Jewelry folks, Anyone --- can you reccommend a drill???

[springintoscooters]

Perhaps a shade tree mechanic or handyman could come up with a way to help without you having to buy the equipment. If you find the right person, it will probably be cheaper than buying the right equipment yourself.

[serendipity]

BT, try to open your mind up a little. People are using different words to describe the same things and I think you're getting hung up on it. If you go to a place where they sell these things and use any of the terms used here, or better yet just tell them what you want to do, I think you'll get some good recommendations.

Kim mentioned TABLETOP drill presses...not that big... then kolstrom linked to two. I picture the  punch Fred's talking about like a small drill press with a hand drill.

[biggfredd]

I'm sorry I don't have the time to track down something so you can run your business.  The unit I had wasn't much bigger than a cigarette.  Just a little bar of aluminum with a couple of screws that you lightened with a spin of your fingers.. The screws ended in a close-fitting tip that fit into a hole. Insert item, screw down tip, the only place for anything to go was out the hole. Bingo, instant hole.

[kolstromkreations]

This is likely what BF is talking about, or something simlar.  Had to pull out an old Contenti catalog.

Link to punch
Link to drills
If you like the punch idea, I can envision not having to crank by hand.

[BTPS]

If you go to a place where they sell these things and use any of the terms used here, or better yet just tell them what you want to do, I think you'll get some good recommendations.

That's how we got the Dremel just 2 months ago.  Now it don't work.  They say we worked it too hard - it's not made for working that hard.  I don't want to be buying a new one every 2 months.
Thought folks here - like yourself that make jewelry would have a better clue then some guy that just knows tools and never used one for jewelry making.  It's alot different then drilling a hole in a wall.

TABLETOP drill presses...not that big... then kolstrom linked to two.

I thought those posted were considered table top drill press since they are not equiped to sit on the ground.
We have to have something portal, lightweight and easy to move around - table top or not - if it's too heavy to carry from the car to the buildings etc it won't work.  Keep in mind most of the time the car is parked no where near the vending area.  It has to be small since most booths are 8 X 10 and our display take up just about all the space.

This deal BF is talking about is very interesting as it would fit our need for not too big.  However, if that's the picture of what he is referring to it won't work as it would be too hard to see the exact stop the hold is going in which can be extremely important.  That's why the Dremel "pen" attachment thing was so nice.
Looking at the picture I don't know if we would be able to turn it to go through the metal. I know BF said HE can put a hole in a silver dollar but fact is we ain't that strong.  And the thought of doing 100+ pairs = 200 holes at least a day manually don't thrill me.

We are currently using a household black and decker drill.  It's getting what we need done but it's very heavy and ackwrd to use due to the size and weight.  Yes a press would help but then again we have a storage issue and a moveablity issue to think about.


I did talk to a local jewelry repair guy - but like he said he don't use his drill for 200+ holes in a months time. 

[biggfredd]

This is likely what BF is talking about, or something simlar.  Had to pull out an old Contenti catalog.

Yes, that's exactly what I'm talking about.  Thanx  for finding it.

It wouldn't work on something brittle (then again, a drill probably wouldn't either) but it will punch a neat hole thru a coin in a second with about two turns of the T.  The entire main section is maybe 4" long, so it can be carried in a pocket and even a kid can use it.

For production work, you could mount it in a vice.

[biggfredd]

That's how we got the Dremel just 2 months ago.  Now it don't work.  They say we worked it too hard - it's not made for working that hard. 

From what I've seen, the standard dremels are made for occasional hobby use, not production work.  Commercial units like the foredom will power cables (much litle a dentist drill that he can move around) and even have foot pedals for speed control, and will last indefinitely.  They used them with tiny circular saws on the end to snip off the gold tips on telephone relays at the Jackson refinery, and they'd run them 16 hours a day.

[biggfredd]

We have to have something portal, lightweight and easy to move around - table top or not - if it's too heavy to carry from the car to the buildings etc it won't work.  Keep in mind most of the time the car is parked no where near the vending area.  It has to be small since most booths are 8 X 10 and our display take up just about all the space.

Sounds like the foredom is what you want.  It's a motor about the size of a grapefruit that hangs like an IV bottle.  A flexible cable comes out of it, and in the cable is a high speed drill.  Optional pedal for speed control.  Otherwise works very similar to your dremel.  The whole thing would pack in an attache case.

Should be in the catalog under high speed drills.

[WayOutWest]

They say we worked it too hard

yeah, any drill can be worked too hard if you use wrong bits, run it at too high of a speed for too long, not using lubricant, etc.  Of course a more powerful motor wont have to work as hard as a weaker one, but can still be overworked.

We have to have something portal, lightweight and easy to move around - table top or not - if it's too heavy to carry from the car to the buildings etc it won't work.  Keep in mind most of the time the car is parked no where near the vending area.

Dont they let you pull up close to the building, or even drive inside the building, for setup before the show starts?  I realize some might not (like when you setup at the school) but even so you should be able to park by doors for at least a few minutes.

[biggfredd]

Yep, here ya go.  1/3 HP @15,000 RPM ought to be able to poke holes through a bridge.

http://www.contenti.com/products/flexshafts/236-932.html

Betcha the whole thing don't weigh more than about a gallon of milk.

[WayOutWest]

1/3 hp- that's foredoms most powerful one - nice choice. 

[planetsuze]

I know ZIP about drills, but my only about this is, if a Dremel isn't strong enough for the volume you are doing, move up, and fast!  And good for you that you are doing that kind of volume! 

Edited to add: @ WOW, those pics of the drill bits made me laugh. The "F" one of the diamond burs and the right one of the two carbide burs look a heck of a lot like the burs we use in our high-speed drill (75,000 rpm) for spine surgery! 

[biggfredd]

Same difference.  Dental drills, too.