# Cylindrical metal for run-out test



## MarkShultz (Nov 9, 2011)

What sort of piece of round cylindrical metal do people use to test run out on a drill press? I don't have anything laying around the shop that seems to fit the bill.


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## tvrgeek (Nov 19, 2013)

I use a drill bit.


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## MrUnix (May 18, 2012)

For the drill press itself, just measure off the taper on the spindle. For the Chuck, any decent drill bit will work. Run-out on the chuck can change depending on how well it's seated, so don't write it off immediately if you get some wild number.

Cheers,
Brad


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## LeeRoyMan (Feb 23, 2019)

Got any 1/4" drive deep sockets?


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## tvrgeek (Nov 19, 2013)

Brad makes a good point. Let ne add, CLEAN the chuck. Surprising what builds up in there. Oil it up. Then take your measurements about 5 times.

I would not trust a socket to be round.


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## LeeRoyMan (Feb 23, 2019)

> I would not trust a socket to be round.
> 
> - tvrgeek


But you trust a drill bit?


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## MadMark (Jun 3, 2014)

Sockets get stretched during use. Drills are cut from rod stock and don't suffer from internal expansion like sockets do.


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## LeeRoyMan (Feb 23, 2019)

Yeah MadMark, I have NEVER seen a bent drill bit…..
And I can't remember the last time I had to over torqued a 1/4" drive socket that would have internally stretched it out, but then I have a descent set of sockets, not from harbor freight.

How many different sockets would fit in the drill press?
They may not be perfect, I have never tried it. But it's worth a shot if you have nothing else.
Try one, then another, then another, If the run out is the same on all of the sockets you know they were round.
If not, then you may have to use something else. What have you lost, 10 minutes?


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## Kazooman (Jan 20, 2013)

I have not checked, but my gut tells me that Woodpeckers probably sells a special "Precision Drill Press Run-Out Verification Insert". It would probably look just like a short metal rod, but would actually be precision machined from aircraft grade aluminum and anodized bight red. Estimated price point would be about $139.99.


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## splintergroup (Jan 20, 2015)

I hate throwing out "useful" stuff and I'll usually strip electronics for project bits. 
Old printers are a great source for straight metal shafts of large diameter (> 3/8")

Dead VCRs have lots of small diameter shafts and dead DVD players often have nice metal or ceramic shafts.

Plenty of sources for precision shafting around the house, just have look-see and maybe "borrow" a part for your setup test?


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## MadMark (Jun 3, 2014)

Why would you chuck a bent bit to test for runout?

You don't check for runout at the tip of the bit, you test as close to the chuck as possible.

Don't be silly.


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## mtnwalton (Aug 4, 2015)

If you have a set of transfer punches or solid steel dowels either works well


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## AndyJ1s (Jan 26, 2019)

I'm with Mark on this one. You want to measure the runout of you press, with chuck, so measure on the shank of a good drill bit, router bit, etc. just below the chuck. Below that, you're starting to measure the runout of the bit, which is different for every bit you use.


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## therealSteveN (Oct 29, 2016)

I've always seen that you roll the drill bit across a known flat surface. IE: reference plate, but MDF is close enough for woodworking numbers. If there is not wobble, or noted goofiness, use it

As to the socket LeeRoy suggested. I have no idea why the same check wouldn't work just the same.

This is NOT a Tool and Die use folks. An average drill press wouldn't get close to the tolerances of a milling machine. it's a ground up thing, you cannot separate the chuck from the unit, and to expect you can, is going to prove to be very frustrating.


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## AndyJ1s (Jan 26, 2019)

> Yeah MadMark, I have NEVER seen a bent drill bit…..
> And I can t remember the last time I had to over torqued a 1/4" drive socket that would have internally stretched it out, but then I have a descent set of sockets, not from harbor freight.
> 
> How many different sockets would fit in the drill press?
> ...


Not only do sockets get stretched during use, they are made by stretching and squeezing (forging) which is not a process designed to produce a tightly controlled surface, especially when the inside surfaces are what are controlled (struck last). And different size sockets, even from the same set, are made in different dies, which will have different results, so uniformity between them is shot.

Sockets are not manufactured to be accurate cylinders, so don't use them for an accurate cylinder.


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## LeeRoyMan (Feb 23, 2019)

Talk is cheap, Until you have actually tried one, you don't know, 
I suggest chucking up a few and come back with the results. 
Be sure to measure them at just below the chuck as you would anything else.I just chucked one up and it was smooth as could be, although I lent my dial indicator to a friend so I couldn't actually check it.


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## AndyJ1s (Jan 26, 2019)

> I ve always seen that you roll the drill bit across a known flat surface. IE: reference plate, but MDF is close enough for woodworking numbers. If there is not wobble, or noted goofiness, use it
> 
> As to the socket LeeRoy suggested. I have no idea why the same check wouldn t work just the same.
> 
> ...


The flat plate test only shows an error in straightness, not in being out-of-round, which a socket is likely to be.

An out-of-round error will read like an error in straightness when measuring the rotated socket in the chuck.

Maybe that's overkill for woodworking, but it is not overkill for a good drill press, used for woodworking or otherwise.


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## tvrgeek (Nov 19, 2013)

Wow, how touchy it can be.

I can assure you, a 3/8 bit is more than strait enough. Now if it was a precision milling machine and +/- one thou mattered, then I would buy a known precision standard. A dirty chuck gac give 20 thou error. I know from experience. Clean it out and 5 thou. New chuck, about 2 thou and that is chuck, quill and arbor all combined on a Chinese Delta.

Part of measuring several times is if you get different readings between different times, that gives you a hint. Like Mark said, think a little.


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## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

When you chuck up a rod or whatever, use ALL 3 key holes in the chuck. Using just one hole can leave slack in the other holes.


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

Sooo…with the chuck raised all the way up, or, with it all the way down at the end of it's travel?

Last time I checked mine…..I clamped a scrap of wood to the table….the chucked a drill bit in the chuck….tried at all 5 speeds to hit an "X" marked on the scrap of wood…...final test was to use an un-clamped scrap, and feel for any "wiggles".....none found or felt..good to go. Mark on the scrap was done with the drill bit in the chuck, with the drill press shut off….raise it back up, turn the press on, and drill a hole.

Biggest thing is getting the shank into the chuck, where it is centered and straight….and do the three hole key tightening. Don't want any human-induced errors…..unless one is trying to prove the drill press is bad…..


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