Just in general. I'm thinking of buying one of their drill presses. Are they made in the USA? What's your all's opinion?

Mike

 

I've got one of their drill presses & it's perfect, I also have a Delta disc/belt sander. There's a Delta Unisaw thats going to be mine soon as I get room for it also.

 

I don't own any personally, but I've never heard anything bad about them.

 

we have a few delta tools, and i'd say thier a little above average. we had a 12" planer that did about 24 boards, then it seized a bushing, jambed, and split a sprocket. we also have a delta drill press that works great for wood, ( we bought it for light use in our machine shop) but would drill steel for nuttin.

everything else we have has worked fine.

 

I've got a delta compound miter saw,good tools for the money I'd say.Ron

 

the older delta from when it was owned by rockwell was alot better than the chinesse made stuff they market today IMHO

Then again I wouldnt go to lowes to buy a drill press when for $100 I could find a walker turner or powermatic or clausing industrial 3 spindle gang drill at any local machine shop auction

Heres an old delta/rockwell 3 phase single spindle job
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...category=12579

Good luck

 

Well then what do you all think of the top of the line Craftsmans. The top 2 in particular? I will be drilling mostly steel and using tube notchers and the like.

Mike

 

I will never buy another Crapsman power tool again, they are complete garbage. I'm phasing out what I have and replacing with Delta or Porter Cable. These names are good quality for the average user, like me. The Crapsman stuff does not even hold up to occasional use.

I'd love to buy some of the older stuff, but who can run 3 phase?

 

whatever you do get something that is built pretty heavy duty if you want to notch tube, rigidity is the key when your do work like that, speacially if your using a half a crappy hole saw to notch tube........I have always loved rigid pipe threaders, dies and pipe wrench's, but I cant believe they are in the power tool market now at home depot, the stuff dont look anything like what im use to from rigid, I thinks its becasue they were acquired by Emerson Electric who also owns in sink erator here in my town........I wouldnt recomend a rigid drill press or craftsman, escpecially for the money they get for them.

How much is crapsman best drill press $600 ?
I've never bought craftsman power tools either, all my power hand tools are milwaukee, which im brand loyal too Vs. black and dicker/dewalt, makita and others, I have a few mickey mouse hole shooters that acquired free, which get used on jobs where you just run a drill with the intention of it dying by the end of the job,

 

Yeah, it's about 600. I don't buy Craftsman power tools either, with a couple exceptions. I bought the 14 inch Pro Chop Saw. I won't buy any of their stuff that doesn't so pro. They make a good and better than good line for a reason. I am most loyal to Dawalt. Then Milwaukee(I mean no other can touch the Super SA.), and last Makita. Who would any of you recommend for a good drill press to drill steel?

Mike

 

delta is probably the best so far, and the market is so limited that you have very few choices, you have the bottom of the barrel chinesse crap which crapsman aint far from and the better but still pretty lightweight due to cost constraints, these include the delta and the rigid

I woul;d say look at the 3 and pick the best built one the quill should move up and down smoothly and retracrt well and the quill should not feel sloppy at the end of its travel, also look and feel the table height adjutment, look for bolt holes in the base, the bases are small and light and need to be bolted, do the belt gaurds fit together properly ? do they open easily are the belt speed changes made simple ? a removeable chuck mounted on a morse taper shank would be nice for using different chucks or morse taper shank drills, so many choices

good luck and remember a drill press vice will be a big help on the new drill

one more thing even the new drill presses that can be bought from industrial distributors are made overseas, some dont even have enlgish service manulas or poorly translated, we have alot of old suprlus drills at the shop often times the 50 year old one have smoother spindle bearings that are oilable unlike the cheap sealed units on the imports

 

i'm getting an old delta standup drillpress from my late grandfather...he had it in his shop in the 50's. all i know is that it has been workin flawlessly from the time he bought it in the 50's 'til he passed last year
but i dont know about the tools they make now.

at work they just had a HUGE sale on last year's rigid power tools...50% all lathes, planers, jointers, drillpresses, table saws, etc. i shoudl of bought a table saw, but used the money for a tattoo.

 

BLK94F150...You live in Ft.Mitchell, right? Go to Muellers (or Meullers) tool supply in Cincy...They're North of the City, near Reading Rd., I believe. They deal in GOOD power tools...like Powermatic and Altendorf. I know that they also have JET and Delta there too. You can see various drill presses side by side in their showroom. If they are too expensive then you can go the Chinese route through Harbour Freight...On the West side. Is this going to be for your personal use, or for where you work? If it's not going to be drilling steel 24/7 through three shifts, you could get by with less.

MR

 

Thanks for the advice. And yes, I live in Ft. Mitchell,KY. I think I am just going to go for the Delta as it is not used for work, just play. Unless someone will pay me to use it. So I don't need anything extreme and it needs to run on 115V. Where is HF? I would like to look at some of their presses.

Mike

 

Don't own any, but from what I've seen and used them... they are nice tools