# Best Homemade Tools >  Fabricators portable Drill Press

## stingraygs

Here is my homemade Fabricator's portable drill press. I fabricate a lot of equipment attachments for my BobCat and truck, most need large holes of 1/2" or larger drilled in steel. I've used mag drills but the weight and base size often made them awkward if not impossible to get into places I need to drill. I finally threw a portable clamp-on drill press together out of junk I had laying around. A trip to the junk box found a broken Craftsman 1/2" "D" handle drill with the switch group broken off, a couple Pony 3/4" pipe clamps,2 very large hose clamps, a scrap piece of 5/16" aluminum plate and some nesting square tubing. After some quick welding, drilling and tapping, I had a multi-position (horizontal/vertical), multi-mount drill press that could be configured quickly for many field drilling jobs. 

StingrayGS

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Andyt (Apr 14, 2018),

bukwessul (Apr 13, 2018),

diamondbgunsmiths (Nov 10, 2015),

jere (Nov 9, 2015),

Jon (Nov 9, 2015),

kbalch (Nov 10, 2015),

Ken Koch (Aug 4, 2018),

Moby Duck (Nov 12, 2017),

Paul Jones (Nov 9, 2015),

PJs (Nov 10, 2015),

Priemsy (Aug 3, 2018),

rlm98253 (Nov 12, 2017),

thehomeengineer (Apr 29, 2018),

Toolmaker51 (Nov 12, 2017),

volodar (Aug 3, 2018)

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## jere

Nice improvising, i have seen old drill presses that hold hand drills in similar fashion, but yours looks more versatile. What is holding the al table to the cast iron pipe clamp half?


Offtopic:
I like your old c clamps with the butterfly handles are they Cincinnati/hargrave?

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## DIYer

Thanks stingraygs! We've added your Portable Drill Press to our Drilling and Drill Presses and category, as well as to your builder page: stingraygs' Homemade Tools. Your receipt:












Portable Drill Press
 by stingraygs

tags: portable, drill press, clamp

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## stingraygs

Jere
The aluminum table plate is tapped and secured with Allen cap screws to a steel bar. The bar is a 1/4"x1.25" (the length of the table back edge) and fastened across the back edge of the plate (post side). This bar is also tapped and fastened to the Pony pipe clamp with 2 Allen cap screws.

The butterfly handle clamps in the picture are not Cincinnati/Hargrave. They are only marked "6". I do however have a pair of Cincinnati Tool 8" clamps with butterfly handles. They are the only c-clamps I have with "lightening holes in the web.

StingrayGS

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jere (Nov 10, 2015)

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## Manitoba Man

I like the portable drill press. I made a lighter duty one from an old cheapee drill press into which you clamp a small speed drill. Mine works well with my Makita cordless drill. There is a great commercial unit out of Australia that is pretty spendy but very well made. You have inspired me post mine in the near future. Thanks.

Bob

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## old fogey

Good idea, thanks!

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rlm98253 (Nov 12, 2017)

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## Toolmaker51

That setup and portable generator or automotive inverter is portable as can be, especially when the anchor is a receiver hitch!

I point out HMT.net to others on a regular basis; emphasizing work like this fabricated drill press. A common answer is, "I'd never be able..." or "I don't have scrap", etc. With that opportunity, I say you're able, just haven't started, and it's only scrap when you can't clamp or hold it.

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## wizard69

Very nice use of stuff laying around that might have ended up in a hopper someplace.

Questions that come to mind.

1. is the drill unit free to rotate around the pipe column or do you have it keyed to prevent rotation?
2. is the pipe bendy or do you find it stiff enough for your needs?

This is a great idea for putting trailer hitches to work on service trucks and the like.

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## ncollar

StingrayGS
Always wanted a mag drill but that is very nice set up. 
Thanks for showing
Nelson

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