Rookie beach stone drill maker here: help! What drill model and drill press is best for drilling thru small beach stones? And where would you purchase the hardware ? Local hardware store or online supplier? My summer art projects are bursting to go : all the raw materials are collected but I need to invest in the tools now. Thanks for any advice.

 Welcome to our forums, Seascale!    

Back in the old forum there was an excellent thread about drilling sea glass, drilling beach glass, drilling stones, drilling glass, and drilling rocks that will answer most (if not all) of your questions. It's archived at http://cs.beadandbutton.com/beadingforumarchive/forums/p/24096/238794.aspx#238794

Some other advice is in  a newer thread at http://cs.artjewelrymag.com/artcs/forums/t/1843.aspx
Another resource is http://lapidaryjournal.com/stepbystep/mar04.cfm 

Triple Ripple diamond drill bits seem to be the  diamond bits most recommended.