There are still some tools that I haven't yet acquired for my shop yet. Think I'm going to splurge this month. Just don't know on what.

So the question is, what tool adds the most to plug building.
A. Drill Press
B. Band Saw
C. Belt / Disc sander
D. Other

I think I can get by on drilling with my hand drill and I've got a chuck for the lathe. Cutting lips slots with a hack saw has been tough (on my thumb) and they rarely come out straight. A sander opens up all sorts of possibilities too. A vice would be nice.

What do you guys think?

i think its all of the above..

depends on what you want to turn..


the dril press will be handy for all thru drilling..

the bandsaw for lip slot cutting and splitting of thicker stock..

and the sander is good for nearly all plugs..


flip a coin and see what you like best..

Gotta have a drill press Motorfish. Makes the work alot neater and finished looking!;)

Got my Ryobi at Homies for $99.00.;)

drill press

just about trashed one of my plugs with the crapftsman drillpress I pulled from my folks barn. gonna get the real one I think. how bout suggestions?

drill press

then a band saw.....

drill press, got a ryobi @ home depot as well....well worth the money.

Re:Ryobi - are we sure about the Ryobi brand and its continued support from HD or other vendors? ... I hate this age of throw away tools. Goes for everything these days from razors to computers.

if it wears down, throw it out and get a new one.

MikeT...its a hundred bucks.....buy it and use it till' it dies!:smash:

Hey Mike, go through the classifieds, and find an older craftsman drill press and larger sized band saw. They are usually not to much $$ and are the real deal. They will last for your kids and the bigger tools are more versatile.
Buy once, buy it right

i bought the Delta ShopMaster about a year ago. i had a $100 gift certificate for woodworker's warehouse, so i got what i find to be a pretty decent drill press. i had to buck up about another $65 or so to cover the differnce and tax, but it was well worth it.

i also have a ryobi table saw, but it does seem like a disposable item. it's not too bad though. depending on how much you would use the drill press, and what you would drill thru (ie..wood, metal, etc.), it might work fine for you.

What types of plugs will you be doing mostly? That will have an effect on the types of tools that will be best for your shop. If you have a chuck for the lathe, you can do things like center drilling, shaping pikie faces, and doing the cup on a popper.

Jigman

I think I've found the winner. Sears.com has a nice 9" Craftsman drill press with the sanding drum kit and a vise for $99. Pick it up at the store to avoid shipping expenses.

If anyone else is interested.
Sears Drill Press (http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&vertical=TOOL&pid=00924803000&subcat=Drill+Presses)

I'll try the flea markets first to see if I can find a nicer used one. Thanks for the input.

Does that 9" mean 9" travel?
How do you drill out a plug if the plug is longer than the travel range of the press?
I found that I had to put the bit into the plug and then into the drill - what a PITA!!!

how do people manage the bit switching?

Mike, when I drill a plug on the lathe, I use a short bit and hit it from both ends, then use a longer bit in a hand drill to finish the job.

Jigman

The 9" means the distance between the center of the drill and the center post. It's sometimes called the "throat" dimension.

Skip the drill press, like Jigman said, do the though drilling on the lathe. You can also use the lathe as a disk sander, just mount a plywood disk on the face plate. Get the bandsaw, that way you can cut the plywood disk.

In the "other" catagory, a chuck for the lathe, hand drill, more turning chisels.

Originally posted by Sea-5
The 9" means the distance between the center of the drill and the center post. It's sometimes called the "throat" dimension.

Actually its not 9 inches from center to post, its 4.5 inches. The 9 inches means that you can drill a hole in the center of a 9 inch diameter circle.

You can also use the lathe as a disk sander, just mount a plywood disk on the face plate.

Backcast, that is a GREAT idea. I'm going to see if I can make one with my jig saw one of these days. What technique do you use to mount the plywood to the face plate?

Screws, just make sure that they are shorter than the plywood is thick.

Rough out a piece of plywood, screw it to the faceplate and turn the OD of the wood right there in place.
Draw a "timing mark on the OD of the plywood and the lathe spindle. This way the plate will turn deadnuts true each time you set it up.

Sorry about the mistatement on the 9" drill press. I was mistaking it for the throat dim on a bandsaw.:(

SEARS CRAFTSMAN DRILL PRESS,

floor style, 13 in, 5 speed, 1/3 HP, drill bits and other accessories, $200 negotiable. (866) 222-4884



posted from local paper, sounds like a newer style press

Thanks Krispy, but that's just too much money for me right now.

Accessorizing my lathe is sounding more and more appealing. I've already got the chuck, so I might as well use it. I'm looking for a drum sanding kit and I'm going to try and make a disk sander some night this week.

Brilliant!!!!
I will have to make a sanding plate!!
Lathe is turning into the VATool of choice.
Checked outthe drillpresses.
The kit with clamp and drum has a cheaper looking base than the same drill without.

While there I picked up a chuck too. I cheaped out and got the chuck only thinking I could mount it on the existing arbor threads. :smash: for 5 bucks it was not worth the wasted time.

Darling wife is bringing it back for one with the M1 taper and arbor.

The package says to put it in the tailstock? Any idea why?

<if you cant see the image go search for chuck at Sears.com>
http://content.sears.com/data/product_images/009/25354/00925354000-190.jpg

Mike, I believe that you mount the chuck on the tail stock side so that the work piece (plug) turns around the drill bit, instead of the drill bit turning inside the work piece.

Does anybody have a picture of the sanding plate that they use on their lathe? It sounds like a great idea, and would save me from having to get another piece of machinery at the present time (ie...more money for other stuff).

For turnign on a metal lathe where you hold the stock in a chuck you put the drill in the tail stock. The material turns and the bit is stationary.

On a wood lathe you put the drill chuck in the HEADSTOCK and let the bit turn. You can either leave your live center or use your spur center in the tail stock and slide the tailstock up the ways while holding the plug and "line bore" the thru wire hole. Capesams put together a nice presentation along with photos somewhere here in plug building.

If you make the sanding disk, consider making something to support the piece you are sanding. Without a steady rest, agressive sandpaper can pull the piece right out of your hand.

I dont have a sanding disk to photograph right now, I keep using them for jam chucks in bowl turning.

Motorfish, to make a drum sander, turn a cylinder on the lathe to the diameter you want, then while it is still in the lathe (not spinning), wrap adhesive sand paper around it. Now you have a drum sander. Just make sure the drum is tight between the centers.

Originally posted by Fishpart
On a wood lathe you put the drill chuck in the HEADSTOCK and let the bit turn. You can either leave your live center or use your spur center in the tail stock and slide the tailstock up the ways while holding the plug and "line bore" the thru wire hole. Capesams put together a nice presentation along with photos somewhere here in plug building.

I do it the other way around. Drill chuck in the tail stock, blank spins around the drill bit. Has worked well for me. May be I am doing it all wrong :confused:

Jigman

Jigman, you must have a nice chuck to hold your plugs in.

Originally posted by Jigman
Has worked well for me. May be I am doing it all wrong
Jigman

If it works, then you must be doing it right. I used the drill chuck on both ends. If you are using a spur center in the drive head, there may not be enouth pressure from the drill bit in the tail stock to hold the wood against the spur. With a lathe chuck, pressure is not an issue.

Originally posted by Fishpart
Jigman, you must have a nice chuck to hold your plugs in.

Just the spur that came with the Jet lathe. I leave the square ends on the blank when drilling them. Gives the spur something to grab. Without the ends, it can be a problem.

Jigman

Jig Man is using the drill as the live center. He never removes the drill completely from the blank and the drill supplies enough pressure to hold the blank on the drive spur.

Yeah, thats what I meant to say :D

Jigman

Jigman,how do you shape the pikie faces with the chuck?

Originally posted by justplugit
Jigman,how do you shape the pikie faces with the chuck?

Use the "toe" of your belt sander. Then after you get the slope you want wrap the plug body in a towel and place in a vise to cut the slot. This makes sure you cut the slot square to the body. I cut my lip slot and swivel holes before turning but have a jig to cut pikie face.

I cut the lip slot first, while the square ends are still on the plug. After that, I do as Mac suggests, use the toe of my belt sander. To help keep the slope right, I have a small jig. Its basically a z-lip out of scrap stainless that slides into the lip slot and is bent twice at 90 degree angles. The stainless will be flat against the sander once the face is cut to the right depth. I also have a mark on the plug to make sure I cut the face far enough back on the body.

Jigman

Thanks Mac and Jigman.:btu: