Drill Press advice appreciated

[AlanB]

Eddie,

The slower it goes, the better.

The heavier it is, generally translates into being more stable.

Use clamps, vices etc. etc. they can flat out tear you up if the piece gets away from you.

I use a foot switch on mine. That in conjunction with the side switch make it safer. (surplus center I think for my foot switch)

If I had to buy another today, it would be the $400 ish one from HF (biggest) but Grizzly is almost always a good value, and Great if you have problems, they make it right.

The mid size cheapie chinese one is what I have now, and for the $150 or so I spent on it, it was well worth the money. 3 pulleys on top for speed reduction.

 

[whodat90]

I've got a harbor freight cheapie. It has terrible runout and no easy way to fix that, but it has a lot of speeds and a plenty strong motor. I've slipped the belts but never stalled the motor. Get one with the lowest speed you can, don't worry about high speeds. Biggest thing I can offer is to buy a set of drill bits just for the drill press and keep them with it. Also, get a quality cross-slide vise, it makes drilling 'precision' holes so much easier. Once again I bought the HF cheapie and it has ~1/8" of play in all directions, so it's not much better than closing your eyes and guessing. If it takes belts, buy a spare set when you buy the machine.

 

[MikeD74T]

Eddie, Look also at magnetic drills (like Ebay item120277735377). They are amazingly versatile. Will attach in any position to most large objects to be drilled. Will attach to a welding bench top or piece of plate clamped in position on wood etc. It took two years of waiting but I bought an older Black & Decker 3/4" 9 like EBAY item270249133852) for $165 on EBAY. If you go standup drillpress and you're going to drill a lot of metal vs wood, look for a Clausing, Wilton, or Powermatic with t-slots in the table. Most are 3 phase & scare off a lot of buyers but the motor can be easily swapped for a single phase motor. Look also for power feed, it's a real nice feature. MikeD74T

 

[Danno1]

.

Eddie,

You might consider getting a used Delta or Craftsman. The older the better! A 50+ yr old Delta will be of a much better quality than the new cheap models. If you come across an old Wilton, jump on it.

If you want new, Grizzly has come a long way in the past ten yrs as far as quality is concerned.

Like everyone else said, look for: big, heavy, slow, max quill travel.

.

 

[RobJ]

No drill press!!!???!!! Man how did you get by? Bought a HF benchtop about 20 years ago, just retired it by giving it to a guy at work. I already had a drill press in Elkhart so I didn't need it. The thing about a drill press is the drilling is MUCH easier because of the simple downforce you put on the bit with the gears. Put all your weight on a hand held drill, or one hand it on the DP lever.

I swapped out the old DP for another HF model. more speeds and a little newer. I have it mounted on a pedestal. Hey it's cheaper than a floor model and everything I drill is smallish. Works great for drilling 60 holes while making a rake for the tractor. Put a block on the table as a guide and just slide it down to the marks. Less than an hour with cool down breaks..

Coupld pics...1st pic you can see the old and the new.

Rob

 

[J_J]

No one has mentioned using good drill bits. I have burned many a bit by not knowing the metal I was drilling, the speed required, and the type of bit. High speed steel is OK on some things, but carbide cutting tools and bits are impressive. Carbide bits make the work so much easier. I started using carbide hole saws about a year ago, and they are awesome. The carbide bits used with mag drills are very good also.

Some of you have mentioned cuttings fluids, and they do work, but do leave a mess if you are not prepared to collect the runoff. I have several good magnet under the drilling table to help to collect the chips. If you wrap a cloth around the magnets, the chips come off as you remove the cloth.

Speaking of drill presses, a friend of mine called me the other day, and mentioned he had a drill press, and would I be interested. I went over to his place and saw an older cast iron model. It has 12 speeds, a 4.5 in drill depth, a 3/4 in chuck, and the shaft fully extended has no play in it. I believe the name on it was Enko. He let me have it for $100. I have a small drill press now that I have used quite a bit, and the carbide bits made up for the power and speed.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Not sure how much you want to spend, but if you bought this one, Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices you probably would be set the rest of your life. I have the Craftsmen version of this and am happy with it. Harbor Freight has a 15% off coupon, that would lower the price around $70. That's a pretty good deal for under $400.

Decisions, decisions.

 

[EddieWalker]

Brian,

That one from Harbor Freight might just be worth a drive out there. It's the only one that I've seen so far with a speed of 150 rpm's.

I'm gonna take another look at Grizzly.

Thanks,
Eddie

 

[3RRL]

Here is a nice floor model Eddie. It's an old Giddings & Lewis like I used to have for bigger stuff.
Lots of capacity too. Speeds are 60 to 1200 rpm.
(I borrowed this photo)



Seriously though, it sounds like that one you are going to look at with the low speed of 150 rpm will be the ticket. Sounds like a good one to me.

 

[schmism]

dont forget to check out your local craigslist for a deal. I see them often in my area.

ive got an old 15 speed chineese one that i bought online like 8 years ago.... ive mod'd it a bit, and basicly keep it on the lowest speed because i mostly drill metal with it.

 

[EddieWalker]

Not sure how much you want to spend, but if you bought this one, Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices you probably would be set the rest of your life. I have the Craftsmen version of this and am happy with it. Harbor Freight has a 15% off coupon, that would lower the price around $70. That's a pretty good deal for under $400.

Decisions, decisions.

As luck would have it, I got a Harbor Freight paper in the mail today with what looks like the same drill press in it for sale. It says the regular price is $419.99 and the sale price is $389.99

It's model number, or they have it as LOT NO 39955 and is called a "12 SPEED FLOOR PRODUCTION DRILL PRESS"

Same name as on the website, but the item number on the website is 39955-7VGA and the price is $469.99

My guess is that the 7VGA is just a number showing the website price. Everything else in the descriptions looks good.

Sale ends July 21, so I got a little bit of time.

Thanks,
Eddie

 

[MtnViewRanch]

As luck would have it, I got a Harbor Freight paper in the mail today with what looks like the same drill press in it for sale. It says the regular price is $419.99 and the sale price is $389.99

It's model number, or they have it as LOT NO 39955 and is called a "12 SPEED FLOOR PRODUCTION DRILL PRESS"

Same name as on the website, but the item number on the website is 39955-7VGA and the price is $469.99

My guess is that the 7VGA is just a number showing the website price. Everything else in the descriptions looks good.

Sale ends July 21, so I got a little bit of time.

Thanks,
Eddie

This is what has to be one of my biggest gripes with Harbor Freight. One add will have a certain number and then a week later there will be another add with a different number and different price for the exact same thing. That company keeps you on your toes, but as long as you know this and pay attention, you usually can get pretty good prices on things.

Good luck with your choice. Oh yeah, maybe look at their cobalt drill bits, we have had good luck with them.

 

[AlanB]

That is the one I have had my eyes on Eddie,

While certainly not the quality of the bigger name ones, like so many HF tools, it is good enough for me and what I am trying too do.

Eddie, have you got a 15% off coupon? I have one in my pocket I could mail you if you want valid thru 21 July.

 

[EddieWalker]

Alan,

Thank you very much for the offer.

The flier that came in the mail has the price on it and the 15% off coupon on the back page. I'm going to put it in my truck just in case I somehow get turned in that direction and end up at the store. Sometimes my truck goes where it wants and I need to be prepaired.

Eddie

 

[RobJ]

Alan,

Thank you very much for the offer.

The flier that came in the mail has the price on it and the 15% off coupon on the back page. I'm going to put it in my truck just in case I somehow get turned in that direction and end up at the store. Sometimes my truck goes where it wants and I need to be prepaired.

Eddie

Check the internet price to. All you have to do is print the internet page and the store will match the price. They don't even check the dates. I do it all the time.

 

[AlanB]

Those coupons make some of the bigger purchases all the more palatable when you catch the sale, plus the 15%

Hmmmm, just past my B-day, maybe that will be what I get.

 

[dfkrug]

It's model number, or they have it as LOT NO 39955 and is called a "12 SPEED FLOOR PRODUCTION DRILL PRESS"

I have that one, Eddie.....got it on sale with coupon for about $350. It
is the biggest and slowest I could find. I checked with Grizzley, Enco,
Jet, etc. My 1990 Delta 17" floor model really complained when I drilled
1" or bigger holes in 1/2" steel plate. It comes all it one box, weighing
over 300#!

My assessment of this DP is that it is OK, though the slowest speed is NOT
150RPM as advertised....it is 180RPM. I would prefer even less than 150,
but could find nothing slower without going with industrial gear-head units.
(You guys with milling machines are spoiled!)

I would buy this unit again. I like the heavy construction, the MT3 quill, and
the large wet table.

The 4 symbols after the part # refer to the catalog. I am punished with
1-2 catalogs/week, if you can imagine.

 

[ultrarunner]

(You guys with milling machines are spoiled!)

I do use my Bridgeport Mill mostly for drilling... and I've got a $59 cheapie bench model drill press for quick small diameter holes.

 

[Eagleview]

If your using it for awkward shaped objects that may slip out of the vice and start spinning , it is better to have a belt driven drill press . At least that way by the time your arm gets wrapped around the chuck up to your elbow it will slip the belts . A gear driven drill press will not stop and you will look like a frog in a blender . A tip with floor stand drill presses is to help the table up while turning the raise handle . As the toothed rack is very long and whippy , it will snap in the middle when the handle is turned .

 

[Sherweld]

Sort of a new guy here, so, sorry if this has been covered before.

I have a no name Asian 12 speed drill press for many years (1960's) which I've used to build many things including a standalone backhoe. This was mentioned earlier in this thread by J_J, about using quality hole saws for drilling larger holes. This takes far less power than a big drill, costs far less than a big bit, and allows some fun tricks like making really nice bosses for reinforcing holes in weldments.

I use deWalt or equal bimetal holesaws, some of which have been through literally feet of mild steel with just the original paint worn off. When making "precision" holes through weldments, I line up pre-drilled pieces, weld, then use a tapered bridge reamer to take everything to final size. By keeping my "designs" simple, I only need about three sizes of imported reamers (Enco as I recall)

The only trick is slow speed, clamping the part, and a lubricant (I know there is better stuff out there, but I only have used a squirt bottle of WD-40)