spindle travel on drill press ???

[indychips]

When buying a drill press to drill pen blanks, what is the recommended spindle travel distance? Obviously the longer travel the better, but will 2 3/8 travel work? Or should I get something that has a 3+ inch travel? I am on a limited budget, so I want to get what is right and yet spend the least amount of money.

 

[aggromere]

I bought a drill press with 3 inch travel and it was not enough to make some of the longer one piece pens like the zen. If you haven't bought a drill press yet you might want to look into drilling on the lathe. That's what I do. It's not as convenient as a drill press but it works much better. You can also true your blanks on the lathe instead of using pen mills.

 

[tim self]

Unless you're going to buy a floor press, you will have to live with limited travel of the quill. I've had to learn to live with this issue as have others. Simply put, if the press does not go far enough, you must move the blank up in the vise.

Drilling on the lathe is an excellent remedy but drill bit travel still does not go that far with out moving the tail stock. It's just a more exact way of doing it.