# drill press speed



## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

I like the slowest speed that will do the job.


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## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

For wood this chart will suffice for twist drill bits and brad point bits. The type of bit will be a consideration also. Spade bits not so much. You'll adjust with experience.


Link for metals.
https://smithy.com/machining-reference/drilling/page/22








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## Joeywhat (Apr 18, 2020)

SeniorSitizen said:


> For wood this chart will suffice for twist drill bits and brad point bits. The type of bit will be a consideration also. Spade bits not so much. You'll adjust with experience.
> 
> 
> Link for metals.
> ...


Make note of the feed rates in that chart as well (the metals one). It's just as important as tool speed, if you're not feeding fast enough you'll work harden a lot of metals, and dull your bit. Likewise if you go too fast you'll likely break the drill or get a rough hole.


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## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

Joeywhat said:


> Make note of the feed rates in that chart as well (the metals one). It's just as important as tool speed, if you're not feeding fast enough you'll work harden a lot of metals, and dull your bit. Likewise if you go too fast you'll likely break the drill or get a rough hole.


There's no half nut to engage so go by guess and by golly. You and that press will soon get the hang of it.


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## lenaitch (Feb 10, 2014)

My Delta came with a label under the pulley hood much like senior posted.


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## Joeywhat (Apr 18, 2020)

SeniorSitizen said:


> There's no half nut to engage so go by guess and by golly. You and that press will soon get the hang of it.


Yes, it's easy enough to get the hang off after a few tries. Feed rates don't need to be exact, especially when your tool speed is good. But a lot of folks new to metal working like to go slow, thinking it's better, safer or whatever else. At that point all you're doing is making heat and dulling the bit. They're also not used to having to put a little effort into the handle, especially if you're putting a pretty big hole through something.

If only wood is being worked on then it doesn't really matter...it's pretty forgiving.


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## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

In case his operator's manual didn't mention it a safety suggestion might be in order for a new DP operator. When drilling metal it's a good plan to clamp it to the table or hold it in a vise. A small thin piece of metal can slit the hand wide open if the bit should hang. Saw this happen to a buddy of mine when we were young whipper snappers.


This applies to some wood pieces also.


I worked in a shop once where mostly all the smaller twist drill bits were bent and wobbled. After watching some operate the drill i soon determined why. A loose eccentric piece going round and round will do that.




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## woodypecker (Aug 6, 2016)

thanks all, for the responses. I also purchased a drill vise to hold materials.


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## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

woodypecker said:


> thanks all, for the responses. I also purchased a drill vise to hold materials.


 If you ever have the opportunity to buy a Cardinal quick acting drill press vise buy it, you'll like it. The half nut principle is similar to the quick acting wood worker's vise. I don't have one and the problem is, used in good condition it would cost more than my drill press cost.






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## ratherbefishing (Jan 13, 2011)

If you don't have a "Pocket Ref", you should. It's a little black book, next to the cash register at any hardware store. Your answer, and a million others, is in there.


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## woodypecker (Aug 6, 2016)

used the drill press today. and the drill bit looks like it's wobbling a little. also, I was drilling a hole through a dowel and when the bit went through the opposite end, it wasn't centered anymore. can someone give me any pointers on setting up the drill? Thanks


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## Joeywhat (Apr 18, 2020)

Either the spindle isn't true or the bit isn't in the chuck properly. Does the spindle also wobble? Is it more noticeable on the drill chuck (if you're using one)?

I would also ensure the table is both flat, and perpendicular to the spindle. If the table isn't perpendicular the drill won't make a straight hole. There might be some debris or something under the vise that is skewing your work piece. 

What brand of drill press is this? A lot of the super cheap machining products right off the boat from China aren't great, and often exhibit issues like you describe. If you have an indicator, you can use that to check if the drill press is straight and true, otherwise you're stuck just using your eyes.


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## MTN REMODEL LLC (Sep 11, 2010)

Tell us more about drilling the dowel....might be your bit / vice/ technique /or machine.

You said " *I was drilling a hole through a dowel and when the bit went through the opposite end, it wasn't centered anymore."*

Not sure what opposit end was: were you drilling thru it vertically to the other side...or were you trying to drill it longitudenally to the other end.?


If so, what size dowel, what drill bit size and type...


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

The most common cause for wobble is a bit that is chucked up improperly.


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## landfillwizard (Feb 21, 2014)

Use a square to see if the drill is square to the table.


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## woodypecker (Aug 6, 2016)

thanks for the responses. it's a harbor freight drill press. it's only for occasional use. I was drilling lengthwise through the dowel, not perpendicular. the drill bit looked straight when I put an angle square to it. was checking a youtube video that says that you need to tighten with the key in two spots.I only tighten the chuck in one spot. will check the other factors that people have mentioned. Thanks all again.


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## jproffer (Mar 12, 2005)

woodypecker said:


> thanks for the responses. it's a harbor freight drill press. it's only for occasional use. I was drilling lengthwise through the dowel, not perpendicular. the drill bit looked straight when I put an angle square to it. was checking a youtube video that says that you need to tighten with the key in two spots.I only tighten the chuck in one spot. will check the other factors that people have mentioned. Thanks all again.


No reason to tighten a chuck in 2 spots. You're still turning the same big ring gear (that the teeth of the chuck key go into). I've tried it multiple ways in a bridgeport, checking runout with an indicator....it didn't make over a thousandth's difference, so I never worried about it again. That's not the problem.

Most likely runout in the spindle. Not sure if a HF drill press will have a way to correct that runout or not. If it does, someone somewhere has done it and put it on youtube.


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## DexterII (Jul 14, 2010)

Every time I chuck anything in a drill press, hand held drill, lathe, etc., I remember a grumpy old buddy coming over so I could HELP HIM with something, probably close to 50 years ago, me hastily chucking a drill in MY drill press, to drill a hole that really didn't matter how accurate was in an old piece of scrap metal, and him chastising me for not tightening all three jaws. I vividly recall being not too happy with him at the time, but he was one of the few survivors when his unit got overrun by the Chinese in Korea, then came home and made a career as a machinist, so I listened. I have since heard others debate tightening one, two, or three jaws, but I always do all three. Always hand tighten the chuck first, and pay particular attention with smaller bits because they can get hung up between just two jaws if you're not paying attention. Don't overlook the drill bits themselves. If you have in doubt, backlight them and roll them across a known flat surface; a piece of glass is perfect, but a table saw surface, kitchen counter, or dining table should be pretty accurate as well. As likely as anything in this situation though, your piece was not clamped perfectly in line with the quill or bit. Many holes that you will drill do not need to be all that accuracy, but some will require a little more thought and setup.


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## jproffer (Mar 12, 2005)

DexterII said:


> Every time I chuck anything in a drill press, hand held drill, lathe, etc., I remember a grumpy old buddy coming over so I could HELP HIM with something, probably close to 50 years ago, me hastily chucking a drill in MY drill press, to drill a hole that really didn't matter how accurate was in an old piece of scrap metal, and him chastising me for not tightening all three jaws. I vividly recall being not too happy with him at the time, but he was one of the few survivors when his unit got overrun by the Chinese in Korea, then came home and made a career as a machinist, so I listened. I have since heard others debate tightening one, two, or three jaws, but I always do all three. Always hand tighten the chuck first, and pay particular attention with smaller bits because they can get hung up between just two jaws if you're not paying attention. Don't overlook the drill bits themselves. If you have in doubt, backlight them and roll them across a known flat surface; a piece of glass is perfect, but a table saw surface, kitchen counter, or dining table should be pretty accurate as well. As likely as anything in this situation though, your piece was not clamped perfectly in line with the quill or bit. Many holes that you will drill do not need to be all that accuracy, but some will require a little more thought and setup.


I've heard the same thing, which is why I tried it one day lol. Between that and just looking at the mechanism, I don't bother "evenly" tightening a chuck. But to each their own :thumbsup:


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## jbfan (Jul 1, 2004)

SeniorSitizen said:


> In case his operator's manual didn't mention it a safety suggestion might be in order for a new DP operator. When drilling metal it's a good plan to clamp it to the table or hold it in a vise. A small thin piece of metal can slit the hand wide open if the bit should hang. Saw this happen to a buddy of mine when we were young whipper snappers.
> 
> 
> This applies to some wood pieces also.
> ...


Yep. It happened to me. Sliced the first knuckle on my ring finger. it did not cut the tendon, but damaged it. I still have a Mallet Finger at the first joint.


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## woodypecker (Aug 6, 2016)

thanks for all the advice. it turns out that my miter saw is at fault. I would pre cut the dowel to length before drilling the hole. I got another dowel that I didn't pre cut and it came out more centered. it turns out that the blade isn't really true.


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## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

A couple of ideas i've used for boring holes in dowels when using equipment i have. A wood parallel clamp used with a square to plumb the dowel and a tubing clamp, clamped to the D Press table. A couple of considerations. Of course the table must be 90° to the bit with either and with the tubing clamp we're limited to dowel size. Sometimes a straight piece of tubing the correct size can be used to assist in centering the work location.




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