drill press rpm's - always change belts/pulleys??

[rickd]

just wondering how many of you always change the belts/pulleys on your drilll press to achieve the correct rpm's for the material and bit you are using? do you do it every time?

i've been changing the belts for mine, but it is a bit of a pain when it takes longer to change the belts than it does to drill the holes!

not sure why i'm asking this - maybe just looking for an easier way to get around this speed changing thing all the time!

[RodKirby]

Hi Rick

I also avoid it as much as I can.

I normally have the DP speed set at 2,200RPM - this takes care of "most" of the stuff I do. This is OK on timber/MDF/plywood for twist bits up to 1/2" and on forstner bits up to 1" - done VERY carefully - tiny bites - careful not to let the bit heat up.

Drilling into metal or using forstner bits larger than 1" is whole other story. It's easier, safer and more effective to set the speed "right" for the situation YMMV

[rickd]

hi rod,

thanks for the tip on setting the drill press to 2,200rpm - i'm going to give that a try. the great majority of my work on the drill press is with standard bits less than 3/4" so this will save me a lot of time and frustration changing pulleys.

[dwitzke]

Generally, I'll look to change the settings when I start to use the larger bits.

[sweensdv]

It sorta depends on what I'm trying to accomplish whether or not I change the RPM speed. If I care how the the hole will look when I'm done then I change the RPM setting of the DP. If I don't care how it looks, I just use whatever speed it currently is set at.

[Tom Miller]

Based on someone else's tip, when I change speed I now "walk" the belts off and on without de-tensioning and tensioning. It's a lot faster and easier, so I find I'm more likely to use the appropriate speed. Still, I find I keep it set at ~1000 rpm for a lot of my work.

Regards,
Tom

[WayneJ]

Like Tom said, I keep my belt slightly on the loose side. That way its easier to change speed by walking the belt. It is also safer if the bit grabs, it stops the work piece from spinning out of your hands because the belt will slip.
Wayne

[wreckwriter]

I asked this same question a while back and people recommended I get used to changing them. At first it was a PITA but now it only takes a few seconds. I change mine based on this chart:

http://www.ibiblio.org/twa/info/drillSpeedChart.pdf

[dwolsten]

Not trying to gloat, but this is the nice thing about Delta's variable-speed drill presses, like my DP350. There's a small level on top which you simply turn to increase or decrease the drill speed. No messing with belts and pulleys.

Of course, it was a pain dealing with their infamous problem where the motor shaft wasn't machined correctly and the rear pulley would shoot up into the cover, but they sent me a new motor and pulleys which fixed all that.

[scmhogg]

Rick,

I change nearly every time I use the DP. I curse all the years that I believed one speed fits all.

Loring did a demonstration that should convince you to do the changing.

http://www.bt3central.com/showthread.php?t=20132

[LCHIEN]

Rick,

I change nearly every time I use the DP. I curse all the years that I believed one speed fits all.

Loring did a demonstration that should convince you to do the changing.

http://www.bt3central.com/showthread.php?t=20132

thanks for looking up and posting that link, scmhogg.

[Stick]

I change speed for each type of material and size of drill as well. It takes a whole maybe 5 seconds. I'm used to using correct speeds and feeds for machining, so the DP speed is a natural thing to do. I've had my 16-1/2 delta DP for well over 20 years and the original belts are still like brand new. No walking belts for this kid.

[dlminehart]

Wreckwriter, I checked that DP speed chart from Wood magazine. It seemed exhaustive, with entries for all sorts of bits in various materials. But the one I was most interested in was missing: Forstner bits. I guess these must be included in the "brad-point bits"? Odd that they don't mention Forstner specifically, as their notes for "multi spur bits" include "use Forstner speeds".

[rickd]

Wreckwriter, I checked that DP speed chart from Wood magazine. It seemed exhaustive, with entries for all sorts of bits in various materials. But the one I was most interested in was missing: Forstner bits. .........

hi,

i've got a Wood Magazine drill speed chart that does show speeds for forstner bits. here's a link to it:

http://www.rickswoodworking.ca/drill_speedchart.pdf

[ejs1097]

I also have the Wood chart attached to the side of my DP and change the speed each time. My woodworking is limited to a weekend or so everyother month (non finishing, planning, etc) so I don't find it painfull to change the belt.