drill press recommendations? (1 Viewer)

[e9999]

figure out the biggest diameter of bit you're likely to use and the metal and then figure out the rpm corresponding to that. That's critical I think. You'd probably fry a large hole saw on steel with many drill presses out there. Found that to be a limitation for mine.
Also, I'd want to have a chuck system that is on some sort of MT type of arrangement, easier to remove than some of the cheaper ones with the Jacobs tapers etc.
Putting some money in a good chuck is nice but you need a sound base for that.
And I'd figure out the actual accuracy I'd need most of the time and even check the runout of a bit or pin if you have a chance, some are pretty bad.

 

[Tools R Us]

I have on of these would prefer the Clausing that it's a copy of, got it cheap/used. It has a mill table and vice, is a beast, haven't found anything that slows it down.

 

[scrapdaddy]

Go big, military surplus...

 

[swelltimes]

I've been scouring Craigslist for weeks with only a couple good options showing up.

And then, today, a buddy texted and said he found a free drill press (ironically 2 houses down from mine).

Needs a little bit of cleaning up, and a couple quick welding repairs on the table and base (which the same buddy has offered to do for me), but it runs, goes to ~210 rpm, and should handle most of the projects I need it for! I really lucked out.

 

[scrapdaddy]

Hard to beat free. Is the table cast iron, welding is more involved with cast.

 

[swelltimes]

Hard to beat free. Is the table cast iron, welding is more involved with cast.

Yeah, the table is cast. But, my buddy has some good welding experience (he's a mechanic for our town's highway dep't), so I think it'll work out ok. I'm going to make a clamping jig for the two pieces, then grind a nice groove at the crack to make room for some new material.

I'll post up some pics of the progress.

 

[swelltimes]

Took the main pieces of the press apart to clean them up a bit. The pillar was pretty nasty with surface rust and grime, but cleaned up well with some steel wool.

Dropped the pieces that needed welding off at my buddy's. I was able to clamp the table together nicely with a big c-clamp, and then carved a good groove into the crack with a die grinder. The other two spots that need welding will be quick and easy: a crack in the base that holds the pillar, and a crack in the ring that holds the toothed piece upon which the table moves up / down.

The toothed piece is nowhere near straight, so I'm hoping once it's back against the pillar and secured with the ring and the base, it'll still function properly.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Nice work. What did you coat the pillar with?

 

[swelltimes]

Nice work. What did you coat the pillar with?

No coating, just cleaned it with steel wool and some WD-40.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

You'll want to coat the pillar with something so it doesn't rust. BLO works well and is cheap.

 

[swelltimes]

You'll want to coat the pillar with something so it doesn't rust. BLO works well and is cheap.

Good point!

I'll probably use something like Boeshield T-9, since I have that on hand already, and it's less volatile than BLO.

 

[John McVicker]

Ok, ok, what's BLO.

 

[swelltimes]

Ok, ok, what's BLO.

I had to look it up, to be honest. I believe it's boiled linseed oil.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

BLO = boiled linseed oil. Super volatile stuff. Rags soaked in BLO can spontaneously combust if left wadded up in a trashcan or otherwise.

 

[PAToyota]

I’d just wipe it down with oil or wax. You really don’t want something that will build up and gum up moving the table up and down.

 

[swelltimes]

Making some progress on getting my side-of-the-road drill press up and running.

My buddy, Silas, did some nice work with his MIG to weld back the fitting the holds the drilling table to the adjustable part on the column. He hit a couple of other small cracks, too: one in the ring that hold the top of the toothed guide for the table height adjustment, and one on the base where the pillar inserts. Silas is that guy that can fix everything, has that random part / thing you're looking for, and is generally a good human. He made time to fix these parts, and come over and do some grading in front of my shop, before he went in for hip surgery earlier this week.

I degreased, scuffed, and cleaned up the parts, then hit them with some paint that I had at the house.

Hoping to put everything together tomorrow and get the drill press up and running!

 

[swelltimes]

Got the handles for the table cleaned on the wire wheel, and painted.

Ordered a handle for the height adjustment on the table, too, which was the only piece missing from the unit: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06X95TLRZ/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[swelltimes]

Anyone have recommendations for a drill press vice that they like? Craigslist or retail?

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Craigslist is the best, but the Harbor Freight vices work fine until you find something nicer. I got the dual axis HF vice but I never use it for it's intended purpose because I rarely clamp it to the vice bed. Get the cheap HF vice for now.

 

[swelltimes]

Little more progress on my lunch break today. Got the pillar installed in the base, table assembly put back together and reinstalled with the worm drive guide.

Only issue is the the ring that holds the top of the table height guide cracked at the spot we'd welded to repair. So, I've got to figure out a replacement / solution.