Best dripp presses according to redditors

>Also, if there are TWO doors in a highly congested entrance/exit and only one door is open, OPEN THE OTHER FUCKING DOOR

As a locksmith, this one drives me insane. I can be working on one of six doors on the front of a building, tools spread around me, ladder in the way, lock parts everywhere, sometimes even a strip of CAUTION tape across the doorway, and where do people try to go through? One of the five unobstructed doors available? No, they hopscotch over my work area because they see a way to get outside without pushing a door open. Even if I prop one of the other doors open, I still get about 1 in 5 people that try to duck through the doorway I'm working in. Fucking insane! My favorite example was a door at a school, where I was using a 1.5HP Porter Cable mortiser to install a lock in. So I'm there with hearing protection and safety glasses operating a 90db power tool that's shooting a rooster tail of sawdust 15 feet and a bloody teacher ducks under the CAUTION - DO NOT ENTER tape to go through. I shut off the machine and said "HEY! Can't you read?" His reply? "I thought that only applied to students." No, fuckwit, power tools will hurt teachers too.

Pipe nipple extractors are the tits for removing stripped allen/ torx/ shitty VAG triple square fasteners.

His craftsmanship is obviously top notch but when you add in the router that thing is 3 times the cost of a mortising machine which will actually cut nice square mortises for you.

Plus- you need to create a double size template for every single size tenon you plan on making. That doesn't sound very practical.

Beautiful work- but I just don't see the point for the vast majority of woodworkers. Obviously there are exceptions and edge cases- but most people would be better served spending the extra money on other tools.

Edit:

So here are the costs:

$945 for the PantoRouter (plus the cost of the router)

$36 for the clamps

$60 for the box joint jig

$70 for the 3/4" dovetail jig

$70 for the 1/2" dovetail jig

Total: $1181

Mortising machine: $338

Professional Dovetail/box jig: $200 ($500 if you want to buy a REALLY nice Leigh jig) + cost of the router

Total: $538 to $838

This would make it easier

Edit: Better link

This is a massive conspiracy. I found several online stores selling whats needed to build ghost guns.

https://www.harborfreight.com/8-in-5-speed-bench-drill-press-60238.html

https://www.lowes.com/pd/PORTER-CABLE-3-2-Amp-5-Speed-Bench-Drill-Press/1000183105

https://smile.amazon.com/WEN-4208-8-Inch-Speed-Drill/dp/B00HQONFVE/ref=sr_1_4?s=power-hand-tools&ie=UTF8&qid=1498684910&sr=1-4&keywords=drill+press

And they are all substantially cheaper. We should work on banning power tools. Think of the children. /s

What's your budget for tools? This whole thing could be hand-carved using a couple of x-acto knives. It'd be a lot easier if you had a stabilized drill or drill press, like a Dremel and an inexpensive press. Also useful for this sort of work would be a small, flat, metal engineer's ruler.

A solid work surface with holes and movable dowels can go a long way towards stabilizing your work pieces. Small clamps would certainly help, though use foam rubber in the jaws to avoid marking up the wood.

Check out Micro-Mark's tools. They're mostly quite expensive, but they give you ideas of how you can hold and manipulate small pieces. They do have some affordable stuff.

I prefer an aliphatic resin adhesive to cyanoacrylate (super glue) for wood. I use Titebond and a wet rag to clean up. (Seriously, it's easier to clean up wet than dry. Get a wet rag.)

It'd be a lot easier if the photographs weren't completely out of focus.

Get some scrap pieces of various woods and a couple of cheap carving tools. Spend some time carving shapes. That'll give you a feel for what needs to be done, and how different woods are to work. Pine is very soft. Maple is harder; good for wooden spoons and stuff. Ash is a lighter, hard wood. As Na4 says, basswood is a common choice carving small boxes.

If you live in a big city, there is likely a specialty wood shop (in Boston, Rockler,) that'll sell "pen blanks" of many exotic woods. These won't cost too much. These are small slabs often used to turn (carve on on a lathe) pen bodies, but they're also good for small carving projects.

When you glue flat pieces together, use a light coat of glue on each surface and clamp tightly. Glue should ooze out of the sides. Clean with a wet rag. You want to minimize the seam when dry. Be careful to keep glue away from the insides of the joints/moving pieces.

According to /u/meangrampa it cost about 75$.

25$ for the angle grinder.

80$ for the drill press

30$ for the vice

And then you have tools you can use for other stuff too.

But let's be real, anyone who needs a square broach already have at least the drill and the vice.

https://www.amazon.com/HHIP-4401-0027-Drill-Center-Finder/dp/B01LW6N7N9

Drill press center finder.

I dunno, sometimes I prefer to just pay the thirty bucks

Warning - Incoming Giant wall of text

I've seen a lot of random Amazon topics pop up here, most with incorrect or partial information. I don't work for Amazon, but I've been a very long time and prolific customer, and hopefully I can share some tips and tricks that will save you guys some money when shopping with what is easily my favorite retailer.

camelcamelcamel

The link in my post gets you to camelcamelcamel (referred to here-on as 'CCC') because it's the first thing you should know about Amazon. I have found their browser add-on to be a very useful addition to my Chrome toolbar. CCC is simply a historical on the prices of various items on Amazon. If you sign up and make an account, it also has price drop alert options via email or Twitter as well as the ability to customize watch lists for products you're interested in.

How to use CCC

It's easy to get caught up in trying to get the absolute historical lowest price on an item, but that's only half the functionality of CCC. Look at a volitile product like this Seagate external drive. From the graph, we can see that this drive often hits the historical low of $99.99 - but usually hangs out around $110. If you were unlucky enough to look at the drive when it was priced at $130+, from the chart you can tell that if you can wait a week or so, chances are relatively good that you'll see this product drop in price again soon - saving you anywhere from $20 to $40.

On the flip side, look at this SKIL Drill Press. We can see that the current price of $117.99 is pretty average, so you might be tempted to wait for another historical low point. Well in this case, if you look at the date of the historical low, note the date - November 29th, 2012. That's right in the middle of Amazon's Black Friday sales. Since the only times that this item seems to dip under the $110 mark seem to be around the November time period, you can pretty safely assume that this item only goes on sale as a "door buster" type item. Note that CCC defaults to "ALL" for the date range. If you switch it to either 3mo or 6mo for this item, you can see that this has been pretty stable at the $113.50 - $117.99 range. If you can't wait until November to see if this goes on sale again, chances are pretty high that it won't change price again very soon so you probably won't see a savings if you wait it out a week or two.

CCC also has Popular lists of items that many people are currently tracking. Their Community page is an aggregate of suggested deals from their users. They also have a page that lists the items which have had the most significant price drops recently. Amazon also monitors web traffic, so if an item gets a sudden increase in web traffic to that page, the price often becomes more volatile.

Ok, back to Amazon.com.

The Amazon Shopping Cart

The Amazon shopping cart is sort of a mini version of CCC. Whenever you go shopping on Amazon and place items into your cart, the price reflects whatever the current price is on Amazon. So if you put some shoes in your cart, go to lunch and come back to it an hour later to check out, you may notice a message that says " Important messages about items in your Cart: 1 item in your Cart has changed price.
Items in your Shopping Cart will always reflect the most recent price displayed on their product detail pages."

Save for Later

When you add a few items to your cart and view it, you'll note that there's a two options below the product listing - Delete (obviously to remove the item from your cart) and Save for later. Save for later pulls the item out of your shopping cart and into a separate list called "Saved for Later". Save for Later and your Shopping Cart both keep track of price changes to items. If you had few items that you were thinking about buying but wanted to wait for a price drop, instead of checking the item's page every day, add it to your Saved for Later cart and check it every once and a while. Any changes to prices will be noted at the top of the screen the first time you check after the price changes. Be careful though - if you refresh or click the cart again, the message is gone. Amazon only alerts you the first time you click your cart after the price change. The good thing about Save for Later and your Shopping Cart is that it will list all the changes to all of the items listed in your inventory - even if it spans multiple pages. So if you have 100 items in your Saved for Later list, and Amazon changes the prices on all 100 items, it will list every single change on a single page.

Wish List

Your Wish List isn't just a repository of items you want to eventually grab, it's also another price tracker. Every item in your Wish List remembers the price when it was added. Any change to the price is also noted on the item itself - Price dropped 5% (was $117.28 when added). The Wish List is like a manual version of the Save for Later or Shopping Cart. If you have multiple pages of items, you have to click on each page and scan through the list - there's no bulk summary at the top of the page. The Wish List is great for items that you are moderately interested in, but isn't high on your priority list. You can also build several Wish Lists (and set varying degrees of privacy). I keep one specifically for books, and one with everything else.

Limitations of the Shopping Cart, Save for Later, and Wish List

Note that any item added to any of the three lists above only reflect the price from the seller you added it from. In other words, if you added an item sold by Amazon Warehouse, and the price for Amazon.com drops lower, it will only tell you if the price changed for Amazon Warehouse. The same goes for any third party sellers. You should also know that the historical price change notification on both the Shopping Cart and Save for Later does tend to glitch out now and then. They removed the functionality completely for a few weeks last year either as part of an upgrade process, or simply forgot about it. Either way, there was quite a few requests for the functionality to be re-added, so it's back now. However it seems like if Amazon.com has any problems whatsoever, this is the first thing to go missing. So if you're watching a specific item intently, it doesn't hurt to manually track it or use CCC.

Amazon Warehouse

There seems to be a lot of questions about Amazon Warehouse - hopefully this will help a few of you out.

The Warehouse is Amazon's version of the "Open Box" or "Customer Returned" or "Damaged" isle at a big box store. It is not the same as the Amazon Outlet. The biggest difference between the Outlet and the Warehouse is that the Outlet items are considered New goods (although they do have refurbs), where as the Warehouse items have been opened and/or used previously. Warehouse items are limited in number and are often not marked down as much as you might think. The Outlet is comprised of items that have usually hit the 30% or more markdown price point (from MSRP). They're usually seasonal or overstocked items.

Biggest tips with the Warehouse:

• Look at the condition options - Every item listed on the Warehouse will come in various conditions. Each item sold will have the overall condition listed as well as notes on why the condition is graded as it is.
  
  
• "Every item I've gotten from the Warehouse has been Like New / Broken / Missing Parts" - The grading on products is manual and probably done in a rush. I would suggest avoiding items with tons of parts - if a previous customer opened up a build kit with 800 screws, the chances are high that you'll probably end up with a few missing parts. Meanwhile a blender will most likely be fine. Also, the worker's definition of "small cosmetic imperfection" may be completely different than yours. Be aware that you probably won't get something that looks perfect.
  
  
• Always check Amazon.com's prices - You don't always save a whole lot by buying used. You have to ask if it's worth getting a used item versus a brand new item just to save $2-3.
  
  
• All items are covered by Amazon - All items on the Warehouse are no longer covered by Manufacturer's Warranties but are covered by Amazon's A-to-z Guarantee Protection. All items are returnable for Amazon's standard 30-day policy.
  
  
• Neat Link - Amazon Warehouse Deals Brand Listing. Just a quick link to the brands currently available on Amazon Warehouse.
  

$45 on Amazon, definitely worth it.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00068P48O/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_RQFxCbAMKZEKR


If you don't have a workbench you can bolt the workstation down on, I would advise getting some of these clamps (not these exact ones, but this style) to keep the base from moving around. You can put them on the backside and it usually won't interfere with the project.

Forstner bits.

A Drill Press like this one would allow you to control the depth of your cutting, accurately to within a millimeter.

For an extra 30 bucks, this works surprisingly well

https://www.amazon.com/WEN-4208-8-Inch-Speed-Drill/dp/B00HQONFVE

Here's the same one on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/3320-02-120-Volt-10-Inch-Drill-Press/dp/B003LSSS0W/ref=pd_ybh_7

Be aware that small drill bits are very easy to break. If this is something you're doing regularly, look into getting a drill press setup.

Here's an example: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00068P48O/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474267831&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=Dremmel+press&dpPl=1&dpID=31MGyrXrX5L&ref=plSrch

As someone working through this but a few years ahead of you, I'll pass along the list of stuff I've bought and/or wish to buy...

Hand Tools

1. You say you have screwdrivers, but ifs worthwhile to have a full complement of them. You might consider getting a hand tool set like this one. Also, diagonals. Can't stress that enough. Eventually, you might upgrade a lot of these, but it'll get you started.
   
   
2. Ratcheting wrenches, along these lines. Conventional wrenches are functional, but these are much more so.
   
   
3. Ratcheting hex key set. In fact, this one looks good. If you have any Ikea furniture in your future, these will be worth their weight in guld.
   
   
4. Maybe a vise. That particular vice is mid-priced, but you can find well-reviewed vises at just about any price point.
   
   
5. A good range of sand paper grits: 80, 100, 120, 150, 180. You might also pick up a sanding sponge.
   
   Power Tools
   
   
6. A Dremel
   
   
7. Maybe an electric circular saw or a jigsaw. I really don't know which I'd prioritize, but you should probably have at least one of them.
   
   
8. If there's money left over in your budget, I'd suggest a random orbit sander.
   
   
9. A drill press
   
   Also, there are fluids to consider
   
   
10. Simple Green
    
    
11. Penetrating oil
    
    
12. Wood Glue
    
    
13. Mineral Spirits
    
    
14. Linseed Oil
    
    Of these, I'd focus on the hand tools, fluids, and the Dremel. You can always ask someone to buy you a saw for Christmas. If you have these things on hand, there probably won't be a job come along that you can't handle at some basic level. I'm assuming you don't need yard grooming tools, because that's an entirely different list.

I used a harbor freight 8" with their xy vise and could not get the xy to line up no matter what. Mind you I used the bigger xy vise, perhaps the smaller one they sell will fit

Edit: there is a 4" xy vise on Amazon where someone left a review saying he used the vice and an 8" Wen drill press to do an 80% lower.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L5RXFTU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_qwz3Bb1J6TYRQ

Highly recommend some milling bits (find some that fit the collet your dremel has, don't get a chuck) and a dremel stand as well. I have one of these and it makes this carving out shells even easier.

Personally, I'd love a full size mill but I don't think I can fit one in my small 1 bed apartment =)

Hope you spent less than $45

I bought the 12.5" planer a couple weeks ago when it was down to $208 (after which it ended up dropping all the way down to $186). Well worth it imo - the next best alternative is the ~$380 dewalt 734 which is most likely produced by the same company in China (though likely to better QC standards).

So far so good. I haven't used it a TON but it did an excellent job planing soft wood. I did plane a piece of hickory with some pretty gnarly grain, experiencing some tearout, but I can't say that was unexpected.

I've since picked up the 4214 Drill Press for $145. Overall pretty impressed with these products given their price.

For a little more, you can get this

Dake b-10. Low-temp plates.

https://www.amazon.com/Dake-Manual-Utility-Hydraulic-Capacity/dp/B00DWB1MTM

https://www.lowtemp-plates.com/products/4x7-rosin-plate-kit

Actually I do, and much cheaper than a band saw! I found this guy on sale for about $50 after tax at a Home Depot about a year go.

Cons:

Not as great with curves.

And it doesn't come with the dremel/rotary tool - but I found one at a garage sale for $5 so...


There are other options it looks like (especially if you go the wish/ali express way), but I bought the Dremel brand one and it has been great.

I have actually used it for cutting harder materials than foam, and so foam is like butter - just really easy to work.

There are also tutorials on creating your own rotary cutting discs to fit your needs.
Edit: Cons

Some acrylic blanks are just predisposed to doing that. I've had more than a few that would develop a crack along an invisible fault line during drilling and come apart, even with plenty of lubrication and a slow, sharp bit.

My number one question is: are you free-handing your drilling or are you using some kind of vertical drilling jig that holds everything steady and fairly square? Reason I ask is that it appears your blank did not blow out in a shattering sense, but rather is simple suffered a stress fracture. Blowouts are usually very jagged and "chippy," but this appears to be a fairly clean crack like what would happen if there were lateral (side to side) pressure from inside the hole...possibly from uneven pressure during drilling.

Anyway, to help when you drill acrylics, get a squirt bottle and mix 3-4 drops of liquid dish soap with a full bottle of water. Keep your borehole nice and wet and that will help reduce heat and lubricate the cutting process to produce better holes. Remember that when you do this, you'll need to let the blank dry for a few hours to remove any residual moisture.

FWIW, the jig I mentioned would be similar to this one which is available at your local big orange store. One summer long ago when my drill press was inoperable, I used one of those to drill some pen blanks. It required some patience, setup, and more patience, but it produced results roughly on par with the drill press.

http://www.amazon.com/DELTA-14-651-Professional-Mortising-Machine/dp/B00006K00N
You could invest $338.14 to cut squared holes and craft tenons on any saw

Don't bother with the Harbor Freight ones. You will eventually replace it. Just spend a bit more and get the Dake B-10 Pick up a set of Low Temp Plates instead of these off ebay.

Sure! First I trace the shape in pencil onto the G10. Then I clamp the original scales down and drill all the holes with a cordless drill. I have a stand that makes the drill into a mediocre drill press. Sometimes I use that. Next I use a combination of belt sander and dremel sanding drums to rough out the profile. I check against the originals by putting the drill bits through the holes so they line up perfectly. I go back and forth, comparing and taking off some until the pencil line is gone. If it has cutouts on the bottom side, like the Adamas, I trace the profil on tape and transfer to the new scales. Then I use the dremel workstation to operate the dremel like a mini mill. The bit I used was a steel cutting tool that is cylindrical with cutting teeth on the sides and bottom. I counterbore the screw heads with a cone-shaped stone grinding bit on the dremel, or sometimes with larger drill bits using the drill, depends on the size. For the texture I pressed the scales into the edge of the sanding belt with a rolling motion. Lastly I finish sand all the edges and large openings by hand with 320 grit sandpaper. Sometimes I use a router bit to chamfer the edges and/or holes. The color looks all weird and whitish, at least with the g10 I have so I paint loctite over the whole thing wipe it off once it dries a little. I also loctite all the screws when I re-assemble. I was messy with loctite putting a knife together and figured out that it made the G10 look like it did before I cut it.

http://www.amazon.com/Dremel-220-01-Rotary-Tool-Station/dp/B00068P48O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396740382&sr=8-1&keywords=dremel+stand

Yea... you most certainly need a drill press. Drilling by hand is not accurate in any way, no wonder you'll break bits. Look for local workshops, hackerspaces, maybe there's a trade school nearby or something similar. A drill press is a fairly cheap tool, you can even buy them where you use a Dremel, like this.

I make tons of these holes all the time, although I use a CNC machine for it.

If you have access to a drill press, and patience, you should be GTG. I've also seen tabletop stands for a power drill that give you the vertical axis control of a drill press without the need to buy a big-ass tool.

e.g.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01FZB3HQC/ref=mp_s_a_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1521483655&sr=8-8&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=portable+drill+press&dpPl=1&dpID=41tNr6DyFiL&ref=plSrch#


Edit: This a little bit more, but probably takes up a lot more space in an apartment, unless you have a spare room for an office/workshop/den/bar/etc... room that I wish I had.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00HQONFVE/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1521483655&sr=8-5&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=portable+drill+press

You are not going to have happy results turning metal by hand on a drill press. You need an actual lathe that is made for turning metal. I say this because I have made a few mods using a drill press and lathe attachment with wood and its a tough thing to do. With metal, you have to use the proper carbide bits, which are a small V shaped bit to cut the metal out. http://littlemachineshop.com/products/Images/480/480.1669.jpg
You need them to be exact, without deviation, and turn it slow creeping up the tube as its turned using the cranks.
Im not saying its not possible, but your results will probably be sub par.
something like this is what you would be needing:
http://www.harborfreight.com/7-inch-x-10-inch-precision-mini-lathe-93212.html
For my wooden mods, I use this:
http://www.amazon.com/Woodstock-D4088-Lathe-Attachment-Drill/dp/B005W16YJS
For the internals, you can get a clone off of fasttech and try your hand at making a couple without being out alot of time and expense.
You will also need to do alot of research on how to operate a lathe and use the tools, as it can be tricky and frustrating if you dont do it correctly. As well as dangerous due to flying chunks of wood.
Hope this helps.

Yeah, you could look in to smaller bench top models of table saws and jointers, lunchbox planers, etc.
Ive seen people create some pretty cool work areas out of small spaces.
The downside is with smaller tools comes less surface to reference your workpiece during the cut, less power and dust collection...
These are some smaller "budget" tools that I've heard good things about:

Benchtop "Lunchbox" Thickness Planer
Benchtop Jointer
Benchtop table saw
Benchtop Drill Press

That looks like an exact copy of the dake I was talking about. Should be solid and last you a long time.



http://www.amazon.com/Dake-Manual-Utility-Hydraulic-Capacity/dp/B00DWB1MTM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449492818&sr=8-1&keywords=dake+10+ton

Here’s an amazon drill press light one my friend

It is the workstation (http://www.amazon.com/Dremel-220-01-Rotary-Tool-Station/dp/B00068P48O). Dremel is magic for lots of things in home.

Ah, okay. This is the one I have: https://www.amazon.com/WEN-4214-12-Inch-Variable-Speed/dp/B00HQONFY6 and the speed adjustment is awesome.

No problem.

Dake: wherever you order just make sure it ships free (190 lbs or so ship weight)

Amazon - 312.50 (get prime for a month for free ship)
https://www.amazon.com/Dake-Manual-Utility-Hydraulic-Capacity/dp/B00DWB1MTM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481040084&sr=8-1&keywords=dake+b-10

Jet.com - there is a 15% coupon code if you search, maxes at 30.00 off 341.00 before coupon so 311.00 ships free

https://jet.com/product/Dake-Corporation-Hydraulic-Press/6c4ceeb24abc4b8aaebcc5d04a8780db

Plates:
Here you have a choice, my advice is go with the best AMERICAN deal. Don't be lured in with import plates...yes they are cheaper but will cause issues down the line (electronics, uneven plates).

710 Snob had a deal a week back....5 x 3 plates with PID/Heaters for 280.00 shipped. They are "seconds" which in all reality means they haven't been polished. I bought a set for a friend (x-mas) and would order another at that price if they had them still. I spent a few minutes polishing one of the plates and it looks great...no need to just cosmetic. I can upload a photo if you want so you can see.

If the 710 snobs aren't on sale your build price will rise by 100 bucks unless you can find plates on sale, which may happen this time of year.

www.azpressco.com

Lowtemp-plates.com

I have used or have friends that have plates from both of those companies and can say nothing but good things about them. Both will run you 380-400 shipped complete.

https://710snob.com/product/black-friday-scratch-dent-rosin-press-plate-3x5-kit/
Just saw they are out of stock, may be worth still reaching out to them to see if they have any at that price.



Aside from that....silicone mat for your plates...temp gun for accuracy (i use a meat thermometer as the guns don't read shiny surfaces) and parchment/bags and your good to go.

You can get the build down to under 300 if you go full cheap chinese import...HF press, import plates. I would not recommend this for safety reasons first...sanity second. HF press is fine to seat a bearing once in a while but for pressing on the regular you will have issues. A thrift store flat iron and an irwin clamp is a better option.

*I have no affiliation with any of these folks.

If you're going bench top get this one: https://www.amazon.com/WEN-4212-10-Inch-Variable-Speed/dp/B00HQONFWS/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1481693190&sr=8-4&keywords=wen+drill+press

It drops down to $120 sometimes and is probably the best bang for its buck.

I ended up spending a bit more on this one:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/PORTER-CABLE-8-Amp-12-Speed-Floor-Drill-Press/1000132463?cm_mmc=SCE_PLA-_-ToolsAndHardware-_-BenchtopTools-_-1000132463:PORTER-CABLE&CAWELAID=&kpid=1000132463&CAGPSPN=pla&store_code=1939&k_clickID=fec787e3-d7c1-4da8-9378-f1535351d9b6

Its $270 right now with a 10% coupon, and Woodcraft has a mobile base for it for $40 right now. Ends up being more mobile than the benchtop because drill presses are way too heavy to seriously move around without wheels, and if you get a cart for the benchtop you end up close to the same price.

You will use it more than you think, and find things to use it on, like making deep mortises a lot more comfortably than a router, or for mounting a sanding mop...

If you want to spend $5-600, you can do better than the home center brands. Maybe this one from JET at the next 15% off sale.

Really, though, just get the $320 PC one. It's about equivalent to that RIDGID in feature set and quality, and a lot less money. I have the PC. It's not the prettiest most fit+finishy tool I own, but it does its job very well and didn't break the bank.

The next upgrade level that I'd seriously consider is something like this. I would probably be better about setting speeds properly if I didn't have to use belts to do it. I don't see a lot of point in the middle ground between the PC and the PM.

Actually not that much. I probably spent around $20-25 in lumber for all four shelves (I just got some cheap pine at Lowe's). Wood glue and paint was another few bucks.

The expense really comes with the tools. I didn't have a drill press, so I bought a relatively cheap one on Amazon ($75), which actually worked amazingly well (https://smile.amazon.com/WEN-4208-5-Speed-Drill-Press/dp/B00HQONFVE/ref=sr_1_4?s=power-hand-tools&ie=UTF8&qid=1521416744&sr=1-4&keywords=drill+press). A 2" drill bit will also run you about $20. Fortunately, I already had a sander and some sandpaper laying around.

So, short answer: One shelf will probably cost you around $10-15 in materials. However, there's a lot of additional costs if you need more tools. Also took quite a bit of time marking and drilling all of the holes. I put the design in the Imgur album, so feel free to make your own if you so desire!

Frankford Arsenal Universal case trimmer is brand new, interchangeable shoulder guides and neck collets should make it universal. I haven't used it myself, saw a review on YouTube that looked very interesting and promising.

I just got the WEN 10" from amazon last week, I've used it a few times and it has been great so far.
https://www.amazon.com/WEN-4210-Drill-Crosshair-10-Inch/dp/B005UKGLAS/ref=pd_cp_469_3?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B005UKGLAS&pd_rd_r=HTMFN9V19ZJACF0BAAVE&pd_rd_w=lbTKw&pd_rd_wg=LLmzb&psc=1&refRID=HTMFN9V19ZJACF0BAAVE

Question is, did you save yourself $35

Drill Stand for Hand Drill,Universal Bench Clamp Drill Press Floor Stand Workbench Repair Tool for Drilling Collet Workshop,Single Hole Aluminum Base https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077MTRKPW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_VAehDbYPHMPB0

I have this little guy from Wen. IT works fine for wood and light metal use, but it's nothing heavy duty, you do need to be cognizant of it's limitations. It's also not variable or have a worklight, though I think the latter is easy enough to set up. I don't remember what I paid for it, but it wasn't the $90 currently listed on Amazon. Edit - just looked it up, bought it for $70.

There is also a Lathe Attachment for a Drill Press.

This is the vise I used. It came with handle, but its nothing you couldn't whip up with some off the shelf parts if you wanted to.

The only thing I do not like about it, is that none of the material that came with it said what the thread pattern of holes used to jaw face on is. I had to play guess the bolt until I found one that fit.

Here is a gallery of some pics I took while doing it. I first cut down a few scraps to get the height right and did a test fit but didn't like the way that came out, so I decided to do the inset.

My inside cut was a touch off so I wound up with bit of a gap on the left side. Then I ripped down the 2x4 to a width that would fit on the face and secured it with wood screws both into the top and the 4x4s. I found a rough cut maple 2x4 that was a scrap from a furniture factory and cut that down for the outside jaw.

Then I bored all of the bench dog holes using a 3/4 forstner bit and a drill guide to keep them plumb. I had to make them wide so I didn't hit any of the vise parts. I bored four more holes in the face of the 2x4 that I can slip the bench dogs in to support long pieces.

I've been fascinated and obsessed with this and AvE's follow-up video for the last 24 hours. I have a couple of great applications for it and would really like to get one if there are decent odds I could get it to work on mild steel up to 1/4" thick.

I don't know how many pounds of pressure it can exert, but my drill press is 3/4 HP, 4.5 A, and can go up to 3100 rpm without load. I have done some light milling on it with end mills (using its lowest speed just below 500 rpm—yeah, too fast, but it gets the job done for what I've been doing).

If it could handle it, I wonder if I'd need a cooling assembly like this. Not that I want to spend $160 to save a $130 drill press, but my getting a proper (i.e., much more expensive) milling machine at some point is pretty much inevitable.

Thanks in advance for thoughts and answers.

Dude, ask a Door guy about the tools he has, and or needs still. Take every trade and their tools, that's what the door guy needs. And specialty shit like a "lock mostiser" (we call it a mortise jig). I'm hoping when my dad retires he lets me have his. No fucking way am I buying one for myself. My company better bite that bullet.

I have both of these on my to-print list.

/u/CaptainPain mentioned a drill press one, but honestly for that I really like the official Dremel one.

Yeah for circuit boards, a dremel drill press would probably be great.

http://www.amazon.com/Dremel-220-01-Rotary-Tool-Station/dp/B00068P48O

WEN 8 Inch Drill Press

It's pretty good for the price. I will likely upgrade at some point but for now it's just right. I use it all of the time now that I have one.

It is indeed. It is absolutely fantastic for the money. Variable speed, 12" swing. I changed the chuck out for a Jacobs style tool-less. It's not high end Jet, but its not $1500 either.. :) I have a mill when I need to do super precise stuff anyhow.

This is it on Amazon

The built in laser is a gimmick, but the built in light is nice.

The bare minimum setup from my perspective would be:

• A vice (or something else to hold the blanks) and a handsaw with a small kerf. Maybe a dovetail saw or something. This will let you cut the premade blanks to length. You won't really be able to make your own blanks easily without a bandsaw
  
• Then you have to drill out your blanks. If you don't have room for a drill press, you might be able to get away with hand drilling them. I did it for a while, but you either have to be very good, or use a larger blank (I was the later). Otherwise, maybe a hand drill drill press setup? And some good drill bits. The sizes depend on the kits you buy.
  
• Gluing in the tubes to the blank doesn't take any special tools.
  
• A Pen mill (aka barrel trimmer) works ok in a hand drill as well. This is required to trim the end of the glued up blanks. Again, sizes depend on the kits.
  
• For a lathe, if you're really tight on space, the Taig lathes are pretty good.
  
• You'll need a couple turning tools. Maybe a bowl gouge and a parting tool? Don't go too high end to start with.
  
• You can use the above vice above as a pen press, which you need to put your pens together.
  
• Sand paper from 300 down to 800 grit. Some people use sanding pads as well down to 12,000 grit.
  
• Paper towel and CA glue to finish.
  
  That's about the bare minimum I think. I'm not endorsing any of the brands I linked to here. They're just in there for reference. The lack of a drill press would probably cause you the most problems, but you'll survive ;)
  
  I hope that helps!

It's about $2 cheaper on Amazon and if you have prime it's free shipping.

Here's a link to the reviews there.

Yeah, I was in your exact place when I first started. It doesn't have to be anything special. I just now upgraded from my $120 Ryobi after 4 or 5 years, and it was only because I didn't feel like replacing the belt when it started to slip. You can most likely find a set of used US made HSS bits at an estate sale or flea markets.

Here's the one I bought and it's very nice. The speed goes from 580-3200, and has a digital readout for the spindle.

Mine, too. Got it off Amazon and it has done everything my newbie hobby woodworking asked of it.

what else would i need to add to these tools

Tools needed


Drill press

http://www.amazon.com/WEN-4208-8-Inch-Speed-Drill/dp/B00HQONFVE/ref=sr_1_1?s=power-hand-tools&ie=UTF8&qid=1422478362&sr=1-1

80$


Angle Grinder

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Makita-4-1-2-in-Angle-Grinder-9557NB/202105761

70$

Cutoff wheel and flap wheel

10$

cabinet makers rasp
http://www.amazon.com/Nicholson-Half-Round-American-Pattern-Length/dp/B006P2X4Q4/ref=sr_1_4?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1422479106&sr=1-4&keywords=cabinet+rasp

20$

bench vise

30$


also from what i understand when I am making the blade do I just grind it so it is thing and sharp at the bottom and thicker on the top??

dremel has a drill press work station I've been considering picking it up.

So I have recently started doing my own scale work. It is quite fun but can be tedious work with how precise you MUST be for drilling screws or the knife wont go back together properly. Blade centering can be screwed up etc.
Anyways the main tools that I use are as follows:

Skil Drill press

Dremel 4000

Dremel Shaper Table

Swivel Benchtop Vise

You will still need other assorted accessories like sanding wheels, cutting wheels (if you dont have a table saw for cutting down G10/Wood/Whatever media). While I am not a pro and I am just starting these are the essentials. Please feel free to PM me or email me [email protected] if you have any other questions. I would be more than happy to help. It is extremely rewarding when you complete a set. The first few may not be perfect but you MADE them yourself :)

The only 2 I have successfully completed. I still need to work on my pattern technique

I did use a drill press. And even then not all the holes lined up perfectly. I be to do some fine tweeks at the end. I'd say either find a buddy with a drill press or save up and buy one. Some aren't all that expensive. Drill presses come in handy. Good luck with you build. This Or This

Yeah it's this one: https://www.amazon.com/Dremel-220-01-Rotary-Tool-Station/dp/B00068P48O. It's pretty cool and convenient

Any opinions of the Wen 4210 drill press?

I'm about to purchase my first drill press. I'm on a tight budget, and I just need something basic to get the job done for now. The Wen 4210 seems to be the best drill press for the money. Is there a better option in the price range?

Also, I'm going to be cutting 1.5'' holes into 0.75'' thick cherry for my first project with the press. Any recommendations on bits for the job?

Sweet. Just large enough for the job.

Protip: Move the table away from the wall, get a surge protector (or two), and drape your cords off the back. That'll free up a lot of space. Also, the Dremel Rotary Tool Workstation is very handy.

Unfortunately I was hoping to use RGB LEDS, I can't believe I didn't specify that. Sorry about that, I edited it in. Would you be able to explain the common cathode vs common anode? I'll be looking it up but just to make sure I have the right idea for it.

 

I'll more than likely be using a relay at first, following tlucas's comment above just to get a bit of a better understanding but will be pushing to move over to a more complicated setup using transistors as they seem to be more efficient.

 

Ah yes I had picked out a multimeter but is there a type that you would suggest? I wouldn't be against learning how to make a board, i've looked at tutorials and it seems reasonably simple for just a basic board with no special features. I looked into the materials for a board, but the only thing I haven't figured out is the dremel. Should I go with a handheld one or would a standing one be better?

Edit: It seems like the standing one would be better, however people aren't too fond of that one I linked, I may end up going with a drill press

I ended up getting this drill press, it's on the cheaper side, for sure, probably about in line with the equivalent size harbor freight drill press. The variable speed drive is nice, no changing pulleys or anything, just a lever. I've abused it quite a bit and never had any problems with over-taxing the motor or putting too much stress on it. It has a good sturdy machined quill with basically no play in it (as opposed to some of the cheap ones I've seen which are essentially just a steel tube with a pinion spot welded onto the side).

To echo what others have stated, you can do a lot with a cheap drill press, and it's one of the areas I've never really wished I'd spent more to begin with.

well I borrowed my father's drill jig. and then just stacked some scrap wood on either side of the desk to keep the width consistent. The jig handily has some screw holes on the bottom to attach it to things.

2" travel, half the price, good reviews: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HQONFVE/

(I just got this one but haven't yet unpacked it, so can't speak to if it's actually any good.)

I use a dremel drill press (amazon link)

Thanks for the suggestion, but I'm not interested in trains, the following items on my wish list are this Dremel workstation, and this drop pouch for spent magazines, but one is more than $25, and the other wouldn't be a good thread-starter.

Something like this
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004T82L?psc=1
Or a homemade jig

Or spend the $55 for a drill press:
http://www.harborfreight.com/8-in-5-speed-bench-drill-press-60238.html


http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Drill-Straight-Holes-with-a-Hand-Drill-Usin/

I've seen a set to turn it into a lathe. Kinda

Anyone have one of these WEN 4212 10" benchtop drill press? I finally have a project that gives me an excuse to buy one of these. I am attaching a base to a table that has tear our to re attach the legs using a forstner bit at angle, and so I am just wondering if anyone has had performance issues with these? It will be a 2 inch forstner bit but with all the RPM ratings I read for a bit that size, it seems I will just need to use soft wood as I don't see any affordable Benchtop Presses in my price range ($200 and under). If you have any other suggestions please shoot away!

​

Here's a link to the WEN https://www.amazon.com/WEN-4212-10-Inch-Variable-Speed/dp/B00HQONFWS/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3V4Q5YSMAFS9R&keywords=wen+10+inch+drill+press&qid=1566308134&s=gateway&sprefix=WEN+10%2Caps%2C193&sr=8-2

step bit usually does a good job, you could also get a drill press if like this one.

This small bandsaw has been as low as $60, according to camelcamelcamel.

https://www.amazon.com/POWERTEC-BS900-Band-Saw-9-Inch/dp/B00367WB0G

Powertec is identical to Ryobi, FWIW. the parts are interchangeable, even.

I priced the list out at < 1k. Given that the table saw is as cheap as you can buy one, I don't think the rest of the tools were quality.

Edit: Here's a drill press under $80, too. https://www.amazon.com/WEN-4208-8-Inch-Speed-Drill/dp/B00HQONFVE/

> Are you chasing unicorns?

So that is what it is called! lol!

When you don't know something, you gotta ask the experts! I may have to start looking into an entire replacement tailstock in this case. I have seen other tailstocks with the crank but they have another (possibly removable) live center attached to it. I might be able to make that work.

/u/Silound, I did look into the Dremel drill press as an alternative and the idea of drilling a hole into something to hold the pin in place is a great idea! Several reviews on Amazon have noted that the dremel doesn't sit perpendicular to the base. I don't know if that is due to the placement of the dremel inside of the cradle or manufacture error.

In any case, this was my first attempt at drilling a 1mm hole in the pin freehand and this is how close to center I got. I am a thin hair off to the left side of center. As you can see, the larger hole was easier. If the entire length of the nestling pin would be 1mm as well, that wouldn't be a problem. However, the nestling pin has to have a larger head so that the pin doesn't fall out the bottom and I would have to match the degree of offset for it to fit correctly. I might need to catch one of those unicorns and rub some of it's blood on the dremel to make that one work, lol!

Thank both of you for your delicious knowledge! I appreciate it.

Dremel is a company that makes small electric power tools, including a rotary tool with many attachments and accessories for drilling, sanding, polishing, etc. Here's the web page for that tool:

https://www.dremel.com/en_US/tools/-/subcategory/tool/find-by-category/27343/rotary

h\Here's the drill press stand (not including the drill tool) on Amazon. Read the reviews, however:

https://www.amazon.com/Dremel-220-01-Rotary-Workstation-Station/dp/B00068P48O?psc=1&SubscriptionId=AKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q&tag=duckduckgo-osx-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B00068P48O

You could always get her a Dremel work station like this one. Then a pair of soft jaw pliers. Why soft jaw pliers? Well it gets her hand away from the cutting/drilling edge, important if she is working with small stones. And the soft jaw wont mar the stones. In addition to that gripping small things when you have arthritis can aggravate the condition, with the pliers it will take longer for her hands to become fatigued.

I have been meaning to buy this, but have not had a project where I needed it.

General Tools & Instruments 36/37 Accu Precision Drill Guide https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004T82L/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_G.W4wbXZ1J87Y

We bought a 10 ton hydraulic press (https://www.amazon.com/Dake-Manual-Utility-Hydraulic-Capacity/dp/B00DWB1MTM). It was much much cheaper when we got it (I think it was roughly $150ish?)


It's overkill, but hard drives get crushed quickly and easily.

Brain dump if you don't mind:

UPS store has magazine paper they can print on. They'll usually sell you blanks for pennies. That stuff it the absolute best transfer paper. It transfers perfect, and practically melts in water. Get a cheap laminatior and use that for the fusing. I use a piece of scotch tape on one edge and run it through four or five times. Use a green scotchbright to clean it under the sink with dish soap before you try to adhere it. Only use acetone to remove it after the etch. These three things made my toner transfer process %100 reliable. I can etch smaller traces now too.

For etchant you should try 2 parts %70 peroxide mixed with 1 part muriatic acid (always add acid to the peroxide, not the other way). It's cheap, less toxic, and etches fast. Easy to get locally too since it's just hardware store and walgreens stuff. You also can see the etch better. Mix it in a glass container outside. It gets hot and off-gasses for a couple minutes when mixed, but it's pretty safe after that. It also looks like lime koolaid. Do not drink it.

Checkout the little dremel drill press. It's great for PCBs.

You could get a detachable drill press. Similar concept to your millscraft, but heavier guide rail and a proper lever to lower the drill. Craftsman used to make a decent version that packed up pretty small. If you can find one check for play in the linear bushings.

Update: there is a version offered by dremel

https://www.amazon.com/Dremel-220-01-Rotary-Workstation-Station/dp/B00068P48O

A dremel tool and a dremel press. Was messy!

A flex-shaft is a great all-around tool, but you'd have to get one that has a drill press attachment for the hand tool for that specific function. The set I know of with that configuration is the Foredom flex shaft and drill press.

You can also get similar functionality out of a dremel drill press that works with most current dremel tools.

Yea, I'd use the dremel drill press. just to be safe.

I'm using a 2x48 Dayton belt grinder

A little cheapo Skill drill press

A 5" vise

A kydex press (Homemade)

A little buffer

A dremel tool + Kit

Tons and tons of abrasives

A lot of files

___

Here's a few from my instagram :) https://imgur.com/a/6o8zm41

After some searcing for my own machine, I found that with drill presses it is all or nothing. Small bench top unites are woefully underpowered and tend to be pretty bad in terms of quality. Also the throat clearance is so small it really limits its usefulness. However there are good ones out there but you will pay for it, which is the other catch. You either pay 300 or more or else you get junk that will be nearly useless.

https://www.amazon.com/Jet-716000-JWDP-12-Drill-Press/dp/B01C9TW7LO/ref=sr_1_28?s=power-hand-tools&ie=UTF8&qid=1479821271&sr=1-28&keywords=drill+press

One example with 1/2 HP, or this one with 3/4 hp

https://www.amazon.com/J-2530-15-Inch-4-Horspower-115-Volt-Bench/dp/B003YJYJGA/ref=sr_1_7?s=power-hand-tools&ie=UTF8&qid=1479821244&sr=1-7&keywords=drill+press

for example. Both around 26" tall.

It reminds me of the small drill press I have for my spare Dremel. Like this

Dremel Drill Press

Similar boat as you. I'm eyeing the WEN 4214 12-inch bench top model. Seems to have good reviews and easy adjustable speed. My understanding is that it's not just cutting power to the motor which is nice too. Curious to see what others think of it. Also a plus is you can get it from Home Depot (online only) but at least return it locally if it doesn't work out.

http://www.amazon.com/WEN-4214-12-Inch-Variable-Speed/dp/B00HQONFY6

https://www.amazon.com/SKIL-3320-01-10-Inch-Drill-Press/dp/B003LSSS0W

Mortising machines are nothing new... You could go buy one right now

http://www.amazon.ca/Delta-14-651-Professional-Mortising-Machine/dp/B00006K00N