Use a brace and bit. 😐

5 hours ago, MrRick said:

Use a brace and bit. 😐

I have an upcoming project that will require drilling 574, #65 (.035") pilot holes in 1/4"
thick Elm. I am not going to use a brace and bit for this, or an eggbeater, or any other hand powered tool.

😀🙃😊

Edited June 4Jun 4 by Wichman3

On 1/19/2026 at 11:39 AM, John Morris said:

Hey Ron, been wanting to do this myself, the ShopSmith drill press function is pretty awesome, with the tilting table, basically you have an x,y,z, function built into the table, with it's variable speed function, and a pretty hardy power head, you could get a hold of an old shopsmith for a couple hundred bucks more or less and turn it into a wall mount, or? Just brainstorming here.

It would be a little bit of a project though, perhaps fun, but not as easy as pulling one out of the box and firing it up.

 

A friend of mine swears by Shopsmith 10ER as the best drill press ever. You can find them used for about $200 or less. Plus you get a horizontal drill press when you need it. Great for long or large pieces.

Edited June 4Jun 4 by kmealy