Mechanical help needed

[blueSmoke]

Hi All
I am trying to build a chair-mount mechanism for keyboards and have landed in an issue. The mechanism is couple of steel & aluminum pieces sandwiched and screwed together. The issue is since these are to be aligned nicely, there is precision involved. Unhappy to say that I have already tried 2 machine shops and one all-in-one welder/machinist and all of them produced off centered and mismatched screw holes and threads. Each of them is happy to quote me 75$ an hour and talk proud work quality but the result is worse than China quality!!! All of them have done this with CNC machines with automatic travel x-y tables. These idiots even dont know/use stubby bits and don't center punch. So you can understand what happens when the drill bit chatters. So goes American craftsmanship over small dimensions. I had very high hopes but appalled at the resulting quality.

So I am in such despair condition (who wont be? after shelling out 200$ materials and 400$ labor) I am either looking at buying my own drill press and/or using one that somebody else has. All I need is an older drill (has to be the big box non-china or if china, tuned to do precision/low run-out specs). I am drilling over 1018 low carbon steel and aluminum & the specs are in centimeter/millimeter and there are about 100-200 holes of  6-24 dia. I have bits or can use whatever you can suggest.

Anybody can help me here? Can pay for services or barter with whatever I have, or even you can have a set of your own after all is done and powercoated.

I can drive up to 50 miles surrounding Hayward, CALIFORNIA, so let me know if you have it or you can point me to somebody.

A desperate geekhacker.

[StrikeEagleCC]

Try this makerspace in tour area. I bet they have a drill press.

https://sudoroom.org/

[blueSmoke]

Looks like nobody dabbles in these things anymore or most of the guys stay in an apartment like me and have no tools!!!

Hackerspace/makerspace/techsop is out of question as there is steep membership involved, and training, and then most of the very useful tools would already be taken/occupied. The only option remaining is probably buy/build my own setup OR put an ad in the local craigslist for any homeowner who has a drill/mill setup and would allow me to use that.

I talked to few other mechanical guys out there, and the opinion is 'there is that guy who is good, but I dont know his name nor know anybody who does any quality work' and 'good luck with your machinist find'...

Also checked emachineshop.com and their pricing is way above 300 bucks to cut+drill+tap few 12-16 gauze plates and a 30 days to produce!!!

It seems it is easier to find good stuff in China or good programmers in India than machinists here.

Does anybody share the same opinion?

[StrikeEagleCC]

Have you checked tool rental options? You may also look for lcal independant craftsmen, metalworks, handymen, custom car shops, etc....Think of any business or service that requires these tools. Any local artists do metalwork?

http://www.americansteelstudios.com/about

If memberships are a problem, can you find a member to do it for you?