Can a shopbot drill 2 3/4" mdf

[hwd_woodworking]

I am in the processes of getting my shopbot. I am also lining up some work for my shop. One of my sources wants me to glue up two 1" pieces and one 3/4" piece of mdf in a 4' x 4' sq. then drill about 90 holes into it all about 5/8" to 1/2" and some slightly smaller. My question is can this be a job for the shopbot or are the holes to small and to deep. Also should I attempt this with one bit or should I have an assortment of bits of the proper size and keep changing the bits out. In all I believe there are 5 different hole sizes.

Any suggestions out there?
Thank you Nate

[ecnerwal]

This sort of thing is why I went out and bought a drill that I can easly clamp in place of the router. IMHO a drill bit and drill do a better job on drilling many deep holes than the router does. The router does a nice job on many different sizes without having to change bits, but the drill does small and deep better, especially in volume. Also less burning than drilling with the router.

[jay_p]

Lawrence,

I am curious which drill you chose for this function. Are you using a PC router mount? How much adaptation did you need to do, and how did you do it?

thanks
Jay

[olecrafty]

Jay,

There are a couple of drills listed on ebay in the NEMI ebay store. They also have spindles.

Kaiwa
olecrafty@charter.net (mailto:olecrafty@charter.net)

[gerald_d]

Nathan, a lot depends on the quantity of these pieces that your client might want, and the desired tolerance in position and shape of hole.

Using a router as a drive motor is okay because the biggest hole is 5/8" and the mdf is relatively soft. You wouldn't need the higher torque of a dedicated drilling head.

On using a single bit; I don't know what bits you can get over there, or what the smallest hole size is, but your headache will be to get a cutting bit that is long enough to go right through and that is stiff enough to cut a hole within your client's tolerances. (The hole will tend to taper smaller as you go deeper)

If you have to use multiple bits, I would try normal HSS twist drills as they are perfectly okay for plunge-drilling in mdf.

Another option is to rout the beginnings of all the holes with the SB and then finish them off in a drill-press.....

[ecnerwal]

Jay,

I'm using a Milwalkee two-speed-range hammer drill which looks very suspiciously like a Bosch two-speed-range hammer drill, only in red and black rather than in blue. It's over at the shop, and probably no longer available as whatever specific model number it was at the time anyway - the notable feature of the design is lots of straight surfaces making it easy to clamp in; ie, it's a boxy drill, not a curvy drill.

I use the same clamp that holds my PC690 - but I don't know if the newer ones are more specific to that - mine is the old aluminum channel with a big hose clamp around it (the router is removed from its base to mount in the Shopbot). A bit of fiddling to make sure that the drill is lined up with the axis, and then clamp on the trigger and drill.

I also considered just mounting a chuck to an old motor for a one speed version that would clamp in even easier, but that tuit has not been rounded.

[grandpaspastime]

I use a milwaukee core drill on the second z-axis. Router bits are not safely made for that long of an application according to ONSRUD.
I have been drilling 2 and 3 inch oak and poplar for over 3 years and no problem.
The core drill is mounted with a steel bracket and runs quite well. I pause for bit changes and resume for the different sizes. You need to up z-axis about every inch to clean flutes of drill.
I can run about 2000 holes in a day of drilling

[hwd_woodworking]

In mounting a "second z axis" is that something that you had to make to hold the drill or is it something you can buy. I would be very interested in being able to mount a drill to my shopbot but not sure where to start.

[grandpaspastime]

Sorry for the late response. Have been in shows for the last month. Mounting the second z axis is no problem. The drill mounting block is part of the core drill. simply drill the holes in the axis plate and thread them. use cap screws to mount hold down plate and attach. This was the only steel fixture I could find on drill motors.
send me an email and i'll send pictures of the mounting bracket