Drill Press Recommendation

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Iuves
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Drill Press Recommendation

Post by Iuves »

I need to buy a new benchtop drill press. My trusty Ryobi 10 inch burned up in the Wild Fires last autumn.

Looking at new ones in the stores, they are all Chinese imports with small tables, and seem flimsy. Even the name brands... might as well save money and buy Harbor Freight? Don't want to spend more than $200. Thought about buying used, but that could take a long time to find.

Thanks, Clive.
whateg0
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Location: Wichita, KS

Re: Drill Press Recommendation

Post by whateg0 »

I like mine that I bought used. No idea what brand it is, but comparing it to things others have said about them, I think it's a Taiwan model. I paid $50 for it at an estate sale. Like you said, finding a good used one can take some patience.

I don't know what the last machine was that I bought new, not counting welders. The new stuff either seems like junk or is so expensive, I'd almost rather live with the junk. At least if you have enough tools and machines, when you find a good used one, you can make whatever is needed to make it really good.

Dave
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liveaboard
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Re: Drill Press Recommendation

Post by liveaboard »

Any chance of a factory or workshop auction in your area?
That's how I got mine.
SteveM
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Re: Drill Press Recommendation

Post by SteveM »

Depending on your area, you might find something nice on craigslist or another similar site.

I got a used South Bend 14" drill press for $125 - it will kick the crap out of anything from Harbor Freight. You'd have to spend almost $500 from Grizzly for an equivalent.

Even an older Craftsman is better than a lot of the newer stuff.

Bring a dial test indicator on a magnetic base, if you have one, and test the spindle for runout. Test the spindle first (not the chuck), then test the outside of the chuck, then chuck up some known straight piece of metal (a dowel pin, for example) and test runout in the chuck.
Downwindtracker2
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Re: Drill Press Recommendation

Post by Downwindtracker2 »

The imported drill press we see everywhere ,I think is a Japanese design. The quill slides in a broached?? cast iron head. I was really surprised at the low price when I first saw one.There is no adjustment for wear, older American made ones had a clamp, either to lock or take up wear. DPs were once fairly rare in homeshops, since that cheap Japanese design almost everyone now has one. Even in our iron poor area, there are usually a couple of the 13" bench tops on CI. The older Jets are Japanese, later ones are Taiwanese. Some of the new Chinese ones are truly terrible.
A man of foolish pursuits, '91 BusyBee DF1224g lathe,'01 Advance RF-45 mill/drill,'68 Delta Toolmaker surface grinder,Miller250 mig,'83 8" Baldor grinder, plus sawdustmakers
johnfreese
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Re: Drill Press Recommendation

Post by johnfreese »

I would opt for a used industrial machine. Clausing, Powermatic, older Delta, Buffalo Forge are some of the better brands I remember. If necessary get a floor model and cut off the column. Even some of the older Taiwan machines like those sold by Enco were pretty good. By older Enco model I mean the mid 1970s.
whateg0
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Re: Drill Press Recommendation

Post by whateg0 »

I've seen a few older Craftsman and similar machines on CL here and they always seem to want a fortune for them. I have no idea if any have been worth the asking price, as worth is completely up the appraiser. Given a choice, though, and for comparable condition, I would rather have an old one than even the one I have.

To the OP, as long as you are looking, keep in mind that if you can afford it, a DP with a dual reduction can be awfully nice to have for metal. I still have my little benchtop HF drill press for drilling pilot holes and wood and my large DP for everything else.

Dave
whateg0
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Re: Drill Press Recommendation

Post by whateg0 »

Iuves wrote: Tue Dec 18, 2018 7:04 am...Don't want to spend more than $200. ...
johnfreese wrote: Tue Dec 18, 2018 6:39 pm I would opt for a used industrial machine. Clausing, Powermatic, older Delta, Buffalo Forge ...
Those two statements seem to be at odds with one another. There were some Clausings a few months ago a couple hundred miles away that were north of a grand.

Dave
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liveaboard
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Re: Drill Press Recommendation

Post by liveaboard »

I bought an old monster European drill press at an auction in Belgium; paid $70.
This thing weighs 500lbs or more.
Ok, I was lucky. I watched 3 earlier auctions without buying anything. I had to drive hundreds of miles to pick it up.
But still... $70!!
It can happen.
johnfreese
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Re: Drill Press Recommendation

Post by johnfreese »

My used Clausing cost me $350.I had to drive 150 mi. round to get it. Very happy with it. Need to install a counterweight for the table.
Mr Ron
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Re: Drill Press Recommendation

Post by Mr Ron »

I have a 1938 Delta floor model 14" DP that I got for free. That was 25 years ago and is still working well. I added a counterweight to the table. It is the most used tool in my shop. A find like this is next to impossible, so I am very possessive of it. It will last my lifetime and then my son's lifetime and so on. That DP is up to the task to outlast all of us; and to think it cost under $40 when it was new.
Mr.Ron from South Mississippi
spro
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Re: Drill Press Recommendation

Post by spro »

The older Walker Turners and Deltas are hard to beat. I suppose drill presses were the first machine tool to have experience with. We had a gang of them mounted to a heavy precise iron table. We had to do accurate drilling and knowing what was going on with that head. Knowing why the drill went off center and tweaking things. I knew that I had to get a drill press. No way be without a drill press.
My first was a Craftsman and it had originally been a bench top. It had the cool type chuck with the locking ring, so the chuck wouldn't fly off while doing wood work/stuff. Equally important was how the the p.o. had converted it to a floor model. I'll go past that and many drill presses.
Look for a wider column and look for a table which even resembles our heavy tables. It should have slots and enough mass that it has an outer lip and trough. It may be flat atop and have structure below. We will be putting a vise and parts on that table. Some wouldn't believe the flex with narrow columns. The base acts as table if it is done right with benchtop DP's. Powermatic and others are great but the Rockwells about 1980s are really good too. The newer are so scant of iron.
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