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Drill press and band saw for RV-10

Skeejere

Member
Planning to order a tool kit from Cleaveland or planetools to start my -10 build. I wanted to purchase a band saw and drill press too. Any opinions on if a lighter duty band saw and drill press is adequate for this project? Don?t want to go too cheap but also don?t want to spend more than is necessary. The WEN bench mount drill press and band saw, for example.
 
I'm very pleased with bang for the buck of the Wen 12" drill press:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/WEN-12-in-Variable-Speed-Drill-Press-4214/204994931?MERCH=REC-_-pipsem-_-204853908-_-204994931-_-N

wen-drill-presses-4214-64_1000.jpg
 
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Drill press is no biggie. Use whatever you want. I'm working on the wings and the drill press has been mostly used to drill some 1/8" angle in the tailcone. You only need a few inches of depth at max rpm for 3/32 and 1/8 holes.

The bandsaw.. well that depends on how much you want to use it. I have some 22" long J-channel drops (these could be nibbled down). There are pieces that need to be separated for the ailerons that are about 9" long and you wouldn't be able to nibble down to that width. So those would need to be split with a handsaw or snips or a dremel or whatever and then the bandsaw can be used to shape from there. Any size bandsaw will work for the general tapering for stiffeners and shaping angle once it's down to length.

Speaking of shaping, a 1" strip/disc combo sander is well worth the cost. I have the WEN version. No regrets other than the on/off toggle is hard to press due to the cover.
 
The table top drill press and band-saw models available in the big box stores are good enough (WEN, Royobi). And, they won't break the bank.

The one thing I had to learn the hard way is that they need to be bolted down. I recommend a small work table on castoring wheels, so that you can move it around the shop as needed, then tuck it out of the way when COMNAVHOMEPAC inspects the shop.

Also, definitely get a better blade for the bandsaw. I purchased a 3/8" 10TPI blade for my Royobi 9" bandsaw. It goes through Alclad sheet like butter, if you don't try to rush it. And, the angle stock is much easier on a band saw than any other way.
 
Drill press

I got the same drill press and I'm very happy with it so far. I bought the Wen bench grinder as well, which works well but the gooseneck for the light is useless. After calling about a dozen local places I finally found a metal cutting blade for a 14 inch bandsaw. Installed it last night and the rubber bands around the wheels immediately slid off and melted rubber against the bandsaw case. Now I have to wait until the new wheels come. And of course, step 1 of the empennage involves using a bandsaw.
 
Make an all in one for the bandsaw - include a sanding table.

Stick it on a mobile trolley and wire both into a common plug. You take it to where the job is and then it can be hidden in the corner.

Buy well, don't go cheap and it will last for ever.

Drill press - Go second hand, get the oldest, biggest gnarliest drill press you can find. Clean it, lube it and treasure it as it will be your friend forever !

IMG_3238-L.jpg
 
Bench tools

I have a Harbor Fright drill press and sander. Both have built two airplanes and still going. I would say they are "OK". That WEN looks much better. I am tempted to upgrade.
I use the bench tools as often as the work allows. My band saw and grinder are a step up from HF. They work very well. I use a 14 tpi up to .040 and 7 tpi for thicker. Cuts like a hot knife through butter. Just stay outside the cut line and sand out the tooling marks on the 6".
 
My experience is exactly opposite
I went with a cheap one, and bought later the https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bosch-parallel-quick-lock-clamps-cardboard/dp/B00766C1A8 pbd40

you are building an airplane, and when you drill a hole, you want it tight as the drill is. the cheap ones are vibrating and the head is lose so holes are drilled wider than intended.

Also,
It has "soft start" which is VERY convenient when working alone. sometimes I need to hold something somehow, when clamps are not helping, and when turned on, it has a few seconds delay , allowing me to hold/prepare

good luck
Oren
 
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As noted before, any halfway decent drill press will do the job. I have had the same craftsman one for around 15 years, still going strong. Just take the time to shim or adjust the bed so it is square.

For bandsaws, you need a decent one. I bought a craftsman 9" back towards the beginning of my build, it was useless junk, the frame had too much flex so it couldn't hold a enough blade tension without losing alignment. I never bothered to replace it, just did everything with a cutoff disk or hacksaw.
 
+1 for the Wen


I've been using the Wen for several years.
When shopping it was compared to the Jet and several others. The Jet sure looks like exactly the same drill press for considerably more money.

You won't go wrong with the Wen
 
Whatever you do with a band saw, spend the very low cost of getting blades made for cutting metal. I went through 3 blades on my build. It is most noticeable on the thick bar stock. The good blades are like a hot knife through butter, the stock wood blade is like pushing a rock with a stick.
 
FWIW, I've also found the chuck is 99% of the problems with the cheaper drill press. You can upgrade to an import Albrecht-clone keyless chuck for under $50 and it makes a world of difference in the quality of the cut. A 1/2" chuck should be under $30 plus the arbor and taper wedges and shipping. These cheaper chucks have under .005" TIR vs the 0.020"+ that the cheap keyed chucks can have. (for reference, a real Jacob's has 0.003" TIR for 5x the cost; i can't quickly find the Albrecht TIR).
 
Another vote for the WEN 12" drill press.

As for band saw, I have a WEN model also with metal cutting blades. I found it does the job decently but an angle grinder is much more convenient. The throat of the band saw will be the limiting factor to how long your piece can be, while you don't have that limitation with angle grinders. Band saws are more precise than angle grinders though, but it's a wash if you plan to sand it later anyways.
 
My experience is exactly opposite
I went with a cheap one, and bought later the https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bosch-parallel-quick-lock-clamps-cardboard/dp/B00766C1A8 pbd40

you are building an airplane, and when you drill a hole, you want it tight as the drill is. the cheap ones are vibrating and the head is lose so holes are drilled wider than intended.

Also,
It has "soft start" which is VERY convenient when working alone. sometimes I need to hold something somehow, when clamps are not helping, and when turned on, it has a few seconds delay , allowing me to hold/prepare

good luck
Oren

I like looking at tools. the Bosch drill press appears to be a work of art.
 
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