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Tool Talk Discussion Forum

Center Finder for Drill Press

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bobcaesar

12-28-2003 07:42:43

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Anyone know where (on the Internet) I might find a machinest's center finder for a drill press. I believe they are made up of two cylinders & a "point" which align when the drill point center is found?
Thanks! Bob

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rhudson

12-28-2003 18:54:07

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Re: Center Finder for Drill Press in reply to bobcaesar, 12-28-2003 07:42:43

Hi Bob,
don't want to start any train wrecks here, but.... the tool in the site you posted is an edge finder that has a center finder point. most dont have the point just the cylinder button. the wiggler (set), on the other hand, has a chuck that holds several different locator tools. all of the tools have a spherical end on one end (that goes into the chuck) the other ends are usually a. spherical to locate the edges of flat surfaces, b. disk or cylindrical ended to locate the side of a cylindrical part, c. test indicator mount, and d. a needle end that is used to locate (usually visually) female or dempled centers or details of an object. the way the site is explaining its use is not how it is designed for use on a milling machine. but as others have pointed out, you would need a percise way of moving your work (lead screwed table) to use that way. so i guess to use it in a drill press you could do like the site suggest. i just don't like to tell anyone to touch a rotating tool. anyway what you're looking for can be found under edge finders. i have one like it in a box around here somewhere, and when i die.....well someone will get a bargain.

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Irv

12-29-2003 13:16:04

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Re: Re: Center Finder for Drill Press in reply to rhudson, 12-28-2003 18:54:07

Rhudson, you are right. That little whizzy is for finding the center. I will admit that after 30 years of toolmaking, I have never used one like that. We always used bridgeports and edgefinders. I guess we have been spoiled! Irv

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rhud

12-29-2003 14:13:09

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Re: Re: Re: Center Finder for Drill Press in reply to Irv, 12-29-2003 13:16:04

Hi Irv,
Have you ever used a centering scope? i think mine is about a 20 power "microscope" with cross hairs. i always have a fear that someone will turn on the mill while i'm looking through it. Sometimes i wonder if machinest are a thing of the past. makes me feel old.

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Irv

12-29-2003 16:10:29

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Re: Re: Re: Re: Center Finder for Drill Press in reply to rhud, 12-29-2003 14:13:09

No I never used one. In the Detroit area, that was always considered an "aircraft" type tool. The only time I ever saw one was at the Missile plant @ 16 mile & Vandyke. I recently worked on a job with the Makino Corp. They bought out the old LeBlond lathe company back in the 80's. They build large machining centers now. Some of thier younger techs, excellent machinists, have never worked on a machine with "handles" Think about it - everything cnc control. They are very good at it but probably couldn't turn a Bridgeport on! Good luck Irv LaLonde [email protected]

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Paul in mich

01-01-2004 07:02:49

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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Center Finder for Drill Press in reply to Irv, 12-29-2003 16:10:29

Irv, I ran one of those LeBlond Makino CNC Machining centers for 15 years. It had an electronic probe to find XYZ edges as well as XYZ Centerlines. With all that technology, it was no more accurate than the edge finder I used for the 29 years prior on a Bridgeport. A drill press chuck usually isnt that steady to begin with. A scribed layout with a center punch followed by a center drill is about as close as necessary.

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Irv

01-01-2004 14:28:16

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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Center Finder for Drill Pr in reply to Paul in mich, 01-01-2004 07:02:49

Yeah our machines have Renashaw probes on them. One thing I think that a lot of backyard guys haven'y seen are transfer punches. They can be real time savers. Irv

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BobCaesar

12-28-2003 16:24:35

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Re: Center Finder for Drill Press in reply to bobcaesar, 12-28-2003 07:42:43

Thanks for all the great help!

I'll post a link to show what I'm calling a "center finder". Maybe I'm not being clear in my description?

Center Finder

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Irv

12-28-2003 16:52:12

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Re: Re: Center Finder for Drill Press in reply to BobCaesar, 12-28-2003 16:24:35

Thats what we call a wiggler. It is used on milling machines, jig bores usually.

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Irv

12-28-2003 13:38:31

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Re: Center Finder for Drill Press in reply to bobcaesar, 12-28-2003 07:42:43

I don't think you can use a wiggler on a drill press, onless you put one of those aftermarket tables on it. I layout centerlines, with bluing and a scriber. If you want the best job, you need a vernier height gage with a carbide scriber on it. As always, everything must be square! Once you scribe the C/L of the holes, you need to centerpunch the center. It takes some practice, but you can get holes within +/- .005 this way. Once center punched, use a centering tool to pick up the center punched point. I do this by hand, generally turning the spindle backward to find the center point, then clampling the work down. It might take a couple of tries to get position. Then use your center drill to create a center, then switch to a drill. If you are careful, you can do quite good work this way. Better- get a bridgeport! Irv

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SamH

12-28-2003 12:10:16

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Re: Center Finder for Drill Press in reply to bobcaesar, 12-28-2003 07:42:43

I don't know what you are working on, but center finders are not designed for use on a drill press or for picking up a drill point. 1- They are normally used on machines that have lead screws, such as mills and jig borers. You touch off on a couple of edges or some other part features and move to a specific location by using the lead screw. Drill presses don't have that capability. 2- Most drill bits have some amount of flat (because of the web) across the point, depending on the diameter, so unless you have a really small hole, it won't have a sharp pointed bottom.

There is another tool that's called a "wiggler" that might serve your purpose, but you still have problem of not having a totally pointed bottom in the hole.

Personally, I would just use whatever I could find that has a relatively sharp, concentric point and will fit into the chuck. A tap or another drill should work fine in the drill press.

Here is a website for you in case you want to take a look Link
Sears>Link also sells these in some of their stores, but I don't know about via the net. As somebody else mentioned, MSC has them. About any industrial supply house should have them.

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john d

12-28-2003 11:28:03

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Re: Center Finder for Drill Press in reply to bobcaesar, 12-28-2003 07:42:43

If you mean "edge finder," here's a place with nearly 20 different models.

Wholesale Tool

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rhudson

12-28-2003 09:47:42

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Re: Center Finder for Drill Press in reply to bobcaesar, 12-28-2003 07:42:43

the two cylinder thing is called an "edge finder" although some are clearly made to find centers. anyway try MSC. they will lots to chooe from. from dead cheap to the expensive kind you leave in the box and your wife sells for 25 cents at a yard sale when your dead. also you might try a "wiggler set" also for finding edges and centers, for realy accurate set up there's the co-axual indicator (about $120-300)

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Dave H (MI)

12-28-2003 11:55:45

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Re: Re: Center Finder for Drill Press in reply to rhudson, 12-28-2003 09:47:42

I have a quick fix for that if you're worried. I get most of my tools from my wife as gifts. Even if I have to give her the money and tell her exactly what to buy. That way she knows what it is worth. You should try it. Then the only thing your wife will be selling for 25 cents at the yard sale will be the jar with your ashes in it!

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Slowpoke

12-29-2003 01:50:01

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Re: Re: Re: Center Finder for Drill Press in reply to Dave H (MI), 12-28-2003 11:55:45

I try to keep the good stuff in the original box. If it doesn't have a price tag on it, I write the price (maybe slightly inflated) on the box just like they used to do in the old days.

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kraigWY

12-28-2003 09:02:09

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Re: Center Finder for Drill Press in reply to bobcaesar, 12-28-2003 07:42:43

I got mine from WWW.brownells.com, a gunsmithing supply outfit but deals in machine tooling also.

Blue Ridge Machine supply has them also but I don't know their web site, could do a search.

Thing about Brownells is they are fast and reliable. Honest too.

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Alvin n Ms.

12-28-2003 15:57:43

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Re: Re: Center Finder for Drill Press in reply to kraigWY, 12-28-2003 09:02:09

I have a bunch of machinest things that I bought at a machine shop auction last summer.Don't even know what most of it is. An MSC rep came by and bought a truck load, and left happy. I sold a large Pratt & Whitney milling machine for $300.00 just to get it off my trailor, and still have a large sheet metal rack on another trailor, thats in my way. It must weigh 12k. Maybe my wife will put it all in a yard sale, after I get a job,pushing up daiseys. alvinnms

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