Having trouble using my new drill press to bore stock dead center. I bought a new Black Bull 16 speed DP16UL press for about $285.00. I dragged it all over my garage floor to find a level spot. I set up the stock to drill using a three way level(horizontal bubble, front to back bubble, and a 45degree bubble). Use the level to check the drill press, set the table, check the drill press vise; use a belt/disc sander to square up the stock, and finally check that the stock is level locked in the drill press vice.
I use a center finder, drill, and the entrance hole is dead center, but the exit hole is always off.

The only way I've gotten the bore perfectly centered is to use the press to start the hole, then take the stock to my bench vise, set it up level and use a progressive series of drill bits with my hand held drill.

This is way too time consuming and seems stupid.

What do you guys do? My goal is to drill stock efficiently, and eventually be able to drill a perfectly centered bore through at least 12" wood stock so I can have a wooden grip without a seam.

My budget won't allow a $600.00 drill press

Harry T. Bell



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/18/2014 10:08AM by Tom Kirkman.

Drill presses are not easily used to drill centers in stock. It's not your press that's the problem, it's the tool in general. Lathes are the preferred tool for center boring wood stock.

However, there are a few things you can do that will at least help. You will need a good upright clamping system for your drill press table. You should be using brad point bits as they tend to cut from the outside. Regular twist drill bits punch through the center and are apt to wander and follow any irregular wood grain or figure.

Even then, it's going to be very hard to drill a perfectly centered bore in your handles with a drill press. Of course, you can always mount them on a mandrel and then turn them, which will return the bore to center, but you'll have to make the actual turning process the last step in your process.

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Tom,
Very helpful. My question though is how you set up the stock on a wood lathe to bore the center.

The stock is held by the chuck and the drill bit is held in a jacobs style chuck in the tailstock. The stock spins and the tailstock is advanced into the workpiece. Long pieces may require a "steady rest."

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In addition to Tom's comment about using brad point bits, the length of your brad point bit may be contributing to the problem. I drill on my lathe and use two different 3/8" bits. One is around 5" and one is around 10". The 10" bit is deeply fluted which seems to make it more flexible, causing it to wander. So I start my boring with the 5" bit, then complete it with the longer bit. The results are acceptable.

Jeff

Harry,
Here is a picture of my lathe set up to drill a hole through the center of a wood grip that I have turned for an ice rod.

Note the lathe chuck on the left which spins the grip and holds it secure.

In the center is my steady rest, which holds the end of the grip stable.

Then, the keyless chuck on the right that holds the drill bit as the lathe chuck spins the grip while boring the hole.

[www.rodbuilding.org]

As Mr. Kirkman pointed out, since the work piece is spinning around the stationary drill bit, the hole is always centered in the work piece.

Be safe

As the above posters have said the best way to drill a handle is with a lathe. If you don't have the lathe or chuck to use a lathe, A drill press will work but , having the table level is not going to insure you will have a straight hole the drill bit must be square to the table. Most drill press table are adjustable so you can square them up to the bit.

I drill one end 1/2 way through and flip the grip and finish the drilling from the other side,
quite accurate for a drill press.

Curt

I don't know if this will help but when you tighten the bit in the chuck you need to tighten at all three locations in the chuck to put equel pressure to make the bit straight.

Yes the lathe is the right tool. But if your entrance hole with a drill press is dead center and the exit hole is not, then the "platen" (horizontal supporting surface for the stock) is not perpendicular to the axis of the drill.

Harry
You didn't mention how you are holding the stock on the drill press table. If by hand it's almost impossible to be dead on. Is the stock square or round? Also I just saw this happen to a friend. He was drilling out a cedar fore grip with a Forstner bit. It went in dead on and came out off center. I looked at it and he had cut the bottom of the grip slightly crooked.. The hole was perfectly straight but because the bottom was off it could not bore straight. You have to be sure as mentioned above that he bit is perfectly 90 degrees to the table and the stock is perfectly vertical .