Who knows about drill presses?

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DanS HJ-45

DanS HJ-45

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So, I'm in the market for a high quality drill press. Probably not bench mounted, I've got lots of room.

90%+ will be steel, but I'm sure it will occasionally get used to drill wood. I'm not sure if I like the belt drive variable speed system, but the gear driven variable speed systems seem spendy.

So: who makes a good one?

Dan
 
I have this one and it's been great:

G7944 12 Speed Heavy-Duty 14" Floor Drill Press



However, I wish I had held out and watched Craig's list for an old time USA made drill press. You just can't beat that quality. The drill presses made in the USA from the 1940s until now are basically as good as it gets and your grandchildren will still be using them 50 years from now.
 
Nice

typically you dont get below 200 rpm on a drill press.
Drews recommendation is stellar.
Unless you have a bunch of bucks for a mini mill
or a professional drill press w/vari drive

Bi metal hole saws for cutting steel like tube need low rpm to keep from burning them up.
 
I have a new Old Jet bench top model.

It was $300 when new about 3 years ago.

I agree with Dirtsquirt on the speed. The slowest it goes is 400PRM.

It is great for small holes but when you get above 3/8" in thick metal the speed is too fast. Forget about using a hole saw for coping for an extended period of time or in thick tube.

The bigger the hole the slower the RPM. (You already knew that)
DSCF2006.webp
DSCF2007.webp
 
I just bought one of these and absolutely love it. It has the lazer pinpount system which shows you right where the drill bit will touch down. Makes it handy for laying things out. Speed range is from 215-2720 RPM and, interestingly, it has two serpentine type belts (ridged) that drive it. The belts are tensioned using a handle on the right side. It even looks like the press is on sale right now.

I agree though, if I could've gotten a good Atlas or Craftsman made in the 40's or 50's I would have jumped on it. They're few and far between these days.
 
fj40charles said:
I'd buy a Milling machine to use as a heavy duty drill press.
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I also vote mill - even maybe a bench type Jet mill (there is a steel stand available) if nothing else. Takes up a bit more room - does a lot more. I've been looking around for an old Bridgeport.

IMHO, drill presses are great for lots of stuff but overrated (maybe misused?) for general metal work. I've seen them used in machine shops primarily to deburr holes, with some occasional jig work thrown in. I do lots of sheet metal drilling by hand with metal clamped down to a sacrificial table surface, and usually get what I feel are faster/safer/cleaner results - everything backed-up and always held in place. Too easy to slap something on a drill a press without thinking and have a part, chuck key, etc. flying around the shop. In the 70s it was relatively common to see some guy get his long hair caught in the rotating spindle - not pretty. Not that it could'nt happen with a milling machine, etc. but drill press chucks are usually setup higher and closer to the user's eyes/head. I just think an additional bit of caution is appropriate - clamped work piece, drill press vise, etc.
 
Dan feel free to stop the house and talk to Cy about drill presses. We have a Grizzly that has been in the shop since I can remember and we use it for both metal and wood and we have had no problems with it. Also he can tell you about some of the places around town you may want to check out.
 
Man! I didn't even mention that I had certainly thought about getting a mill to double as a drill press. You guys are sick!

We had an el-cheapo drill press (I think from HF--need I say more?) and it's slowest speed produces exactly the problems you guys see--especially with bigger bits. I'm really picky about having sharp bits (I actually hide a stash of bits so nobody but me buggers them up), so going slow is a HUGE bonus for me.

So, Grizzly and Jet are decent brands by you guys? This will all be a moot point if Ali finds another craigslist Bridgeport for me (I should have bought it--really)

Paul: I might have to check it out next time I'm over there.

Dan
 
DanS HJ-45 said:
So, Grizzly and Jet are decent brands by you guys? This will all be a moot point if Ali finds another craigslist Bridgeport for me (I should have bought it--really)
Dan
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Well - it's not a Bridgeport ... but my local steel supply guy (he's been around a long time) sells and has experience with Jet (and others) and says the Jet metal working stuff has improved a lot in the last few years. My father-in-law owned a wood shop his whole life in Vermont and when he set up his "retirement" shop at home he filled it with new Grizzly stuff (and some really nice old "made in USA" drill presses) - and I never heard him complain. Machine shops have had a hard time around here (Northern California) but it's still seems tough to fine a nice old Bridgeport mill for sale.
 
a good drill press will run you 3-5k .

i have a cheap press about 600$ its older then me and has never let me down . doesn't crawl as slow as i would like but i rarely drill a hole over 1/2"

i would rather buy a cheap mill for 3-5k then a good drill pres for 3-5 k :meh:

a gear driven press is favorable to a belt driven one .

the main thing i would look at is the option for a good bench mounted vise on it . nothing worse then a drill press with out a vise on it .
 
craptabulous said:
the main thing i would look at is the option for a good bench mounted vise on it . nothing worse then a drill press with out a vise on it .
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Hard to justify that kind of $$ for a home shop. I totally agree about a vise for the drill press. Otherwise it is going to catch and pull the stock out of your hand and whack you on the fingers. Not that I would know about that.:rolleyes:


I looked around before I bout the Grizzly one mentioned above. It was the only full size 3/4 HP consumer level press that would slow down enough to be useful. If I had real $$ I'd have found a nice made in USA machine. It works well enough for my purposes.

I watch CL for Bridgeports too, and they don't come up very often.
 
I have a Taiwanese drill press (this one) that I got way cheap at a auction. It came with a mill type table and I added a 4" mill type vise. Having the option of changing speed while drilling is great. It blows holes in anything that it has been pointed at, but not exactly portable. :hillbilly:

A buddy got the real one that mine is copied after, at about the same time, for about the same $. Have been trying to get him to trade, it would be a perfect match for my Clausing lathe, not having luck with that!:o

Both are are in great condition, paid less than a new Delta 14" from Home Depot in both cases. Good drill presses sometimes come up at great deals, watch all sources, but mainly business/industrial auctions. Mine came from TRW air bag plant, an online excess equipment auction.
 
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Cruiserdrew said:
Hard to justify that kind of $$ for a home shop. I totally agree about a vise for the drill press. Otherwise it is going to catch and pull the stock out of your hand and whack you on the fingers. Not that I would know about that.:rolleyes:
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well he asked for high quality .........

a better statement would be not junk .

you can get a mill or drill press that will probably never give you problems used at home for around 1-1.5 k a drill press around 400-600$ should do very well .

like i said i have a 400$ or so press thats older then me . works great .
 
you should be able to buy an old US made drill press for a few hundred dollars. i got an atlas for around $150. just make sure to check for runout.
even better would be to find a small mill. mine is a 1940's vintage vernon mill that i got at a moving sale for $400. makes an awesome drill press.
mill.webp
mill 2.webp
 
fj40charles said:
I'd buy a Milling machine to use as a heavy duty drill press.
Click to expand...
x6 on the mill , i found mine in a shop that sells big new fancy machines. they get mills in on trade in the shop s****es the ways an re fits them . i kept checking in the guy finally sold me a decent bridge port for 1200.00 (be fore refit) it mills, it drills notches n copes.
 
DanS HJ-45 said:
So, I'm in the market for a high quality drill press. Probably not bench mounted, I've got lots of room.

90%+ will be steel, but I'm sure it will occasionally get used to drill wood. I'm not sure if I like the belt drive variable speed system, but the gear driven variable speed systems seem spendy.

So: who makes a good one?

Dan
Click to expand...

Check us out, we have some sweet ones and we are also a vendor on this forum so I can shoot you a screamin deal!

cjeck em out: Drill Press Machines - Variable Speed Drill Presses

Drill Press MAchine - Gear Driven Drill Presses
 
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You mya have a better tool budget but I was not happy with what was out there new in my price range, mostly Chinese, Found an old Rockwell radial arm drill press, like this one at an auction for $50.

OWWM - Photo Index - Rockwell Manufacturing Co. - Rockwell Delta11-280 Radial Drill Press

Its smaller than what you are looking for but just goes to show there are deals out there.

IMO old American tools are better than new Chinese tools, pricing is about the same or better with used.
 
I'm really leaning towards the mill option. I'm probably pretty picky, as I learned (in pretty rough terms) how to use a mill on some old Bridgeport machines. But something used would fit the bill perfectly...

Shane: I'll PM you to see just how screaming of a deal we are talking about...

Shoot: if I end up with a decent mill, then a decent lathe and I'll be able to enter what is probably the geekiest/coolest hobby out there..... Live Steam railroading... :grinpimp:

Brakes%20!.jpg


But then I wouldn't have any time to play with the cruisers, and that would obviously be a problem.

Dan
 
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