Drill press for hidden tang?

Justin Schmidt

Justin Schmidt

Joined
Feb 18, 2016
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Obviously it's not ideal and I know it will work. Is an 8in drill press too small? Trying to grab one for Christmas then I'm gonna try and do a WIP for my first hidden tang.

If an 8in will work what are some tips to make sure I have a better fit up? I could do a mortise tang with hidden pins as well
 
That would be too small for most handles. You really want a large bench model or a floor model. The ability to easily raise and lower the table is pretty much a requirement.
 
That 8" is to small you don't have room under the spindle for a block of wood and a vice. The thickness of your tang will dictate drill bit thickness and the thicker the steel the longer the drill bit. The ability to raise and lower the table lets you get a long enough bit to drill a hole deep enough for good tang support.
 
john april said:
check the spindle travel, some only go down 3" and thats not deep enough.
Click to expand...
Most of the 8" have a 2" stroke and 1/8th jobber drill bits are like 2-3/4" pretty short no where near long enough for a hidden tang with any support IMO. Taper long length and aircraft long drills start at about 6" length in 1/8"diameter so no room under spindle.
 
Thank you gentleman. What eould be the minimum i could use?
I found a 13in craftsman on craigslist I'm hoping it Is still available. Around here people tend to way over value their things. So even used harbor freight presses are generally the same price as a new one in store.
 
Hard to say apart from the specific drill press. Quill travel is much more important than the nominal size. Within reason, bigger is better
 
Bench top or floor model with 3"+ spindle travel is good...as long as you can lower the table enough to get your block under the bit. Once you get some depth drilled you can raise the table as long as you have a longer drill bit to get sufficient depth. You want to be 3 to 3-1/2" inches of tang into that handle. If that 13" press is available and decent price I would check it out OR save for floor model as Geoff stated Bigger is Better you won't be in the position of needing anything bigger ever again. I do through tangs on my floor model and have to use Long 6" aircraft bits but it's easy peasy lowering and raising the table!!!!
 
A big bench top can be nice too. My 15" and 16" are both bench top machines and have plenty of room for anything knifemaking and most things fabrication
 
Hmmm alrighty I'll have to do more research then. The 13in craftsman was already sold when I called. I've been thinking about gettin a 10in harbor freight benchtop then a floor model later on
 
If harbor freight is driving distance take a 5 inch block of wood there and and check clearance of the 10" then check a floor model. Remember Jobber Length Drill bits are very short to begin with then you lose some length when chuck them up so you are probably going to need extended length 6" drill bit.

What is your steel thickness for these hidden tang knives?
 
Ok I'll have to try that. The steel is.120 15n20 just ordered it from AKS. Can i fo mortise handle and just use a file? Or a xy vise and just slide it over hope that made sense
 
You are trying to make it harder than it needs to be....You just need a simple vise and enough spindle clearance to get a Long Bit to drill the hole. That would require a table you can lower and Raise under the bit. For .120 steel that will require 3/32" or 7/64 bit which you would have to order a Long Taper Bit and it will be probably 4-1/2" long(standard 3/32 are 2-1/4" long) if you go oversize to 1/8"(.1250 standard length is 2-3/4" long) Long 1/8" start at 5-1/2" taper drill bits.
 
Ok I think I'm just gonna get the 10in unless something special pops up on Craigslist.
ETA: the stroke length for the 8in model is 2in and for the 10in model it's 2/38. As long as I can raise the table it SHOULD work. If not full tangs it is until I can get a bigger model
 
Here's something even simpler-
A hand drill and a vise. Works pretty well.
If your bit isn't long enough, turn the handle over and drill from the other end.
 
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