Mini Drilling Station

buying a mini drilling station is not a solution for me because making one is easy and affordable.i need it to drill the holes of my homemade PCB's at least that was the objective but then i realized that it is even capable for drilling plywood and plastic witch is useful for small projects hope you like this one and subscribe to my youtube channel for more awesome builds ( TUNMAKER https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsFmFKMpUdyIiE55W3KsTzw)

TO SEE IT IN ACTION Jump to 5min 50 sec

-Materials used :

-- 1 cm thick sheet of plywood

-- scrap piece of wood

-- scarp piece of MDF

-- two stainless steel rods (10 mm diameter)

-- two springs

-- 4 x O screws

-- zip ties

-- 30 V motor ( i got it from an old printer with its power adapter and switch to power it)

-- 4 x steel L joints

-- GLUE : two parts epoxy and wood glue

-- some small screws

- Tools :

-- jigsaw or normal saw

-- chisel

-- screwdriver

-- hand drill (with small bits and a 10 mm drill bit)

-- sand paper for the wood

Step 1: Cutting and Assembling the Base Pieces

use the schematics to retrace four pieces two for the top and bottom and two for the sides to the sheet of plywood.

i used Solid Works to design this you'll find them with the files if you want to change anything.

i used my table mounted jigsaw for this cut but a normal saw would do , also you can make it bigger or smaller to suit your needs.

after cutting the pieces i sanded the edges for a smoother look after that we drill four holes for the steel rods to fit in.

then marked the places for L joints and used screws to assemble the parts,make sure the L joints are straight before screwing them other wise it will affect the entire build as this frame is our base structure. easy this way right ?,and the bottom piece is screwed to the base plate i used MDF

Step 2: Making the Slider

Jump TO 3 min 50 sec for this step

the slider is composed of three pieces as you can see in the schematics :

- 1 x the slider

- 2 x Motor holders

Starting by the slider cut it to length then mark the holes where it will be guided by the steel rods.

using the vice i drilled the holes with a 5 mm drill bit then a 10 mm of course as long as you don't have a drill press like me these holes can't be straight as they should be so i made them a little bigger to compensate for the mis-alignement to make them glide freely on the steel rods.

Now retrace the motor holders on the Plywood and cut two pieces then to make the inner hole i glued the two pieces with super glue and started drilling many holes as i could and with the help of my jigsaw i removed what i could of the material.I have to WARN you this is dangerous with the jigsaw it did fly away a couple of times so be careful or use the chisel for this .

Next i hold the pieces with the vice and started filling it to shape until i was able to fit the motor easily.We finish them by drilling two tiny holes so we can screw them later to the Slider.(so that the screws dont split the plywood).

Now we make the two slots on the slider for the motor holder and by making the motor holders first you can make the slots according to them in case you messed up the alignment this is why the motor holders come first.

Using a saw and a chisel i carved them then sanded them.Finally drill two holes for the zip ties.

Now use glue and screws to assemble the three pieces and were done.

Make a quick test to see if everything fits together and mark the shaft of the motor to see where it will drop and drill that hole on the MDF base.

Step 3: Painting and Assembling

I painted everything white it looked nice i was so happy at this point =)

added the O screws for the spring and were ready to assemble.Put the motor in place and strap it with zip ties keep them loose for now until we finish the assembly.

put the steel rods make sure everything is aligned,perpendicular...(eye bowling) and tighten the zip ties , mix two parts epoxy and glue the steel rods to the top and bottom pieces and the drilling station is ready.

Step 4: Fitting Drill Bits to the Motor

JUMP TO 2 min 49 sec for this step:

So this is my way to fit drill bits to motor am sure there an easier way but this is what i did.

i took the wire connectors removed the silicone plastic around it then loosen the screws and put it aside for now.

take the drill bit (in the video i showed you a 1 mm bit) wrapped it with paper tape until it fits snugly inside the connector now with two parts epoxy mixed glue it to the connector , Quickly before it dries join it to the motor and turn it on while its turning using a screwdriver push it until its perfectly aligned and doesn't wabble around tighten the screws and check again when it looks straight carefully remove it and let it dry.

WHEN the epoxy dries start drilling some holes.