Dremel Drillpress and lighting...

S

steven

Joined
Nov 27, 2021
Messages
56
Points
88

Two things Has anyone had any experience with a Dremel Drill press? I am having trouble free handing drilling holes. I have a Dremel tool and was wondering if would help me with hole spacing and using and making jigs.

Second, my eyes are pretty much a liability right now and I was wondering what you use for portable and spot lighting for tight spacing.

Happy modeling all
 
The drill press mounts work pretty well- just make sure it is the right one for your Dremel and that it is mounted correctly. When in doubt, read the instructions and watch a youtube video. Work in a brightly lit room to begin with, and if you need some spot lighting any small bright lamp will work. Check the thrift stores- the 20th Century version would be an old Tensor lamp. I like this one from Ikea:
www.ikea.com

NÄVLINGE LED work lamp, black - IKEA

NÄVLINGE LED work lamp, black. In the NÄVLINGE series there are lamps for most needs. These are neat lamps with a design that blends into the room and they are easy to use anywhere in the home – and provide good, glare-free light.
www.ikea.com www.ikea.com
but there are lot of alternatives.
 
steven said:
Two things Has anyone had any experience with a Dremel Drill press? I am having trouble free handing drilling holes. I have a Dremel tool and was wondering if would help me with hole spacing and using and making jigs.

Second, my eyes are pretty much a liability right now and I was wondering what you use for portable and spot lighting for tight spacing.

Happy modeling all
Click to expand...
Hi Steven,

I don't have any experience with Dremel drill presses.
But I have a couple of questions. What size hole are you trying to drill? Are you marking out and centering with some sort of indent to start the drill off, like a pointy nail or pin if working in wood or plastic, or center punch if working in metal.

If you want to repeat a series of holes, a jig is the way to go, in my opinion.

Cheers,
Stephen.
 
Stephen,
I am a jiggy kind of builder
I want to build jigs for multiple holes and angles but to do that I need something I can use, and configure,
multiple layouts, including distances from hole to hole as well as equal distance from an edge.
The size i realized i needed a drill press was like super small like 0.50 mm
 
I have the dremel drill press and have found it useless and inaccurate.I find it flexes quite markedly when used. Frankly I would not rely on it for the accuracy required . Just my experience.
 
steven said:
Stephen,
I am a jiggy kind of builder
I want to build jigs for multiple holes and angles but to do that I need something I can use, and configure,
multiple layouts, including distances from hole to hole as well as equal distance from an edge.
The size i realized i needed a drill press was like super small like 0.50 mm
Click to expand...
G'day Steven,

You may need to invest in another bit of equipment, at the minimum an X,Y table something like this,
www.vevor.com.au

VEVOR VEVOR Milling Machine Cross Slide Worktable 4''x7.3'' 2 Axis Compound Precision | VEVOR AU

Buy VEVOR Milling Machine Cross Slide Worktable 4''x7.3'' 2 Axis Compound Precision at cheap price online, with Youtube reviews and FAQs, we generally offer free shipping to Europe, US, etc.
www.vevor.com.au www.vevor.com.au
I am not recommending this particular table just this sort of thing to give you the ability to distance holes in an accurate and repeatable manner. I am not sure if this would fit with your Dremel either, might be a bit big.
Another option is to get a small bench drill that you can bolt the X,Y table to, or if your budget will stretch a drill mill, these depend on how much room you have as well.
0.50mm is getting small.

Cheers,
Stephen.
 
This is my rig. Usually I have my later model Dremel in but otherwise it's as I use it for drilling and (some) milling. As Daniel says above, it has plastic components so is not solid, but I've managed to get reasonable results so far by keeping lateral pressure to a minimum. I'm currently milling with 1/8th" and 1/16" down cut bits- patience is the key.:cool:

IMG_20220406_103011287.jpg

If you can afford better I recommend you go that way. I can't so I make do....
 
I own two of the Cameron Drill Presses. They are a bit pricey but are the best I have seen. Watch E-Bay as the show up there occasionally.
 
Proxxon drill presses work very well and are solid and precise. All their equipment is excellent (my opinion). I wish I had the shop space (and the money) for more of it.
 
I have a very old style Dremel tool with its' drill press stand attachment, the type where the table is raised to meet the drill . The smallest collet will clamp on a hair sized drill and it is extremely accurate for drilling wood or brass. I also have the newer styled unit which is not as accurate. Like everything else, new is not better.
 
danielw said:
I have the dremel drill press and have found it useless and inaccurate.I find it flexes quite markedly when used. Frankly I would not rely on it for the accuracy required . Just my experience.
Click to expand...
I have found the Dremel drill press invaluable. It’s very versatile. I consistently broke #76 drills after 5 holes with a jewelry drill but have drilled over 100 holes with no breakage; drilling 1/64” brass
 
danielw said:
I have the dremel drill press and have found it useless and inaccurate.I find it flexes quite markedly when used. Frankly I would not rely on it for the accuracy required . Just my experience.
Click to expand...
The same goes for me, sold mine & bought a Proxxon mini bench drill. I rarely use my Dremel, instead I use a Proxxon with flexy drive & cordless Sealey & Draper mini drills. The Proxxy flex is slim & will reach where others won't.
 
Stevedownunder said:
G'day Steven,

You may need to invest in another bit of equipment, at the minimum an X,Y table something like this,
www.vevor.com.au

VEVOR VEVOR Milling Machine Cross Slide Worktable 4''x7.3'' 2 Axis Compound Precision | VEVOR AU

Buy VEVOR Milling Machine Cross Slide Worktable 4''x7.3'' 2 Axis Compound Precision at cheap price online, with Youtube reviews and FAQs, we generally offer free shipping to Europe, US, etc.
www.vevor.com.au www.vevor.com.au
I am not recommending this particular table just this sort of thing to give you the ability to distance holes in an accurate and repeatable manner. I am not sure if this would fit with your Dremel either, might be a bit big.
Another option is to get a small bench drill that you can bolt the X,Y table to, or if your budget will stretch a drill mill, these depend on how much room you have as well.
0.50mm is getting small.

Cheers,
Stephen.
Click to expand...
The Proxxon X_Y table is better & can be bought separately, I use one on my Prox. drill press.
 
I’m still in the novice builder stage and learning building skills as go. I have a Dremel setup that works for me, the tool is battery operated, the XY table was recommended when I first started trying to drill holes for Belaying pins and the vise was a gift. I use a book reading lamp to help my old eyes see what I’m working on.

7F41539A-79FE-4195-B6F3-16906F076765.jpeg

The whole shebang is mounted on a piece of 3/4 inch plywood and easily moved to my work table when needed. So far the setup has worked well for me. Granted there are much more precise tools available but with a limited budget and limited model ship building experience, I’m happy with my setup.
 
steven said:
Two things Has anyone had any experience with a Dremel Drill press? I am having trouble free handing drilling holes. I have a Dremel tool and was wondering if would help me with hole spacing and using and making jigs.

Second, my eyes are pretty much a liability right now and I was wondering what you use for portable and spot lighting for tight spacing.

Happy modeling all
Click to expand...
Hi Steven
I am using Dremel Drill press .I am satsified for drilling precise centered and and inline holes.You can also drill holes in different angles.For very small diameter holes (0.5-1 mm) it is better you punch before.
For a better vision I use the Dremel's pivot attachment light which you can buy separately.But it can't be attached directly to the DD press.I installed first it into a E27 bulbs plastic socket nut an then attached it to the DDpress and it works well. Details are in the attachments.
For general purposes I use flexible desk lamp with long arms with a led bulb 6500K (corresponds to a sunny daylight) and feel comfortable.

Kind Regards :)

IMG_3626.jpg

IMG_3624.jpg

IMG_3623.jpg
 
steven said:
Two things Has anyone had any experience with a Dremel Drill press? I am having trouble free handing drilling holes. I have a Dremel tool and was wondering if would help me with hole spacing and using and making jigs.

Second, my eyes are pretty much a liability right now and I was wondering what you use for portable and spot lighting for tight spacing.

Happy modeling all
Click to expand...
1. Get a cheap drill press from Harbor Freight (about $70). You can build jigs on the table as needed. You DO NEED LIGHT. Any kind of small light will do; preferably LEDs. Some I have purchased. Some I have made from old discarded lights (think Goodwill). Some I have made from parts (allelectronics.com).
2. Dremel Tools are not all that good for drilling; especially freehand. Drilling requires stability; difficult to obtain freehand. Dremels are better for carving.
 
It looks like the experiences with Dremel tools are pretty much mixed. I have a Dremel drill press stand that I purchased some ten years ago. It is solid…works great…very accurate. I bought an additional variable speed Dremel tool that I have mounted in the stand that I leave there. The stand sits ready to use on the end of my work table. So maybe there are quality differences between older models and newer models of the drill press stand rigs...the one I have, as I said, is solid, no flex, accurate, and reliable. Bottom line, I use Dremel tools all the time with no issues…
PS: when I use my Dremel for drilling, especially free hand drilling (no stand), I use higher rpms for drilling…rarely break the small bits and the drilling tends to be more accurate…I have not experienced a great deal of difficulty using Dremel tools for drilling.
 
ONT1780 said:
I have found the Dremel drill press invaluable. It’s very versatile. I consistently broke #76 drills after 5 holes with a jewelry drill but have drilled over 100 holes with no breakage; drilling 1/64” brass
Click to expand...
Wow!! A hundred holes with a #76 bit ( in brass no less) sounds like a Guinness worthy record based on my experience. How do you get the bits to last that long? I find the accuracy of the Dremel drill press to be OK, but a bigger problem for me is fine bits bending along the shaft with usage which causes unacceptable wobble when used in a high speed drill.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top