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Step 5Drilling A Line Or Grid
This is where we really get down to business and find out if all of our careful planning and dust avoidance has payed off. Speaking of dust avoidance...
1) Remove any dust or drill shavings from the area.
2) Figure out how many cards you need to space your holes (center to center). For my example 3 of my business cards gives me 3/64" (1.2mm) distance.
3) Count out that many cards and put them between the jig and the drilling subject.
4) Drill your next hole.
5) Clean up your drill shavings.
6) Repeat steps 3,4 and 5 by adding layers of cards and drilling until you have as many in your row as you need. Be sure not to miscount the cards. (I did this more than once during practice and it will throw off your spacing and can cause spontaneous face palm.)
If you're just doing a line, then you're done!
If you want a grid, you need to make another line, offset from the first. Repeat the steps above, but also put cards at right angles to the first set. This will offset your material in two directions.
For advanced users you can draw a pattern using different numbers of cards and drill bit sizes. Like this amazing project, only smaller.
To do this at a larger scale size everything up and use sheets of plywood or square doweling as spacers. It makes the whole thing easier since you don't have to worry about sawdust or your drill press moving fractions of a millimeter.
Anything unclear? Ask in the comments and I'll try to help.
1) Remove any dust or drill shavings from the area.
2) Figure out how many cards you need to space your holes (center to center). For my example 3 of my business cards gives me 3/64" (1.2mm) distance.
3) Count out that many cards and put them between the jig and the drilling subject.
4) Drill your next hole.
5) Clean up your drill shavings.
6) Repeat steps 3,4 and 5 by adding layers of cards and drilling until you have as many in your row as you need. Be sure not to miscount the cards. (I did this more than once during practice and it will throw off your spacing and can cause spontaneous face palm.)
If you're just doing a line, then you're done!
If you want a grid, you need to make another line, offset from the first. Repeat the steps above, but also put cards at right angles to the first set. This will offset your material in two directions.
For advanced users you can draw a pattern using different numbers of cards and drill bit sizes. Like this amazing project, only smaller.
To do this at a larger scale size everything up and use sheets of plywood or square doweling as spacers. It makes the whole thing easier since you don't have to worry about sawdust or your drill press moving fractions of a millimeter.
Anything unclear? Ask in the comments and I'll try to help.
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12
Oct 3, 2010. 6:44 AM
dombeef
says:
dombeef
says:
For the last picture you could use a presured air can to get the burs out
Reply
Sep 14, 2009. 3:33 PMBattman
says:
Great idea! Worthy of the Galactic Institutes' prize for extreme cleverness.
Reply
1
Sep 11, 2009. 8:31 AMdesertdog
says:
Very good idea. I will use that.
Reply
Sep 11, 2009. 4:27 AMJimmyM
says:
You can also use resharpened carbide drill bits. I found a big set on eBay for ~$25. Thay have 1/8" shanks and the resharpened ones work just fine. Plus they last many many times longer than steel wire gauge bits when drilling FR4 and you don't need a Dremmel chuck, the 1/8" shanks fit the standard collet. The only drawbak is that they break really easily if you side-load them. The drill press prevents this.
Reply
Sep 8, 2009. 12:57 AMosirisbrackhaus
says:
Neat!
Reply
34
Sep 7, 2009. 6:25 AMjeff-o
says:
jeff-o
says:
Ah, very clever idea!
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