Drill Press

A

abintx

Guest
Can anyone recommend a good drill press for use around the house. What size, what size motor, bench top or floor model ??? Right now I'm looking at a Craftsman 10" with Laser. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks, Art :)
 
Enkoh's

Ab
I have a table model 13mm chuck on a 150 lb stand. Japanese Drill Press. This came out of my smiths shop when he moved. I think the stand makes the difference. The stand is a shop made looks like a steel building frame with a 75 lb plate on the lower end.

Stephen Perry
Angeles BR
 
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I have an older

Craftsman 1/2" chuck floor stand model that is very nice. Just don't buy Sears Chinese crap! Its bad for our economy, you are helping the economy of a totaliarian government. Otherwise, Merry Christmas!!
 
Years ago I had a nice Craftsman floor model with a T-slot table that met all of my needs. Lost it going through a divorce. A few years back I bought a Rockwell table mounted press and I am sure sorry that I bought it. It doesn't have anywhere near the capacity and versatility of my old press and I'm thinking about getting another floor model. It's better to have more capacity and not use it than to have less capacity and not be able to use it when you need it. I'm through with Harry Homeowner tools and now buy the biggest I can afford.
 
I have two that have stood up to the years of use after others have worn out or broken. The two that have lasted for me are Rockwell/Delta. The older one is a 15" floor model, I've had it about 30 years and the other is a 12" table model and about 15-20 years old. Each has its advantages, the table model is very handy for small work and the floor model will drill the long items such as for mounting butt plates on a stock... If I had to choose one over the other it would be the floor model due to its not taking up bench space and its versatility in work size and length...

Edit to add: I think both of mine have 1/2 hp motors...


Happy Shooting,
Mitch & Shadow...
 
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minimum 1/2 hp motor, Step pulley or variable speed control, 1/2" minimum chuck - 5/8 better, cast iron better than cast alum. Floor unit better for previously stated reasons, table should be able to tilt and have t slots. At least 8" from column to center of chuck.
The one I have is heavy enough in construction that I was able to do very light milling with it prior to acquiring a vertical Knee mill.
 
G7947

My Grizzly has a 1HP motor. lots of accessories that fit. i especially like the verticle lathe for making pens and the cross vise to do small milling operations. also the table has the ability to twist, turn and removable for quick change operations. i suggest a floor model over a table model. Fred
 
You do have to think through the floor or table model to know which will work best for you. I bought a high dollar Wilton in a table model and I'm vary happy with it. 1/2" drill chuck works for my needs, I did a number of run out checks on mine before deciding to swap chucks and I'm happy with the results. It's great to not tie up a mill with a simple drilling operation.
 
I haven't used a drill press since I got a milling machine with a digital readout. It's nice to be able to put holes where you want them. Good for a few other things too,
 
All I have along these lines is an el'cheapo Black&Decker I picked up on sale at WallyWorld many years ago.
Only thing close to precision work I've done with it is DT'ing a few receivers for my self designed and hand filed scope mount bases for the No.4 rifles.
I really should invest in some better equipment, but got sidetracked in repairing storm damage to the old homestead, so any extra cash generally gets used up on necessities first.

One thing I have used this little press for that may be unique is as an improtu reloading press.
When I have a gun of an unusual caliber, and don't wish to invest in loading tools for it, I use the press to drill holes the aprox size needed to resize the neck of fired cases in a thich steel plate, then polish the holes out by hand till the size is just right. I then put a wooden block under the table to prevent flexing and with a large headed bolt turned flat and chucked I use the handle to press the case down into the hole.
Flipping the plate over I knock them out with a dowel and mallet.
To pop out primers I use a pin punch. I use a regular countersink to bevel case mouths and another countersink I found that seems to be for cutting clearance for washers I fitted with a threaded shaft turned an polished to act as a combo neck expander and case trimmer.
Cases are primed by use of a piece of aluminum tubing in the chuck inserted in the case, the primer set on a steel plate and the case pushed down on it using the handle. For pistol cases I just use the plate to seat flush, okay for revolvers probably not a good idea for slam loaders, for large rifle primers I use the seating base from my Lee Loader so the primer can be seated a hair below flush.
I first started using this method when undersized pockets of some European cases caused detonations while attempting to seat with the lee Loaders mallet and rod system, which is not conducive to accuracy in any case.

I now have a Lee Hand squeezer press, but haven't sent for dies yet. I really prefer the old Lyman 310 nutcracker, which was my first reloading tool.

Needless to say I don't load many rounds at any one time, but doing it this way appeals to the Scrooge McDuck gene inherited from the Scots side of the family tree.
Results with such primitive methods have proven suprizingly good, I manage to get an extraordinary level of consistency from my loads.
 
I have no specific recommendations, but some concepts: A large heavy drill press really doesn't take up much more room, in use, than a light one. The larger drill press is easier to use. More room on the table, more travel on the spindle etc. One quick way of judging between drill presses of equal size is spindle travel. Cheap ones have a travel of about 3-1/2", a good one may have 7" on up. You want a morse taper spindle.
 
floor model

The adjustable table on a floor model is a real benefit. The one I have used for 30 years (craftsman) has a simple lock collar for swiveling and height adjustment that is very usefull. I have acquired 4 different styles off drill press vises that have specific advantages. Love my drill press, and my two Bridgeports, and the South Bend and......
 
You'd be surprised at the results of an add in the paper could bring. Such as..."Wanted to buy" , older American built floor model drill press)

I have three floor presses, all of them built when they were still building good ones.
A Walker-Turner,(division of Kearney & Trecker, Plainfield, NJ.
a Delta Rockwell, ( Milwukee, WI.)
and a fine old Craftsman, ( By the King-Seely Corp,) All going back to the
50's and not wore out.
Most important on all of them is they have a QUILL lock. About impossible to buy a new one with that feature. Cast iron is a must as well with slots in the table. I have counter weights on them to make adjustment easier.

I should point out however, that I live in an industrialised area whereby there is much good used machinery to be had. Just be sure there isn't any free play in your chuck/quill area, ( for run out). Most will be with a 1/2" chuck, which will work for most of what you do. Other chucks are available if you know where to look.

Speaking of chucks, if you find a used press, take along a .062 drill bit and see if it chucks up tightly.
I would not buy anything available today unless it came out of a machine shop, or one that has been in someones basement for about 40 years, and even then, it would have to be industrial quality.

A few have been mentioned in this thread, certainly NOT the new Wilton, Grizzly, or Craftsman.
If you can find one of what I have, buy it...
 
abintx said:
Can anyone recommend a good drill press for use around the house. What size, what size motor, bench top or floor model ??? Right now I'm looking at a Craftsman 10" with Laser. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks, Art :)
Click to expand...

I would definitely get a floor model. I have a bench model and if you ever need to drill a hole in the end of something over 12" long you are dead in the water. For your use 1/2 horse would probably be sufficient, I would strongly recommend a variable speed set up, if you plan to do any woodworking..
 
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After reading much of this thread, I happened to be on the web page of the company I buy most of my power tools from and out of curiosity, I took a look to see how much change there is to the Delta drill presses since I bought mine.

And changed they have! I bought a new floor model 15" 6 speed step pully drill press about 25-30 years ago and paid about $360 for it. Now days the Delta 15" 6 speed step pully floor model drill press sells for $3085.00 from CPO...

And now days Delta sells a 17" floor model drill press variable speed with a 3/4 hp motor and LASER center of hole indicator for just under $500!!! However it looks a lot like some of the imported drill presses being sold under various off shore brand names...

The good news in all this is that Delta/Porter Cable is now a division of Black and Decker. I called a local tool dealer looking for a replacement tire for a 14" Delta bandsaw I've had for about 25 years, they gave me a 800 number to call for parts, and it was answered by a B&D service rep who was very helpful and looked up the right part number for me and determined the part was still available...

If the new drill press is of the same quality as other Delta tools, and B&D offers the same service for the new Delta 17" drill press floor model, it should be a good deal...

Happy Holidays Y'all,

Good Shooting,
Mitch & Shadow...
 
Mitch

As one who has had and still uses the tools you mention since the 50's, let me say this:
I own some hand operated power tools by those manufacturers, however, Delta is now made in China. Not sure about Porter cable.
Realistically, there are not any "good deals" on 1st class equipment.
 
Joe Maisto said:
Mitch

As one who has had and still uses the tools you mention since the 50's, let me say this:
I own some hand operated power tools by those manufacturers, however, Delta is now made in China. Not sure about Porter cable.
Realistically, there are not any "good deals" on 1st class equipment.
Click to expand...

Joe,

I share your sentiments as I too, have been using Delta power tools since the 1950's... Delta has always been a quality tool and I am not an advocate of off shore manufacturing. However, in the past two months, I have purchased two brand new Delta power tools and neither gives any indication that they were "made in China" and are of the same quality I have come to expect of Delta...

If either of these tools were made in China then who ever is making them is doing an excellent job of maintaining the long time Delta quality.

Good Shooting,
Mitch & Shadow...
 
Drill presses are good when you wish to have a self centering type of operation, meaning that when the work or the vise holding the work can be let to find their own center to the drill press spindle center - parts can slide on the drill press table to follow a center punch mark or a smaller hole.

Add an X-Y table and you have a precision drill press, which is good for putting one hole precisely in relation to another, but which really is just a poor man's milling machine. A small mill/drill is much better for this and I agree that a mill is a better precision drill press when you don't want things to float on the table.

Any 1/3 or 1/2 HP drill press with good 1/2" chuck should do just fine for most general home shop work, although I must admit that I haven't tried out any of the Chinese stuff recently (except mill drills). Old iron still is king if you can find it in good condition.

Something that I picked up in the tool room and that I have incorporated in my gun shop is the foot switch. For drill presses you usually have one hand on the quill handle and the other on the stock on the table. It is very handy to be able to turn on/off the spindle with a foot switch. Put the foot switch on and you'll never go back.

Scott
 
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