The Drill Press

The Gingery books are unique in the world. The guy literally tells you how to build a machine shop from scratch. He *does* allow that you can buy some things from the hardware store (bolts, motors), but he tells you how to cast and machine all the parts to build a very impressive collection of tools. Truly amazing, in a day and age where everything comes pre-packaged, that somebody would build tools from scratch. Definitely worth looking at. I keep wondering how much more effort it would be to do this if you couldn't go to the hardware store (can't buy bolts and nuts).

Just as the title says, this book shows the reader how to build a drill press (less the motor). One, specific, drill press. It has the plans and instructions for the drill press pictured on the cover of the book. If you want something else, this book may not be helpful, except as a starting point from which to draw up your own plans. The plans call for building the drill press from scratch. Really, really, from scratch. :) Cast your own parts and machine them. You will need a casting furnace, and a metal turning lathe, to fabricate the parts you'll need to build the drill press. Nick's review mentions that in passing. I'll repeat it with more emphasis: If you don't have a casting furnace and a metal lathe available, this book isn't going to help you build your drill press. It's a very good book, but very specific. I was looking for some guidance on building a bigger, slow drill press, and since I'm not interested in casting and machining the parts, this book wasn't it. It is an excellent book if you want to build this drill press.

This book uses the charcoal foundry from the first book in this series, and the lathe from the second book in this series to build a fully functional drill press. David Gingery uses clearly written instructions, with lots of illustrations. This book is for anyone who knows the fun is in building, not buying a drill press.