Drill press in Houston?

[RHenriksen]

[cross posted from off topic]:

I'm building a reloading bench, and need to drill 24 3/8" holes through the 4x4 legs (for the carriage bolts)... would really rather do this on a drill press than w. a handheld!

Any generous souls out there in the greater Houston area with a drill press, or access to one, that would let me mooch some time on theirs?

many thanks,

RNH

[nosmr2]

I have one you can use in Alvin if that's close to you. It's the Cheap Harbor Freight one, but its worked fine for me.

[RHenriksen]

Thank you very much - and on your first post, too! Welcome to the forum.

Alvin is about a 40 minute drive for me; I'll let this thread roll for a bit, and will take you up on your offer unless someone chimes in closer to home.

[Oldgringo]

Everybody needs a drill.

[RHenriksen]

Got a great drill. But I'm 44 yo, and this is the first time I can recall really wanting/needing a press, rather than just freehanding it.

[bnc]

I got pretty spoiled in college having access to a full on machine shop basically whenever I wanted. It's possible to get by without one, but if I had one it would be in constant use.

I'd almost buy a house just to have somewhere to set up a shop. (and a forge! someday maybe...)

[RHenriksen]

Me, too. I worked for 18 months in a 30,000 sq ft shop that built pipe organs from rough lumber. HUGE industrial grade woodworking equipment, a lot of neat customized/specialized tools, and a machine shop to boot. Makes it really hard to futz around with workarounds when I know how much easier/better it can be with the right gear.

I got pretty spoiled in college having access to a full on machine shop basically whenever I wanted. It's possible to get by without one, but if I had one it would be in constant use.

I'd almost buy a house just to have somewhere to set up a shop. (and a forge! someday maybe...)

[Charles L. Cotton]

I have a drill press at home, but I live in Friendswood, next door to Alvin, so I'm not much if any closer.

Chas.

[RHenriksen]

Thanks! I probably won't be able to tackle this before the weekend, so we'll see what evolves (and schedules allow)

[nosmr2]

Not to hijack this into a tool thread. But mine is the Central Machinery from Harbor Freight. It's on sale for $70 and it's pretty easy to get a coupon for a percentage off prior to buying. Your bench project sounds like a great excuse to buy a new tool. I'm sure there are better quality drill presses out there, but for as often as I use mine its fine.

[RHenriksen]

Thanks - I imagine this is the one you're referring to:

http://www.harborfreight.com/5-speed-dr ... 38119.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'm all about stocking up on tools, but this is one case where it's not about the money, it's the space. I have such infrequent need for one, that it's hard to justify taking up space in the garage.

[alvins]

Thanks - I imagine this is the one you're referring to:

http://www.harborfreight.com/5-speed-dr ... 38119.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'm all about stocking up on tools, but this is one case where it's not about the money, it's the space. I have such infrequent need for one, that it's hard to justify taking up space in the garage.

a silly thing such as lack of space wouldnt deter a true tool collector from buying one.my father has his own brake lathe that he uses once in a blue moon. you might consider buying one even if its infrequent use.

[RHenriksen]

Thanks to all who responded! Got 'er done courtesy of Boomstick on the SE side.

[boomstick]

I wanna see pictures of your reloading bench when you get it set up!

[RHenriksen]

Okay, I don't have the lower shelf cut out & in place, or the bench bolted to the wall, but here's what I have so far. The top is a recycled 1.75" thick maple workbench top, with a 3/4" plywood base. I ripped the 28" maple top down to 22", and then used a piece of the 6" remainder as a mounting base for the press, rather than drill into the workbench top itself.