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Best Drill Press for Wood

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There are two basic varieties of the drill press that will you need to decide from – one is known as the bench mounted drill press and the other is the floor or freestanding drill press. The basic function of the drill press is to drill holes or make cuts in the work-pieces that you are using for your project. They are an extremely powerful and multi-purpose tool. They work great for piercing holes repeatedly in wood – and to an extent a bit of grinding and sanding. When it comes to dealing with larger workpieces, there is more accuracy required, and there may be larger objects needing to be drilled – In this case, it’s better to use the drill press rather than the usual handheld drills. But before you do, you should get to know how it works.

 

 

Difference Types of Drill Press

Today in the marketplace, there are a large variety of drill presses that are available – be it the standing variety or the bench mounted. Let us now consider the two main different types of the drill press. And it should be noted there’s also what’s known as a “mini drill press” which is ideal for crafts like jewelry.

 

The floor standing Drill Presses

image source: drillpresspro

A standing drill press can be described as being a heavy  powerful piece of equipment. The motors that are attached to the standing drill press are in the range of ¾ to 1 horsepower range and they are designed to handle heavy large-scale intensive drilling work – for a variety of different materials. These types of machines are found more in industrial facilities and professional machine workshops. Due to the nature of the heavy work that it is designed to carry out the machine can cost tens of thousands of dollars. These are best generally for professionals who have a large budget.

 

Bench-top drill presses

The benchtop drill presses is much less heavy and more portable compared to the standing drill presses. Also, the cost of the bench top drill presses is comparatively lower. When it comes to the power, they are about 1/3 horsepower. They’re designed for small jobs using a much lighter material. Or larger jobs, just not on a huge industrial scale. There are certain bench top drill presses that can make a 1-inch hole in a 3-inch steel sheet. However, the drill presses that can achieve this are slow and also they are unable to keep this up for a long time. They are designed for tasks that are DIY-oriented. Using mostly materials like, light aluminium, sheet metal, plastic, etc.

 

Best Drill Press:
Below are some of the best drill presses that you might consider buying for your upcoming wood work project:

• RIKON 30-140 Bench Top
• WEN 4214 12-Inch Variable Speed Drill Press
• SKIL 3320-01 3.2 Amp 10-Inch Drill Press
• WEN 4225 8.6-Amp Variable Speed Floor Standing Drill Press
• WEN 4208 Drill Press

 

Conclusion

We have tried to provide some basic information about the different drill presses available for you. The final selection comes down to personal preference at the end of the day. how much space you have where the drill press would be installed… and last but not the least, the budget that you have set aside for your new beast.

Guide to buying a drill press vise

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When you’re using your drill press sometimes you will need some extra help to keep whatever you’re drilling securely in place. this is where a drill press vise comes in handy. There are numerous ways you can use a drill press vise, and they come in all different shapes and sizes. Sometimes they’re attached using a clamp to the work table, but more often they’re screwed into slots. To get the right drill press vise you need to take note of all of these subtle differences, but don’t worry we’re here to help. There are plenty of quality options available, but it’s best that you choose to purchase one from a reputable brand so you know that it’s going to last and is well-built. Most of the time the body of the drill press vise consists of cast iron, meaning that they’re actually quite sturdy and durable.

Irwin 4 inch

 

 

 

 

Find on Amazon

This is a good choice from the well known brand IRWIN. It’s built using cast iron, and is therefor highly durable. The jaws have 4 capacity of 4 inches, which is more than enough in most cases. There are also models slightly smaller (and larger) than this particular drill press vise, that are the same (made by IRWIN). Overall This is a great choice, and is priced well.

 

If you would prefer to make a drill press vise, as a craft project, you can easily do so. In fact, it’s a pretty good idea as it can save some money as well as sharpening your skills. Check out this great video that goes through the basics of making one from scratch. (you will need a bench vise to make it).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Angle Grinder – a guide to this must have power tool

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If you’re on the lookout for a new angle grinder then you’re in the right place. Choosing the right angle grinder can be a tough job. This is mostly because there are just so many choices out there, from different companies, and manufacturers. When you’re buying a new power tool it’s always best to purchase it from a well known brand. The thing that sets a good reliable brand like Milwaukee apart is that they’re built with a big emphasis on quality. There are also many other lesser known brands that make decent angle grinders, however I wouldn’t recommend these as you can’t know for sure that their quality control is up to scratch. Another important thing to note is that you should pick an angle grinder that comes with a good warranty in case of the unlikely event that it breaks down. The primary things to remember when you’re looking for a tool all depend on your personal requirements, so we will break down the top things to consider below.

 

Well Built

You should choose a high quality, and well built tool. As long as you opt for one the reputable brands, as mentioned above, you should be covered in this area. You can read the reviews on amazon, or if you have a chance to you could even visit a hardware store in person to get an up close look at the machine before you buy.

 

Angle Grinder Size & Power

Some projects call for a large disc on your angle grinder, while other project only require a small one. Be sure that you thoroughly evaluate your needs before you buy so that you get one with the right sized disc for you. As a rule of thumb anything over 7 inches is pretty large, and 4 inches is about the average. Another thing to consider is that depending on the materials you will be grinding you will need adequate power. Anything that is 3 horsepower or more should be perfectly fine for most people. Also, these days most good models come with the ability to adjust the RPM (revolutions per minute) of the disc – this can be a great feature to adjust as you grind different materials.

 

The top angle grinder.

The Kawasaki 841428 is in our opinion one of the best angle grinders you can get for the money. If you’re on a budget it’s important that you can still get a good quality tool and not break the bank. If this sounds like you then this grinder from Kawasaki is a great choice, coming in at under 50 USD.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008PN5K72/

How to Dig Out a Basement Under an Existing Home: DIY Basement Project

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I bought a 1950’s cottage about two years ago which had about 950 square feet on the main floor and about 200 square feet in the half basement, and I need more living space. The attic is not tall enough to convert into living space and my yard is too small to expand out, so I decided to research the possibility of expanding my half basement into a full basement. To my surprise, there is a way to do it. If you are in a similar boat then read on.
Foundation Issues

The first hurdle that you will come across when evaluating if it is possible to dig out a basement in an existing home is the condition of the foundation and the type of geology you are dealing with. If you have an older home, like I do, then the foundation may be in bad shape and need to be replaced or it may be fine. If your foundation needs to be replaced, then the best time to add on a basement is when you are re-doing your foundation.

The geology under your home is also going to impact whether digging out a basement under an existing home is possible or not. For example, if your home is located on solid, or semi-solid, rock this project is not going to be worth it. However, if you have a gravel or soil base to work with and are capable of handling a jack hammer, shovels and possibly a bobcat, then this can be a fun project for the family to tackle.

(Warning: If you live in California, Alaska or other seismically active areas of the world, or if you live in an area with a high water table or high risk for flooding, don’t try to add a basement using this method.)

The Process

The process for adding a basement to an existing home is actually pretty straight forward. You will need to get under your home, use floor leveling jacks and steel I beams to temporarily support the weight of your home, remove the extra earth, install new basement foundation and reattach the home to the foundation. Simple, right? Well it sounds simple, however, the process is very labor intensive and a lot of things can go wrong.

The first problem in constructing your new basement is getting the digging equipment under your home. Some people gut a room and tear up the floorboard to get equipment in, however, if you don’t mind hard labor you can use bucket and shovels to pick away at the earth below your house. If you hit a small patch of rocks or hard earth then a jack hammer can be a great tool to use and it is small enough to get into tight spots.

Bracing is the major problem that you will need to solve before you begin excavating your project. To avoid your home from collapsing down on you, settling or from damaging its structure, you will need to make sure your home is properly supported before and during your excavating. It is recommended that you use a house jack or floor leveling jacks to act as a temporary foundation while you work. You can rent these jacks from a local home movers or heavy equipment dealer, or you can buy them. I found a couple of companies online that sell these jacks for between about $400 and $1,000 each. As you can see this can be a very expensive project, however, it can net you a large chunk of equity value. In addition to the jacks you will also need steel I beams to support your home as you work.

Creating a stable foundation is another challenge that you will need to deal with during this project. Once the excavation is done you will need to get someone with experience to come in and construct a proper basement foundation. Like I mentioned earlier, if your foundation is in trouble already then this is a great time to kill two birds with one stone. The construction of the foundation is something you don’t want to do yourself as it will take the right equipment and professional expertise to build a solid basement foundation for your home. The cost of this will vary depending on your location and the size of your new basement, but figure at least $5,000 to $7,500 for a small to medium sized foundation.

Reconnecting your home is your last challenge. Building rules are going to be different in every area, but generally you will need to secure your home to its foundation. This is accomplished by using special flasking strips and tools that fit between the foundation and the wood structure. If you don’t know what to use as your contractor or local building inspector.

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