2014

Table of Contents

Drill press for ~$20 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Intro:   Drill press for ~$20 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 1:   The base . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 2:   The arm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Step 3:   The guides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Step 4:   The union . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Step 5:   Adding the drill support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Step 6:   Final details: Hole depth adjuster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Step 7:   Final details: Optional improvements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Step 8:   What can you use it for? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

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Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

http://www.instructables.com/id/Drill-press-for-20-21/

Author:Victor8o5    Youtube channel.I'm an electronic engineering student. I don't usually have much spare time but I like to complete random projects to keep myself entertained. I hope you likethem! P.D: Sorry about possible grammar errors, I'm not a native English speaker.

Intro:  Drill press for ~$20Anyone who works with wood knows you have to make hundreds of holes for the screws and its almost impossible to make a series of holes perfectly straight and withthe same depth by hand.

This instructable will help you to build a tool that will save you a lot of time and effort when drilling precise holes on wood, plastic, metal, or whatever material you'reworking with, it can also be very useful to carve sections of materials like wood thanks to its adjustable tool height.

You will need:

Wooden board (I used ~2 Cm thickness)Wood slat (at least 2 meters, I used 25x35mm but any similar one will do the job)2x Small drawer guidesAround 30 long wood screws (and around 20 shorter ones)Wood glue (optional)High speed drill or similar tool to be attached.M8 threaded rod M8 threaded tube M6 screws and nuts

Tools needed:

Ruler and pencilSquare and bevelWood saw and jewelers sawMitre80 grit sandpaperDrillWood clamp (optional, but it makes the job a lot more easier)Screwdriver

Step 1: The baseSorry about the lack of pictures, but by the time I decided this project to become and instructable I had already finished the base.

To made the base, cut four pieces out of the wooden slat, the dimensions are specified at the image, to avoid problems when assembling them I used a mitre and aclamp to keep the slat attached to it, this tool keeps the blade in a vertical position, avoiding irregular cuts, a minimal amount of sanding might be made afterwards.

When you've finished cutting the slat, make the definitive rectangle shape with it, play with the position of the slats to find the optimal configuration, once aligned, holdthem together by applying pressure with the clamp to the short sides of the rectangle, now they're ready to be drilled. Mark the position of the screws, I've chosen to putthem 1cm away from the edge. With some measurements, find the center of the slat and mark the position, once you have found it, drill the holes, which must be slightlynarrower than the screw.

Once all the holes are drilled you can remove the clamp (or not if you prefer) and place the screws, I put some wood glue at each union to reinforce them.

TIP: If you remove the clamps when the holes have been already made, make some marking where two pieces come together (like circles, triangles, lines), if youdisorder them, you can always put them together like a puzzle.

TIP: If your wood screws have an angled head you can use a special bit or a large metal bit (8mm for example) to make a countersink so the screws don't protrude.

To attach the cover, just draw the contour over some wooden board, cut it and attach it to the slat frame with more screws, I placed 2 at each side, leaving a gap betweenthem of about 1/3 the length of that side. If you're like me, the chances are some of the slats or parts of the board will slightly protrude from the shape we're looking for,so grab that 80 grit sandpaper or an equivalent tool and start sanding until the edges are completely flat.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Drill-press-for-20-21/

NOTE: It's not necessary to copy the dimensions to the millimeter, just get the general idea, and use the materials you find more convenient.

TIP: If you want your sanding to be more accurate put some sandpaper over a wood plank and use it to sand the wood, that will ensure your pieces will come out straight.

Step 2: The armThe next part of the drill press will be the arm that will hold the guides to attach the drill. To make it, I cut a 40Cm tall board with the same width than the base, (Pic 1)then I sand the edges.

To install the guides we need to set a separation between the board and the drill, to achieve this I cut two pieces of wood from a slat (Pic 2), they are 17Cm tall. Onceattached to the board they'll provide some separation so the drill can be more far away from the board and I can work with larger materials easily.

To attach these slats I mark the center of the large board, then I add 5Cm to each side, the space between the opposite edges of the slats must be 10Cm, with this inmind I use an square and a bevel to trace parallel lines to delineate the place where the slat will stay (Pic 4 and 5), also, I use half the width of the slat to draw anotherparallel, that line will be useful to know where I should put the screws.

To place the screws I divide the length of the slats by 4 (Pic 5), that will give me the space between each one of the three screws, I mark those places and proceed to drillthe holes through them, then I attach the slats to their corresponding location with a clamp and using the holes I had previously made as a guide I drill the rest of the holethrough the slats.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Drill-press-for-20-21/

Once the holes are drilled, I make the countersinks (Pic 6) and insert the screws until the point comes out at the other side (Pic 7), that will be useful because I want toremove the slats, put some glue and then put them back in place (Pic 8). After this, I place the slats and screw them in place (Pic 9).

We don't want to attach the arm to the base now because that operation should be made when the guides are ready to be installed, that will allow us to make somecorrections on the go if necessary

http://www.instructables.com/id/Drill-press-for-20-21/

Step 3: The guidesPlacing the guides is the most trickiest operation, they must be completely perpendicular respect to the base, and they must be completely parallel to each other to avoidgetting stuck.

First I cut two 25Cm long boards (per 10mm wide) (Pic 1), notice I'm not throwing away any wood (Pic 2). After sanding the edges place my set square at one edge, and Ido two marks, one at 10cm, and one at 90 (pic 3), I repeat the operation with the lower part of the board and with the other board.

TIP: To do the markings with the set square, use left edge of the small boards (pic 2) this edge comes perfectly straight, so errors and other problems when markingwon't be a problem.

Once finished, these lines must be parallel between each other, now, with the set square I do a line 1.5 cm above the lowest edge, perpendicular to the other two, thatline will help the guides to be at the same height.

With the lines that define the position of the guides I place them so the longer lines pass through the middle of the holes, then, with the pencil I mark the shape of thoseholes, and I drill them out of the wood (Pic 4).

http://www.instructables.com/id/Drill-press-for-20-21/

TIP: Maybe this is useful or maybe I'm too paranoid, but I marked the guides to know which goes where after marking the holes to drill, theoretically they're exact, butanyway, let's not risk it... After the holes are have been drilled, screw the guides to the small board (pic 5).

Important: Notice the my guides have different sets of holes, on one side there are lots of them, but on the other one there are just a few. The side with just a few holeswill be the side attached to the arm, this is because it'll be easier to disassemble in case the guides get stuck, or to do any adjustment...

To screw the board to the spacers we need to follow a special procedure, this board must be perfectly parallel respect the big board, to do so I made a simple buteffective tool to align the board (pic 6), I slide it along the flat edge of the board and check that the screw is always touching the small board, once I'm sure the board isaligned I clamp it in place, drill the holes, and without removing the clamp I insert the screws (pic 7 & 8).

After this we just have to screw the guides in place (Pic 9). I

IMPORTANT: While placing the screws the board can change of position to accommodate to the screws, to avoid this place the screws with the clamp attached, that waythe screws will have to get accommodated to the wood, and not the other way around.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Drill-press-for-20-21/

http://www.instructables.com/id/Drill-press-for-20-21/

http://www.instructables.com/id/Drill-press-for-20-21/

Step 4: The unionThis is also one of the most crucial operations, the guides are now aligned, but if we goof it when joining the board with the base we'll end making holes with a certaindeviation. Luckily, there are some tricks that make this process easier.

We first clamp the base to the board by eye, make sure the edges are more or less aligned, don't apply to much pressure because we want it to have a certain degree ofmovement (Pic 1), then, we place a carpenter's square touching the base, the board must be parallel to the side touching it, and also, when we slide down the guide, theboard must remain at the same distance from the square (Pic 2), if it gets closer or further we must change the inclination of the base by tapping it gently at the bottom,the clamp will allow us to make and conserve those subtle adjustments.

Once the base is aligned with the guides we clamp it strongly, and we mark the places where the screws will be attached (Pic 3), make sure you don't get in the way of apreviously places screw. To make the lines I divided the length of the slat and board by two, that way I'm sure the screws will go through the middle of them, in my case Iplaced 4 long screws up (at the slat) and 4 short (at the board) (Pic 4), this is just temporary.

Now I've got a problem! and I guess some of you will have the same one. The board is misaligned with the base (Pic 5), this is not a serious problem and I kindaexpected it, to solve this, I sand the upper part of the base, where the board is attached, so it forms a perfect 90º angle. It might take some tries but the hardest part isfinished.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Drill-press-for-20-21/

http://www.instructables.com/id/Drill-press-for-20-21/

Step 5: Adding the drill supportNow I must create a support for the drill, since I might also use a high speed drill, I opted to use have a general holder and some kind of screws to hold the tool in placeregardless the diameter of it. This part is kinda general, since some measurements might change due the tool used.

I cut the last piece of wood, then I make a hole though it, I'm not very proud of how that hole came out, jeweler's saw and thick wood don't get along, but that's easy to fixwith sandpaper wrapped around a tube (Pic 1 & 2). The diameter of the hole is the diameter of the high speed drill since it's the widest power tool I'll be using.

The flat side (the side that hasn't been cut) will be attached to the guide board, the other sides are sanded to remove the saw dents and I do a mark at the middle of eachof them to do a hole to pass the screws through.

I check the support is perfectly straight and I clamp it while I drill the holes to install 90º brackets to hold the support in place (Pic 3 & 4), then I insert the screws, when allfits correctly I unscrew the thing to proceed with the next operation.

I mark a point at the middle of each side, then with a 6mm wood bit I drill holes through them, the screws to hold the tools will go in there (Pic 5).

I carefully cut away a piece of wood equivalent to the size of an M6 screw nut, that will keep the nuts in place and will allow them to be attached without protruding andtouching the tool (Pic 6)

I attach another support, this time a bit higher, I also use some screws to allow some margin when holding the tool (Pic 6, 7 & 8).

http://www.instructables.com/id/Drill-press-for-20-21/

http://www.instructables.com/id/Drill-press-for-20-21/

Step 6: Final details: Hole depth adjusterTo be able to make holes at the same height we'll need some sort of adjustable stopper. I've used a 8mm (M8) threaded rod, I've cut it to a length of 50 Cm and I sandedan extreme to give it a round shape and to dull the thread a bit (Pic 1). Next I make a hole at the base (Pic 2), that hole must be big enough to let it rotate freely but not tobe to loose (Pic 3).

Gluing a piece of slat to the top with a hole drilled through will keep the rod stable (Pics 4, 5 & 6)

With a small wood block a long screw/nut and a threaded tube I make a stopper (Pic 7). It will be touching the board, so when I twist the rod it goes up and down setting alimit for the tool with a lot of precission (Pic 8). I also added a small red knob to the rod to make it easier to turn.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Drill-press-for-20-21/

http://www.instructables.com/id/Drill-press-for-20-21/

Step 7: Final details: Optional improvementsYou can make an automatic regression mechanism by attaching some sortof spring or elastic bands to the parts depicted, but since I mostly use it for carving wood Ipersonally haven't made it.

A handle could also be easily attached by attaching a piece of wood to the top of the guide.

Another interesting add-on would be some sort of clamps, like the ones used on CNCs, they could be easily made out of wood and could be screwed to the base with M6screws to hold pieces tightly, although I don't find these clamps to be very practical when used on a drill press.

I've been also thinking about installing an LED powered by a couple of batteries to have a better illumination when drilling.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Drill-press-for-20-21/

Step 8: What can you use it for?As I said, this tool is very useful to drill straight holes with a minimal effort, but combined with a high speed tool and a carving bit can be a great help to carve holes or tocut borders at the same height, as seen in the pictures.

Another interesting property is it can cut perfect squares out of a roughly square-shaped piece of wood for example.

As always, thanks for viewing, if you have any questions just let me know.

Image Notes1. I oiled it a bit to highlight the color of wood.

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Comments

45 comments Add Comment

 fixmystuff says:  Aug 18, 2015. 3:40 PM  REPLYLove your project! Why buy one if you can make one and even better when you share them too. Thanks for sharing. :)

 faelenor says:  Aug 12, 2014. 1:31 PM  REPLYNice, but the official Dremel press drill adapter is less than $40 and is easier to use and probably more precise:http://www.amazon.com/Dremel-220-01-Rotary-Tool-Station/dp/B00068P48O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407875281&sr=8-1&keywords=dremel+press+drill

 amclaussen says:  Aug 15, 2014. 9:22 AM  REPLYNOPE! The Dremel drillstand is a piece of junk! Don't buy or even recommend it.

It has a lot of play and flexibility (lacks needed rigidity). I know... I commited the mistake of buying one. It is made of flimsy plastic and has a lot of play. Itis almost useless. This one made of wood can be way much better, depending on the care put into assembly and the quality of the sliding devices.

Since my Dremel made drillstand attachment was so bad, y decided to make an accesory to attach my Dremel 1395 tool to my Sears 9" drillstand, inorder to get more rigidity and precision. Amclaussen.

 Kwarseck says:  Aug 17, 2015. 9:14 AM  REPLYcan you make the accessory an instructable? I'd like to do something like that.

 LarryB2 says:  Jan 16, 2015. 6:03 PM  REPLYI owned one of these - as amclaussen says, it is junk. The outside was metal, but the gears were actually made of plastic and cracked after a couplemonths of use. Dremel did not return phone calls nor emails. This DIY solution is far superior.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Drill-press-for-20-21/

 Victor8o5 says:  Aug 12, 2014. 2:10 PM  REPLYIn my case I used wood I had laying around, the only things I bought were the guides and the m8 threaded rod, and they cost me around $5. If you buy afull board of wood and a full slat it will cost you like $15 more, but there would be plenty of wood that wouldn't be used. In terms of net materials Iwouldn't say it costs more than $10 or $15.

 thaiengin says:  Aug 17, 2015. 4:01 AM  REPLYHAVE A MOVIE FOR GUIDE

IT EASY WORKS MORE

 Brucesmith50 says:  Aug 16, 2015. 9:23 PM  REPLYI like this!... But I think if you want it to remain straight and square you should avoid the knots in your wood. Over time, with humidity and lack of it, the knotsand the base wood will expand and contract at different rates. This is a case where it really pays to use a better quality raw material.

We can get good, clear ( of knots) poplar at a reasonable price at Home Depot or Lowe's here in the U.S., and oak or maple if you want to spend more.

 wuj-truj says:  Aug 16, 2015. 4:45 PM  REPLYThanks, nice idea, good instructable :-)

 Hlazo says:  Aug 16, 2015. 12:18 PM  REPLYThanks for the idea but I will make it from metal as I think this would be more durable. I have quite a handy scrap pile so the cost will be negligible!

 jeane.d.allison says:  Aug 16, 2015. 11:39 AM  REPLYWhat a bevy of problems you have solved with this ible and given me my next project. Nicely written. Thanks!

 Closer says:  Aug 12, 2014. 10:25 AM  REPLYYou mentioned the possibility of making an led for the drill. If it is a dremmel or comparable tool you can use this

http://www.amazon.com/Dremel-677-Dremelite-Rotary-...

I have one on mine and it works great. I know there are instructables on here for making one but this one is self powered.

 JimTheSoundman says:  Aug 16, 2015. 11:39 AM  REPLYHowever that light is $50, which is crazy expensive. If you are determined to buy a light, this would be a better option Ithink:http://www.amazon.com/Stylish-useful-Bright-Flexible-Reading/dp/B00OZAY3JU/ref=sr_1_2?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1439750291&sr=1-2&keywords=gooseneck+led

 Crism3 says:  Aug 16, 2015. 11:28 AM  REPLYThis seems a very useful jig, I will make one of this, thank you for the nice idea

 marcodden says:  Aug 16, 2015. 10:54 AM  REPLYthink you could turn it on its side and make a mini lathe out of it?

 blueaxe says:  Aug 16, 2015. 10:19 AM  REPLYVery cool! Nice job!

 sasarani says:  Aug 16, 2015. 8:45 AM  REPLYVery good thank you

 mxx says:  Aug 14, 2015. 3:52 PM  REPLYCongratulations! Very nice design!

 samir salah says:  May 25, 2015. 12:22 AM  REPLYVery great thank you

http://www.instructables.com/id/Drill-press-for-20-21/

 roccot21 says:  Mar 18, 2015. 4:06 AM  REPLYGreat invention!!! love it i will try it

 killer1479 says:  Dec 5, 2014. 10:19 AM  REPLYi will like to make this soon so i can mount my ryobi rotary tool into it, and paint it in the ryobi colours maybe! :D

thanks for giving me an inspiring idea :)

 truokpooria says:  Sep 30, 2014. 10:46 AM  REPLYcongratulation(:

 Victor8o5 says:  Oct 1, 2014. 4:32 AM  REPLYThanks to everybody for making this possible.

 travderose says:  Sep 29, 2014. 11:19 AM  REPLYThis is a great idea! Thank you

 TrollFaceTheMan says:  Sep 27, 2014. 1:50 PM  REPLYVery Useful, Thanks!

 Nico0974 says:  Sep 10, 2014. 4:17 AM  REPLYVery great.

 script_coded says:  Aug 15, 2014. 2:06 PM  REPLYGreat!Perfect for us who don't have the money to buy a "real" one!

 Alderin says:  Aug 13, 2014. 4:58 PM  REPLYVery nice and simple design!

I like your general tool holderdesign, but you did gloss over the details of how you made the slots forthe nuts that hold your adjustable bolts. I would have liked more about that.

A spring and a handle would be good for my needs, but as you said, fairly easily added.

Thanks for posting!

 Victor8o5 says:  Aug 13, 2014. 5:45 PM  REPLYYes, I might have been quite imprecise at that part. I drilled a 7mm hole at the middle of each side, then pass the bolt trough and place a nut until ittouches the wood and leave it with its flat sides heading left and right, perpendicular to the edge, where that nut touches the wood you do two marks, youremove the nut, you cut out a piece of wood with the same depth as the nut. The point is the nut won't be able to turn because it's flat sides are touchingthe wood, the wood kinda acts like a wrench, what allows you to turn the screw without needing to hold the nut in place.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Drill-press-for-20-21/

 nickivan says:  Aug 13, 2014. 12:56 PM  REPLYDrawer guides - pure genius! And why I love Instructables.

 throbscottle says:  Aug 13, 2014. 9:10 AM  REPLYI love this, so beautifully done. Drawer sliders - brilliant, thanks for that idea!

 esedul says:  Aug 13, 2014. 7:07 AM  REPLYthanks, good work and very well done !!

 Danger is my middle name says:  Aug 11, 2014. 3:48 PM  REPLYI like that you used only hand tools to make a tool that is not a hand tool :)

 Victor8o5 says:  Aug 11, 2014. 4:38 PM  REPLYToolception.

 Fysharchitect says:  Aug 12, 2014. 6:09 PM  REPLYWe got to go deeper...

bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa....

 pfred2 says:  Aug 12, 2014. 2:21 PM  REPLYRotary tools burn up HSS twist drills much bigger than a sixteenth of an inch in diameter working wood. It has to do with driven speed, surface speed, andtool friction. Past that a lead screw feed is not a sensitive feed mechanism. But other than those two major liabilities this looks OK to me.

 buck2217 says:  Aug 11, 2014. 4:58 PM  REPLYWa drill press in order to drill the holes for your drill press (oh hang on .........)

Good ible tempted to add it to the ever growing list of projects!!

have voted for you

 buck2217 says:  Aug 11, 2014. 5:01 PM  REPLYFor some reason not all of the comment came out then!!

It started

"what a shame that you didn't have a drill press etc" not Wa!!!

 pfred2 says:  Aug 12, 2014. 1:49 PM  REPLYI kind of liked Wa myself.

 Frank_Turk says:  Aug 12, 2014. 1:01 PM  REPLYGreatest. Instructible Evar

 jtechian says:  Aug 12, 2014. 10:45 AM  REPLYVery nice, thank you for sharing

 Raitis says:  Aug 12, 2014. 5:01 AM  REPLYNot the first 'ible I see doing that and I always think that this for either the drill or Dremel is the next thing to improve so many things for me, can't seem toactually go and make one somehow. Thanks for reminding. :)

 Costarus says:  Aug 11, 2014. 9:07 PM  REPLYI did the same. But used the counterweight. Spring or gum changes the effort. As opposed to not. Great tool!

http://www.instructables.com/id/Drill-press-for-20-21/

 Verticees says:  Aug 11, 2014. 4:40 PM  REPLYThis is great!

 michaelgc says:  Aug 11, 2014. 4:03 PM  REPLYcool idea