I’m getting ready to enclose the underbelly on my trailer – a job that involves drilling some small holes in the underside of the chassis. Is there anything more fun than drilling into metal upside down in tight quarters? Yes. Lots of things are more fun than that.
So, after a little Googling, I came up with an Upside Down DIY Drill Press. The goal was to hold the drill bit steady against the metal and to put just the right amount of pressure on the bit, as it cuts slowly into the metal.
The key is the jack underneath the drill motor – an idea I copied from someone else. I then took my corded drill motor and mounted it upside down on a small piece of plywood. Two 6 inch lag bolts are on either side of the motor housing, and a steel hose clamp squeezes the lag bolts against the sides of the drill. The whole thing is then clamped to the top of the jack.
I put another small steel hose clamp on the trigger, so that I could very precisely control the speed of the drill – slow is good when going into metal. I like it when the drill spins off spiral cuttings, rather than little sharp metal flakes – much easier to clean up!
I hope other folks who find themselves on the dark side of the RV can make use of this trick (and maybe improve on it). Here is a one-minute video:
Upside down DIY drill press for working under the RV
And here is a photo:
Click For Full-Size Image.
So, after a little Googling, I came up with an Upside Down DIY Drill Press. The goal was to hold the drill bit steady against the metal and to put just the right amount of pressure on the bit, as it cuts slowly into the metal.
The key is the jack underneath the drill motor – an idea I copied from someone else. I then took my corded drill motor and mounted it upside down on a small piece of plywood. Two 6 inch lag bolts are on either side of the motor housing, and a steel hose clamp squeezes the lag bolts against the sides of the drill. The whole thing is then clamped to the top of the jack.
I put another small steel hose clamp on the trigger, so that I could very precisely control the speed of the drill – slow is good when going into metal. I like it when the drill spins off spiral cuttings, rather than little sharp metal flakes – much easier to clean up!
I hope other folks who find themselves on the dark side of the RV can make use of this trick (and maybe improve on it). Here is a one-minute video:
Upside down DIY drill press for working under the RV
And here is a photo:
Click For Full-Size Image.
