Pillar Drill

This is a cracking little video made by a top Northern bloke showing you how to use a pillar drill to make a bloomin big hole in a slab of metal – the right way:

He makes the very good point that with a pillar drill you can easily get straight, parallel holes. Just make sure you have your work piece clamped firmly to the bench. He goes on to show how to fit the drill bit. He uses a small centre drill bit to begin the hole.

Whilst he dons his safety glasses, he leaves the pillar drill guard up for the video only – note that normally you would have the guard down if you value your sight!

Next we watch as the bit is lowered onto the metal and then the chuck vibrates a little and the motor whines as the bit starts to bite into the surface of the metal and the pillar drill drilling process begins! Once the hole is started, he then removes the work piece to make space under the head so he can swap out the small centre drill bit for the bit that’s the size of hole he wants to drill.

With the drill bit in place, he then clamps the work piece back into place and starts up the machine, lowering this big daddy of a drill bit into the starter hole. He controls the drill with one had, lifting the bit when smoke appears (!) and spraying coolant on with the other hand to keep it all cool. The massive bit then cuts down through the metal in a very smooth and reassuring way. Fair enough – he says he’s drilling faster than normal for the purposes of the video, so we’ll forgive him the smoke.

For his second trick, he tackles making a hole in a particularly awkward length of metal with an “L” profile. He positions the table then holds the work piece on it manually, carefully lowering the bit to touch the work piece and then clamping in that position using that most useful of bench press accessories – the humble wrench.

He makes the very good point that the work piece is jammed against the pillar in such a way that the rotation of the drill bit will only jam the piece further against the pillar.

Overall this is a great little demo and worth a look whenever you are unsure about using your pillar drill on metal.

Don’t forget – if you’re after a pillar drill in the UK, click the big red button on the top right for some great offers.

Here are some tips you might like to bear in mind when using your pillar drill:

Through cuts

Adjust the table height and don’t forget to set the depth stop. For through-drilling, you’ll need a piece of scrap wood to go under the piece you want to drill. With the stock and scrap clamped in place, have the quill extended until the bit touches the top of your work and then set the depth stop so that the bit can pass all the way through the stock but only part way through the scrap. Make sure, of course, that the bit is located precisely above where you want the hole, OK!

Stop drilling

Stop-drilling is where you need a hole part-way through the stock. You may think that a piece of scrap is not needed, and in theory you are right. I prefer to use one though, because I am sometimes incompetent and get the settings wrong. It’s bad enough to ruin a piece of wood without ruining a bit too. Apart from the depth setting, the rest of the process is the same as for through-drilling.

Angle Drilling

Some pillar drill models allow you to this requires special care if you are not to drill into the table or fence. It’s basically where the stock is tipped to a desired drilling angle, and it’s all too easy to end up drilling into the machine. Which is why scrap wood is a good idea here too – or even specialist drill press accessories like a V-jig if you find yourself doing a lot of these angles holes.

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If you have not used a pillar drill or bench drill before, or if you fancy a quick refresher, here are a few tips to help you get the most from your machine:

• As with all power tools, carry out a quick safety check of the machine before you switch it on. This is especially important if you haven’t used it for a while. We have a separate article on the subject of safety so please take a look.
• Choose the right bit. You need to select a bit that’s made of the right material for the stock you are drilling. Don’t try to make do and drill metal with a wood bit or whatever – you won’t get a good hole, you will damage the equipment and you could damage yourself. Also, some bits for hand drills are not made to withstand the pressure that a pillar drill can exert. Make sure, of course, that the bit is fully in the chuck and tightened up.
• Adjust the table height and don’t forget to set the depth stop. When you’re clamping your work in place, a piece of scrap wood is always a good idea, even if you’re stop-drilling part way through. (Things don’t always go to plan..)
• Remember to set the appropriate drill speed for your work – something all too easy to forget.
• When you’re drilling, use a steady pressure and not too much of it either – you want to give that drill bit the chance to drill, OK? When you hit the depth stop, raise the bit up out of the work and only then stop the machine.

Whatever make of pillar drill you have, whether Draper, Sealey, Ryobi or whatever, please remember these tips and I wish you safe and successful drilling.

By the way, if you’re thinking of buying one of these, you can get some of the best deals are right here: Pillar Drill.