Ratty
Putting the She in Sheds
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Check out this list of items from bowlandtrader on ebay. Three industrial pillar drills starting at 99p as well as a load of other metal-working stuff which may be of interest.
- Thread starter dafydd
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Ratty
Putting the She in Sheds
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S'cuse my ignorance but could someone enlighten me please. I'd never heard of a mag drill so did a google and found lots of places selling but no information. What's the low down? Why/how do they differ from other drills and how come they can drill such big holes - they look very small. Are they any good? What's the 'Magnetic' bit refer to?
...questions questions...maybe there is a site with an explanation?Thanks
irondarren
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OK ratty the term mag drill , refers to a drill with an electromagnetic base, ie the magnet is electrically controlled, they are designed for drilling holes in RSJ's the idea being that you put it on the beam and switch the magnet on, most mag drills have 900kg of magnetic force or more. But in addition to the drill unit being magnetic, they also differ from ordinary drills in that they are more like hole saws than drills, it only cuts perhaps a 2mm wide cut on the outside but not the inside or centre.
check this link to see what a mag drill looks like http://www.jancy.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=products.showProducts&cat=20
check this link to see what a mag drill looks like http://www.jancy.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=products.showProducts&cat=20
Ratty
Putting the She in Sheds
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Thanks idaz, nice and clear 
It's a bit academic now as the job is done and gone (tho' I have a suspicion it - or something similar - could rear it's ugly head again) but just out of interest, can you drill holes at an angle? A job I was on last year required a couple of 20mm holes to be drilled at an angle through a st/st rsj which was 10mm thick. The client bought a crappy pillar drill - just for these holes - which was a bl**dy nightmare and we had to prop the joist at an angle with mobile cranes to get the right angle through the joist, tho' we did manage in the end.
It's a bit academic now as the job is done and gone (tho' I have a suspicion it - or something similar - could rear it's ugly head again) but just out of interest, can you drill holes at an angle? A job I was on last year required a couple of 20mm holes to be drilled at an angle through a st/st rsj which was 10mm thick. The client bought a crappy pillar drill - just for these holes - which was a bl**dy nightmare and we had to prop the joist at an angle with mobile cranes to get the right angle through the joist, tho' we did manage in the end.
I have never seen one that can drill at angles Ratty. But yes they are excellent for drilling holes through thick steel. The small Evolution one will drill up to 35mm diameter, the medium one will drill 50mm & the large one 75mm. All drill up to 50mm deep. 
These are also known as Broaching Drills & Rotabroach Drills.
These are also known as Broaching Drills & Rotabroach Drills.
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Here we are Ratty, a picture of my mag drill with cutter fitted (35mm Dia), and a picture of the slug that is produced when the hole is cut. Cutting a slug rather than turning the whole lot to swarf like a normal twist drill would means it cuts much quicker, and the tools last longer.
Ratty
Putting the She in Sheds
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Very neat - thanks W'p..and for the additional info dafydd. Very good idea, I presume they also fit on lathes - why don't they make bits like that for pillar drills?
What a great toy, I want a mag drill now - although I don't know what I'd use it for
S'pose I could cut a few holes in my gantry...or perforate an empty gas bottle..or cut drainage holes in our fire escape. Oh thousands of uses. Maybe a bigger hole in the anvil for bending big bars. Hmmm...maybe not thousands.
It's just occurred to me that a mag drill wouldn't have worked on the st/st joist anyway unless we could've clamped a piece of mild steel in place for it to stick to...so not much chance of persuading my client to buy me one (just in case
).
What a great toy, I want a mag drill now - although I don't know what I'd use it for
S'pose I could cut a few holes in my gantry...or perforate an empty gas bottle..or cut drainage holes in our fire escape. Oh thousands of uses. Maybe a bigger hole in the anvil for bending big bars. Hmmm...maybe not thousands.It's just occurred to me that a mag drill wouldn't have worked on the st/st joist anyway unless we could've clamped a piece of mild steel in place for it to stick to...so not much chance of persuading my client to buy me one (just in case
).
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You can buy morse taper adapters which will accept rotabroach bits so they can be used in a pillar drill. expensive tho!
irondarren
Member
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£45 plus i believe but well worth it if you have loads to do, easy get your money back on 1 good job on the time it saves
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We use mag drills a lot, from 12mm upto about 60, anything over about 40mm is a bit scarry, the cutters can be quite easy to break. Plenty of cutting oil is the way, not keen on the water fed ones like supplied with the evos.
I think the best one are the genuine Rotabroach machines, they have a simple little mechanism for ejecting the slugs in case they stick in the cutter, and a reed switch that stops the motor should it jult.
Always advisable to use the safety chain/strap high up aswell
I think the best one are the genuine Rotabroach machines, they have a simple little mechanism for ejecting the slugs in case they stick in the cutter, and a reed switch that stops the motor should it jult.
Always advisable to use the safety chain/strap high up aswell
Upgrade bearings on cheap drill press
I came across a web site that had instructions for up grading the bearings in a cheap Chinese lathe. Has anyone looked into doing the same on a drill press?
I have a cheap bench top drill press from Machinemart. It is ok when you consider the cost of it. However, there may be some sideways play in the shaft. I have not fully investigated it but reading this thread reminded me about what I had seen when investigating cheap lathes.
I came across a web site that had instructions for up grading the bearings in a cheap Chinese lathe. Has anyone looked into doing the same on a drill press?
I have a cheap bench top drill press from Machinemart. It is ok when you consider the cost of it. However, there may be some sideways play in the shaft. I have not fully investigated it but reading this thread reminded me about what I had seen when investigating cheap lathes.
Like it a lot Murex. 
Looks far superior and more advanced than the Clarkes I looked at.
Is it for sale by any chance??? If so can you clarify the following points before I make you an offer.
How many gears has it got. Whats the motors power (in Watts please - don't understand horsepower) & is it turbo fan cooled. Does it have a tilting/rotating rack & pinion table. Do the No Volts Release Switch (NVR) & Interlocking switches still operate correctly. And finally how much manufacturers warranty is there still left on it?
Looks far superior and more advanced than the Clarkes I looked at.
Is it for sale by any chance??? If so can you clarify the following points before I make you an offer.
How many gears has it got.
Whats the motors power (in Watts please - don't understand horsepower) & is it turbo fan cooled. Does it have a tilting/rotating rack & pinion table. Do the No Volts Release Switch (NVR) & Interlocking switches still operate correctly. And finally how much manufacturers warranty is there still left on it? 
murex400
Member
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All I can say is its variable speed (depends on how fast you wind it)
Not sure on the wattage
No it s not turbo fan cooled but a small desk fan can be supplied which will improve drill/operator duty cycle
It can be mounted vertically or horizontally and has a sophisticated locking device ( a worn out clamping bolt)
The no volt switch still work as soon as you stop winding it stops
Unfortunately the warranty ran out some 30 or 40 years a go
ps i cant comment to much on the said item as i have not used it my self
Not sure on the wattage
No it s not turbo fan cooled but a small desk fan can be supplied which will improve drill/operator duty cycle
It can be mounted vertically or horizontally and has a sophisticated locking device ( a worn out clamping bolt)
The no volt switch still work as soon as you stop winding it stops
Unfortunately the warranty ran out some 30 or 40 years a go
ps i cant comment to much on the said item as i have not used it my self
Drains
Yeah, nah.
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I don't have a mag drill 
An old fella I know served his time maintaining steam trawlers. They cut holes with a ratchet drill. Click, click, click. Swarf sloooowly winding its way out of the hole.......
Like this (I don't have one of these either!)
An old fella I know served his time maintaining steam trawlers. They cut holes with a ratchet drill. Click, click, click. Swarf sloooowly winding its way out of the hole.......
Like this (I don't have one of these either!)
hoodedclaw
Member
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Nice drill. What do you build, arks?
