kimber
off to a rocking start
Member since November 2021
Posts: 4
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Post by kimber on Nov 22, 2021 1:27:13 GMT -5
Hi All, I am new here. This is my first post other than my introduction. I've been tumbling for a little over a year now and am ready to get into drilling to make jewelry and small cairns. I am trying to decide between a drill press and a Dremel. I've been getting some conflicting advice with some saying you can't drill with a Dremal and other saying it's what they use. What do you use? What are the pros and cons of the two? And any recommendations for brands (want to get it around $50 ideally, but no more than $100)? Thank you! The picture is of one of my favorite finds and for attention. Kimber  |
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Nov 22, 2021 9:26:47 GMT -5
That's a really pretty stone!
I don't do much drilling, but if I were I'd want a drill press. Drilling through a stone takes a long time and a lot of patience. You can use either, but the stability of a drill press will help alleviate broken drill bits and maybe even a drill bit skipping over a stone and hurting your hand.
ETA: Here is a tutorial on how to drill a stone from one of the tutorial boards. This person uses a drill, but the process is the same. |
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Post by victor1941 on Nov 22, 2021 9:45:09 GMT -5
I have used a Dremel on a few small cabs (less than 20) and found it tedious to say the least. A drill press will allow for much better positioning and control especially if the stone is in a jig.
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Post by Son Of Beach on Nov 22, 2021 9:53:37 GMT -5
I have used a Dremel for some necklaces. It works but the issue I run into when the bit punches thru the stone, the force of you pushing tends to smack the tool against the top side and I've left small scratches on most.
I'm opting for some kind of drill press setup in the future.
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Post by rockjunquie on Nov 22, 2021 10:09:12 GMT -5
I use a small drill press. But, you can use bits in a dremel, too and I THINK they sell a mount that will make it into a drill press. My drill press is made for a Foredom.
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Post by Rockoonz on Nov 22, 2021 10:11:43 GMT -5
We have both. Elizabeth pretty much exclusively uses the drill press, I use a Foredom flex shaft that I also use for carving. A Foredom is going to be out of your price range unless you find one used, you can get others for less but I have no experience with them and can't recomend any. I advise against a Dremel type grinder, I don't think it's safe to have something electrical in your hand that close to water, you must use water when drilling with diamond. If carving or shaping stones prior to tumbling is something you want to do soon, saving more money for a flex shaft may be best. miket is the master at that. Here is the drill press we have, it's been with us for a number of years with no problems. kingsleynorth.com/benchtop-drill-press.html |
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Post by Rockoonz on Nov 22, 2021 10:39:43 GMT -5
I have used a Dremel for some necklaces. It works but the issue I run into when the bit punches thru the stone, the force of you pushing tends to smack the tool against the top side and I've left small scratches on most. I'm opting for some kind of drill press setup in the future. I drill with a handpiece, learned a few tricks. I don't use diamond drills, they like to skitter away when starting a hole and blow out the back at the end. I use ball end carving burrs, you still need to use a little care to start, but once there's the slightest little dent in the surface it stays put easily. if you have both you can also just kind of center punch for the drill press with it, I've done that with Elizabeth when doing mass production before. Drilling through by hand is a little slower, but better results at least for me. When drilling I dunk the stone in water frequently, do the peck and clear routine, and hold the stone so my finger is at the exit point for the burr/drill. When I feel it tickle my finger I flip it over and carefully finish from the back. Switch to a 1 or 2 size larger ball bit to smooth the edge of the hole and it's ready to sand and polish or tumble. |
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Post by miket on Nov 22, 2021 10:40:07 GMT -5
I'd lean towards a drill press also. Rockoonz is correct about carving or shaping (thanks for the compliment, by the way!) with a dremel and although I haven't drilled holes in stones with it I think that everyone is correct about using a drill press so that you'd have more stability. Also, I don't use a flex shaft. I follow the dip and grind method, but I agree about the safety issue as well. |
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Post by miket on Nov 22, 2021 10:42:54 GMT -5
I have used a Dremel for some necklaces. It works but the issue I run into when the bit punches thru the stone, the force of you pushing tends to smack the tool against the top side and I've left small scratches on most. I'm opting for some kind of drill press setup in the future. I drill with a handpiece, learned a few tricks. I don't use diamond drills, they like to skitter away when starting a hole and blow out the back at the end. I use ball end carving burrs, you still need to use a little care to start, but once there's the slightest little dent in the surface it stays put easily. if you have both you can also just kind of center punch for the drill press with it, I've done that with Elizabeth when doing mass production before. Drilling through by hand is a little slower, but better results at least for me. When drilling I dunk the stone in water frequently, do the peck and clear routine, and hold the stone so my finger is at the exit point for the burr/drill. When I feel it tickle my finger I flip it over and carefully finish from the back. Switch to a 1 or 2 size larger ball bit to smooth the edge of the hole and it's ready to sand and polish or tumble. Thanks for posting this. I've thought about drilling holes in a few of my cabs to make simple pendants and I usually buy sets of burrs and end up never using most of them. I think I'm going to give this a try! |
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Post by Rockoonz on Nov 22, 2021 10:55:03 GMT -5
I'd lean towards a drill press also. Rockoonz is correct about carving or shaping (thanks for the compliment, by the way!) with a dremel and although I haven't drilled holes in stones with it I think that everyone is correct about using a drill press so that you'd have more stability. Also, I don't use a flex shaft. I follow the dip and grind method, but I agree about the safety issue as well. Part of it for me is bench space. This is a rotating bench I built to use a less usable corner of the old shop in WA. I will use it here too, but with different tools on it, carving will still be there but probably not intarsia. Went from about 16' for benches in WA to 24' here. As you can see, with multiple wet operations the table top got pretty wet. A little care to keep your motor away from the water, especially when not in use, would go far. Having a good GFCI to plug into is good too.  |
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Post by rockjunquie on Nov 22, 2021 11:00:41 GMT -5
I'd lean towards a drill press also. Rockoonz is correct about carving or shaping (thanks for the compliment, by the way!) with a dremel and although I haven't drilled holes in stones with it I think that everyone is correct about using a drill press so that you'd have more stability. Also, I don't use a flex shaft. I follow the dip and grind method, but I agree about the safety issue as well. Part of it for me is bench space. This is a rotating bench I built to use a less usable corner of the old shop in WA. I will use it here too, but with different tools on it, carving will still be there but probably not intarsia. Went from about 16' for benches in WA to 24' here. As you can see, with multiple wet operations the table top got pretty wet. A little care to keep your motor away from the water, especially when not in use, would go far. Having a good GFCI to plug into is good too. And I thought I had space issues.  |
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Post by Rockoonz on Nov 22, 2021 11:11:24 GMT -5
miket I buy burrs in lots of 30, only the shapes I use. The best seller I found was on Ebay zhouhanlin1983. Jade carver is good too, but more $. Amazon may have comparable stuff too, and the RTH link sends a little cash to support us, as soon as the current inventory runs out I will be checking there.
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Post by Starguy on Nov 22, 2021 12:47:41 GMT -5
kimberThere are many ways to do it. It’s good to have a combination of bits and burrs. I’ve used the drill press method starting with a burr to “dimple” the surface of the rock so the drill bit doesn’t skitter around on the polish. Using the drill bit, I complete the hole going as slow as possible especially when you get close to breaking through. Once it breaks through there will likely be some chipping around the hole on the bottom of the rock. You can use the burr again to dress up some of the chipping. I’ve been toying with the idea of drilling the stone before tumbling them in the hope that tumbling would clean up the chipping caused when the bit breaks through the bottom of the rock. Good luck. Looking forward to some photos.
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Post by miket on Nov 22, 2021 13:21:13 GMT -5
miket I buy burrs in lots of 30, only the shapes I use. The best seller I found was on Ebay zhouhanlin1983. Jade carver is good too, but more $. Amazon may have comparable stuff too, and the RTH link sends a little cash to support us, as soon as the current inventory runs out I will be checking there. Thank you, sir, I'll have to check it out!
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kimber
off to a rocking start
Member since November 2021
Posts: 4
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Post by kimber on Nov 22, 2021 17:00:19 GMT -5
Thank you everyone! This is such helpful information. I do plan on eventually shaping some rights slightly for jewelry. I have the loviest tiny piece of jasper the ocean polished for me that I'd love to make earrings out of. I'm not quite there though. Besides making the cairns, I've found rocks that would be prefect as pendants. The ocean here in WA can be very kind by shaping and polishing for you on occasion. I think I'm learning towards asking for a drill press and a Dremel. That way come next year, I can take a labidary class and have everything I need.  Well, that is until I discover the next thing I need. Kimber |
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Benathema
has rocks in the head
God chased me down and made sure I knew He was real June 20, 2022. I've been on a Divine Mission.
Member since November 2019
Posts: 703
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Post by Benathema on Nov 23, 2021 1:47:48 GMT -5
No drilling expert, by any means, but maybe a dozen or two under my belt. I've used a flex shaft on a Dremel and it's not a lot of fun. My wrists and grip aren't what they used to be after many years working a computer. Hands start hurting quite a bit to maintain the pressure. I've tried lubing the bearing in this flex shaft, they get so hot you can't hold it for more than a few minutes. Don't even reach up to touch the one at the Dremel, you'll burn yourself. Maybe crap equipment, I don't know, but a drill press sounds appealing. I have like 100 diamond bits around but haven't drilled in a few months because how unappealing the experience has been.
Blowout can be bad, but I can say that if you toss it in medium grit and push it forward that it does clean it up.
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Post by Rockoonz on Nov 23, 2021 8:35:19 GMT -5
And I thought I had space issues. More like tool accumulation issues in my case. |
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Post by HankRocks on Nov 23, 2021 8:52:23 GMT -5
I started out using the Dremel(hand-held) to drill holes. It worked well. My wife got me a Dremel drill press which made it much easier. The only complaint is replacing drill bits while the Dremel is mounted in the Drill Press, really need to learn the proper finger gymnastics!!
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kimber
off to a rocking start
Member since November 2021
Posts: 4
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Post by kimber on Nov 23, 2021 17:26:49 GMT -5
That's a really pretty stone!
I don't do much drilling, but if I were I'd want a drill press. Drilling through a stone takes a long time and a lot of patience. You can use either, but the stability of a drill press will help alleviate broken drill bits and maybe even a drill bit skipping over a stone and hurting your hand.
ETA: Here is a tutorial on how to drill a stone from one of the tutorial boards. This person uses a drill, but the process is the same. Thank you for sharing the tutorial. That was how it's been described to me, but it so helpful to see! |
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Post by stephan on Nov 26, 2021 23:36:03 GMT -5
For electrical safety, just plug into a GFCI. If you don’t have a GFCI outlet, GFCI power strips are available at just about any hardware store. This would be best practice for any lapidary equipment that uses water, btw.
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Well, that is until I discover the next thing I need. 
