QUOTE (Airgazm86 @ Jul 1 2007, 01:54 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Just out of curiosity, do you have to individually measure and punch each hole to be drilled? Or do you simply use adjustments on your equipment that help keep everything exact?
Either way, that's a lot of drilling!
Either way, that's a lot of drilling!
The milling machine I use has a DRO (digital read-out) on it that allows me to know exactly where I am within 0.0002 inches. What I do is move my table to the location I want to be and then I can drill. In the case of the rotory table used in the picture, I crank it to my next degree location and drill. The rotory table is only repeatable to about 15 arc seconds, which is close enough for this job.
I do not need a puch because I use cobalt split point stub drills for my holes. Some people will center drill their location before drilling, but with the split point stub, you can start your hole with just the drill bit. The bit is very short and stiff so it does not wander when starting. The machine is also very ridgid and almost perfectly square to the work piece. When using the split point, you get a hole that is repeatable to within 2 thou or so of your desired location all day long. Combine that with a good Albright keyless chuck (these chucks are made in west Germany and cost over 200 bucks!) and you can change tools pretty quickly with very high accuracy.
Good questions!
David