# Drill Press "throw"?



## spidennis (Jul 10, 2012)

I'm looking for a drill press that has a deep "throw. 
Where the chuck/bit travels 6 inches or so ...... 

I don't know what to call it other than "throw" 
but I'm sure there's a term for it? 
so if there is that would help in shopping I'd think? 
what would I be looking for?

I have two jobs where this is required, both drilling thru stacked layers of 3/4" ply. 

One job is using a augur bit to make a 3/4" hole thru several sheets of 3/4" ply. the holes must align.

the other is to drill thru 8 layers of 3/4" ply so I need a bit that long and the stock must fit in the drill press. 

the throat distance doesn't matter that much, at least for this job, but more is always better!

I just ordered a portable hand held jig to get me going, but later I'd like to upgrade to the drill press.


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## spidennis (Jul 10, 2012)

here's some specs from a drill talked about in another thread:
so I'm looking for "Spindle Travel"?

8-Amp 12-Speed Drill Press

X-Y axial laser guides projects lines for accurate pre-alignment of drilling location
Dual hubs provides for left or right side positioning of handles on drill head
4" spindle travel allows for drilling thru dimensional 4" x 4" material in one operation
12 operating speeds from 300-3100 RPM for drilling and sanding projects




spidennis said:


> I'm looking for a drill press that has a deep "throw.
> Where the chuck/bit travels 6 inches or so ......
> 
> I don't know what to call it other than "throw"
> ...


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## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

Sometimes called "Spindle travel".
Sometimes called "Quill stroke".

I think this Delta is one of the few I recall having a 6in Quill stroke.

http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2081368/31147/Delta-18-Laser-Drill-Press-Model-18900L.aspx

Most are in the 4 - 5in range, as is my drill press.


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## spidennis (Jul 10, 2012)

dave, this might be just the critter I'm looking for! thanks! It's on the list .....



Dave Paine said:


> Sometimes called "Spindle travel".
> Sometimes called "Quill stroke".
> 
> I think this Delta is one of the few I recall having a 6in Quill stroke.
> ...


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## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

Happy to help.

You mention auger bit. If you want the cleanest cutting bit with the least effort, it is the Colt MaxiCut Forstner bits.

I have some for drilling pepper mill blanks. I am very happy with these. Not cheap, but for my use, worth the money.

http://www.packardwoodworks.com/Mer...e=packard&Category_Code=drilling-bits-maxicut


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## spidennis (Jul 10, 2012)

I got the Irwin version of this .....
but I'll be looking into getting your suggestion next!


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## Shop Dad (May 3, 2011)

You can find the older, American made Powermatic 1150 around which are a great value. These have a 6" quill travel and were built very solid. I have one of these guys and am very happy with it.


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## Huxleywood (Feb 24, 2012)

New, the Steel City and the Delta 18-900.

Used a PM1150, PM1200 or the Delta 16-300.

The "best" built DPs you will find under 1K used are the various interations of the Powermatic PM 1150 but be aware there are a LOT of different configurations and it is a DP you need to research to know aht you want and what is a resonable price as even fair prices varys a lot with these.


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## spidennis (Jul 10, 2012)

http://www.amazon.com/Delta-18-900L-18-Inch-Laser-Drill/dp/B003YCEEQC

Delta-18-900L-18-Inch-Laser-Drill


the link above for this has moved/changed so I put up another one.
I can't quite afford this right now dang it, and I'm at that point again where I got to drill these holes, and hopefully get lucky! Once I start doing this a lot though it's at the top of the list! (and this will be soon enough!) can a tool really make you as happy as I think I'll be??


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## dbhost (Jan 28, 2008)

If you are talking about the travel of the bit, I have seen it referred to as...

"Quill Travel"
"Quill Stroke"
"Spindle Travel"
"Spindle Stroke"

There are probably other terms for it.

6" is an enormous amount of travel with any real accuracy. If you need the holes in the same place over and over again, set your fence, and a stop block, and make your repeated cuts with a normal drill press. Been working for me for years. You do have a woodworking drill press table with a stop block don't you?

In most situations, quill stroke between 3 to 4 inches is ideal, and just about any decent drill press will do this. Some low end bench tops don't go 3", but some do... 

The Grizzly G7948 is a bit on the big side, but give you 4.75" of quill stroke, and a nice table, just needs a shop made fence with T track and a stop block and you can get to drilling... http://www.grizzly.com/products/12-Speed-20-Floor-Drill-Press/G7948


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Use two drills*

Drill the first hole with the drill press 4" or 5" stoke...
Then follow up in the same hole with a hand held auger and a 1/2" variable speed drill. 
The initial hole will give the auger a straight vertical path to follow. No need for a $1000 drill press... JMO.


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## preacherman (Nov 29, 2011)

Not sure where you are located but I found this one off c-list in the Nashville,TN area http://nashville.craigslist.org/tls/3397197239.html the pics look like this is a new press and the price appears to be fair but not sure. Keep an eye out for these things used there seems to be alot of them around my area.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

Dave Paine said:


> Sometimes called "Spindle travel".
> Sometimes called "Quill stroke".
> 
> I think this Delta is one of the few I recall having a 6in Quill stroke.
> ...


That's a $950 drill press. Then add freight.








 







.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

dbhost said:


> 6" is an enormous amount of travel with any real accuracy. If you need the holes in the same place over and over again, set your fence, and a stop block, and make your repeated cuts with a normal drill press. Been working for me for years. You do have a woodworking drill press table with a stop block don't you?


+1. :yes: If you set up your drill press properly, and use stops your holes should be in alignment. On any of the pieces, back up the bottom with a scrap, or the next block to prevent tearout when the bit exits.









 







.


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## spidennis (Jul 10, 2012)

woodnthings said:


> Drill the first hole with the drill press 4" or 5" stoke...
> Then follow up in the same hole with a hand held auger and a 1/2" variable speed drill.
> The initial hole will give the auger a straight vertical path to follow. No need for a $1000 drill press... JMO.


Yup, this is the type of method I'm going for right now. I'm not a professional woodworker (which is why I'm here asking questions, not giving answers) and I don't have a whole shop full of tools, not even a decent drill press but I do have a old small table top model that can get them thru this job, at least start it. (I'm also borrowing lots of tools)

With a stack of 5 "23/32" pieces of birch ply bolted together I can drill the initial 3/4" hole. Yes, I've already drilled the alignment holes and cut the dado slots and it worked out very nicely. now it's time for those 3/4" holes for the dowel pin to fit into. I got both a forstner bit and an auger bit to use. 

My plan is (after much thought and considering the advice here, and I'm finally to this stage) is to drill the stack as far as the forstner bit will go which is about 2.5 pieces, then remove the top two pieces and using the start of the third to guide me I'll drill the next section again on the drill press, so I can keep a straight hole going. I could freehand it like suggested but by my experience with the alignment holes I did it's better for me to use the machine! 

hopefully I'll have enough posts now so that I can post some pics soon? remember, I'm not a profession woodworker and just making do the best I can. All y'all's advice I keep thinking about and I thank y'all for having the patience in dealing with me!


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## spidennis (Jul 10, 2012)

cabinetman said:


> That's a $950 drill press. Then add freight.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


nice find! yes, this is one of the 2 20" models, with the 959 being dropped from the lineup after problems? I wish I was closer to this unit! and I understand these are a real bear to assemble and move around!


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## spidennis (Jul 10, 2012)

Huxleywood said:


> New, the Steel City and the Delta 18-900.
> 
> Used a PM1150, PM1200 or the Delta 16-300.
> 
> The "best" built DPs you will find under 1K used are the various interations of the Powermatic PM 1150 but be aware there are a LOT of different configurations and it is a DP you need to research to know aht you want and what is a resonable price as even fair prices varys a lot with these.


and as I research ..... some have a quill adjustment for extended use, the delta doesn't have it? hummm ....... and I don't need the laser markings ......


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## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

From what I read you are attempting to drill holes in separate pieces that are in perfect alignment so you are stacking them. If this is the case any drill will work one piece at a time if you have a fixed table and a means to register each piece when you drill it.


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## spidennis (Jul 10, 2012)

frank, with yours and other's suggestions, and again turning this over and over in my head, yup, this possibly might work, at least for the 3/4" holes, but for the dado stack i still need the alignment bolt holes. 


ok, I got enough posts now to attach a pic ? lets see ..... 
cool, now I'm dangerous!

In researching I've come across this dp a couple of times, it's got from what is mentioned the first time I saw this (on this forum?) it has an 8" quill travel? Perfect!


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## Shop Dad (May 3, 2011)

That old DP looks like it has more like a 3" quill travel. You can see by the teeth that it's fully extended here. There just isn't more quill to extend. Not sure where the 8" number came from.


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## Andrew120 (Jun 30, 2012)

I agree with a previous post, as long as the edges of your plywood stack are all even just set up some good stop blocks and drill away with what you got.

Andrew


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## spidennis (Jul 10, 2012)

Andrew120 said:


> I agree with a previous post, as long as the edges of your plywood stack are all even just set up some good stop blocks and drill away with what you got.
> 
> Andrew


I'm working on what basically is a fence for my drill press. I will modify my design so that all the holes are on the same line (not sure exactly why I didn't do that initially other than to distinguish one set of hole from the others). I'm bolting a 3/4" piece of birch ply large enough to hold my biggest target piece right to the little dp table. Once I got the line aligned all I have to do is move to the pencil marks and drill. It seems easy enough. I will have to keep on hand a supply of "backing board" to keep from having tearout. So far so good! pics to come ...... did I just save a grand? we'll see if I can get this perfect enough. I will however leave the two mating pieces screwed together and drill that together so that it will be perfect enough.


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