"Cheapy" drill press recomendations?

[MX?]

Hope it's OK posting this here, but I figure there should be plenty of experts on the subject here.    
I'm about to build a SS wire balustrade using one of those "kit" type systems. The posts come undrilled and if you want to order them drilled it's around $2-3 a hole!
So I'm thinking that as I need to drill 11 wire holes through 14 posts it may be wise to buy a floor mounted drill press in the $400 - 500 range and do it myself, and presumably I should be able to find a million and one other jobs for it once I have it?
Question is are drills in this range much chop?
Any horror stories to tell, or good advice to give. 

[Ted]

I bought a Toolex drill press from Gasweld years ago. 16 speed 5/8 chuck $299 today's price. Comes with recommended speed settings for drill thickness and material to be drilled. Very handy. Hasn't missed a beat.   www.gasweld.com.au

[Tim754]

Seems to me to be a bit of an outlay for 14 posts MX, perhaps purchase a loooong SS capable bit first at about $30, Whack it in your power drill and try it out on a similar thickness scrap wood piece then some steel. If OK make a jig/ guide with locating holes pre-drilled to copy to each post.

Like Ted above I do have a 16 speeder and it to has been fine except for one replacement of the drive belt. ($3) Mice chewed it during last mice plague .....

[oldyzman]

Mx, The machine recommendations look OK,

Very slow speed, I have drilled literally thousands of holes in stainless manufacturing food equipment in australia would you believe. make sure you use rocol or similar cutting paste every 10 holes on the drill, also a drop of soluble cutting oil/coolant on each hole, you can get a drill to last a long time even on stainless.
 
Also make sure that the drill bites into the stainless and you get swarfe coming off or at least shavings, you don't want polish the stainless while drilling as it work hardens.

Do not use a std centre punch as this also work hardens the SS, i use a centre punch sharpened with 4 flats on it if at all, sort of like a phillips head screwdriver or a jig plate clamped to the job.

I did a SS cable balustrade for my last house, kept me busy for a while, what grade SS you considering and where do you live?
Brett

[MX?]

Crikey! instant gratification. 
Been looking online a bit, seems a longish stroke is a good thing, but so far most in this price range seem to be 80mm at best?
Not sure I'd like to use a hand drill Tim..reckon I'd end up with crooked wires everywhere.
Brett,
Railing is system is by this mob, sold through an dealer down here in Tassie...
316 grade SS components
http://www.jgtrading.com.au/Our-Products/Handrail-Systems.aspx
Had our internal SS railing custom fabbed and it cost both arms and one leg, so with the budget rapidly diminishing, I thought I'd try the kit stuff around the deck.

[oldyzman]

316 will be good as 304 can still rust sometimes.
I was considering doing the mezanine level in my living room at home with the SS which i have just built. I may just go for s/hand hardwood to continue the warehouse theme though...

Good Luck with the project...

[Tim754]

Crooked wires?  Tell the picky mugs some bullshit like it's the "Rustic Techo Victorian Impressionist Environmental  " look

[MX?]

316 will be good as 304 can still rust sometimes.

Yes! I usually use SS fasteners on my bikes and grind/polish off the head stampings from the bolts....I soon found out anything other than 316 develops surface rust easily.

[Lozza]

Hope it's OK posting this here, but I figure there should be plenty of experts on the subject here.    
I'm about to build a SS wire balustrade using one of those "kit" type systems. The posts come undrilled and if you want to order them drilled it's around $2-3 a hole!
So I'm thinking that as I need to drill 11 wire holes through 14 posts it may be wise to buy a floor mounted drill press in the $400 - 500 range and do it myself, and presumably I should be able to find a million and one other jobs for it once I have it?
Question is are drills in this range much chop?
Any horror stories to tell, or good advice to give. 

Drilling would be silly, punching them out would be the go ,$3 a hole sounds like a bargain to me sub $500.  As you will need the following to make a decent job of it drilling them out.
Drill press with a low speed
20 or more Cobalt drills
Coolant
big ticket items will be a jig fixture to get the holes 180 deg apart and spaced correctly down the pole.
Lots of time and patience once you get the jig sorted and speeds and feed rates you will only have a 150 holes to go.

[Mike52]

Yer MX.
The pedestal drill.
Best ones [ old ] had  "b" section belts , then they went to "a"s which were not so good , then they went to "m"s which are not good at all .
Find an old press because the bigger the belt the bigger the hole you can drill.
Cheers

[oldfart]

MX ..... make sure you get your measurements and spacing's correct as per BCA....... as I'm travelling down the same path as you.


?The top of the railing must be least 1 metre (1000mm) from the ground

?Any opening must not allow a 125mm sphere (ie childs head) to pass through. So the vertical components must not be more than 125mm apart.


?The gap between the balcony surface to the bottom rail must be no more than 100mm.


?For balconies with a fall height of more than 4m there must not be any horizontal or near horizontal elements between 150mm and 760mm above the floor that facilitate climbing.
 

[oldyzman]

Lozza, if the posts are RHS will they punch OK?
Brett

[MX?]

Drilling would be silly, punching them out would be the go ,$3 a hole sounds like a bargain to me sub $500.  As you will need the following to make a decent job of it drilling them out.
Drill press with a low speed
20 or more Cobalt drills
Coolant
big ticket items will be a jig fixture to get the holes 180 deg apart and spaced correctly down the pole.
Lots of time and patience once you get the jig sorted and speeds and feed rates you will only have a 150 holes to go.

Well that food for thought? I had envisaged using something like a "V" block to hold the pipe and drilling straight though the tube?

[Mike52]

I have made a larger pipe/rhs jig with the holes drilled in it and a stop at one end.
Just slide the pipe/rhs to be drilled into the jig and drill through the holes.
Spacing will always be the same if you can hold the inner tight.
Weld some flat on the back side of the jig and it will always sit flat.

I have made 100's of poly pipe droppers like this.

[mainline]

MX ..... make sure you get your measurements and spacing's correct as per BCA....... as I'm travelling down the same path as you.


?The top of the railing must be least 1 metre (1000mm) from the ground

?Any opening must not allow a 125mm sphere (ie childs head) to pass through. So the vertical components must not be more than 125mm apart.


?The gap between the balcony surface to the bottom rail must be no more than 100mm.


?For balconies with a fall height of more than 4m there must not be any horizontal or near horizontal elements between 150mm and 760mm above the floor that facilitate climbing.
 

Aim for 1010 for the top of hand rail

Stainless balustrade has it's own spec re spacing and wire tension.

I'm assuming the kit would give you all correct info re wire spacing??