Production Drilling, Metal Drill Press Table

[OutbackL130]

I need to drill holes in tubing repetitively and would like to set up an adjustable fence with back gauge on my drill press similar to those used in woodworking. Why does it seem drill press tables like this are only made for wood working? Am I missing an easier method to do repetitive drilling?

 

[Arc weld]

Square tubing or round? For square I'd just use some angle iron clamped to the table with a vice grip C clamp. For round, weld a piece of angle iron to flat plate so it can be clamped to the table. Have the angle with the V pointed up so the tubing can't turn. For lots and lots of drilling in metal, you can't beat a radial arm drill press with quick change tooling. Don't even have to stop the drill from turning to change from a center point to a drill bit. Can you post a picture of what you need to drill?

 

[CNC Dan]

Why does it seem drill press tables like this are only made for wood working? Am I missing an easier method to do repetitive drilling?

Because those that would do that kind of meatalwork would be able to make their own jig.

If you have a lots and lots of pieces to drill, with several holes, set up a fence like already mentioned, then set your stop for the first hole and drill all pieces. Then move your stop for the second hole and drill all pieces. Repeat these steps for all other holes.

 

[Redneck in training]

I just cut a V groove to a pice of wood on circular saw tilted to about 45 deg. Then I center the drill bit so it is excactly above the center of the V and clamp it to the drill table. If I need to I also clamp or screw a stop on it.
The advantage of wood is that it is a snap to make, it doesn't slip when clamped and is cheap.

 

[LD1]

Cant beat the advise already given.

For that kind of work though, my tool of choice would be a mill. For shorter pieces, use the vise. If all pieces are same diameter, once center of the tube is found, no more adjusting. And very precise control of x-axis. Meaning you can make all the holes the exact same distance apart.

For longer pieces that are too long for a vise, clamp to the table with a piece of wood underneath. And a few dowel pins in the slots to act as the backstop.

 

[bigtiller]

This is handy to have on my drill press.

 

[jwmorris]

Why does it seem drill press tables like this are only made for wood working?

Because most Chinese drill presses and fixtures like that are only good for wood workers. They work in fractions of an inch and metal people work more in thousandths of an inch.

LD1 had the answer.

 

[the old grind]

+1 on using a v-block(s) for round tubing. Once your spindle is set up on center, workpiece diameter won't matter. Once you clamp the block(s) to the table securely you may not have to clamp the tubes, er' if they're not too long & unwieldy. (parts may 'jump up' when the bit breaks thru')

btw: IMO, wood is underrated for quick fixturing when location tolerance isn't too critical (say +/- .010" or 1/4 mm), and my guess is that's how close some would get with a gauge/scale such as on the fixture pictured above on. I'd drill on the mill vs a DP too, if available. There's a big project and then there's production work, so what works best may depend on what holds up to extended use or what must be taken down and set up many times. :2cents:

 

[LD1]

It might also be worth mentioning that if this is smaller tube and smaller holes, you might want to use a center drill first to keep the bit from walking.