44 - Grinding Station, страница 27
SELECTING TOOLS Wood Prilling System Jfe You expect a lot from a drill press ^^ that costs $400. So I was curious whether this Ryobi Wood Drilling System was worth the money. drilling capacity. One thing it has going for it right off the bat is a large drilling capacity. With an I8V2" swing, it's bound to come in handy on large projects. speed adjustment. But what impresses me the most about it is how easy it is to adjust the speed. You simply turn a crank that's located on top of the head. With this system, there's a continuous range of speeds. Even so, I wish it ran faster at the upper end of the range, see chart on page 25. It's a tad slow for small (Vie" and Ve") drill bits. Another detail I'd quibble about is the crank. It's made of plastic, so it seems like it's just a matter of time before it breaks. A beefy metal crank would be • more reassuring — like the one on the side of the head assembly. head. This crank is used to raise and lower the head on the column, see photo A below. So instead of adjusting the height of the table (as with most drill presses), the head travels up and down instead. It sounds a bit odd, but it's a convenient way of working at a drill press. table. The table on the Ryobi also sets it apart. It's twice as large as the tables on the other drill presses. So there's plenty of support when drilling a long workpiece. And when drilling an angled hole, you can tilt the table by loosening one knob, see photo B. Still, I'm not completely satisfied with the table. It consists of a lightweight aluminum frame with a top made of MDF. The problem is there's no center support under the top. So there's a certain amount of "give" when I lower the bit into a workpiece. fence. The Ryobi also has an adjustable fence that makes it easy to position a workpiece and provide support when drilling. Also, a flip-up stop is handy for drilling holes in multiple pieces. hold-down. There's even a hold-down for drilling holes in small pieces, see photo C. The only problem is I couldn't get it to work. As I tightened the hold-down, it just crept back up. So it A This Ryobi Wood Drilling System incorporates several features that are designed with a woodworker in mind. never applied any real pressure. conclusions. All in all, I'd say Ryobi has made some definite innovations. Some worked, and some didn't. Is it worth the money? I don't think so. I'd stick with a traditional (less expensive) drill press. And I'd add a shop-made table and fence. ^ ^fc A. Head. The unusual thing about ^^ this drill press is you crank the head up and down—not the table. B. Tilting Table. A tilting table and fence make it easy to support round stock or drill angled holes. C. Hold-Down. The hold-down is a good idea. But since it won't tighten down, it's nearly useless. IM* .. - No. 44 ShopNotes 27 |
