# Buy a drill press or drill with lathe



## greg544 (Oct 3, 2011)

Here is my profit and loss statement since beginning this hobby one month ago.

Pen Turning class at Woodcraft $65
Lathe – Rikon 70-050 (http://bit.ly/nCdYA2)  $200  
:bulgy-eyes:Band Saw  from Craigslist $60
:frown:Band Saw blade $7
Starter kit from PSI  included turning tools, mandrill, 7mm drill bit, barrel trimmer, 10 slimline kits, 20 half-blanks,  epoxy glue and small bottle of Shellawax $90.
:befuddled:Sandpaper  Pack from Woodcraft  $19 
Replacement band saw blade $7

I already regret listing it out!  Please don’t forward this to my wife.

I think I have no choice but to find some way to drill holes in the pen blanks to go any further.  It seems from reading on this message forum the choices are 1) buy a drill press or 2) buy the tools to drill on the lathe.

I was thinking that space wise it would be good to drill on the lathe, but it sounds more affordable to buy a low cost bench drill press.  

What exactly would I need to buy to drill on the lathe?  From what I can figure out I need a lathe chuck to hold the blank in the headstock and a drill chuck for the tailstock.

If I go with the drill press what is the minimum vertical stroke I would need to do a pen blank?

I am actually having a lot of fun doing this.  Complaining about money has been a long time hobby of mine.


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## knowltoh (Oct 3, 2011)

I'm not sure you would be happy with a low cost drill press.  I do all my drilling on the lathe.  For me I can't see doing it any other way.


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## sbell111 (Oct 3, 2011)

I use my drill press for many more things than drilling pen blanks.  I would definitely go with a drill press.


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## G1Pens (Oct 3, 2011)

I haven't been at this very long...less than a year. I started out by buying what I needed to drill on the lathe. About 4 months ago, I bought a drill press. I still drill 90% of my blanks on the lathe. I like it a lot better.


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## moke (Oct 3, 2011)

Drill on your lathe....it is far superior in accuracy to anything else you can do....don't show your wife anything...feel forunate you have not taken out a second mortgage to more stuff yet!!! LOL...welcome to the addiction!!!


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## jbswearingen (Oct 3, 2011)

I no longer drill on the drill press.  I only use it now for squaring the blanks (end mill) and for general purpose drilling.

When drilling on the lathe, I was getting off-center holes.  Couldn't figure it out!  Then it dawned on me...my blanks' sides weren't square--the blanks were "crooked".  To fix this, I now turn my blanks round, then mount them on my chuck with pin jaws attached.

I use it so often that I now have a dedicated blank drilling chuck, my older SuperNova.

Now I have perfectly straight holes and a nice, snug fit for my tubes.


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## cwolfs69 (Oct 3, 2011)

i personally can not stand teh extra time it takes to drill on the lathe, and in my opinion, not as stable or as accurate. The drill press is *MADE FOR DRILLING*.


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## Displaced Canadian (Oct 3, 2011)

At some point you will want to try something that requires you to buy a chuck. So really all you need to buy extra is a drill chuck. I bought a chuck from Penn state industries and the pen drilling jaws and this system works quite well. Depending on how far your tailstock will advance you will need to move it forward to completely drill the hole. If I had all the money I spent on drill press like stuff I bought and didn't work well enough I could have bought 2 chucks.


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## asyler (Oct 3, 2011)

i,too haven t been making pens long, i started out on the lathe, but i hated to take the drive and center off, screw on the chucks drill then take them off, i was either going to get a drill press or a lathe to drill on only, got a drill press and good pen vice, tried tomake my own ,, just didn t work for me.. 
anyway, many ways to do it ,, all seem to cost about the same, so just have fun and  enjoy ,,


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## monophoto (Oct 3, 2011)

Keep in mind that there are WANTS and NEEDS.  

You can look at this activity in one of two ways.  It is either a business with a significant start-up cost, or an adult hobby, which translates into a significant outflow of cash.  Deal with it!

I have an inexpensive bench-top drill press that I initially bought to drill pens.  It works, but one of the limitations is that the quill movement is only 2" which is barely enough for the simplest Slimline pen.  The drill press cost me about $50 (on sale).

I also bought a Jacobs chuck to permit drilling on my lathe.  The Jacobs chuck cost about $30 (60% of what the drill press cost).  But again, I'm limited to the quill movement in my lathe.  And regardless of which way I go, I generally have to drill in multiple steps.

So a rational analysis leads to the conclusion that its a tossup.  

But the adult hobby consideration is that if you have gotten into this activity, you are probably a tool freak to begin with, and you probably WANT both a drill press and a Jacobs chuck for your lathe regardless of what the rational analysis says.  That presents the challenge of concocting arguments to convince the significant other that it's a NEED rather than a WANT.  

I'm still working on that part.


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## glycerine (Oct 3, 2011)

Well, even if you bought a drill press, you'd probably want to buy a pen blank vise or something else to hold it steady and make sure you're drilling down the center, so you're cost will be more than just a cheap drill press.
I started out with a drill press AS my lathe.  I bought a vertical lathe attachment from grizzly.  It worked well with an adapter I made to hold the mandrel.  So I was drilling AND turning on my cheap harbor freight drill press.  Then I got a good deal on a lathe, but continued drilling on my drill press.  Then I bought an MT2 jacobs chuck for my lathe and traded some supplies to an IAP member for a scroll chuck.  After I got the hang of drilling on the lathe, I would never go back to the drill press.  For me, drilling on the lathe just worked so much better.
NOTE: Now that's not to say you wouldn't like having a drill press in your shop.  I use mine all the time for other things, just not pen blanks.  So, I wouldn't take it off your wish list.  But if you are only talking about drilling pen blanks, I'd say get a scroll chuck to fit your headstock and MT jacobs chuck to fit your tailstock.  That's really all you need (aside from drill bits...)
By the way, I'm just curious what you are calling a "low cost" bench top drill press? You can get the utility grip 4 jaw chuck from PSI for about $90 and a jacobs chuck to fit your tailstock for $25-30 (plus shipping), so for $120 or so, you should be set.


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## greg544 (Oct 3, 2011)

My low cost price was $80 from Northern Tool. http://bit.ly/o3TGss


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## glycerine (Oct 3, 2011)

Do you have a Harbor Freight close to you?  I got mine from there with a 50% coupon and paid about $40 for it.  It looks similar to the one you posted.  Probably made in the same factory.  http://www.harborfreight.com/5-speed-drill-press-38119.html
IF you decide to go that route and just want the cheapest you can find, look through the harbor freight sale ads, you're bound to catch one on sale.
Otherwise, I still say go with drilling on the lathe because you'll probably want a drill press with a larger vertical stroke for pen blanks.


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## cwolfs69 (Oct 3, 2011)

*If you plan to drill blanks with that drill press you are much better off with a lathe set up.* The spindle stroke is only 2 inches. that's not enough for even the shortest blanks. most are over 2" and you need extra for squaring.  Plus with that small drill press you wont have room for some blanks and the drill bit over the table. then when you swing the table out of the way you cant reach the blank. really a pain in the ...... This is from a guy who swears by drilling on the drill press. but i have a 5 foot tall drill press with 4 1/2 inches of spindle stroke. as most of the guys here are telling you, with a "bench top" drill press, it is much more feasible to drill on the lathe. That is why i bought my large drill press, i couldn't stand to drill on the lathe and was not able to drill on  my bench top effectively. you can disregard my previous post if you are only talking about a bench top. Now the others are also right, the drill press is very handy for *many,  many* other things, so don't take it off of your wish list.  





greg544 said:


> My low cost price was $80 from Northern Tool. http://bit.ly/o3TGss


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## Monty (Oct 3, 2011)

You don't _really_ need a lathe chuck to drill on the lathe, just a drill chuck, a pair of pliers, and a dead center. You would drill a wood or acrylic blank like the antler in this video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAEEaF8z2jM


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## jbswearingen (Oct 3, 2011)

Monty said:


> You don't _really_ need a lathe chuck to drill on the lathe, just a drill chuck, a pair of pliers, and a dead center. You would drill a wood or acrylic blank like the antler in this video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAEEaF8z2jM




That looks WAY too easy to be true.


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## JimB (Oct 3, 2011)

I have both set ups. I have a Ryobi bench top DP and a scroll chuck / jacobs chuck for the lathe. I still find it easier to drill on the DP and drill all my pen blanks on the DP. I do some other drilling on the lathe for things such as bottle stoppers because I turn them first and then drill.

You need to consider what else you might want to drill. Will you use a DP for non-turning things? 

If I could afford only one option then I would go for the scroll/jacobs chuck set up because the scroll chuck will allow me to do many other things down the road (using other jaws) such as bowls etc. while the DP only drills holes.


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## Padre (Oct 3, 2011)

Greg,

Let me start off by saying that 'you get what you pay for.'  That being said, I would stay away from an $80 drill press.  I have a nice drill press I got at Lowes on close-out, it's Porter Cable, and I got it for $299.  BUT, when it comes to accuracy, nothing beats drilling on the lathe.  For instance, if I'm doing a 'plain' blank, I'll drill on the press.  When I'm doing a 'fancy' blank, like a celtic knot, where you need to have great accuracy, then I drill on the lathe.

However, the drill press does also trim the blanks, you can add a sanding attachment, drill other things, etc.

I would recommend both, but I would also recommend not getting a 'cheap' unit.  You said you found your bandsaw on Craigslist, be patient and find a nice drill press too.


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## randyrls (Oct 3, 2011)

Greg; You need at least a 3-1/4" stroke on the drill press.  There are a few bench top models with this size stroke.   Many people do drill on the lathe and it does work.  The lathe, however suffers from the same limits as the DP, the "stroke" on the tail stock will probably not be enough to drill in one go.  You have to stop the lathe, retract the TS, and reposition the tail stock.  

Cautions; the drill bit can be pulled out of the TS taper.  Keep a firm hand on the drill chuck.  The drill bit and chuck goes in the tail stock, so it doesn't turn while drilling.


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## randyrls (Oct 3, 2011)

Monty said:


> You don't _really_ need a lathe chuck to drill on the lathe, just a drill chuck, a pair of pliers, and a dead center. You would drill a wood or acrylic blank like the antler in this video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAEEaF8z2jM



Monty and Greg;  If you use the drill bit and chuck in the head stock of the lathe, you should have a drawbar to hold the chuck firmly in the head stock.  I have had a chuck and bit detach from the morse taper.  With the chuck in the tail stock this isn't a big problem, but from the head stock side, the chuck is spinning.

Be safe out there!


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## Rick P (Oct 3, 2011)

My 2 cents.....I have a drill press and the only thing keeping me from going kitless is a chuck for drilling on the lathe! I can not imagine getting centered well enough and keeping the blank strait enough to do a kitless pen on a drill press. If all your going to do is pens get the set up for your lathe. If you have wider ambitions put it off till you can pay for it via pen sales.


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## wiset1 (Oct 3, 2011)

I did the drill press for about a month and trashed about 90% of the blanks from Eugene when I first started out.  Either the blank would blow out or I would have a wondering bit which would bore the void out well beyond what I needed.  After that I figured...I'm already throwing money into the scrap bin, lets see if the dedicated drill chuck works.  I haven't looked back since!!!!  Perfect holes every single time and no blown out blanks.  Dedicated Pen blank drilling chuck and the 1/2" drill chuck to hold the bits...best setup ever!  Just my .02


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## renowb (Oct 3, 2011)

Greg, you have seen my setup. They do the job rather well. I just don't see changing the lathe set up for drilling. But, I am on a tight budget and do with what I've got. Just my .05.


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## RogerH (Oct 3, 2011)

I have the set up to do both.  I bought a good used lathe that had the Jacobs chuck.  I added a good used chuck because I turn bowls, candlesticks as well.  I then did 100% of my drilling on the lathe for about 6 months.  I found it inconvenient, slow and not all that accurate (I must have been doing something wrong on the accuracy part, I guess)

I then bought a Ryobi tabletop drill press for $55 off of Craig's list, and while it does require me to move the table on long blanks, it makes it through most in one shot.  I find the drill press ENORMOUSLY faster and more convenient, and using a wooden clamp with a hole drilled 3/4 through to hold my blanks, I am getting exceptionally straight and true holes.

I vote for buying a decent, used drill press.  It works best for me.


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## Displaced Canadian (Oct 3, 2011)

Monty said:


> You don't _really_ need a lathe chuck to drill on the lathe, just a drill chuck, a pair of pliers, and a dead center. You would drill a wood or acrylic blank like the antler in this video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAEEaF8z2jM



 Every once in a while I have been known to take a chance and do something possibly dangerous, but this guy made me want to dive under my desk to dodge the flying pliers.


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## moke (Oct 3, 2011)

I was surprised at how nicely the PSI chuck with the pen jaws worked.  That truely makes it quicker to drill...you don't have to turn the blank round...it is NOT the answer to all blanks, but it may save you a lot of time!  I think most of us started with a DP and most of the guys that have been on here very long have gone to drilling on their lathes.  Just my .02


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## glycerine (Oct 3, 2011)

One more thing I thought about that probably makes a big difference.  Some of these guys here at the IAP either do this for a living or at least do it ALOT more than the casual turner.  If you turn 6 or 8 hours a day, it's probably much more convenient to have a dedicated drilling station (such as a drill press) instead of swapping out attachment on the lathe...


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## studioso (Oct 3, 2011)

I have been there:
I started off with a 100$ pen press from canadian tire, which is a decent machine, but not perfect for pen drilling. the stroke was too short, had to buld a self centering blank clamp, didn't work, had to buy self centering blank clamp, still had too much trouble.

eventually I purchased a jacob taper and a 4-jaw chuck. I think that over all it was under 100$ and I certainly get better results. besides I use the jacon and the chuck for many other things (although now what I want is a collet chuck!)


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## lorbay (Oct 3, 2011)

greg544 said:


> Here is my profit and loss statement since beginning this hobby one month ago.
> 
> Pen Turning class at Woodcraft $65
> Lathe – Rikon 70-050 (http://bit.ly/nCdYA2) $200
> ...


  If I were you and if I knew then what I know now, I would go to a collet chuck and drill on the lathe. + you can do a whole bunch more stuff with a collet chuck.

Lin.


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## Monty (Oct 3, 2011)

jbswearingen said:


> Monty said:
> 
> 
> > You don't _really_ need a lathe chuck to drill on the lathe, just a drill chuck, a pair of pliers, and a dead center. You would drill a wood or acrylic blank like the antler in this video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAEEaF8z2jM
> ...


Very easy. I'm 99% accurate in drilling antler this way.



randyrls said:


> Monty said:
> 
> 
> > You don't _really_ need a lathe chuck to drill on the lathe, just a drill chuck, a pair of pliers, and a dead center. You would drill a wood or acrylic blank like the antler in this video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAEEaF8z2jM
> ...


Guess I've been lucky so far. I've done this procedure on two different laths with no problems. (there's always a first time though).




Displaced Canadian said:


> Monty said:
> 
> 
> > You don't _really_ need a lathe chuck to drill on the lathe, just a drill chuck, a pair of pliers, and a dead center. You would drill a wood or acrylic blank like the antler in this video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAEEaF8z2jM
> ...


Don't drill hi speed, use slow speed and there should be no problem.

Greg, you're about an hour north of me (I'm in Pearland). If you want, give me a call and come down sometime and I'll be glad to give you a demo and a few pointers.


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## jbswearingen (Oct 3, 2011)

Well, Monty, I think I'll try it.  I've bought enough glue from you to be able to patch up anything should it go awry and tear me up!


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## Displaced Canadian (Oct 3, 2011)

Mannie,
Your tailstock must slide a lot easier than mine does. I can see the advantage for drilling curved objects. It still scares me.


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## greg544 (Oct 3, 2011)

I have to wait to go home before I can view youtube.  This must be a great video to create this much interest.


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## Displaced Canadian (Oct 3, 2011)

My decision to buy a chuck instead of a drill press was based first on space, my shop is small. Second on price. I could afford a good chuck, I couldn't afford a good drill press.


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## termitepenman (Oct 3, 2011)

When I first started making pens.  I used my drill press.  Then I read of IAP members using their lathes with a drill chuck.  I bought a drill chuck on a MT and have never looked back.

Dennis
Bohol, Philippines


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## BSea (Oct 3, 2011)

I drilled 2 pen blanks on my benchtop drill press before I ordered my collet chuck.  I hardly use my DP anymore.  Plus I now a full set of collets, that are so much more useful.  I can't imagine going back to drilling my blanks on the DP.


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## widows son (Oct 3, 2011)

The most expensive tools in your shop are the cheap tools. Busted knuckles and hours spent trying them to make them do things they weren't designed to do. I would save my money and buy a decent drill press from Craigs list or eBay. I have a 40 year old drill press that I bought off of Craigs List before I started making pens and other stuff. I don't think the lathe had been used for more than a few hours. Check the run out on the drill press before you buy it if it's well worn. I made a vice to hold the pen blanks from a couple of 2X4 scraps and then I tried using my lathe. 
The lathe works better IMHO. The extra set of jaws for my chuck for a lot of other things besides pen blanks. Same for drill chuck. It takes 5 mins to setup the lathe and the results are more consistent. 

BTW Buy the best drill bits you can afford no matter what you decide to do.


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## Haynie (Oct 3, 2011)

A drill press has been much more useful around my shop than the lathe ever will be.  If all you do is pens then by all means use a lathe, Very hard to cut a 4 inch hole with a hole saw on the lathe into an 8 foot 2x12.  Yes an extreme example but a DP has many more applications than a lathe.


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## Richard Van Hulle (Oct 3, 2011)

Greg:

I use the drill press as I make and try to sell a lot of pens. The drill press I saw a Lowes had about a four inch stroke which is what should do 95% of your wood pen blank drilling needs. You might also consider a self-centering vise. I have been through more than one and the Woodcraft, Woodriver #151256 works just fine for me. There are a couple of things to learn about using the drill press for pen blank drilling. Once you have found true center for your vise make sure it is level then bolt it down to the locked drill press steel table. Drill with sharp drills and use the slowest speeds. Start the hole slowly by touching the drill down to the wood blank. Turn the drill on and again eaisly touch the drill down lightly and use lite pressure to start the hole then continue using light pressure and often back the drill completly out to clear the chips. DON'T force the drill into the blank it will wander. The top will be right on and the bottom will come out way off center. Keeping your wood grain straight is important on some pens, so you get the proper visual effects. Try to keep the drill bit cool. I would make sure the drill chuck will take at least a 3/8 inch drill. I hope my drill information helps you out, what ever choice you make.

Richard Van Hulle, Aiken Pen & Pencil







5


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## navycop (Oct 3, 2011)

I wonder if that youtube way would work with a shopsmith? I guess I have to advance to drillchuck instead of the tailstock.


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## BKelley (Oct 3, 2011)

Seems like the majority like to drill on the lathe.  As for me, I still like the drill press.  I use an old Rockwell/Delta 15" drill press that I bought new over 40 years ago.  It still maintains its accuracy today.  I use preminum quality drill bits and don't have any problems.  I'll tell you somthing I learned years ago, ------------the best way to drill a hole is the way that works best for you!!  Lathe or drill press, expriment on some scrap and find out which works best for you.

Ben


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## greg544 (Oct 3, 2011)

Thanks for so many great replies!  This evening I picked up a old drill press attachment from the 70s Montgomery Wards from my father-in-law.  he said this set orIginally let you use you power drill as a drill press and also to run a table saw.  What happened to those kinds of deals?   But, this set up is not going to work for drilling blanks.


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## greg544 (Oct 3, 2011)

Here it is.


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## redbulldog (Oct 3, 2011)

I have tried drilling on the lathe, Shopsmith and also the Jet. I was totally dissatisfied with the results with either lathe. I was taught several years ago (over 55 years) how to drill using a drill press. I have much better luck using the drill press and will continue to do so. Others are happy drilling on the lathe, it just is NOT for me. It is not that I am right or you are, it is what each person is comfortable doing. I just bought me a new drill press and now I wiill not be using the Shopsmith as a drill press, my old back will sure appreciate the change!!


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