Drill Press Hole Puncher

[Loft Leather]

I'm sure someone else has already thought of this and it might have been posted already.  I put a six prong hole punch into my drill press and it works really well.  I was considering buying a press so I could avoid waking up the neighbors and the jarring to my hands/arm from hammering.  Some of my mistakes on my first project were a result of shifting the punch ever so slightly as I pulled the hammer back to hit.  I think this is an approach that will help me and maybe some others.

 

Edited 7 hours ago by Loft Leather

[Northmount]

44 minutes ago, Loft Leather said:

I'm sure someone else has already thought of this and it might have been posted already.  I put a six prong hole punch into my drill press and it works really well.

Have you done a search here to see what has been posted? You could search for drill press and related keywords.

[Loft Leather]

19 minutes ago, Northmount said:

Have you done a search here to see what has been posted? You could search for drill press and related keywords.

Yes, but didn't see anything.  Maybe I didn't look hard enough or maybe this is the first post on the topic?  

Edited 6 hours ago by Loft Leather

[MarshalWill]

I use my drill press for my maker's stamps and other large stamps. Using it for punches is a good idea. I've thought about putting hole punches in it but haven't as of yet. Looks like it's a good use for your purposes. Good thinking.

[fredk]

There have been many threads about this subject over the years. Some ppl use a drill press, some use an arbour press and I use a Tandy Pro-Press

[bruce johnson]

A bit different but -

First tip I EVER learned on the internet was from the old IILG group and Verlane Desgrange. (fun factoid - this group morphed out of the IILG - courtesy of a leather artist from Africa and a pizza baking momma from Ohio @Johanna). Verlane posted about chucking your mini or maxi punches in the drill press and turn it on. I literally read that, walked straight out to the shop and tried it. You want to make punching holes easy and no effort to remove? Even on damp sticky skirting with a big tube punch? This is it. That single tip was worth my annual dues right there. If you have visited the shop, I expect Rundi has demonstrated punching round holes with a drill press and using a rein trimmer to cut pieces. 

NOTE - As the punch tubes fill up the punchings will will fly out the ejection port in random directions. Eye protection is recommended. 

[Northmount]

18 minutes ago, Loft Leather said:

Yes, but didn't anything.  Maybe I didn't look hard enough or maybe this is the first post on the topic?  

Using LW's search for "drill press" AND stitching brought up lots of hits, most not fitting what we want.  Down 20 or 30 items, found a good hit.  Better to try a google search like this 

site: leatherworker.net "drill press" sewing stitching -machine -motor

Site: tells google to search the listed site

"drill press" quotes tell google to include both words, not individual

-machine tells google to ignore machine

The google search engines are much faster and easier to select the parameters you want and don't want.  Add or remove additional parameters as you like.

[TomG]

Here is a small set of single hole punches that are made for the drill press. I used to have a customer that I made leashes for and each required 8 holes punched into 10/12 Latigo.
They saved my life and sanity.

https://www.harborfreight.com/6-piece-hollow-punch-set-67030.html

[Loft Leather]

52 minutes ago, Northmount said:

Using LW's search for "drill press" AND stitching brought up lots of hits, most not fitting what we want.  Down 20 or 30 items, found a good hit.  Better to try a google search like this 

site: leatherworker.net "drill press" sewing stitching -machine -motor

Site: tells google to search the listed site

"drill press" quotes tell google to include both words, not individual

-machine tells google to ignore machine

The google search engines are much faster and easier to select the parameters you want and don't want.  Add or remove additional parameters as you like.

I haven't searched that way before.  Thanks for the tip.  I'll give it a try.

 

 

26 minutes ago, TomG said:

Here is a small set of single hole punches that are made for the drill press. I used to have a customer that I made leashes for and each required 8 holes punched into 10/12 Latigo.
They saved my life and sanity.

https://www.harborfreight.com/6-piece-hollow-punch-set-67030.html

I just put my 5mm hole punch into the drill press and didn't turn it on.  It was easy for me to go through this heavy leather just pulling down on the handle.  Is there a benefit to the spinning other than making it easier to go through the leather?

 

Using the press like this is a game changer for me.  I think I'll be able to get my stitch lines straighter and do it without damage to my body or upsetting anyone else with the noise.  Working with heavy leather, I can probably go faster too vs hammer the 6 prong punch 4-5 times to get it through.  Maybe I'll invest in a dedicated press eventually, but for now I can use this and get good results.  I'm not sure if the drill chuck's ability to spin with the punch in it is a good or bad thing for this yet.

Edited 5 hours ago by Loft Leather

[fredk]

a. the drill chuck being rotatable is good as you can fine tune the alignment

b. I have one of Tony's patterns and there is a quadzillion holes to punch. The press & 6 hole punch really speeds it up

c. The press I have doesn't have a large reach so I can't do holes towards the centre of the pattern with the press (oh dear, how sad, never mind!) I take my pattern out side to do those holes

d. you have a good height on that drill press. The leather press I have hasn't great height and I had to replace the bar on my multi-hole punch  with a much shorter one and cut down the single types