I saw a tweet the other day, from the Woodworking Network (@WoodworkingBiz), about a new drill press dust collection system call the Drillnado. While most drill press dust collection systems attach to the table, the Drillnado attaches to the quill, surrounding the chuck and mot of the bit. This allows it to suck up chips, dust, and debris right where it’s created.
The Drillnado attaches directly to a 2.5″ or 2.25″ wet/dry vacuum or dust extractor hose, or you can use an adapter for use with a 4″ dust collector. The Drillnado’s main component is a collapsible tube that attaches to drill press quills with a collar made from glass-filled nylon. Using the right adapter allows the Drillnado to attach to drill press quills up to 2.6″ in diameter.
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Out of the box, the Drillnado can be attached to drill press quills 2.6”, 2.54”, 2.16”, 2.05”, and 1.57” in diameter. There are a couple of additional quill adapters available separately.
You should only use the Drillnado for drilling wood products, but you might be able to possibly use it for certain plastics as well. The Drillnado website warns you not to use the dust collection product with metal shavings because of the risk of fire in the dust collection system or vacuum.
In their list of limitations, Drillnado says that large drill bits, such s forstner drill bits 1-1/2″ or larger, will likely clog the system.
Whether the Drillnado is an improvement over other drill press dust collection systems depends on a few factors:
How effective is the Drillnado in removing debris?
According to Drillnado, “Because Drillnado surrounds the drill chuck and drill bit, it collects nearly all of the drilling debris and dust.” Trial and error is really going to be the only way to gauge how effective it’ll be on your particular setup.
Does it get in the way when you are changing bits?
To access the chuck, you collapse the expandable housing and snap it out of the quill collar. When you’ve changed the bit the collapsible housing snaps back into place.
Does it have to be removed for some operations?
The standard opening is 1″ wide, and you can cut shoulders off the housing to open it up to 1.75″ or 3.125″. Otherwise, the expandable housing can be removed while leaving but the top quill collar in place. So if there’s an operation you don’t want the Drillnado in place for, you can remove it without uninstalling it.
Price: $40 for the kit
In case you damage the expandable Drillnado housing, a replacement (or spare) can be purchased for just $8.
The way the Drillnado website is designed, it’s impossible to tell what the shipping costs will be, short of actually completing the checkout process.
Buy Now (via Drillnado website)
Watch their video to see the Drillnado in action:
OnTheWeb says
Pretty cool. Simple is always good in the shop. Seems like it would work for a lot of routine operations though changing bits would be slowed down a bit.
Kent says
“In their list of limitations, Drillnado says that large drill bits, such s forstner drill bits 1-1/2″ or larger, will likely clog the system.”
Well, that’s about the only time I’d want to use it.
LARRY says
YES WHEN USING LARGE BITS IT CLOGS UP FAST WHEN I NEED IT MOST DONT RECOMMEND.
Pablo says
Takes the phrase “blind drilling” to a whole new level.
glenn says
Yes.
Allen says
Can I think of a power tool less likely to need dust collection ?
No, I don’t think I can.
Wayne says
Reminds me of an old old Popular Mechanics photo that showed using a half-an-old-basketball to drill through to catch ceiling dust.
Toolfreak says
Seems like a good idea, but you could make something similar from a shock absorber boot and some wood.
Now if they could get a clear plastic boot, THAT would make it worth paying for.
As others have already said, don’t really need dust collection on a drill press though, just vaccuum everything up once the job is done.
Benjamen says
After giving it some thought, for the amount of effort and design it would take I think I’d rather buy this than try to reproduce it. Still, I’m not sure if it is the right solution for me or not. I’m debating on doing a comparison.
I thought about materials for the accordion: maybe a flexible gutter drain spout (too big), a flexible sink drain (too small), to collapsible juice bottles — they would have the advantage of being see through.
The real problem is the upper going from the hose the accordion structure. I think trying to machine something out of wood is going to be hard. Getting it to snap into place is going to take some pretty close tolerances. Sure there’s other ways to attach it, but it need to be simple enough that you are going to use it. I think molding it out of plastic is the way to go.
To the point about dust collection at the drill press. I’m bad about clamping a hose by the bit to collect chips and dust. After a short time my drill press table, the table it’s on, and the floor are usually covered in debris. Something that I could just leave on the drill press and connect the hose to would be a good option for me. Sure I could clean up after, but I’m usually onto the next part of the project — by then I’m not thinking about cleaning up at the drill press.
Brian says
drill press does not create fine dust… the shavings are easy to contain with nothing more than some locline fixed to the table.
Taking that thing on and off for every bit change would leave it on the shelf within a few uses.
Moxy says
The website says the following when trying walk through the order process:
“By clicking the Place Order button, you are agreeing to the purchase of items from this web-site. In accordance with the Terms and Conditions, you are required to pay the full amount specified on your order summary.”
No thanks, I’ll not be clicking the “Place Order” button until I can see the shipping cost before I make some kind of agreement. Even if I wanted this I wouldn’t buy it just because of this!
Benjamen says
I’ve seen this before using PayPal. You complete the transaction at one price, then they tack on the shipping after words. I’m not sure if it’s really their choice or it it’s just the online shopping package they are using.
Chris says
Hey Everyone:
Thanks for all of the comments and taking a look at DRILLNADO! I’m the inventor of DRILLNADO. I saw the conversation and thought I would jump in.
Thanks for the comments regarding shipping. We will make the shipping more clear on the website on our next website update soon. Our shipping is a flat $4.99. Here is a coupon code for free shipping. It expires 6/1/2015. Use coupon code “toolguyd.”
Regarding having a view of your bit, you can position the expandable housing 1 to 2 inches above the bit giving you a good view of your bit as it approaches your work piece. By the way, our experience and shows that DRILLNADO picks up near all of the drill dust and debris (around 98% in our experience).
DRILLNADO works great with all kinds of bit on the drill press (brad point, forstner, spade, sanding drums, etc.) All of these create a lot of debris and a least some fine dust.
Thanks again for the comments and taking a look at DRILLNADO!
Chris
LARRY says
I BOUGHT ONE ABOUT A MONTH AGO AND AM NOT VERY HAPPY IT CLOGS UP FAST WITH EVEN A 1″ FORSTNER BIT THE TIME WHEN YOU REALLY NEED DUST COLLECTION THE MOST.AS FAR AS THE PLASTIC SHROUD ITS A PIECE OF CRAP AFTER TAKING IT ON AND OFF A DOZEN TIMES IT WAS DEFORMED AND WOULD BARELY SNAP BACK IN PLACE THE WRONG KIND OF MATERIAL ITS WORTHLESS I RECOMMEND PEOPLE SAVE THEIR MONEY SOUNDED GOOD BUT NOT.
John says
I am mostly working with metal so I don’t have much use for it but I am thinking 40 bucks plus freight is a wad of cash for something this simple.
David says
I purchased a Drillnado at the Milwaukee woodworking show this past spring. Could not mount it on my Delta drill press because the quill size was between the two adapter sizes that were provided. I tried to contact the company through email, no response. I packaged up the kit and sent it back only to have it returned. I tried again to contact by email, again no response.