Proxxon drill press for making holes?

[Lavcat]

Currently I have only an old rusty Black and Decker hand drill for making holes. I am looking for something better and recently discovered the Proxxon TBM 115 Bench Drill Press:

PROXXON - Bench Drill Press TBM 115

The Proxxon is pretty small, but it would probably meet most of my audio drilling needs. Does anyone have experience with the Proxxon and its optional KT70 table?

The Proxxon Micro Mill MF 70 also looks interesting:

PROXXON - MICRO Mill MF 70

The Micro Mill would do more, but right now it would be overkill, and I see one limitation with the Micro Mill. I want to be able to use a 1/4" shank bit for drilling 3/8" holes (in aluminum). The optional chuck for the TBM 115 can take a 1/4" shank but the optional chuck for the Micro Mill is limited to 1/8" -- unless there is something I am missing.

Any thoughts for my problem?

[theAnonymous1]

That's a neat little press. Kind of pricey though.

Thanks for bringing to my attention. Adding it to my wishlist of things I want but will probably never buy.

[Lavcat]

Originally Posted by theAnonymous1

That's a neat little press. Kind of pricey though.

What do you currently use for drilling holes?

[djQUAN]

added this to my wishlist too.

PROXXON 37110 MICRO MILLING MILL MF70 CNC KIT AVAILABLE | eBay

$428+shipping. I want one badly.

[kevinahcc20]

I would look for a good quality (Delta, Powermatic, etc) used drill press on Craigslist with 1/2" chuck capacity. You can use a pin vise to adapt it for very small bits. It would give you much broader capabilities at a substantial savings.

[Lavcat]

Originally Posted by djQUAN

added this to my wishlist too.

PROXXON 37110 MICRO MILLING MILL MF70 CNC KIT AVAILABLE | eBay

$428+shipping. I want one badly.

Amazon has it for $406.79 and they will ship overseas. I may call Proxxon to try to find out if there is any way of attaching a 1/4 inch chuck to the mill. So pretty, but way more than I intended to spend for a drill.

Proxxon also makes a slightly larger drill, the TBH, but it seems they don't sell it in the US.

PROXXON - TBH

The TBH would be my choice if there was a 110v version.

[Lavcat]

Originally Posted by kevinahcc20

I would look for a good quality (Delta, Powermatic, etc) used drill press on Craigslist with 1/2" chuck capacity. You can use a pin vise to adapt it for very small bits. It would give you much broader capabilities at a substantial savings.

Unfortunately not an option for me. I live in an apartment and I'm a sixty something year old woman. I am limited to tools I can store in a small space and lift myself.

[Enzo]

AH you're still young, girl. I'm a 60 something old guy myself. The wife wouldn;t let me have even a small one, so all my work is done in my shop.

I only briefly studied your proposed unit, it seems small.

If you plan to drill small holes in pc boards and small machine parts, it looks handy. Of you plan to be drilling things like aluminum chassis, think about dimensions of the workpiece. If you plan for example to drill a row of holes for controls along the front panel of a 10x12 chassis, then the tip of the drill must be able to get at least 10" above the worktable. And any holes in the end of the same box would need even more space. Or put the other way, if the drill tip cannot go over 5" above the worktable, then 5" is the largest thing you can drill into.

I am a believer in investing in good tools. I probably would not buy a screwdriver at the dollar store, unless it was to pry open paint cans. However, I find myself drawn to Harbor Freight. Have any of those in your area? They sell some very cheap tools, but on the other hand sometimes they have just the thing. I can buy a good step drill somewhere and ruin it drilling holes in sheet steel. Or I can buy a cheap step drill at Harbor Freight, and if I wear it out on the project, oh well, $6 expendable tool.

SO they have power tools like benchtop drill presses. I have not used one, so cannot endorse or praise, but for example. $70 and 38 pounds:
Drill Press - 5 Speed

Home Depot, $90 and 34 pounds:
4 in. 5 Speed Mini Drill Press-DP5UL at The Home Depot
Or a nice Ryobi for $120:
DP102L 10 in. Drill Press-DP102L at The Home Depot

[Lavcat]

Originally Posted by Enzo

AH you're still young, girl. I'm a 60 something old guy myself. The wife wouldn;t let me have even a small one, so all my work is done in my shop.

I only briefly studied your proposed unit, it seems small.

If you plan to drill small holes in pc boards and small machine parts, it looks handy. Of you plan to be drilling things like aluminum chassis, think about dimensions of the workpiece. If you plan for example to drill a row of holes for controls along the front panel of a 10x12 chassis, then the tip of the drill must be able to get at least 10" above the worktable. And any holes in the end of the same box would need even more space. Or put the other way, if the drill tip cannot go over 5" above the worktable, then 5" is the largest thing you can drill into.

I am a believer in investing in good tools. I probably would not buy a screwdriver at the dollar store, unless it was to pry open paint cans. However, I find myself drawn to Harbor Freight. Have any of those in your area? They sell some very cheap tools, but on the other hand sometimes they have just the thing. I can buy a good step drill somewhere and ruin it drilling holes in sheet steel. Or I can buy a cheap step drill at Harbor Freight, and if I wear it out on the project, oh well, $6 expendable tool.

SO they have power tools like benchtop drill presses. I have not used one, so cannot endorse or praise, but for example. $70 and 38 pounds:
Drill Press - 5 Speed

Home Depot, $90 and 34 pounds:
4 in. 5 Speed Mini Drill Press-DP5UL at The Home Depot
Or a nice Ryobi for $120:
DP102L 10 in. Drill Press-DP102L at The Home Depot

Yes, the Proxxons are small. The highest the bit can go above the table is 5 1/2 inches. But they are 11 inch drills (2x throat depth). By comparison the first two units you linked are only 8 inch drills, and the Ryobi is only 10 inch.

In the good old days I'd agree with your example of the 10x12 inch chassis. I don't think it is so much true anymore. The specific enclosure I am working with on the current project is a Hammond RM1U1908SBK. The size is 16.8x8x1.75 inch. But since the parts are extruded panels (not folded sheet metal) I could reach any location on the RM1U1908SBK with the smallest Proxxon. The top and bottom panels would be awkward, but they would fit.

I spent $5.36 on a screwdriver last night. I had to order in lots of two and most of the cost was postage! I'm also in the market for a step drill, but I think I'll go with Irwin.

Thanks for the encouragement but I'm feeling older than usual at the moment. I fell on my face this afternoon.

[djQUAN]

Originally Posted by Lavcat

Amazon has it for $406.79 and they will ship overseas. I may call Proxxon to try to find out if there is any way of attaching a 1/4 inch chuck to the mill. So pretty, but way more than I intended to spend for a drill.

looks like Amazon has free shipping in the US. I have a friend that regularly has cargo boxes shipped from US to here. Time to start saving