Mag Drill Chuck and Speed Question

[Doubled33]

I have a need for a mag drill.

There seem to be many chuck types offered. A Morse Taper, Weldon, RotaLoc etc…

I will be using an annular cutter drilling mostly 3/4 to 1” holes.

Most plate will be A36 1/2 to 3/4” thick.

I would occasionally need a larger or smaller hole in a thicker or thinner plate and maybe some A572-50 Plate.

What is the most common chuck type to look for?

I also notice some drills have cooling. Do all chuck types work with the auto drip cooling?

Lastly with my use is variable speed a need to have?

 

[rmack898]

If you’re going to be using annular cutters then a weldon chuck is what you want. You can get a Jacobs chuck with a weldon shank to use a twist drill but you will lose some space and will need to use short twist drills.
Variable speed should not be needed and drip coolant will work with what ever you have in the chuck.

 

[sk farmer]

weldon all the way. the vast majority of tooling out there will be that. i have a 3 jaw that will allow me to use common drill bits but it has been rarely used.

i have most 1/8 inch sizes from 1/2 to 1 1/14 that i have found new or used. i have not found a use or need for for anything different.

for reference i have an evolution evomag 42, not a top end unit nor a generic no name..

i don't use it every day but it has drilled 100s of holes. i would replace it with the same one tomorrow if it crapped out. which i doubt it will.

 

[sk farmer]

as far as cooling.......

my mag drill is equipped with an oil tank but i never us it. i apply a generous amount before and during the process. my usage is a few holes here and there and then the annular cutters and mag drill return to the case for storage til the next job. i

if i was to be pounding out 20, 30 or 40 holes i would use the integrated lube/coolant tank. since i don't my procedure is to apply by hand, avoiding the need to clean up or store the coolant/ lube tank in the mag drill case. your mileage may vary.

 

[ez-duzit]

The Champion AC50 is the real deal. You'll want to use Weldon shank cutters.

 

[dr_clyde]

The term you are looking for is "spindle" instead of chuck.

A chuck has moveable jaws that allow it to grip a variety of diameters. Chucks go in spindles.

Most mag drills will come with a spindle set up for Weldon shank tooling. This will fit most common annular cutters and is probably what I would recommend. You can get adapters that allow you to run a standard Jacob's chuck in them, but at the expense of Z axis height.

Milwaukee makes (or at least used to make) a drill that has a Morse taper spindle. This allows you to easily swap out either drill chucks, taper shank tools like reamers or drills, and whatever else you may want. Adapters exist to allow you to run Weldon shank tooling in a morse taper machine.

In my experience, if you want to just drill holes, an annular cutter will be your best play. This will want a Weldon shank. If you plan to do a lot of other stuff, like tapping, reaming, countersinking or use twist drills, you will want a Jacob's chuck.

I have a Hougen with a Weldon shank spindle and a Milwaukee with a MT3 spindle. I use the Hougen more, but when I need to tap holes, the Milwaukee is really, really nice.

As far as coolant goes, I just use a pump sprayer or a squirt bottle. Yes, annular cutters like flood coolant. It makes a HUGE mess unless you have it in an enclosure or some kind of sump, so I just prefer to hose it on with a pump vs using a constant flood. Makes a LOT less mess.

 

[dr_clyde]

Another thought that may be relevant.

Look into punching the holes if this is a large job or if you're trying to work quickly.

Hougen-Ogura Electro-hydraulic Hole Punchers

Electro-Hydraulic Hole Punches Quickly punch round and oblong holes in steel. Save time and money with Hougen-Ogura's self contained electric hole punchers. Flat Bar H-Steel Angle Channel

hougenmagdrills.com

Your hole won't be as perfect as a machined one, but you'll be done in seconds.

 

[GeoBruin]

I have mixed feelings about the coolant bottle vs "hand squirted" coolant. Yeah, if you're doing one hole, just squirt some coolant on there before (and ideally during) the cut.

But, annular cutters are designed for through coolant. When the pilot pin engages the work, it lifts up the top cap part and allows coolant to flow through the cutter from the inside, cooling/lubricating both the cutter itself as well as the work in the precise area of the cut. In this way, you actually use a lot less coolant than trying to apply it by hand where you essentially have to keep a constant flow targeted directly at the cut, or at the cup formed by the spindle guide depending on how the drill is designed.

I have one mag drill with wihout through coolant which I used for years before getting one with, and it actually makes a much bigger mess than the one with the coolant bottle. By delivering a smaller amount of coolant precisely to the cut area flowing right through the cutter, there's less excess coolant flung about.

Regarding spindles/chucks, different companies have different approaches to this. My hougan's spindle is actually two pieces: an upper portion that is permanently affixed to the motor and a lower portion that can be detached. The lower portion typically feeds through the guide that keeps it centered and prevents deflection but if you want to use a drill chuck instead of a weldon shank tool, you can detach the lower portion of the spindle and it mitigates the Z height issue introduced by using a three jaw Chuck and a conventional drill bit.

My DeWalt alternatively has a set of dovetails where the spindle assembly can be raised up along the guide rails to allow use of a drill chuck without the need to disassemble the spindle. Essentially the drill chuck just has a weldon shank that is inserted where an annular cutter would normally be inserted. The DeWalt system is definitely faster but it probably permits more side to side deflection.

 

[Dr.JohnnyFever]

Weldon? Jacobs? Get both!