Fallon
Super Member
I have a 17" Steel City drill press. I replaced the chuck because the old one was having issues. The new one is having issues staying on as well. At this point the taper on the arbor is rather chewed up & was likely the cause of the original chuck issues. Pulley alignment has always been a bit of an issue I've been fighting. I suspect the spacing on the pullies is different so that one of the 2 belts is always getting side load & chewed up no matter how I shim stuff. Most importantly I hate changing belts, so I'm always running into issues running the wrong spindle speed for the bit I'm using or material I'm drilling. Steel City is also out of business so parts will be a bit of a pain. I may try to clean up the taper with some emery cloth, but I'm tired of fighting it. The belt issues are annoying but I can live with them, at least for now. The chuck falling off every couple holes isn't livable though.
17" has fit most of my needs size wise. I don't know what motor what Steel City has on it, but other than belt & spindle slipping issues it's had enough power. It's a 110v, so has to be under 1.5hp. I use it for some wood stuff, a lot of metal stuff, occasionally hole saws.
I've more or less decided to replace it. I want something of similar size & with a variable speed drive on it. I'd like to keep it to around $1k, but unless I luck into something used that's only the starting point for my requirements. $2k would really hurt, but is doable.
Grizzly 17" 17" Floor Variable-Speed Drill Press
Has a 2 range belt change, but the rest a variable speed Reeves drive I could probably live with. $1,000
NOVA VOYAGER DVR 18″ VARIABLE SPEED DRILL PRESS NOVA VOYAGER DVR 18" VARIABLE SPEED DRILL PRESS (SKU 58000) - NOVA, a Teknatool Brand. Uses a VFD rather than Reeves drive & has some electronics that will likely be a parts shortage later. I'm an IT guy so I am drawn to fancy electronics, but I'm worried about the gimmick factor on some of this stuff. I've heard a few reports on lacking power for bigger drills. $2k
Finding some Reeves drive 17-20" off Craigslist or Facebook marketplace. Currently not much posted, wear may be high & it might be a bit of a project to get running & rebuilt. I have enough projects at the moment, including a 2x72" belt grinder with a VFD, so while I have the skills I don't have the time & energy for a rebuild. Could get a higher quality machine though. $600-2k
3 phase motor swap & VFD a cheaper drill press. Again, another project I don't need & getting torque setup ideally may be a bit of a pain. Likely to be around the price as a Nova all said & done with $500-700+ for a decent starter machine & 400 each for a VFD & motor.
Skip the small stuff entirely & go for a Bridgeport type mill that I've been thinking about for years to get some machining capacity in the shop beyond my lathe. Unclear how convenient a mill can serve as a drill press or what I'd be overlooking. At my price point I may have some work to do on a mill. Would take a long time to source one & move it, but I have gear to move it. Maybe around $4k. Totally blows my drill press budget, but I'm looking for a milling machine at some point anyway. Maybe a new import mill like PM-940V Milling Machine – Precision Matthews Machinery Co. (which would match my PM lathe I'm happy with).
Any suggestions on what general direction to go or any specific models?
17" has fit most of my needs size wise. I don't know what motor what Steel City has on it, but other than belt & spindle slipping issues it's had enough power. It's a 110v, so has to be under 1.5hp. I use it for some wood stuff, a lot of metal stuff, occasionally hole saws.
I've more or less decided to replace it. I want something of similar size & with a variable speed drive on it. I'd like to keep it to around $1k, but unless I luck into something used that's only the starting point for my requirements. $2k would really hurt, but is doable.
Grizzly 17" 17" Floor Variable-Speed Drill Press
Has a 2 range belt change, but the rest a variable speed Reeves drive I could probably live with. $1,000
NOVA VOYAGER DVR 18″ VARIABLE SPEED DRILL PRESS NOVA VOYAGER DVR 18" VARIABLE SPEED DRILL PRESS (SKU 58000) - NOVA, a Teknatool Brand. Uses a VFD rather than Reeves drive & has some electronics that will likely be a parts shortage later. I'm an IT guy so I am drawn to fancy electronics, but I'm worried about the gimmick factor on some of this stuff. I've heard a few reports on lacking power for bigger drills. $2k
Finding some Reeves drive 17-20" off Craigslist or Facebook marketplace. Currently not much posted, wear may be high & it might be a bit of a project to get running & rebuilt. I have enough projects at the moment, including a 2x72" belt grinder with a VFD, so while I have the skills I don't have the time & energy for a rebuild. Could get a higher quality machine though. $600-2k
3 phase motor swap & VFD a cheaper drill press. Again, another project I don't need & getting torque setup ideally may be a bit of a pain. Likely to be around the price as a Nova all said & done with $500-700+ for a decent starter machine & 400 each for a VFD & motor.
Skip the small stuff entirely & go for a Bridgeport type mill that I've been thinking about for years to get some machining capacity in the shop beyond my lathe. Unclear how convenient a mill can serve as a drill press or what I'd be overlooking. At my price point I may have some work to do on a mill. Would take a long time to source one & move it, but I have gear to move it. Maybe around $4k. Totally blows my drill press budget, but I'm looking for a milling machine at some point anyway. Maybe a new import mill like PM-940V Milling Machine – Precision Matthews Machinery Co. (which would match my PM lathe I'm happy with).
Any suggestions on what general direction to go or any specific models?