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so im really over the idea of using a hand drill to drill enclosures
it just plain sucks and have to quit being cheap and spend some dimes to get a drill press

is there anything i should know before buying
do you guys use unibits or separate bits
which lasts longest

and do you guys use a vice on your enclosures or do u just hold that bitch with you hands

I use one of the cheapest drill presses you can get (same model sold by Grizzly and Harbor Freight), and it's seriously been fine. One advantage of it not being super powerful is that if an enclosure snags, you can hold it with your hands... With more powerful drills, you'll want to clamp it. I nearly broke my hand with one when I was just starting out. No such problems since getting the smaller one, though.

I use step bits, personally. I use a big one for jacks and such, and a smaller one for the faces of the pedals. They're shorter than typical drill bits once you get to the bigger sizes, so they fit little drill presses better. But you can get shorter drill bits (though, I had trouble finding them).

There's a step bit that goes from 1/8" to 1/2" in 1/32" increments. That's the perfect range for pedals, and I think they're a pretty standard size. The larger one I use goes from 1/4" to 3/4" (I think) in 1/16" increments... it doesn't cut as clean, but it makes big holes go quicker. It's more likely to snag, though.

One thing I can't stress enough: Cutting fluid. I've had basically no problems with snags since getting this stuff. Even with the drill set to high speeds. And I've been using the same step bits for like a year. They gum up pretty quick otherwise (though, you can chip off the gummed on aluminum with a screwdriver).

^ Agreed, I use a harbor freight drill press as well.

the harbor freight has a bigger throat than the kawasaki I bought. anyway it was only $60 and I use it all the time. I use a irwin stepped bit 1/8 to 1/2 but I have to re set everything to drill 1/2 cause the throw of the press is not as long as the bit. the bosch looks really nice for $120 but I already have a drill press. I dont worry about metric vs standard cause it always gets me close enough for guitar pedals. my drill press is belt drive and I always hold my pedals by hand. I have the speed at the highest setting but probably not that fast on such a cheap drill anyway.

Yes, what they said. Except that you should use the slowest speed for drilling metals or wood.
In general the rule is the larger the bit the slower the speed.
You can use motor oil (3 in 1 oil) as cutting fluid as well.
If you keep a little oil on the bit it will gum up less. This is where the speed come into play.
Drilling generates heat and with a faster speed you spin the bit pass the hole wall more than
you cut away metal. Then hot metal is softer so it sticks to the bit.
This still happens at low speeds though, so keep the bit lubed up.
The harbor freight bits are fine. I wish they just sold the 1/8" to 1/2" bit by itself though
as I rarely use the other two. The 1/8" bit has all the sizes you need for drilling enclosures.

I have a 10" delta drill press ($90ish) that I have used for a few years now.
I have made hundreds of pedals and thousands of PCBs with it.
The switch on the light shit out so I just hardwired it on.
I don't use a drill press vice for enclosures but I use it for boring out knobs or drilling
smaller objects.

I need to get a drill press! I always hand drill, using a step bit. A press would come in handy for pcbs, and putting turrets into boards as well I hope. Tired of using a mallet.

Theres no efficient way to do turrets, drill press is better than a mallet but still a pain in the ass.

I use a belt driven press at a low speed with a step bit for all of my drilling. Just like everyone else it seems.
I use one step bit for almost everything, and one other for if I need to put in a jewel light cover or something similar.
Smaller single bits for PCB and Eyelet/Turret.

I dont use my cheap drill press when its off to put verticle pressure on things like rivets. I dont want to break it and its not bolted to the workbench. I do use straight bits when i drill through paint for the led and im not using a bezel at all. I get a clean straight hole with no paint chipping. The led stays on the inside of the pedal. Very minimalist looking.

Also! With my drill press. the Irwin bit s too long, and it can't drill the full range. But the cheaper one available through lots of brands (sold at Small Bear and Harbor Freight) is shorter, so it works.

thank yall for your help

im buying local at the cheapest ryobi is like 99 dimes
is this cutting fluid like in a spray can or do you rub it on the bits ? is it bad for your skin as im seeing on google


do you guys still drill pilot holes first and centre punch ?

im guessing the cutting fluid helps with it snagging
thats my only issue with holding it with your hands like a ninja grip as most times i did it with a hand drill right at the end it would sometimes snag and whip the enclosure
but im guessing this aint no thang with the press

I got the cheap ryobi. Worth it!

I punch guides first to guide the bits, as human error and the crosshairs tend to screw up.

I drill all my holes with the 1/4" size first, then step up from there.

I still get the occasional and VERY scary snag. I don't have the time to give my enclosures the clamps, so I handgrip the and try to go slow.

Yeah, ryobi stuff is good as long as you stay away from their cordless shit, which is shit so stay away, I have a ryobi 13" plainer and it has taken a amazing amount of abuse.

I use a spring loaded center punch for prototypes and one-offs.

If I'm gonna be doing a lot of the same box, I make a template (basically a box the enclosure goes in) out of thin plywood, plastic, etc and drill holes in that with a 1/16" drill bit. I use the highest speed on the drill for that, it really takes a long time for the holes to get so big that accuracy suffers. Sometimes if things are standard IC spaced (intervals of .1"), I'll glue a bit of perfboard to the template and use that instead of measuring. That's also good if you have a lot of things in a line and it'll be noticeable if they're off.



There's likely a better way, but it's worked out pretty well for me, and it's easy to do.