Drilling accurate depth holes

[Bob SillitoeParticipant @bobsillitoe83708]

The jig looks to be really useful, however devising a way of fitting something like that to my Southbend would require a bit of thought. Also to my mind what I want to drill is tiny, 1/8″ dia bar with 1/16″ cross hole. I am going to get creative on the miller, will post a picture if it works.

Thanks for everyones advice. Interesting how we have digressed from drilling holes using the tailstock to drilling little cross holes!

Bob

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

It will depend on what you have and what accuracy but I regularly drill 2.5mm and 3mm dia short pins with 0.8mm holes to take a 1/32″ split pin.

Usually I will just grip the pin at one end of the vice as it invariably has a head on the end with the shank and the pin sitting a little above the top of the vice jaws. Put a 3mm spotting drill in the chuck and bring it down onto the work trapping a 6″ steel rule between. Adjust position of vice until the rule balances level while applying light pressure with the quill. remove rule and spot then drill your hole.

If a bit more accuracy than a thou or two is needed then use an edge finder to locate the vices fixed jaw and offset half your rod diameter from that eg 1/16″ which will put the drill over the ctr of the part.

Over 40 yers of making models and I don’t have a cross drilling jig but do seem to churn out completed models a lot faster than most here.

[bernard towersParticipant @bernardtowers37738]

Bob ,I posted a picture some time back of a 0.5mm hole thru 1/16 bar on a similar jig on a peatol, so yes its possible

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