A New Drill Press for John -2

On 14 Aug 2025 I posted some photos and info about a tiny Chinese drill press which I had purchased. (see “A New Drill Press for John”)

I copped a bit of flak amongst the comments for buying a pretty but cheap tool.

Today the drill press and its vice came into its own.

I needed to make a 1mm width slot in a piece of 1mm thick wood. The slot was about 4mm long, and it was at an angle to the long axis of the wood.

First I tried chain drilling some 1mm holes, and using the axis control knobs on the drill press. The result was OK, but the slot was a bit wobbly and too long. Not a disaster, but not good enough.

Then I looked closely at the XY axis and how it was attached to the drill press. I realised that if I removed 3 of the 4 fastening screws I could angle the whole vice to the axis of the drill press. So that is what I did….

I swapped the toolmakers’ vice for a cheap aluminium hobby vice which is slightly less accurate but much more convenient. Removed 3 of the 4 base screws which permitted the vice to be rotated, and the single remaining screw screw was quite adequate for holding the position. (p.s. the blob of filler on the Bellerophon hull is to build out a depression. The next layer of planks will sit nicely flat.)

Chain drilled some 1mm holes using the X axis controls to keep the line of holes straight and in precise positions

x5 magnified photo. That drill bit is 1mm diameter.

….then ran the drill along the holes to make the slot. The 6 slots were all at different angles, but the adjustment of the vice to the different angles was quick and easy.

….and the resulting slot lined up neatly and exactly with the underlying one, as required. x6. Much ado about nothing?