What size motor on a drill press for a good roll crimp?

[T-Square]

I'm confident my black powder friends can tell me - what Horsepower motor do you need on a drill press to create sufficient torque that will roll crimp a plastic hull?

 

I bought s small desktop drill press, that I thought would be great for doing the roll crimp on my loading table.  Boy was I wrong !  This little drill press POS would be hard pressed to drill through styrofoam, let alone roll crimp a plastic hull.  I'm returning it to the store.

 

Now I'm looking on-line for a small drill press.  I find some small presses with 1/3 hp and slightly larger with 3/4 hp.  

 

What are you guys using?  What size motor is needed?

 

I don't want to buy a full size 3 hp "mechanics dream" - just something strong enough to do a roll crimp.  That is all I will use the drill press for. 

 

I'm using my Ryobi drill with a roll crimp bite, and it works fine, but a drill press will be more consistent.

[Warden Callaway]

 

About 6 minutes in I'm roll crimping with the smallest Harbor Freight drill press. 1/3 hp.  No problems. 

 

I'm putting a little Johnson's Paste wax on the hull edge before roll crimping.  Seems to help.

[Cheyenne Ranger, 48747L]

I got one of those Harbor Freight ones that does a fine job on my plastic shells

 

https://www.harborfreight.com/8-in-5-speed-bench-drill-press-60238.html

 

[Warden Callaway]

9 minutes ago, Cheyenne Ranger, 48747L said:

I got one of those Harbor Freight ones that does a fine job on my plastic shells

 

https://www.harborfreight.com/8-in-5-speed-bench-drill-press-60238.html

 

 

That's the one I have.   I bought it for roll crimping shot shells but use it for other things.  I have a much bigger 1/2" chuck drill press but it's out in a machine shed.  This little one sets on my work bench in my reloading room. 

[Deadwood Miner, SASS # 45575]

Never had a problem with the Harbor Freight drill press used to roll crimp 12 ga shells.  By making 2" shells, 6 will fit in the Winchester 97 without making any mods to the shotgun.

[Badlands Bob #61228]

I think any drill press would do the job.  The friction heats up the edge of the plastic hull and then rolls it over when the plastic gets soft.  I roll crimp my 10 gauge black powder shells but I'm using a 3/4 hp drill press.  Probably overkill.  The hardest part is holding the base still while plunging the roll crimp die down on the shell.  

[Krazy Kajun]

4 minutes ago, Badlands Bob #61228 said:

I think any drill press would do the job.  The friction heats up the edge of the plastic hull and then rolls it over when the plastic gets soft.  I roll crimp my 10 gauge black powder shells but I'm using a 3/4 hp drill press.  Probably overkill.  The hardest part is holding the base still while plunging the roll crimp die down on the shell.  

Yeah but be sure you either keep all the magic smoke in the drill press or have a spare starting capacitor to insert more of the magic smoke!

 

Kajun

[Badlands Bob #61228]

Just now, Krazy Kajun said:

Yeah but be sure you either keep all the magic smoke in the drill press or have a spare starting capacitor to insert more of the magic smoke!

 

Kajun

That only becomes an issue if your drilling 2" holes in oak.  Not roll crimping plastic hulls.  

[Warden Callaway]

 

I've not tried it on plastic hulls but the antique ones were hand crank.  And a short handle to boot.

[Phantom, SASS #54973]

8 minutes ago, Warden Callaway said:

 

I've not tried it on plastic hulls but the antique ones were hand crank.  And a short handle to boot.

You do know of course, that it's the 21st Century...right?

 

[Crazy Gun Barney, SASS #2428]

I still use a hand drill for my 10ga bp loads for my ‘87...

[T-Square]

44 minutes ago, Badlands Bob #61228 said:

I think any drill press would do the job.  The friction heats up the edge of the plastic hull and then rolls it over when the plastic gets soft.  I roll crimp my 10 gauge black powder shells but I'm using a 3/4 hp drill press.  Probably overkill.  The hardest part is holding the base still while plunging the roll crimp die down on the shell.  

Ballistic Products makes a hull vice:

https://www.ballisticproducts.com/Hull-Vise-select-size-in-Options/productinfo/VISE/

[Badlands Bob #61228]

1 minute ago, T-Square said:

Ballistic Products makes a hull vice:

https://www.ballisticproducts.com/Hull-Vise-select-size-in-Options/productinfo/VISE/

That just takes all the fun out of it.

[Turkey Flats Jack]

1 hour ago, Cheyenne Ranger, 48747L said:

I got one of those Harbor Freight ones that does a fine job on my plastic shells

 

https://www.harborfreight.com/8-in-5-speed-bench-drill-press-60238.html

 

same one I have. It took a couple tries to get them turning out right but its not the torque that gets the job done. It's the friction. Slow down and you'll get a more harmonious outcome. 

[Sedalia Dave]

1 hour ago, Warden Callaway said:

 

I've not tried it on plastic hulls but the antique ones were hand crank.  And a short handle to boot.

 

Works just fine on plastic hulls.  

 

Here is a video showing it done.

 

 

[Wallaby Jack, SASS #44062]

I use a similar drillpress with a 1/4hp motor ............... no problem 

[Matthew Duncan]

"Normal" drill presses have belt driven pulleys.  You can move the belt up or down to a different pulley if you want speed instead of torque. 

[Warden Callaway]

14 minutes ago, Matthew Duncan said:

"Normal" drill presses have belt driven pulleys.  You can move the belt up or down to a different pulley if you want speed instead of torque. 

 

And...  have you checked the belt tension?  It should perform much better than you are experiencing. 

 

[Tequila Shooter]

To re-enforce what others have said it's about friction heat not torque.  I've used an antique hand cranked roll press on plastic hulls and it worked fine, just hd to turn it a little faster.

[John Boy]

Three hand cranks: 16 & 12 ga .... works on plastic and paper hulls

[Imis Twohofon,SASS # 46646]

Y'all are having just a little too much fun, I am too lazy to do this...but it does look interesting...hmmm

 

Imis

[Smokin Gator SASS #29736]

I reload bp 12 guage shells with a mec sizemaster with the 6 or 8 point crimp. Do some shooters prefer the roll crimp or what is the purpose or advantage of using this method? Just curious.

[Deadwood Miner, SASS # 45575]

 

 

 

19 minutes ago, Smokin Gator SASS #29736 said:

I reload bp 12 guage shells with a mec sizemaster with the 6 or 8 point crimp. Do some shooters prefer the roll crimp or what is the purpose or advantage of using this method? Just curious.

 

 

The advantage is you can easily make 2" shells for shotguns that require them like the Winchester 1897.  Much needed for Wild Bunch when 6 rounds called for.

[Deadwood Miner, SASS # 45575]

6 hours ago, Imis Twohofon,SASS # 46646 said:

Y'all are having just a little too much fun, I am too lazy to do this...but it does look interesting...hmmm

 

Imis

 

IMIS I will bring  a few to the match Saturday so you can smoke them over.

 

Deadwood Miner

45575

[Badlands Bob #61228]

My only source for 10 gauge hulls was to buy them new.  They didn't come with a star crimp and they didn't want to be star crimped.  They kept opening up.  I ended up cutting off the attempted star crimp and used a rollover crimp and that worked great.  I bought the rollover crimp die from Midway USA for an exorbitant amount but it did work pretty good.

[Smokin Gator SASS #29736]

1 hour ago, Deadwood Miner, SASS # 45575 said:

 

 

 

 

 

The advantage is you can easily make 2" shells for shotguns that require them like the Winchester 1897.  Much needed for Wild Bunch when 6 rounds called for.

Thanks. Didn't notice that people were doing this for smokeless rounds and bp.

[Cusz M. Dutch SASS Life 55326]

15 hours ago, Smokin Gator SASS #29736 said:

I reload bp 12 guage shells with a mec sizemaster with the 6 or 8 point crimp. Do some shooters prefer the roll crimp or what is the purpose or advantage of using this method? Just curious.

You can take the cheap shells or wore out shells that will not hold a crimp and make them work.  Rolling the crimp does tend to taper the tip a little and makes starting them down a SXS easier.