![]() ![]() It drills super sharp holes with no wobble or rough edges. The biggest difference to us, migrating from a cordless drill on an old drill press stand, is the steadiness of the drilling head. The drilling action is very smooth, and the motor has tons of speed and torque. ![]() It’s the prefect size for working with circuit boards, and worlds better than any high-speed rotary tool we’ve had the displeasure of using. Like our soldering station, this is another tool that we absolutely love. We also wear a dust mask, not just to protect the lungs from fiberglass dust, but to shield the face from broken drill bit debris. Not wearing safety glasses while using a high-speed drill almost guarantees you’ll eventually lose an eye. A broken bit will usually stick inside the circuit board, but sometimes they shoot out like shrapnel and stick in the woodwork. Every bit will break, it’s just a question of when. ![]() Proper safety is imperative when working with high-speed drills and tiny bits. The drill is so smooth and straight that the first bit we purchased has lasted through two years of medium-duty use. As you can see in the photo, after a couple years we still haven’t taken it out of the package. We usually use cheap 0.8mm bits that don’t fit in a collet, so we bought the optional chuck. Reconditioned drill bits are much cheaper on eBay and we’ve also had Drill Bit City recommended to us. We bought the collet-compatible drill bit in the photo at the local electronics store for about $10. The drill came with 6 collets of various diameters, but no chuck. While this is a problem specific to our drill, it’s something to consider if you have similar problems, or if you have the opportunity to buy a new belt when you get the drill. This was ameliorated to some extent by the previously mentioned vague adjustment procedure, but we probably need a new belt. Now it sometimes suffers excessive vibration and noise after long periods of drilling. We think our drill press was over-tightened and stood in a hot shop window for more than a year. If the drill is left for long periods, the belt should be loosened so it doesn’t warp. It’s a bit of a pain to adjust the belt, and the instructions for proper tightness are a bit vague. The belt moves to different positions on internal pulleys to create three combinations of speed and torque 1,800, 4,700 and 8,500 rpm. Despite it’s size, it has all the typical drill press functions like adjustable height and drill depth.Īn adjustable drive belt connects the drill head to the motor. It’s easy to tuck away in a closet or under a bed. This drill press is tiny, less than a foot tall. Read about our experience with this tool below the break. At $200, this is one of the pricier tools in our lab, but quality bearings and smooth drilling action aren’t cheap. Its tiny size and adjustable speed seemed ideal for drilling circuit boards. We first spotted the Proxxon TBM115/TBM220 drill press in the window of a local shop. We’ve used a lot of tools to drill circuit boards - power drills, power drills in “drill press stands”, and high-speed rotary tools - but when we started doing projects on a schedule, it was time for something more reliable. We use our drill press to make holes in our own circuit boards, and tap or break traces on existing circuit boards. A decent drill press is a crucial tool for an electronics lab.
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