# I need YOUR Ideas and Input for a custom Horizontal Drill Table design!



## Fishfreak911 (Jul 14, 2010)

Hi all! I have been contemplating this custom boring machine for some years now, and the time has come to get serious. I am really looking to make this a community project and would really appreciate your thoughts and continued help in designing this tool. The amount of brain power on this site is pretty staggeringand I want to work with several LJers who would like to see it through to completion, though if you just wanna throw in your $.02, I am all ears. At the end, I will post the finished build, and maybe even a video on it in action.

Here's the challenge: I build custom fly fishing nets for a living. One opportunity I have is to improve the slow process of hand drilling 20 or so 3/32" holes in the hoop. I drill them by hand now, and I am pretty good at it, but sometimes, they are not straight and I keep swearing to myself each time that there has to be a better/faster way! I believe that way is a custom Horizontal Boring table. 
There are a few standards we must fulfill: *#1)* I need a backer that keeps the bit from tearing out on the inside of the hoop. Ideally, this backer will always stay aligned with he bit so it has a clean entry/exit every time. I think maybe a bit of cork or rubber over this backer will allow it to contour to the many different curves it will encounter.*#2)*All of my net hoops come in slightly different thicknesses & Widths-Typically around .76"-.83", and .39-.42, respectively. Therefore, either the net or the drill AND backer, must move vertically to align the bit with the .125" groove which runs along the outer center line of the hoop's outside edge. *#3)* It must be fast. There cannot be toggle clamps or the like for each hole. It should go like this, "Place, drill, move. Place, drill, move. Place, drill, move…." For control purposes, I think I would prefer to keep two hands on the net as the hole is drilled, though I am open to ideas on this (Maybe a foot actuated?).

I was also thinking that this table could be inverted and maybe I would need less floorspace, and gravity could help keep the drill tight to the backer. Would like your ideas on a compact drill too.

Here is a basic overview of the task at hand.









Thank you in advance, and let the ideas and questions fly! This should be fun!


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## Fishfreak911 (Jul 14, 2010)

I just had a revelation! This is the functionality I was looking for (you have to imagine some slides in between the backer base and the drill base) but I need to work out details on the up/down movement of the drill & Backer in relation to the table. I think it might be easier to make the drill move up & down.


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## REO (Sep 20, 2012)

there should be no need to move the backer and the drill independently. set it up with a replaceable piece for the backer that fits in a recess. The drill could be a VS trim router.


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## alittleoff (Nov 27, 2014)

Look on Craigslist and see if you can find an old shopsmith. You should be able to build a jig for it and have it both ways. Vertical or horizontal. I see 4 or 5 for sale around here all the time. 
Gerald


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

You might find a few ideas in this post. there's a video here.
I made mine for a different purpose but some of the ideas may work in your context.
Another thought is a used ShopSmith. It would do the job with no modifications at all and you'd have a bunch of other functions thrown into the bargain.


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## NoThanks (Mar 19, 2014)

Here's a thought….(Probably only cost 20 - 30 thousand to get started.)


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## Redoak49 (Dec 15, 2012)

I think that I understand what you want. An option would be a Shopsmith. While it has limitations for somethings, it does a pretty good job as a drill press and horizontal boring. I have a shop full of tools and the Shopsmith is used for tasks like this. The table is easily adjustable up and down.

You can usually find one for a reasonable price.


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## ChrisK (Dec 18, 2009)

I can see how you use a 3/8 VS drill clamped to a stationary block. That block mounted to a base which has slides or glides to allow the table with the net to slide in and out from the drill bit. The net table could have simple spacers to account for the different net styles. A hardwood or plastic stop that is replaceable would by my choice for a back stop.

You could also space the drill base and change the stop, or rotate it for the different thicknesses.

100lb rated quality draw slides with some HDPE glides to prevent the slight side ways slop in the drawer glides would work.


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## jumbojack (Mar 20, 2011)

I tried using the horizontal boring function on my shop smith for the hoop and found it to be a PITA. Not that the function of the SS is carp but getting the bit lined up with the intended line. Then you have to deal with the ever changing angle. I still drill using a battery operated drill driver, with a sharp brad point bit and go slow. When the tip of the brad point comes through I go even slower. Now I don't make a living making nets but have made quite a few. By hand they less than 15 minutes.


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## jumbojack (Mar 20, 2011)

Landed this little beastie recently with one of my nets.


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## TheFridge (May 1, 2014)

Check out woodgears.ca


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

I think you could use drawer slides to make the table slide in and out and an acme screw to move the drill vertically.


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## InstantSiv (Jan 12, 2014)

It is possible to drill the holes before it's laminated?

I would go with a standard drill press and use a foot switch toggle clamp to hold the piece. Either an air powered clamp or a DIY brake cable setup.

Another idea is to laminate the net in the hoop.

Or line the inside or outside with a metal strip that the net attaches to.

Or make the hoop smaller in diameter so you can weave it into the net's holes.

My brain hurts now. I'm going to nap  good luck!


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## Fishfreak911 (Jul 14, 2010)

Thanks for the feedback everyone! For those suggesting the shop Smith, unfortunately I have no more room for any stationary tools. I need something fairly small that I can took away when not using.

Paul, nice tool you built for your marquetry. What tool did you garner the guide rails from. I looked on HF and could not find anything. I think I would like to build something along the lines of this drill raising fixture. I need a good place to find the rods and bushings though.










I Wud4u, where the heck did you find that picture?! LOL! I would love to have that but again spaces the issue.
Plus my nets are custom and that is an obvious production tool. I know you weren't serious, just saying.

ChrisK, thank you for your great ideas. I don't think shimming the table will work as the differences in height are so minute. I think I need a way to adjust either the table, or the drill and backstop, hence the photo above.
I like your idea with the HDPE glides. I have also been considering finding some linear bearing rail guides like this.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/THK-RSR-12ZM-Slide-Precision-Linear-Ball-Bearing-Rail-Guide-w-Block-6E04-/121575855540?pt=LHDefaultDomain0&hash=item1c4e7c55b4 any ideas on a good place to find used linear guides would be helpful.

JumboJack, first off, nice trout! I appreciate your feedback and expertise on the shop Smith. I don't feel like lining up is going to be an issue due to the semi-rounded shape of the backer block which will allow me to quickly align the whole location without the use of clamps.

TheFridge, thank you for the link!

I would appreciate any ideas on a base for this beast. I guess I am kind of thinking it would be a somewhat open base with equally space supports around the table. The adjustable motor/backer-board assembly would float beneath the table and be attached to the raising mechanism as in the picture above


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## Fishfreak911 (Jul 14, 2010)

I just found these linear bearings that look perfect for the job. Almost as cheap as a good set of your slides but much more accurate. Heck, maybe I buy two sets of two of these, and use them on the vertical raising mechanism as well.
 
Linear guide rails on eBay


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## NoThanks (Mar 19, 2014)

The linear guides are good. (look up THK Linear motion Systems)
You might also consider using an auto feed drill so that you would have hands free to move the work pc around, just step on the pedal to drill.


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## NoThanks (Mar 19, 2014)

Find a used R-130 Horizontal boring machine.








You can see in the picture that the drill or table moves up and down with a hand screw adjustment. It also has a pneumatic hold down. You could turn the hold down 180 degrees and revise the foot so that when you step on the pedal to drill, the hold down clamp presses against the inside of the wood frame creating the backing that you need and holding the frame in place while you drill.


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## JeffP (Aug 4, 2014)

I would put the hoop down flat on a turn-table-ish platform, and the drill on a drawer-slide (as somebody else mentioned).

Rotate hoop correct amount, push drill/slide, back it out, turn again, push again…rinse and repeat.

The backer could be just a hoop-shaped blank that you squeeze into the hoop before drilling.


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## Fishfreak911 (Jul 14, 2010)

Jeff, I think you understand what I am shooting for as far as motion is concerned, however I don't want to hold the back are necessarily because I do that now and I've drilled my finger 12 times. HA! I would rather have it fall into the same hole of a stationary backer like I have in my drawing above.

Iwud4u, like the way you think, but again, I don't have room for machine like that. It has to be eight took away tabletop model. I definitely like the idea of having a pneumatic or electrical down, but I don't know if it will be able to conform to all of the different curves I needed to. Plus, I think that as I move the net to the next hole I can use my index finger and thumb of both hands to pinch it against the backer and then in one motion slide it forward into the stationary drill. That said I still need to figure out a base and how all that gets put together.


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## Rayne (Mar 9, 2014)

Could you steam bend a v-groove track with the top having bushings to drill straight and the bottom being a cove-groove track to prevent tear out? Cut some grooves on the top and bottom along the outside of the track along the way to secure the piece and help with alignment.


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## NoThanks (Mar 19, 2014)

It's all good, just food for thought, hopefully it sparks an idea that you can make work.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

*Greg*, This is the rig I got a few parts from, however it was only the springs, rubber caps and the stop clamp.
It was sold as an "Angle Drill Guide" item #95622. It is no longer listed. As I mentioned in the video, it didn't work very well. 










The rods and bearings on mine are just plain steel rod and pipe and I have no problem with it at all. You might try hardware store stuff like that first and go to ground shafts and linear bearings if you feel you need to. I bought a precision ground rod and linear bearings for my first chevalet and ended up using plain SS rod and synthetic self aligning (rod end style) bearings that cost about $6 a pair. I still have the other stuff around somewhere.


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## DanKrager (Apr 13, 2012)

Greg, I think you may have given up on your Shopsmith too soon.

First I would resharpen my bits to the four facet style. That all but eliminates blowout on the back, but you may find they have to be run a very high speeds if you tend to rush the cut.










Secondly, I would put a V shaped back stop per sketch. The pressure of drilling will keep the frame against the touch points and automatically make the hole perpendicular to the frame.

Third, I would put a plastic cursor whose hair line is carefully aligned with the center line of the drill.

I think you could with this arrangement take about 10 seconds per hole, i.e. the whole net in under five if you're loafing. Have I missed something?

The fine print says: the distance between the touch points is about the same distance your holes are apart.

DanK


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## DanKrager (Apr 13, 2012)

Better image.










DanK


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## REO (Sep 20, 2012)

find yourself a junk SCMS and use the sliding portion from that to hold the router motor.


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## Fishfreak911 (Jul 14, 2010)

Rayne, I appreciate the thought you put into your idea, but unfortunately I do not understand the explanation. Thank you regardless.
Shipwright, thanks for the picture. I had a feeling that's what you're talking about-I've seen other versions like it.
Dan Krager, great job on the 3-D rendering! I also like the novel idea of the double touch backer. That's food for thought, but I'm not sure if I can get it to work with the radii I deal with which can be as small as 2.5 inches near the handle. I will keep it in mind though. I have to say I really like the plastic cursor idea. It doubles as a safety guard in an alignment tool.
REO, I actually thought of this already, and it's a solid idea but it probably won't be worth my time to modify an old saw what with all of the castings and extra parts it will have to be removed.


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## NoThanks (Mar 19, 2014)

Maybe set up some type of toggle clamp to hold your pc and have backing for your drill bit to go into.









Have you thought about making a vertical jig for a drill press. I think that would be an easier route.
A flat backing plate that adjusts in and out with a curved rail to set the frame on. Contact would only have to be very narrow in order to support the different radius's Drill goes into the same hole every time.


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## Fishfreak911 (Jul 14, 2010)

Iwud4u, wow, it's amazing what a picture does! The toggle idea is out because it's so slow, but I had mentioned this vertical type jig as a possibility. It sure looks simple! I have two reservations about this: One is that I will need one hand on the net and one on the handle. On larger nets, say a 48 inch net this could be an issue. Of course, I don't do too many larger nets though. The main problem though is that I only have a benchtop drill press and I have cabinetry on both sides which will limit the ability to do this. That said, I am thinking that maybe said drill press could be on a sliding table that pulls out and away from the cabinetry. I could just swing the table to the rear and make this jig so that it attaches right to the upright post. It could be swung to the rear when not in use. I think I'm talking myself right into trying this since it's such a low barrier to entry. I just thought of another issue though: being that it is a benchtop drill press, the base will be in the way of the handle when drilling the holes at the top of the hoop. Any thoughts on how to solve this? I think I have the ability to swing the base to the rear, but I don't really want to do that every time I drill holes and then put it back again.


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## AlBTha (Feb 22, 2012)

I would make a base you mount to a drill press out of HPDE plastic. With a slot wide enough to keep the wood centered.

Make a pressure foot that would make contact with the wood before it starts to drill. Spring loaded to allow the drill bit to travel through the wood into the HPDE. Pressure foot can be attached to the drill press like a mortise attachment does.

You would have to lower the drill press table out of the way. Looks like you can drill one side from handle to tip. Flip it and drill the other side.

Al


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