Well,

First thread in the new forum. What fun!

My build is coming along. The case is done and being painted. The first three metal parts have been blued, laid out, and cut. Drilling and tapping is in progress (slow progress).

I'm trying to do get the best precision I can, so the drilling process is:
  • Put the part in the vise.
  • Locate the center-punch mark with a center finder.
  • Lock down the vise.
  • Remove the center finder and start the hole with a spotting drill.
  • Remove the spotting drill and complete the hole with the correct size drill bit.
  • If the hole is threaded, remove the drill bit and install a dead center to keep the tap aligned.
  • Tap the hole.
  • Move the part to the next hole and start over!

Part number 3 took about an hour from start to finish. Doing all operations on one hole before moving the part adds time, but ensures everything stays concentric.

One note. A decent drill press vise really helps, especially when you need to drill several holes with a common center-line as on parts 1, 3, etc. Locate one of the holes with a center finder and then bolt the vise down securely. Now you can move the part side to side to drill the other holes knowing that they will all line up.

I'll post some pic's as soon as I can.

Regards,

Randy