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Radial Arm Drill Press
Click
here for general information on drilling holes in glass with a drill
press.
One of the issues with drilling holes in
large objects is that the throat of most standard drill presses is
not large enough to permit drilling in the middle of the piece.
(The "throat" is the distance between the column that holds up the
head of the drill press and the center of the chuck that contains
the drill bit.)
This problem, which is especially prevalent
when drilling holes in items such as glass sinks, can be alleviated
by purchasing a drill press with a larger throat.
Unfortunately, larger drill presses are very expensive.
For those who want to drill holes in larger
items without the expense of a top end drill press, the radial arm
drill press offers one lower cost solution. A radial arm drill
press is much more versatile than a regular drill press.
Although it looks similar, it has a head that tilts in most
directions and a table that also tilts to permit drilling a
virtually any angle. This combination means that even a small
radial arm drill press can drill the center of items as large in
diameter as 30 inches (76cm).
Inexpensive radial arm drill presses start
around $US 250. This is more expensive than a low end standard drill
press, but it's far less expensive than large drill presses, which
can easily cost $1000 or more.
If you decide to purchase a radial arm drill
press, be aware that while they can work for drilling holes in glass
sinks and similar items, some finesse and experience is necessary to
do the job well.
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Copyright 2006 Brad Walker.
All rights reserved.
Thanks to Bert Weiss for
assisting with this tip.
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