Drill Press for Case Trimming

[three50seven]

Like most reloaders, I loathe trimming brass. I currently use the Lee hand trimmer chucked up in a cordless drill to trim brass. The though occured to me to use a small bench top drill press instead. Just curious if anyone else uses a set up similar to this?

I'm envisioning some sort of small clamp to hold the cutter/case length gauge in place.


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[mdi]

Do you want to chuck the shell holder assy. in the drill or the stud/cutter? I don't mind trimming brass and I only trim my rifle cases so I use my hand drill with the shell holder chucked in it and hold the cutter. With a drill press so short/small I think there might be problems; if the cutter is in the drill and you have to have room to slide the case and shell holder over it. If you chuck the shell holder in it it seems it would be a pain inserting the case. You could probably move the table aside and hold the shell holder/case in hand and slide it over the cutter, but that's no better than using a hand drill. I'd need a bit of time studying the press and trimmer to come up with a workable method, but right now I don't see the small press as any improvement over a hand drill....

[three50seven]

I first thought of chucking the shell holder into the drill press and clamping the cutter onto the base. Now I'm thinking it would be easier to do it the opposite way. The issue I'm seeing is that this little press has a 10mm chuck, and the Lee trimmer is a little over 12mm in diameter. Like you said, it may be more cost and trouble than it's worth.

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[richhodg66]

I've done this with those Lee trimmers and a cheap Harbor Freight drill press. I chucked the cutter with the case length gauge part into the drill and didn't even use the lock stud part. I padded some slip joint plers with some old inner tube and held the case with the base flat on the steel deck of the drill press so the length guage would bottom out on that instead of the lock stud like it's supposed to.

I hate trimming brass too, and am gradually getting file type trim dies for as many things as I can, I really find that easier than any other method.

[gnostic]

I think Forster makes a adapter to trim cases on a drill press....

[three50seven]

I've done this with those Lee trimmers and a cheap Harbor Freight drill press. I chucked the cutter with the case length gauge part into the drill and didn't even use the lock stud part. I padded some slip joint plers with some old inner tube and held the case with the base flat on the steel deck of the drill press so the length guage would bottom out on that instead of the lock stud like it's supposed to.

That sounds like a better idea than what I had. I'm thinking you could even buy a small drill press vise and drill holes in the jaws for different size cases.

I have a bench top drill press, but it's in my unheated barn, and my loading bench is in the cozy warm house

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[BigAlofPa.]

I do them with a cordless drill.

[three50seven]

I think Forster makes a adapter to trim cases on a drill press....

I just looked it up, and it's definitely an interesting design. My concern is that you rely on the stop on your drill press to control trim length. I wouldn't trust my drill press to stay consistent....lol

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[Binky]

I have the Wilson system. I use it in my drill press along with a small machinist's vice to trim large batches of cases. Wilson makes an adapter for the cutter. I use it by hand for small batches as the set up time makes it counterproductive, for me anyway.

[richhodg66]

I have used those little Lee trimmers with a hand held drill and it's always seemed like an unsafe practice somehow. I have had that lock stud come loose because I didn't tighten it enough while it was in my hands. I'd rather use the drill press.

[three50seven]

I have used those little Lee trimmers with a hand held drill and it's always seemed like an unsafe practice somehow. I have had that lock stud come loose because I didn't tighten it enough while it was in my hands. I'd rather use the drill press.

Me too. And when your hands get sweaty it's hard to tighten the case into the holder, plus the brass shavings start sticking to everything.

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[three50seven]

Using a drill press to trim brass I use a tubing flare tool to hold the brass so far 223 308 30 carbine has worked very well under the flare tool is a 2x2 square tubing that must be level the base of the case rests on it . this has worked better then any other trimer I ever bought .

Awesome! Now that's a good idea, thank you!

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[country gent]

The drill press does a good job if it has a good depth stop. Most f the cheaper ones may vary bu .010 do to spring in the stop. Not a big deal to fix.

Ideally the cutter is mounted in the spindle so that it dosnt have to be turned on and off to change cases. There are several ways to do this fairly easily and accurately. First the drill press as this is the heart of the set up. A good machine with an adjustable table angle and height. Pulley drive is fine here. preferably all metal depth stop. 1/2" -5/8" chuck. A taller bench to model gives more room to work than the one pictured.

Forester did make a set up for trimming in the drill press it did does very good job but depends on the stop on the drill press. Dont know if they still make it, but there are some ut there.

If you have a lyman rcbs redding trimmer even wilsons work with this. Pic up some 1" X 4" hard maple wood. Indicate the drill presses table to square. Make a angle plate 4" X 4" base and upright to match the trimmer. fit together and glue dowel and screw joint add a brace again glue dowel and screw. when cured use a table saw and just dust the short base to clean up with long side tight to cross cut guide set at 90* then cut long side with the fresh cut side tight to the guide. This makes a truly square angle plate. mount cutter shaft and trimmer in press chuck and spot hole thru trimmer to angle plate. Base can be clamped or bolted to table. This makes a very accurate set up and the trimmers stop saves relying on the drill presses stop.

The lees set up works good lacks actual easy length adjustment mount the case holder in a block of wood or metal glue in or set screw. mount cutter in the spindle and go.

The redding set up will also wirk with neck turning.

My set up used a rcbs trimmers collet and block set into a base. and lee cutter and pilots. I made it so a screw sets against the stop plate with a steel plate clamped around spindle. dead stop and repeats to .001. I use it more for neck turning than trimming but it is fast and sure to use.

[bimus]

side way picture

[tunnug]

I was at a gun show recently and found a multi size brass holder made by Lyman that someone mounted on a small piece of wood, I chuck it in a vice to hold my 300BLK conversion brass while I cut it to size with "the world's finest trimmer" , really saves my fingers, the holder was originally sold to mount on a drill press.

[ReloaderFred]

Lyman used to make a collet type shell holder, trimmer head and base just for trimming brass on a drill press. I've used it for many, many years, and finally wore out the jaws on the collet, but was able to buy a new set of jaws. It works well for large batches of brass, with the exception of when you have to trim quite a bit off the case mouth. What happens is a burr, similar to a flange, occurs and binds the pilot from withdrawing from the case mouth. Sometimes it gets so bad it will pull the pilot out of the trimmer head. If just trimming a small amount, then this isn't a problem.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[Baltimoreed]

I have cut down 45-70 to 45-60 with the lee case trimmers and an old drill press a bunch. The shell holder went in the chuck and the pilot and cutter were in a press vise clamped to the table. Of course everything is trued up. Just a matter of putting the brass in the holder [use pliers to get it tight] and lowering it onto the cutter until the guide bottomed out. As the .45-60 is such a big case you get some junk that doesn’t cut off the case just hangs there. I would use a fine file to take that corner off and then lightly hit it with a chamfer tool inside and out. Done.

[Half Dog]

I’ve used a Dillon trimmer and it was great but a little on the noisy side. It fits the RCBS Rockchucker and cycles about as fast as you can load another piece of brass onto the shell holder.

[Wayne Smith]

Lee makes a three jaw chuck for their zip trim that fits in my cordless drill motor. I use this and the lee system to cut 9x19 to 9x18, use it to trim 30-06 to close to 57mm to make 9.3x57. It needs oil once in a while but works well.

[Conditor22]

I built a wood frame to line up my drill with the RCBS trimmer (this holds the drill in place so all I have to do is pull the trigger and slide it), screwed a bolt with a couple of extra nuts into the handle end of the trimmer, bought a fuel line to make the coupling from the drill to the trimmer (I was using a socket but the rubber fuel line worked much smoother). with a carbide cutter, it zips through brass like butter