Drill Press

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Sep 25, 2002 | 10:00 PM

sagebel

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Drill Press

I am looking for a drill press as the next addition. I do not have much space in my garage. I do more drilling in wood than metal but I am concerned about not being able to drill through fairly thick 0.5" steel. I am thinking about a bench top but I'm not sure. Any suggestions are welcome.

Sep 25, 2002 | 11:22 PM

Torque1st

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Drill Press

Hmmmm... I have an old drill press with about a 6.5" swing, 3" stroke, 3" column, rotary table, 1/16-5/8" chuck, and bench mounted. It has met most of my needs over the years. I use it for mostly metal work. I have had a few cases when the drill wasn't big enough or it was just very difficult to get the workpiece secured. I have wished for a bigger machine many times. For metal work you want to look for low rpm's. I think most anything out there will have adequate speed for wood. One thing nice to look for is a reversing switch so you can use those left hand drill bits, of course that is a metalhead talking.

Sep 26, 2002 | 11:18 AM

Huntsman

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Joined: May 2002

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From: Northwest Fl

Drill Press

My recommendation would be to get a unit that can turn the slower rpm's and has the V-belts instead of the round bands between the upper speed pulleys, they offer a lot less slipping with heavier drilling. I have been using a floor model drill press fom Sears for years, a little higher price than the bench tops but does the job when its needed, and it takes up very little space.

Sep 26, 2002 | 08:01 PM

sagebel

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Drill Press

I like the idea of a bench top but all the models I have looked at only have a 1/2" chuck. Right now I am on the fence between a Craftsman 12" bench top 2/3hp, and a 15" floor 1hp. The floor model is almost twice as much as the bench top.

Sep 26, 2002 | 10:37 PM

Torque1st

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Drill Press

If you don't mind checking the drill press over and applying a little TLC on rough edges you can get a drill press from Harbor Freight:
http://www.harborfreight.com/

My drill press came from there when the company was just starting back about 1979 and it is still going strong. It is probably the most used power tool in my shop except for my cordless drill. The only thing I have replaced is the switch and I used standard off the shelf parts.

The Harbor Freight drill probably comes off the same assy line as the Craftsman, just painted a different color. Most small machine tools are made overseas, if they say "Made in USA" it is probably the sticker that was made here.

Sep 26, 2002 | 10:56 PM

alanscott

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From: Western Colorado USA

Drill Press

I have a made in China drill press and it's actual a pretty decent machine. I got it used about 4 years ago for 50 bucks and I have drilled up to 7/8 holes in 1/2 steel with no problems.

Sep 26, 2002 | 11:31 PM

whitebenz

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Joined: Mar 2002

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From: Yelm Washington usa

Drill Press

My chop saw, band saw, drillpess, break, etc. all came from auctions. I have gone to estate auctions, farm, company, etc. Find some auctioniers in your area and ask for some catalouges.

dj