How to drill
Inserting a drill bit
First, double check that the drill chuck is in the machine. If it looks like a different tool holder, inform a staff member to change it.
Drill chuck →
Next, select the appropriate sized drill bit for your project.
← The drill bits are kept in the top drawer of the mill/drill workbench. We have number drills, fractional drills, and letter drills to choose from. There is also a set of forstner bits which can be used on softer materials like wood or plastic.
Once you have your bit selected, twist the top part of the drill chuck by hand to open the jaws. When it is wide enough, slide your drill bit into the jaws then twist the opposite direction to tighten on the bit.
Note: It is important that you do not tighten the jaws on the flutes of the bit. However you do want to get the bit as far into the chuck as you can for rigidity.
Incorrect! The jaws are tightened on the flutes.
Correct! The jaws are tightened just above the flutes.
To fully tighten the chuck, grab the key, insert it into the hole so that the teeth line up between the two parts, and twist to fully tighten.
Work holding
Drilling a new hole
When you want to drill a new hole, you should fixture your material in the machinist's vise mounted to the mill/drill table.
Machinist's Vise →
Firstly, we must ensure that we do not drill into our vise when drilling through the part. For square work pieces, we will place them on a pair of parallels. Machinist's parallels are precision machined pieces that are used to keep your work piece parallel or raised evenly in the vise.
The parallels are kept in the top drawer of the mill/drill workbench. →
Pick a height of parallel to give yourself enough clearance for drilling and will also allow enough area for clamping. Then place them on the sides of the vise jaws.
Place your part on top of the parallels in the vise.
Use the handle to tighten the vise well so your part fixtured in place.
If you have a non square work piece that makes it difficult to use parallels, place a piece of scrap wood under the work piece then use the handle to tighten the vise on your part.
Widening an existing hole
When you are widening an existing hole, you do not want to use a vise that is fixtured to the table like the milling vise. Instead we will use a drill press vise that is located in the bottom drawer of the mill/drill workbench. Drill bits like to find the center of the hole of a part but the part has to be able to move a bit so that it will line up.
For instance, you may want to widen part like this if the hole is the wrong size →
Clamp your part into the drill press vise.
If your part doesn't have a lip like this one, ensure there is something under it, like a piece of scrap wood, to prevent the drill bit from boring into the vise.
When you drill this part, ensure you are firmly holding onto the vise since it is not bolted down.
Check the height
Before you drill your hole, you want to ensure that your drill bit will be able to make it all the way through the part with the range of the z-axis.
To check we will move the the drill bit to the side of our part using the x and y axis handwheels.
Next use the z-axis lever to bring down the drill bit and check from the side that it can go below the bottom of your part.
If it cannot, then ask a staff member to help you lower the head of the machine.
Drilling your hole
Make sure to mark the spot you want to drill a hole.
If you have a more complex/precise hole pattern you can use the Digital Readout (DRO).
Use the handwheels to locate the drill bit over the the correct spot.
Close the guard the turn on the spindle by flipping the switch to Forward.
Use the z-axis lever to bring the drill bit down slowly into the material. Do not force the bit if you feel a lot of resistance.
Keep an eye from the side to ensure you do not go too far and drill into the vise.
If you are going through a thick, solid piece of material, utilize a technique called pecking, where you cut down a bit and lift up periodically. This helps with evacuating chips.
For larger drill bits, you may need to slow down the spindle or use cutting oil to lubricate the bit.
An optional thing you may want to do is deburr the hole using this edge deburring tool. It will help remove the sharp cut on the edge of the hole.
Lastly, clean up after yourself! Vacuum up the chips, put away the bit and parallels, and put away any other tools or parts you may have used.
Congratulations, you've drilled a hole with the drill press!
