most likely a dumb drill press question

[Bob Riefer]

Still in shop setup mode (man there's a long ramp up curve in this hobby... an enjoyable ramp though) and last night I was playing around with the drill press. It's a walker-turner as pictured.

I simply took a square piece of MDF and affixed it to the metal table that comes with the drill press. Then, I clamped a 24" long level as a straight edge fence.

So, then I thought I'd test my setup by drilling a bunch of holes to see if they all lined up. I edge jointed a board to be sure it was flat, and went to it.

None of the holes lined up? They were all over the map (but within a millimeter of eachother).

Being new to drill presses, here are my guesses:
- It was a really bad/dull drill bit that I was using for testing
- Maybe I need to use a faster speed so that the bit doesn't wander into the soft wood?

I'm not sure what else to look for, any ideas?

THANKS!

[glenn bradley]

There could be a lot of things going on but I'll start (bear in mind I may be stating things you are already doing) . . .

- Assure your table is perpendicular to the bit; left to right and front to back.
- Clamp your workpiece as opposed to trying to hold it with your hand.
- Use brad point bits as opposed to split point bits for woodworking.

How'm a doin' so far?

[pat warner]

A subject often over looked & trivialized.
Hard to say what your problem is. But for openers you need:
1) To prove both the fence and the work are straight and not just x eyeball.
2) Table cannot move (& its MDF substrate)
3) Drill must be sharp, fed at the right rate at a commensurate RPM for its size & sharpness.
4) Work must not move, see pix.
(http://patwarner.com/images/holding_jig.jpg)5) & 25 other variables must be satisfied, not trivial, that drilling.

[Bob Riefer]

Awwww, the feeling of getting just a lil bit smarter.. never ceases to amaze me. :-)

I'll try these steps so far and report back.

[Prashun Patel]

Check the diameter of your hole and make sure there's no runout in your chuck.

You probably have to eliminate variables one at a time.

I'd also try marking your test piece. Mark a line parallel to the jointed edge of yr test piece. Put the jointed edge against yr 'fence' and line it up so the line's underneath the drill bit (use a small bit to start).

Lower the quill and slide the piece back and forth along the fence (with the power off) and see if the bit tracks the line.

Like cross cutting on the tablesaw, I find the biggest source of my errors is not clamping the piece to the fence or table.

[David Cefai]

I have found that, when drilling wood, brad point bits are the way to go.

If you must use a teist bit then punch a starter hole with a centre punch and start with a bit which will engage that hole firmly. After that, if necessary , switch to a larger bit.

My 2 cents but it has worked for me.