Do I need a drill press?

[rudy de haas]

To make the medicine cabinets for the new bathroom I bought two from Ikea - because the mirrors and LED sets included cost less that way than buying them separately. My plan has been to replicate Ikea's cardboard-like structural pieces using real wood - baltic birch for the back, santos mahogany for the sides, and maple for the vertical middle piece inside. That way I can use all the glass and electronics and still end up with a pair of custom cabinets.

As it turns out... I can make all the pieces to match Ikea's design while improving the corners and fit reasonably enough, but the process requires 68 partially drilled holes in each cabinet. I.e. each hole has to be precisely placed and drilled to a fixed depth (not all the way through) and then prepped to countersink the screw. My only drills (one electric, one manual) are hand held and using either is pretty sure to go wrong.

So can someone please tell me what the right way to do this is? get a drill press? some kind of jig?

Thanks!

[Jim Riseborough]

Build a jig. For the depth of the hole, you can keep the drill straight, maybe a piece of wood for drill bit to rest against.

[Anthony Whitesell]

You need 68 holes, blind with countersink? What about them has to be precise? The depth, the position, or both? If the position, how are they arranged and how could you make a template or jig? For the depth and countersink there are countersink drill bits that have a built-in stop collar. That will get you the depth and countersink in one step.

[Ken Kortge]

Could this be done with a plunge router?

[Andrew Hughes]

I'm thinking you need a shelf pin jig.Making the jig might be your set back,unless you can use the ikea parts for a the hole guide.

[Keith Downing]

Just out of curiosity, do you NOT want to own a drill press?

Or are you simply asking if that tool is the correct one to use for this job? If that is the case, yes it will help drill the holes to a consistent depth once you have them laid out on the wood. Although getting large pieces of plywood flat and secured on the little drill press table can be a fun game on some of the smaller tools.

I've probably only used my drill press 20 or 30 times over the last 5+ years. But the times I did, it sure did make the job a lot easier. For me anyways.

[pat warner]

Drill templet & hand drill will do. But do wood workers need a drill press?
Without it you'll be permanently handicapped, that is if you're to be a life time woodworker.

[rudy de haas]

68 holes per cabinet - placement, depth, and diameter all have to be right for each one.

Andrew Hughes (below) suggested using the ikea part as a template, I'll probably do that for placement and diameter is easy - depth is the issue
I'm most concerned about with a hand held drill.

I have not seen a counter sink drill bit with stop collar .. I'll go look now. . Thanks!

[roger wiegand]

If you don't have a drill press why would you squander this opportunity to get one? :D

Yes, I'm sure you can make a jig that will allow you to do this with a hand drill-- if they are straight lines of holes for supporting shelves the LV shelf jig is great. OTOH, one you have a drill press you will use it constantly and wonder how you survived without one.

[Andrew Hughes]

Rudy before you get a stop collar,Did you see the block of wood cut to length on the drill bit? I think it's a better solution than something attached to the bit with a set screw.
As others have mentioned a drillpress is pretty handy for woodworking.

[rudy de haas]

This is going to break my heart, but I guess I'll go buy a drill press..:) (Probably a KC-116C; 6.5 amp; 13")


Thanks!

[Mike Wilkins]

You could use a jig like the shelf pin drilling jigs. I have the Rockler jig and it is simple. You will have to carefully lay out the holes for proper alignment, and set the drilling depth to prevent drilling out into the show side. Been there/done that/colorful language followed.

[Mike Henderson]

This is going to break my heart, but I guess I'll go buy a drill press..:) (Probably a KC-116C; 6.5 amp; 13")


Thanks!

I don't know that drill press, but having a drill press is very convenient. Some holes really need a drill press. Forstner bits work best in a drill press, for example.

Mike

[Mike Cutler]

Rudy

Yes, you need a drill press. You may be able to accomplish your immediate need without one, but long term you need one.

[paul cottingham]

I don't need one. But I certainly like having one. Even us (semi) Neanders find them useful.

[Larry Browning]

Rudy,
Do you have a plunge router? Using well placed template with a plunge router would make quick work of this task. You can set the hole depth very accurately, you can use a bushing on the router and drill the holes on your template so that the bushing fits right into each hole.
Just a thought.

[Bill Sutherland]

Good grief man...you have the perfect excuse to get a "safe" drill press vs using a drill that could cause injury!! That's how I got my Sawstop. Go for it.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Do I need a drill press?
No matter how hard you try, you'll never be able to drill as straight a hole or as accurate in depth - by hand - than you can do with even the lowest quality drill press.

Maybe for one or two holes here and there where you have an abundance of time - - but - - more than a dozen is just asking for trouble.

[Ole Anderson]

Of course you need a drill press, everyone does!!!

[Larry Browning]

In my opinion for this task, I believe the plunge router/template is probably the better way to go even over a drill press. With that said, he still needs a drill press. Every woodworker needs one!

Sheesh, what other answer would you expect for a "do I need this tool?" question on SMC? OF COURSE YOU DO! It's not our money he is spending.

BTW: He also needs a plunge router, if he doesn't have one.

[rudy de haas]

I actually do have a small plunge router (a dewalt 1.25hp mini) that could be used for this and will give this approach a try on a sample board this afternoon. However.. I've never been comfortable with the thing (it just feels like a toy) and I doubt I can use the Ikea piece as a drill through template. Still, one lives to learn and I'm going to try it.

Meanwhile, KMS tools in Calgary is holding a 13" King drill press for me to pickup Saturday because, as people here have told me (i.e. if my wife asks, I'll send her a link to this page and blame you guys for the decision to buy one), I need one anyway...:)

[Greg Hines, MD]

Using a router and a template is a very efficient way to go about drilling your holes. You will get accurate depth, they will be flat bottomed, and once you make the jig, it will work every time. Use a plunge router with a template guide, and you will get very accurate holes.

Doc

[Ben Rivel]

Personally I cant imagine not having a drill press in my shop. I use mine for all kinds of stuff and love having it. I upgradeing an old benchtop Delta to brand new a Delta 18-900L last year and its been amazing! I highly recommend it! All I can add is as with most tools IMO, it is better to have and not need than to need and not have.

[Ole Anderson]

Using a router and a template is a very efficient way to go about drilling your holes. You will get accurate depth, they will be flat bottomed, and once you make the jig, it will work every time. Use a plunge router with a template guide, and you will get very accurate holes.

Doc

Of course you need a bushing on the router to avoid chewing up the template on your first try.

[Rich Engelhardt]

While I'm a big fan of the plunge router/template idea, the best way to make the template is......... on a drill press.

[Mark Wooden]

Yes, you need a drill press
But not specifically for this job......
I've drilled hundreds of cabinet boxes for shelf pins using a pistol drill and a simple, handheld, plywood template. Lay it out, drill the holes through. Cut a block of wood and drill through it for a depth stop. Index it off the bottom or top inside the cabinet box and drill your pin holes. Easy peasy. Just be sure to not flip the drill template unless it's perfectly even from all index edges, otherwise the shelves will rock.
FWIW, I prefer to drill 3-5 holes per shelf, depending on pin spacing (32 mm is most common). The reason of odd number of holes is you can center the shelves in a given space.

[Roger Feeley]

For what it's worth, my first stationary power tool was a Drill Press. I don't exactly remember why. I would vote to get the best one you can tolerate.

[Paul Wunder]

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=73237&cat=1,180,42311

Lee Valley has a $31 jig that will handle the depth stop problem with any bit as well as insuring vertically drilled holes.

I have used a similar one that I have had now for thirty years and I find it invaluable for its purpose. BTW, I also own a drill press

[Jeff Keith]

Glad to see you're getting a drill press. However, the table that comes with your drill press will be too small and insufficient for real woodworking. So you'll need to build an awesome custom-made table with a fence like this:

http://www.woodsmithplans.com/assets/img/plans/drill-press-table/diagram.jpg

And to properly cut all those t-tracks, you'll need a table saw with a dado stack, etc. Don't let anyone tell you it can be done with your router…of course it can. Do you have a remote controlled cyclonic dust collection system with bin-level sensors?

;)

[Dan Hahr]

Do you really need to cut 68 holes? I can only imagine that they are for shelf pins, but if you have a general idea what you are going to put in it, just make a couple of holes where you think you will need a shelf. That gives you a bit of adjustability and looks cleaner to me.

But you would really do much better work with a drill press. Plus you can do tons of things with one other than drilling such as sanding, turning, cleaning, wire brushing, grinding, sharpening, stripping line off fishing reels (just make sure the bail is open), (okay, its better to use a hand held drill here actually), mortising, etc. I use mine all the time for drilling holes because I can guarantee precisely spaced, equal depth, and square (90 degree) holes.

Dan

[Bill McNiel]

Rudy,
You have been a member here for almost 2 years, have you learned nothing in that time? Creekers are notorious for recommending that everyone buy every tool/toy. One can only assume that you are looking for backup when you tell SWMBO that you HAVE to purchase a drill press as in "Honey I asked on SMC and they all said I couldn't possibly build what you want without a drill press".