Thread: What are you working on?

Originally Posted by RezDog

I have a bench top drill press in the hoarders corner and a floor model in the workshop. It is the vice on Steves drill press that I am completely enamoured with. XY with different hold downs. It's pretty slick.

Yes it is. Slicker than snot on a glass doorknob.

I usually use a combination of tools on any given pin. I always start with a file. Not just to flatten the pin, but also to remove the bulk of the material. After that, I'll start with a pin vice to get a nice centered hole. If it has collars, I'll hit it which a hand drill after I get it started. If it's collarless ivory I will do it all with the pin vice. Sometimes if I want to save the collars I'll Finish with the pin vice after using the hand drill.

Or there's always the flush cutters.

Just picked up one of these countersink bits. 5/64" and a lot more sturdy than a drill bit. Haven't tried it out yet but hoping it should help when drilling out pins.

Originally Posted by outback

Yes it is. Slicker than snot on a glass doorknob.

Now that, sir, is pretty dang slick right there

Originally Posted by Gasman

Just picked up one of these countersink bits. 5/64" and a lot more sturdy than a drill bit. Haven't tried it out yet but hoping it should help when drilling out pins.

Let us know how it goes

Yep, those are a lot stronger. I have a couple. They come in handy if ya countersink a solid collar & then peen it where it looks smooth across the top of the pin.

Originally Posted by Gasman

Just picked up one of these countersink bits. 5/64" and a lot more sturdy than a drill bit. Haven't tried it out yet but hoping it should help when drilling out pins.

Interesting idea but in my opinion if you are pushing hard enough to bend a bit it is dull or you don't have the patience.

That is mostlikely true as far as the patience part. My bit is fairly new. I tried choking up on the bit a little more and that helped but it still wandered just a tad.

I gave this a try and it worked well. I started with the smaller one (3/64) after taking a file to the top of the pin to flatten it some. Center punch then the smaller one to get a nice hole in the pin. Then went with the 5/64 and it drilled intill the washer started spinning. Found it was drilled out just enough and the scale damn near fell off. Now the hole in the scale is a touch bigger so pinning will be easier and I think this is going to work for me.
YMMV.

Originally Posted by RezDog

I have a bench top drill press in the hoarders corner and a floor model in the workshop. It is the vice on Steves drill press that I am completely enamoured with. XY with different hold downs. It's pretty slick.

And you can move a vice from press to press. It wouldn't bother me to spend more on the vice than the press. You can always upgrade the drill press later.

I will be tool shopping soon enough. I have an upcoming trip to the mainland.