Radial arm drill

[Bruce Seidner]

I have a very reliable 12" Delta drill press that will outlive me. I can rotate the head unit around and away from either table and drill tall objects, but rarely need to do this.

What I do need to do more regularly, and that is frustrating, is making holes further into the material. I have a drill to pillar depth of about 7" and while I can conceivably mount this thing off the ridge line of my house and make a clean hole in a 40' telephone pole, it will be no further into the center of the pole than 7". I don't want to buy a larger drill press. No, that is not true. I can't justify buying a larger drill press. I have seen radial drill presses that rotate and angle, but they too are limited by the depth of the drill to pillar.

What I have not seen is a drill press that has the drill mounted on a horizontal axis adjustable arm. Do these exist or am I going to have to put on my Rube Goldberg glasses and propeller beanie and start making one for myself?

[Lee Schierer]

Yes do a google search for "Radial Arm Drill Press" and you will find lots of different designs.http://lh4.googleusercontent.com/2GJCOrMys6Ek39ABh04uGJezvWGAj44FfXojvFzM15hhaVFuTn SL7GiXVJmA4RHOLPB1OZvF-Uv0kzL7ca7DbisHtVQpbKq7jHW53AcUkShe7PDaBnqqzL6DC-IURRH3IciToaVtsQy1twWRwXOhhyjYfcWdLRwPErWoZ4DA2iJN frDu0WCzotd-Ngolexelfj8ZvZxr

Where I used to work, they had an industrial radial arm drill press that had a 6-7 foot arm and at least a 5' height under the spindle.

[Joe Scharle]

Shopsmith will drill horizonally, but I don't know you can get a 40' pole on it. :p

[Curt Harms]

will do that but they have limited spindle travel, 5 speeds and are not gems of accuracy. This one from Grizzl (http://www.grizzly.com/products/5-Speed-Floor-Radial-Drill-Press/G7946)y shows the head travels 90 degrees and swivels 360. I have a discontinued model from Delta and it works but unless I made chairs, I'd probably get a conventional style if I were doing it again. 5 speeds 500 RPM minimum is kinda limiting with fly cutters, forstner bits and the like.

[Bruce Seidner]

I don't think it would be hard to build a frame that would position the unit out of the aluminum extrusions that CNC machines are made of. That is a project that is down the road. I will also keep an eye out for a dead radial arm saw that might be pressed into service. The drill unit itself is very good. I just can't alway get it where it would do the most good.

[Charles Krieger]

I am about to commit an unpardonable error. I am going to recommend that you look at the Harbor Freight radial arm Drill Press (ITEM # 44846)! I have one and for me it has been acceptable. Yes, it has some problems but no worse than I have read about for some name brand manufacturers. It is inexpensive and once you learn how to handle/adjust it, it is satisfactory. Take a look.

I am in no way connected with HF.

[Dick Strauss]

If the pillar can be mounted on a lathe, it can be drilled quite easily!

[Herbert Mulqueen]

I had a triple base drill--that weight about 38,500 pounds. Had the capacity to drill a 4 inch hole in a 12 foot circle, 21 inches thick stack of steel. It had a 25 HP motor about the size of a 55 gallon barrel. That in turn drove a large hydraulic motor. Drill was whisper quiet and no quill runout. Very easy to operate.

I want thank all of your parents who purchased this in 1956 for the US Army. Buy American---got it unused at depot for 6600 dollars.

Perhaps you might look into a Horizontal boring Mill---a small HBM might be the answer.

Herb

[John Fieldstadt]

I would love to see a picture of that!!!