Laser Pointer On Drill Press

[kmmcrafts]

I'm going to be needing a new drill press soon.. I notice some have a laser to pinpoint your drill spot.. Anyone have this? Thoughts or comments?

Not looking to spend much for a drill press. The old Delta I have is getting really worn and sounds like it may have a bearing going bad, actually been this way for a couple years but getting much worst.... Should probably be expected as I bought it at a tractor parts swap meet about 12 years ago for $2 and it actually looked pretty rough then, LOL.. I never did anything with it other than clean it up a little.. It's just a small 8" Delta.. I really don't need anything any larger but I was thinking maybe getting a 10" one.. I think I'd like the crank for the table height rather than the pinch collar that I'm always unscrewing to move the table.. Other than that I'm not sure.. I guess what I don't know about I don't need, LOL 

If Grizzly had that small 8" model in stock I'd probably buy that.. looks just like mine.. probably the same thing. But they been back ordered for ever.. I was going to get one last year and they was B/O then.. Thinking about the WEN 10"  I don't do precision work so I don't really need to spend $1000 though I'm not opposed to spending a few hundred on a good USA made  drill press, but if I have to buy something imported then I'm going cheap.. LOL... American made is always a plus for me if anyone knows of a budget priced one.. I just looked on CL and FB and doesn't seem to be anything but old worn out one just like I have for $75.. LOL  

[CharleyL]

I guess this could be called "How to get the most from your drill press laser cross hair units".

 

The double laser line generators for drill presses can be quite handy, but getting them adjusted so that they are accurate over a distance of table travel requires some careful calibration. I have 3 Delta drill presses, 2 table models and one floor standing. The floor standing came with a laser unit, but it was no where near accurate when I first attempted to use it. Raise or lower the table height and the crossing point would move significantly, like as much as 2 inches, requiring a different setting every time the table or height of the work on it changed. It was more trouble than it was worth at this point.

I studied the problem with it for a while, and realized that the laser line generators were not adjusted to produce perfectly vertical lines. Fixing this required partial dis-assembly of the laser unit to be able to loosen the lasers so I could activate them and then rotate each laser until it's generated line was perfectly vertical, and then re-assemble the unit, hoping to not loose the vertical line setting in the process. 

To get them adjusted to be perfectly vertical, I installed a 4" piece of 1/2" diameter steel or aluminum rod that I had sharpened the bottom end of to a sharp centered point (spin in drill press chuck and use a metal file to cut the angled point), installing it in the drill chuck and verifying that it's point remained centered when the drill press chuck was rotated manually. I had also painted this rod with white paint and let it dry before using it.

Getting the two laser line generators to project their lines perfectly vertical on the back side of the white rod was a little difficult, but I was able to do it and tighten their clamps to hold them in place within about an hour. Then I clamped a piece of scrap pine on the table and lowered the drill chuck, without the drill press running, and made a conical dent in the pine board. This conical dent then became my alignment target.

Since both lasers were now projecting their lines perfectly vertical, I then used a pair of slip joint pliers to lightly grip each one of the laser adjustment knobs one at a time and with the long handles of the pliers it was easy to make slight horizontal  adjustments of each laser until their lines perfectly crossed over the center of the conical dent in the pine board. I adjusted each laser this way and re-checked that they both crossed at the exact center of the conical dent.

I then lowered the drill press table and re-checked the laser lines at different table positions. Since the table can move horizontally when unlocked, I just moved the table at each level until the conical dent in the pine and the lasers again intersected. If any adjustment isn't correct, it will be very obvious as you lower the table. If adjusted perfectly, the lasers and the conical dent center point should all meet at any table height setting. 

I have since added two Wixey laser units to my bench height drill presses. These are significantly better quality units than the Delta and both required very little adjustment to get good vertical lines from them. I used the same slip joint plier technique to fine position each laser horizontally to get the laser lines to cross at the conical dimple in the pine board, just as I had when adjusting the laser head on the floor standing Delta drill press.

The attachment of the Wixey unit to the post of the drill press is a much better design than the Delta and a stainless auto radiator type hose clamp is used to securely attach the Wixey unit to the drill press post. Attach it as high as you possibly can, right under the head of the drill press, or you will be repeating this step later (DAMHIKT). With all three drill presses, I can now use the laser crossing points to locate where the drill bit will make the hole at any table height without any need to adjust the lasers. I can just turn them on and use them. They now cross at the same point at any table height and exactly where the drill bit will make the hole.

The Delta lasers do not make as fine of a laser line as the Wixey lasers do, but I'm usually doing work on the floor standing drill press that requires less accuracy anyway. Most of my scroll saw pattern type work is drilled on either of the two bench top drill presses, however I am considering replacing the Delta unit with another Wixey unit anyway. I don't always use the lasers, but they sure are handy when drilling a hundred or so scroll saw blade entry holes. I can quickly move the wood and pattern from one blade hole position to the next one to be drilled very quickly, and I know that each hole drilled will be exactly where I want it. 

I am considering modifying each of the laser units to connect them to 9 vdc power supplies and get rid of the batteries (the power supplies being considered are the wall wort type) that will only be powered when the drill press is running. Far too often I have left the lasers on and come back in a few days to find that that the battery is dead, again. 9 volt Duracell batteries get expensive, if you have to replace them too often DAMHIKT.

 

 

I 

 

 

[ben2008]

3 hours ago, kmmcrafts said:

I'm going to be needing a new drill press soon.. I notice some have a laser to pinpoint your drill spot.. Anyone have this? Thoughts or comments?

Not looking to spend much for a drill press. The old Delta I have is getting really worn and sounds like it may have a bearing going bad, actually been this way for a couple years but getting much worst.... Should probably be expected as I bought it at a tractor parts swap meet about 12 years ago for $2 and it actually looked pretty rough then, LOL.. I never did anything with it other than clean it up a little.. It's just a small 8" Delta.. I really don't need anything any larger but I was thinking maybe getting a 10" one.. I think I'd like the crank for the table height rather than the pinch collar that I'm always unscrewing to move the table.. Other than that I'm not sure.. I guess what I don't know about I don't need, LOL 

If Grizzly had that small 8" model in stock I'd probably buy that.. looks just like mine.. probably the same thing. But they been back ordered for ever.. I was going to get one last year and they was B/O then.. Thinking about the WEN 10"  I don't do precision work so I don't really need to spend $1000 though I'm not opposed to spending a few hundred on a good USA made  drill press, but if I have to buy something imported then I'm going cheap.. LOL... American made is always a plus for me if anyone knows of a budget priced one.. I just looked on CL and FB and doesn't seem to be anything but old worn out one just like I have for $75.. LOL  

Kevin

Take a look.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Palmgren-10-in-Swing-5-Speed-Bench-Step-Pulley-Drill-Press-9680110/304206390?source=shoppingads&locale=en-US&mtc=Shopping-B-F_D25T-G-D25T-25_9_PORTABLE_POWER-Multi-NA-Feed-PLA-NA-NA-PortablePower_PLA&cm_mmc=Shopping-B-F_D25T-G-D25T-25_9_PORTABLE_POWER-Multi-NA-Feed-PLA-NA-NA-PortablePower_PLA-71700000034127218-58700003933021540-92700051577220114&gclid=Cj0KCQiAtqL-BRC0ARIsAF4K3WEuQceVWu4jki7pS5M3IuqcDPO2fLNNkYMldresopBy3iSwEZJ1TwEaAm4sEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

I bought one about 15/17 years ago and it is very accurate. It's cast iron and very heavy. I only use it a couple of times a week and not very long either. Not sure if it is still made in America. The company is American. They have been in business for about 100 years and are based in Naperville, IL.   Worth a look and reasonably priced.

Ben

 

Edited December 4, 2020 by ben2008

[munzieb]

I bought a WEN drill press a few years ago to replace my HF unit. I liked the 6" throat for the range of drilling my scroll plaques. It is tall, 2' shaft but the chuck will take the smallest drill bits and I don't have to change belt location to change speeds. It does have a digital read out for the speeds. The crank lift is great. It comes with a laser and I was happy with it until one went dim. Contacted Wen and they sent me a new one under warranty. Little did I know that it would involve the equivalent of brain surgery to replace. I had to do a fair amount of disassembly to get it out and had to use a snake to feed the wire. Alignment wasn't too bad. Connections should have been on the mounting side of the lasers. It's working fine now and I am happy with this drill press.

[ike]

I had a 10 in bench model with lazer on it  the lazer lasted longer than the press and the lazor wasnl't any good, dit changed every time I changed table high , bdut idt didn't last long maybee a couple of years I now have a porter cable no lazor but it is a good press. If i was to get a new press i would get won with a lazor on it if it didnd't work out  too well i wouldnd't use the lazor/.

IKE

[Scrappile]

My Jet came with a laser.  I never use it, never could get it adjusted properly so it is not accurate.  More important to me is having a chuck that closes all the way.  Mine does. My last drill press did not and I had to use a small chuck within the press chuck... Tried several and they all wobbled...   The second thing for me is the crank up/down table,,,, I agree it is a must.  What I do not like about my current press is the depth stop... It is the one with two sloppy bolts that you have to screw up or down to set the stop..... Just a pain to deal with, but I live with it... I use the table as my depth of stop more then the bolt one.

[kmmcrafts]

1 hour ago, Scrappile said:

My Jet came with a laser.  I never use it, never could get it adjusted properly so it is not accurate.  More important to me is having a chuck that closes all the way.  Mine does. My last drill press did not and I had to use a small chuck within the press chuck... Tried several and they all wobbled...   The second thing for me is the crank up/down table,,,, I agree it is a must.  What I do not like about my current press is the depth stop... It is the one with two sloppy bolts that you have to screw up or down to set the stop..... Just a pain to deal with, but I live with it... I use the table as my depth of stop more then the bolt one.

That is how my stop is.. and after using this one for 12 years.. I've gotten used to just using the table to adjust the depth.. I even have different thickness scraps I use to raise / lower the table to meet the drill bit at the lowest setting so I know how deep to drill my clock holes etc.. so to me.. having a better stop would probably do me no good.. muscle memory would kick in and I'd probably never use the better stop, LOL That is probably why the crank table adjuster appeals to me more so than probably others.. 

I also have to use the wobbly smaller chuck.. though I found out that there is a certain position to mount that chuck where it's pretty straight on.. so I used some machinist metal dye and drew a line on both the drill press chuck and the mini chuck.. line up the lines and it's good to go, LOL  See there are ways to have less than high end tools if you mess around with them enough you can learn all the quirks, and adapt, 

[OCtoolguy]

4 hours ago, kmmcrafts said:

That is how my stop is.. and after using this one for 12 years.. I've gotten used to just using the table to adjust the depth.. I even have different thickness scraps I use to raise / lower the table to meet the drill bit at the lowest setting so I know how deep to drill my clock holes etc.. so to me.. having a better stop would probably do me no good.. muscle memory would kick in and I'd probably never use the better stop, LOL That is probably why the crank table adjuster appeals to me more so than probably others.. 

I also have to use the wobbly smaller chuck.. though I found out that there is a certain position to mount that chuck where it's pretty straight on.. so I used some machinist metal dye and drew a line on both the drill press chuck and the mini chuck.. line up the lines and it's good to go, LOL  See there are ways to have less than high end tools if you mess around with them enough you can learn all the quirks, and adapt, 

Kevin, I was running into that same problem until I remembered that you are supposed to tighten the chuck on all 3 positions. I loosely tighten my chuck on the first hole, a bit more on the second hole and real tight on the 3rd hole and my chuck doesn't wobble when I do it that way.

 

[new2woodwrk]

I have a wen drill press with a 'X' cross hair pointer

Basically, it sucks and I don't use it. It is off by 1/16" and I have no desire to try and align it!

[kmmcrafts]

4 minutes ago, octoolguy said:

Kevin, I was running into that same problem until I remembered that you are supposed to tighten the chuck on all 3 positions. I loosely tighten my chuck on the first hole, a bit more on the second hole and real tight on the 3rd hole and my chuck doesn't wobble when I do it that way.

 

Yeah that is how I've always tighten the chuck as well, was taught that in machine shop in high school..  This drill press I have was a parts machine that the motor run on, had no chuck but I had one from another broke motor drill press and it fit.. I gave $3 for it and have been using it for 12 years.. I was pretty worn and sloppy when I bought it.. but it worked for what I used it for.. The mini chuck I have is pretty off balance and the worn press doesn't help it any.. It even wobbles in my handheld drill.. I think when I buy my new drill press I'll make sure it will hold those tiny number drill bits.. glad I posted because I never thought about that until it was mentioned above.. 

 

 

[John B]

I have a laser pointer on my drill press, and it is about as useful as a hip pocket in a singlet.
The drill bit points to where you are going to drill the hole, so the laser is just a poor duplication to try and earn brownie points and make a sale.
It played no part in me making the decision to purchase my press, I wanted the variable speed.

[tomsteve]

 the consensus here so far seems to be laser pointer= snake oil advertising.

i personally never understood lasers on drill presses. i only dinked with one laser pointer dp at a woodworking show.the laser pointer made a dot. some of the drill bits i use could make 5-10 holes in the dot

[John B]

1 hour ago, tomsteve said:

 the consensus here so far seems to be laser pointer= snake oil advertising.

i personally never understood lasers on drill presses. i only dinked with one laser pointer dp at a woodworking show.the laser pointer made a dot. some of the drill bits i use could make 5-10 holes in the dot

Gotta agree.  Like an ashtray on a motor bike

[Foxfold]

Must admit I never knew you could have a 'laser' on a drill press...  I just point the bit where I want it to cut and pull down. LOL,  I just have a 'box' to make it easier for me to use as it brings my wood closer to the drill bit.   I'm old what can I say. 

[Rolf]

Can't help regarding a reasonable and accurate benchtop drill press. since I just went nuts with my floor model.  Actually with all of its bells and whistles I am surprised it did not have one.

Not sure about a need for the laser. I am a gadget junkie but when you drill a precise hole location you are still depending on you vision, If the laser line is not crisp you will be off. Maybe if you are doing production work. But I still prefer feeling the drill drop into a dimple.

My biggest concern is having a chuck that runs true. I always us a sharp awl to mark my hole location and have lots of light so that I can see it.

When I first installed the chuck it did not run true, several thousandths of an inch out, I replaced it with one of the Jacobs chucks that have for my metal lathe. Surprisingly they were not any better.  So I very meticulously cleaned the inside of the spindle taper and the original chuck. It now runs true. 

 

Edited December 6, 2020 by Rolf

[Roberta Moreton]

I have a bench top Jet drill press. It has the laser. I don’t use it. 

[CharleyL]

I never used the  drill press lasers  either, until I calibrated the one that came on my Delta floor standing drill press. Once calibrated, I began to like it, so I bought the Wixey units for my two smaller drill presses. The Wixey units project a pretty fine laser line, so once calibrated, they are quite handy when drilling many blade through holes for scroll saw work, or similar projects, or for quickly positioning a piece of stock that needs many small holes drilled in it. The little ice pick or center punch dimples kind-of glow when the laser lines hit them. It definitely isn't for most drilling chores, but I feel that it does have benefits for some of my drilling chores. I guess it's a personal thing, but I do like and use mine. Just not for every drilling chore.

Charley

[Sparkey]

I have that feature on my drill press. I used it a little at first but haven’t in quite a while. I drill all of my starter holes for fretwork with a dremmel. I have better control than with the drill press.

 

[kmmcrafts]

Dremel works well for me on a lot of the holes I drill too.. They just need to make them so you can drill with the 3" forstner bit.. then I'd not need a drill press, LOL I also find that the dremel isn't all that accurate for precise drilling in thick wood.. works great for portrait type of work but the plunge router attachment for the dremel has side to side slop.. you may not notice it with drilling thin stock... but you can drill a whole up to 7 degrees off without even trying to, LOL 

[tomsteve]

On 12/5/2020 at 5:30 AM, John B said:

Gotta agree.  Like an ashtray on a motor bike

and a cupholder!