As soon as you say the words “home improvement” most homeowners see dollar signs flying out the window like a flock of runaway birds. They see all the money it’s going to cost. While there are unavoidable expenses associated with home improvement projects, you can avoid a lot of them by doing it yourself.
There’s also the matter of time. You need to think about how long it takes to renovate each room before you tackle it because during the process that room will be essentially off limits for normal use. If you only have one bathroom in the house, how long will it be completely unusable and how will you cope during that time?
Using power equipment will cut down on the length of time required for your project. It will save you on wasted material and frustration too. A home improvement project interrupts the normal functioning of your home during the course of the project, which creates its own stress. Why add any more to it than necessary?
What is a Drill Press?
At it’s simplest, a drill press is a machine for drilling holes. It has a base that provides stability, a spindle, and a drill head. A handle, usually with three arms on it, raises and lowers the drill head.
On a specialized website, you can find different drill presses. One of them will be the right one for you. Look for features such as a depth stop (to control the depth of the holes you drill) and sawdust exhaust. Fences for positioning the material on the press table are standard. Less standard, but very helpful, are laser and LED lights for precision positioning.
Drill presses for the Do-It-Yourself market can be had for less than $500, many of them for under $400. Most online sellers offer free shipping on large purchases, which a drill press certainly. There will be some assembly required once you get it home but no more than a couple of hours. After that it stands where you put it, patiently waiting to do your bidding.
Drill Press Precision
When you’re working on a home improvement project or renovation you’re going to be drilling lots of holes – lots of them. Unless you’re able to hold a hand drill absolutely rock steady, you’ll be making a lot of off-center or slanted holes in the wood and metal materials you’re using. That, in turn, means the holes won’t line up the way they should when you’re putting pieces of material together, leading to waste.
A drill press avoids those problems. A drill press can be used for drilling holes, countersinking, tapping, reaming, and counterboring.
Perfect Holes
You can drill perfect holes in wood, metal, bricks, glass, and ceramic tile. You’ll need different types of bits for each material but the results will professional quality.
Tapping
A tap is a tool for making internal threads inside round holes. Tapping on a drill press ensures the flutes on the tap are properly aligned so you get consistent, even results each time.
Easier
The main attraction of a drill press, aside from the precision, is the ease of use. Drilling by hand requires you to exert pressure to push the drill bit down into the material. The harder the material, the more pressure required. Starting a drill hole, particularly on a slippery material such as tile or glass, requires both hands to hold the drill steady so the tip doesn’t slip and leave a long scratch on your material.
A drill press relives your back, arms, and shoulders of having to apply the pressure, as well as holding the drill tip rock steady on slick surfaces. You’ll save a lot of otherwise wasted material using a drill press.
Finishing
After your holes are drilled there will probably be some burrs or rough edges around the holes. A drum sander or belt sander can then be used to smooth over those edges. The sander can be used on other surfaces to give them a smooth, splinter-free feel. It will be the last stage of woodworking prior to staining or painting it.
Rotating Wood
A drill press can also be used for rotating wood. If a round furniture leg needs sanding or shaping, you can put it on the drill press and rotate it at slow speed while holding the sandpaper on it. You can also use a hand drill with a small drill bit to cut and shape the piece as it rotates.
