Let's talk abotu Drill Presses

[Keith Strong]

I need a drill press. preferably looking for something free standing with its own base, but the ability to remove from the base and set on a workbench? Variable speed, 5/8 chuck, largest swing possible....blah blah. I dont need top of the line but I am am thinking the 3-500 dollar range. What would you buy and why?

[Keith Strong]

Maybe somethin like this? I dont think I am gonna find the vesatility of bench mount in the size I want.

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?cat=Bench+Power+Tools&pid=00922901000&vertical=TOOL&subcat=Drill+Presses&BV_UseBVCookie=Yes

[rockcrawln]

Does it have to be new? Watch Craigs List. They often have good used drill presses.

Just a thought

[Todd W]

Maybe somethin like this? I dont think I am gonna find the vesatility of bench mount in the size I want.

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?cat=Bench+Power+Tools&pid=00922901000&vertical=TOOL&subcat=Drill+Presses&BV_UseBVCookie=Yes

Works good just needs a new chuck eventually... Goes pretty damn slow too.

[Cork]

We had a grizzly in the shop that went fairly slow. thing was agrivating with the belt slipping. N finally scrapped it and bought and Ellis one, infinite variable speed with a digital screen showing the speed. I think it was pricey but it is 100 times the drill press that the grizzly one was.
We also got a big radial drill but its a pain to use for small stuff, very rarely use it. I use either the ellis one or the mag drill.

[Stephenw]

I have this drill press at home (I got it on sale for $189.)...

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=43389

It has been working great with the exception of the chuck. The chuck was absolute junk. I spent $114 on a replacement Jacobs chuck.

At work we have a Do-All and an old Craftsmen drill press. The Harbor Freight is acceptable quality by comparison.

[woodzracer]

I've got the same HF drill press. Bought it for like $189.00 Had two small problems. One with the on off switch. Pulled it out and it started working again, but it would be easy to replace with a $10 rocker swicth. Second the nut on the chuck shaft pulley loosened up. Tightend it and its fine. Other than that I use the sh#t out of it and it works great. Speed is also variable from like 200rpm to 3500 or so. Real easy speed changes too.

[section525]

Works good just needs a new chuck eventually... Goes pretty damn slow too.

Yup. I have the same one. I think it goes down to 280rpms. It's been good to me for the last year or so. :smokin:

[mike]

I have this drill press at home (I got it on sale for $189.)...

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=43389

It has been working great with the exception of the chuck. The chuck was absolute junk. I spent $114 on a replacement Jacobs chuck.

At work we have a Do-All and an old Craftsmen drill press. The Harbor Freight is acceptable quality by comparison.
So you spent more on your HF press than you can get a Jet press for :confused:

[bgaidan]

So you spent more on your HF press than you can get a Jet press for :confused:

I paid $315 for my big HF press and I'm sure I'll drop another $100 on a 3/4" Jacobs soon.

What Jet can you get for under $500 that's even close to the HF one? The closest thing Enco has is over a grand.

[D60]

I've got the 20" Crafstman. I suppose it's ok for what it is. It spins, it goes down to 150rpm, seems to have a lot of runout with hole saws, but I suspect any non-industrial press will. It's a life saver for bits over 1/2".

The variable speed digital presses are hard to obtain (within our budgets) that spin below 300rpm. I did recently see one that went down to around 60rpm in either Traver's or Rutland, but it was somewhere around $3 or $4k. At that point ya might as well pick up a used vertical mill. Besides the belts in your press provide a cushion before something breaks (I completely fawked an import 3/4" R8 chuck the other nite 'cause the bit hung up but the mill wasn't taking no for an answer)

[4x4extreme]

I have had good luck out of this press

http://www.woodstockint.com/Products/M1039/

I paid $495.00 a year ago

[Bolt Thrower]

I don't mean to derail this. I've been looking at the HF 20inch 'production' model. Does anyone have some firsthand experience with this? For 425 (15% off) it doesn't seem like a bad deal considering the large table will really help collect junk I don't plan on drilling :D

[u2slow]

I have a 20" Delta with the idler reduction pulley (150rpm). I see the same casting machine sold as other knock-off brands. Some with and without the idler for the deep reduction. It came to me without a chuck - maybe 1/2" or 5/8" from the factory. The knock-offs are under $500USD.

I put a 3/4" chuck on it for $120CDN.

That woodstockint one linked above, and the HF 20"production look exactly the same as my Delta.

[speedo]

I have one of these http://cgi.ebay.com/Wilton-20-Gear-Head-Upright-Drill-Press-WORKS-GREAT_W0QQitemZ300098543859QQcategoryZ92150QQcmdZV iewItem

Gus

[Bolt Thrower]

I have a 20" Delta with the idler reduction pulley (150rpm). I see the same casting machine sold as other knock-off brands. Some with and without the idler for the deep reduction. It came to me without a chuck - maybe 1/2" or 5/8" from the factory. The knock-offs are under $500USD.

I put a 3/4" chuck on it for $120CDN.

That woodstockint one linked above, and the HF 20"production look exactly the same as my Delta.

That is actually what I was figuring. It is way more drill press than I am likely to ever need and I'm tired of searching craigslist only to find bench models, or models that just don't go slow enough for my liking. I'll probably pull the trigger on it this weekend.

[mkmarz]

That is actually what I was figuring. It is way more drill press than I am likely to ever need and I'm tired of searching craigslist only to find bench models, or models that just don't go slow enough for my liking. I'll probably pull the trigger on it this weekend.

bawh no you won't....... I dare ya:flipoff2:

[TheRamChargerMan]

I don't mean to derail this. I've been looking at the HF 20inch 'production' model. Does anyone have some firsthand experience with this? For 425 (15% off) it doesn't seem like a bad deal considering the large table will really help collect junk I don't plan on drilling :D


that's the one I got. I used a 25% off coupon.

It works very good, but it only goes down to 180 rpm, not 150 as the ads say. It does have the idler reduction pulley, which makes me wonder if the others that are 'lookalikes', do they go down to 150 also ?

All the ads say 150 , but the machine and pulley cover show 180 min


And it's a heavy sum beach......so enlist help to unload and assemble it

[Keith Strong]

I bought the 16 speed HF one today. Was on sale at my HF for $199. Thanks guys, I appreciate you saving me some money like that.

BTW Todd, they wont take your coupon any more. They say now all their coupons have expiration dates. :(

[f250rollinon37s]

i have a 15 " HF and a new sears 17" ( like the one mentioned at the top ) - and i love the craftsman - it has a lot of power - is dead true - and can spin all my bits ( up to 1 1/8 ) with out stalling - the laser is cool - but kinda crappy - every time the plate is moved or a bit is changed - it has to be be re adjusted - the HF POS has never run true - stalls - and the table / plate cracked - i paid 495 on sale for the sears -

[D60]

I don't mean to derail this. I've been looking at the HF 20inch 'production' model. Does anyone have some firsthand experience with this? For 425 (15% off) it doesn't seem like a bad deal considering the large table will really help collect junk I don't plan on drilling :D

No first hand experience but I did inspect it fairly closely in a HF store one day. I was impressed for what it is, it seems substantial and looked a lot like my Craftsman. Then again the Chinese are great at copying things (at least visually) but I can't say if it actually works worth a shit.

[gothamist]

I don't mean to derail this. I've been looking at the HF 20inch 'production' model. Does anyone have some firsthand experience with this? For 425 (15% off) it doesn't seem like a bad deal considering the large table will really help collect junk I don't plan on drilling :D

I just purchased this one two weeks ago on sale. It surprised me with its quality, actually.

The negatives: The oil coolant system is a joke (made a mess of my garage floor when the plastic tub fell), the pulley cover is made out of really thin plastic, and in general the finish/fit sucks on all the trim parts. Also one of the belts was a little small (it's *really* tight now.)

The positives: The actual part that does the drilling (base/table/chuck/spindle) all seem to fit well, it goes plenty slow for me, and it feels quite sturdy in use. Drilled a bunch of holes over the weekend, including some in multiple pieces of plate steel clamped together, and they all came out in the same place. First time that's ever happened to me.

I was looking at getting the Delta but this seems like a better deal...I'm happy with it.

[mike]

I paid $315 for my big HF press and I'm sure I'll drop another $100 on a 3/4" Jacobs soon.

What Jet can you get for under $500 that's even close to the HF one? The closest thing Enco has is over a grand.
Dude, I paid less than $500 for my delta that's the same 16 speeds, is a 16 1/2" press and has a 4.5" quill travel.

[Stephenw]

Dude, I paid less than $500 for my delta that's the same 16 speeds, is a 16 1/2" press and has a 4.5" quill travel.

If you are talking about this Delta...
http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INSRIT?PMAKA=890-9028&PMPXNO=3907146&PARTPG=INLMK3

It's $455, only 3/4 horsepower, and is MADE IN CHINA, same as Harbor Freight.

The HF press I have is 1 horsepower...
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=43389

The HF production drill press for $499 is 1 1/2 horsepower.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=39955

Delta Drill press...
http://www.use-enco.com/ProductImages/7489125-11.jpg

[sceep]

bought one of these for the shop for x-mas.

$700 and couldnt be happier.

# 20" Industrial Floor Drill Press:
# 120/240V, 1PH, 1HP motor; 9 speeds from 150 RPM to 2,200 RPM.
# 2-7/16" quill dia.; 4-3/4" stroke.
# 5/8" chuck and key; 18-3/8" x 16-1/8" tilting cast iron table.
# 67"H x 18-1/2"W x 34"D.
# Net weight 320 lbs.; shipping weight 345 lbs.

http://robertstool.com:8091/icons/artwork/DEL/70-200.png

[bgaidan]

That looks strangely identical to the HF production press. I'd love to do a side by side comparison.

bought one of these for the shop for x-mas.

$700 and couldnt be happier.

# 20" Industrial Floor Drill Press:
# 120/240V, 1PH, 1HP motor; 9 speeds from 150 RPM to 2,200 RPM.
# 2-7/16" quill dia.; 4-3/4" stroke.
# 5/8" chuck and key; 18-3/8" x 16-1/8" tilting cast iron table.
# 67"H x 18-1/2"W x 34"D.
# Net weight 320 lbs.; shipping weight 345 lbs.

http://robertstool.com:8091/icons/artwork/DEL/70-200.png

[TheRamChargerMan]

Nah....similar, but not the same.

the HF rable is almost 20" square, and the speeds are 180-3865 (advertised is 150-4200 tho), and it has a 1.5 hp motor and 3/4" chuck

everything else looks tobe the same tho

[Bolt Thrower]

Well, I finally did bite the bullet and buy the HF 20" swing model (on sale until 5/14 for 369.99 + whatever coupons you have). The chuck is pretty cheap and it can't seem to hold onto a drill bit under pressure. Though the rest of the machine appears to be of acceptable 'quality'. The machine did need some adjustment on the quill tube to tighten up the bottom end of the spindle travel (the supplied allen keys work decently enough). Castings are a bit chinese (it is made in china after all) but are heavy enough that I'm not concerned, also machined surface of the table is very good.

[UPtoy]

How did you tighten the quill? Please explain, I have one with the same problem.. Thanks

[Bolt Thrower]

After removing the front plastic switch plates (2 screws behind the on/off switch plate) there is a adjustable split casting with 3 allen socket screws. Tighten/loosen these as desired. Too tight (backing off the left side screw) will bind the quill tube, too loose will of course give a sloppy quill at the bottom of the travel. The right side screws (on my machine) help to lock in this adjustment.

[andyr354]

I picked one of the 20" rigs up last night on sale.

I was looking it and the bigger 16" model over for quite a while comparing them and the manager came over and said to wait she would be right back. Came back out with some figures and said she would sell me the 20" for $300 with a 2 year replacement warranty. I of course said sold! Maybe they had to many in the back room taking up space.. don't care but I was happy.

[MochaMike]

Great Tech....

I've had a smaller 1/3hp Craftman benchtop for 5+ years.
My father let me borrow it when we moved into our house & then said to keep as a house warming present.

For metalworking/fabbing it sucks..... Needs more ooommmph!
But for a free, space saving unit it has gotten the job done (just takes a bit longer).

I'm looking to upgrade this here to 1hp+ stand up this year (once the garage portion of our remodel is finished).

I'm leaning toward either the Sears Craftman above, or one of the HF's on sale.
Thats if I cant find a good used one on CL or at a garage sale.
I just missed a good old Rockwell at a garage sale last week (guy bought just before I walked up to it).

[UPtoy]

I adjusted the quill like stated above and it worked great. No more play. Now I just have to buy a Jacobs chuck. Over-all I am very happy with it.

[Bolt Thrower]

Glad to hear that the quill adjustment worked out for you. On the jacobs chuck issue, browsing grainger came up with this model http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/3L864

I'll be picking one up on payday :D

[Proeliator]

Jet, Delta, as much as I'm not a fan of HF they all come from China are really are no different than the top of the line HF press. Same with the bandsaws. That said, I ended up buying the top of the line HF press which I believe came to about $350 with coupon. The thing is bad ass. Granted, you'll eventually want to upgrade to a better chuck but that goes for ANY of these china models. Jacobs is the way to go when you're ready to get a good chuck.

[UPtoy]

Thanks Bolt Thrower, also check ebay I've seen a few on there cheap..

[AthlonAJ]

One thing to do is check out ebay auctions for people who sell HF stuff cheap and are local to you. I always wondered how this worked, if they somehow had a line on the same products. Well I got ahold of one local to me and went to their place...basically they were just buying pallets of returns/damaged freight from HF then repairing it to resell on ebay.

Got the big parts washer and drill press for nearly half of new because of purely cosmetic damage. My dad scored a vertical wood bandsaw for $75 because it wouldn't power up. I took apart the switch, adjusted the contacts and it fired right up.

[andyr354]

There is a guy around here doing that as well. Thing is though he dosn't sell the items for any less than HF does most of the time.

Was another store selling pallet loads of returns from sears a while back. I got some blemished tool boxes cheap.

[Dangle]

So what other options are out there. I am in the market for a drill press and I cant justify buying a hf model. I know some of you guys are having luck, but I dont want to chance it. Would the sears model listed in the second post spin slow enough for home shop use? I dont want something that will break after the first year. Any other input?

[andyr354]

I looked the one over at sears, it looks almost identical. They could have come out of the same factory for all we know.

I used mine a fair amount this weekend. I like the press, hate the chuck (it sucks pretty bad). Off to ebay to find a good jacobs.

Andy

[andyr354]

EDIT: never mind... the manual didn't say but HF website says MT3 in the specs.

Quick question:

I am looking at chucks, does anybody know the MT taper the 20" press uses? It gives me the specs that the adapter arbor is to #3JT but does not tell the me the MT.

4 is my guess, maybe a 3 though?

[Dangle]

Im over browsing the Grizzly website. Are these presses any count. I dont know a whole lot about this company, but they seem alright. I am looking at 3 of them, could I get away with the lowest end model. Here are the 3
http://www.grizzly.com/products/g7944
this one is only a 14" but it gets down to a slow speed.
http://www.grizzly.com/products/g7948
this one is more expensive, and still gets down to a pretty slow speed, also is a 20"
http://www.grizzly.com/products/g0482
this one is huge, spins slowly and has a 22" swing. Is this one much better than the other two..
This is my first drill press and im just looking for a decent machine that will last, but not break the bank. Thanks

[Proeliator]

http://www.grizzly.com/products/g7948
this one is more expensive, and still gets down to a pretty slow speed, also is a 20"

I think some of you guys must have missed it when I said these are all identicle to the top end HF one and in all probability come out of the exact same factory in China. Jet, Sears, compare them side by side and you'll see the are the same unit. But hey, if you WANT to spend twice as much for the same product :shrug:

And no, I am NOT a hf fan at ALL. I'm just a fan of saving money. I researched the hell out of this when I was picking up my big press and bandsaw, and was going to get both in a JET untill I learned the reality of the situation.

[andyr354]

Just got a chuck on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140115132482&ssPageName=ADME:B:WNA:US:12

Hope I didn't pay to much. A new one like it is $240.

Thanks for the quill adjustment tips above. Should make this a very nice tool to have in the shop!