# Bore a flat-bottom hole with a drill press! (Lux RC Host)



## chelboed (Jul 29, 2005)

I just finished boring a 20mm x 11mm flat bottom hole in a piece of 1" x 2" square stock with my drill press!


Tools needed:
-Harbor Freight drill press (the cheap one)
-Cross slide vice (the cheap one)
-M3 drill and tap
-M3 machine screw
-calipers
-metric ruler
-4mm 4fl end mill ($6.50 victormachine)
-center punch
-graduated drill bits from 1/8" - 1/2"
-scrap aluminum I-Beam
-scribe
-Jigaloo spray lube
-2x M3 washers

Find dead center on the square stock with a ruler and scribe.
Center punch.
Drill from 1/8" to 1/2" at your desired depth.
Find center on back side...drill and tap for M3 machine screw.
Drill a hole in the top of the I-Beam just big enough for the M3 screw.
Spray top of I-Beam and bottom of stock with lube.
Thread machine screw through 2 washers, I-Beam, and into stock...snugly.
Insert I-Beam into vice...now you have your "Rotary Table". (sort of) :thumbsup: 

Center 4mm end mill in the 1/2" hole.
Set depth in VERY SMALL increments to widen hole out to 20mm.
Manually rotate square stock a full rotation.
Return to center and increase depth.

Repeat for approx. 17hrs madman: ) or until you reach your desired depth.



I was told by the neighbor that I could borrow his lathe...but all of his cutting tools and tail stop chuck were stolen. It has a 3-jaw chuck. I accidentally ordered square stock instead of more hex bar, so I figured a 3-jaw chuck wouldn't work. (and I don't have lathe bits)


Now I got a 1" square stock lamp head to make a face cap for and do some finning!
:thumbsup:   


I'll finish this one and my little 3/4" hex for the single...and maybe justify sending all of my pieces off to be anodized.



Pic's tomorrow...I'm tired now.


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## buddhak (Jan 26, 2006)

Bad ass


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## troutie-mtb (Sep 20, 2007)

Full marks for effort and perseverence .

you could have spent an hour with a dremel or grinder and made a boring bar from an old allen wrench and then used your mates lathe .

you would not need the missing tailstock


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## chelboed (Jul 29, 2005)

Can you chuck a 4 sided stock into a 3-jaw lathe chuck? (I really dunno)


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## troutie-mtb (Sep 20, 2007)

chelboed said:


> Can you chuck a 4 sided stock into a 3-jaw lathe chuck? (I really dunno)


not easily but depending on the size of the chuck and if you have enough spare metal
you could drill a 25 mm hole in the centre and if the chuck jaws will allow it chuck it up inside the hole to work on the other end with the boring tool .

though your hex stock will go in great .


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## chelboed (Jul 29, 2005)

Pic's:

























And a little face-cap action:









I may leave the face cap a bit thicker on this one and counter-sink the screws. Do a little beveling too.


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## buddhak (Jan 26, 2006)

Turbo bad ass


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## chelboed (Jul 29, 2005)

Updates:


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## jmitchell13 (Nov 20, 2005)

chelboed said:


> Pic's:


You mean to tell me that you bolted the housing to a piece of aluminum and rotated it by hand while you were running the mill in the drill press?!?!?! 

Very ballsy, I love it! Nice work.:thumbsup:


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## chelboed (Jul 29, 2005)

Thx...yah, it wasn't too terribly with the 4mm mill. If I had tried the 6mm...I may have lost a finger!


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## Leopold Porkstacker (Apr 21, 2010)

Damn you Harbor Freight, you might just ruin my marriage afterall!!!  :thumbsup: I’ve been needing a drill press for quite some time, and that “el cheapo” one pretty much fits the bill on many levels. Thanks for the tip!


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## chelboed (Jul 29, 2005)

Well...pretty-much done with this one too. I decided to give it the longitudinal "jeweled look" like a nice rifle bolt, hahaha.

































Here's a good "glared" image of the jeweling.


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