Countersink in existing hole with drill press

Like Jim above, I have had poor success with big box single flute countersinks. And like Liljoebrshooter, I will often turn the power off and manually turn the spindle by hand.
 
I just started using the zero flutes, they cut very nice. Low speed and a bit more pressure.
 
Thanks for all the replies.
I purchased the zero flute KEO 82º countersink I pictured in my first post. It has a 5/16" shaft and 1/2" head.
The descriptive copy called it a "single end" countersink.
 
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I have
projectnut said:
I've used the single flute almost exclusively for over 35 years. On occasion in the field I've used 6 flute, but they're best when used in a rigid setup like a mill or lathe. The 2 brands I have in the shop are MA Ford and Keo. I bought he MA Ford set in the mid 1980's. They've been used to countersink and deburr thousands of holes in 316 stainless, 6061 aluminum, 1018 and all sorts of other alloys. I highly recommend both brands.

We used MA Ford exclusively in the shop at work and never had any problems. Mine have only been sharpened once in all that time. It's getting near the time to sharpen them a second time. To do the job I bought a MA Ford Unicam sharpening fixture like this about 15 years ago:


At the time I paid less than $50.00 for it. I see the price has gone up a bit since then
Click to expand...
I have that same unicam fixture, and it does work, but is not really easy to use, I prefer my Weldon countersink fixture, especially if I have a bunch of them to sharpen.
I use both types of countersinks shown at the top of the page, and agree that the zero flute are best for deburring and the single flute are best for countersinking for screws.
 
Liljoebrshooter said:
One trick i figured out with my very low quality drill press for using a countersink is to turn the power off and turn the spindle by hand. I just pull the feed lever down and twist the spindle with my left hand. It only takes a couple revolutions. And no chatter.
The zero flute ones almost eliminate this.
Joe
Click to expand...

Just how "Low Quality" is that drill press? I'm using a Taiwanese one I purchased new in 1974. The drill press carries the name "Farm & Fleet, which is the store I bought it from. If I recall correctly it cost all of $125.00 back then. I use it to deburr and countersink under power. I actually have 2 of them. The older one purchased in 1970 carries the name Rockford. They were both built by the same Taiwanese company. The company would put whatever name you wanted on them with a minimum order of 500 units.

Both drill presses are used on an almost daily basis. The total amount of maintenance on the one in the shop has amounted to a squirt of oil every 10 years or so. The one in the garage needed to have a mouse nest removed about 15 years ago, but that's about it. Everything on them is original except for the work light bulb.
 
I can't say what it cost new. My father bought it from a yard sale for something like $25. He has been gone for almost 28 years so it's not a new item. I works for making holes.

Joe
 
I ordered and tried the single flute countersink. Not impressed with the results.
It didn't chatter much and made a pretty smooth but a bit rough countersink, but it drifted and I couldn't get it to center on the hole.

IMG_1429.JPG
 
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