A small real drill press would be seriously some kind of handy just in the day to day cruising gig, but for someone who is about to build a mast and do all the rigging, it becomes some kind of a no-brainer!
For instance... The new rig will be supported with synthetic rigging and the stay adjustment will be with deadeyes (talk about salty!). The required deadeyes and thimbles available for sale these days are at a price point to make me (Mr Cheapseats) one seriously unhappy camper. Even so, buying the line and deadeyes still comes out a bit less than a standard wire/Sta-lok/turnbuckle rig...
On the other hand, if I could fabricate my own deadeyes, it would bring down the cost by a huge factor. Since a small drill press like the Grizzly "Baby" would make this a fairly easy operation and buying it would save me at a minimum five hundred dollars or so it starts looking like a cunning plan of note!
