I was thinking of getting a drill press. Lowes as a few i was looking at. Is there anything special i need to look for as for size. I plan on using it to drill in mostly metal. Thanks

 

Must have at least four speeds, a drill depth stop, adjustable table and a chuck that is accurately mounted. That is, will not wiggle when you grab it with your hand and try to wiggle it.

 

You need very SLOW speeds. Most cheap drill presses are only made to work in wood although they claim to drill metal.

The only one available at Lowes that I can see that would even be marginally useful for metal is the big one: Item #: 133570 Model: 17-950L
Even then it does not go slow enuf on the spindle speeds for my taste but would probably "work". All the others they have are not for metal.

The one on sale:
Shopmaster
10" Bench-Top Drill Press
Item #: 232997 Model: SM300
Would not work well on metal. I had one like it and ended up modifying it with an additional pulley setup. Not a good option.

The 12 speed models commonly seen are the ones to get but try to get a low speed down below 200RPM.

 

I got a Ryobi from Home D. that has a slow setting of 260 RPM but that model was discontinued. It seems they have that new variable speed system out now and apparently it is expensive to build them where they can go slower. It seems like the lowest speed on the Lowes/HD units now only go down to about 500-600.

I think a 10" press would be frustrating in the long run.

 

Electronic speed controls often burn up the motors due to insufficient airflow. The old belt drive units are "stone fence" technology, no reason to change it.

 

I found that drilling slower results in faster drilling - because the bits stay sharp, last longer, don't smoke, and cut steel easily.

When drilling on my lathe, I often run the machine in the 60 rpm range.

I used to bore large diameter holes in steel to make header plates, using bi-metal hole saws on the drill press, and they'd burn up from the inability to run them slow. Now I mount my pipe notcher on my lathe's cross slide, and cut the tubing with the same hole saws at 30-60 RPM, and the saws last seemingly forever.

Speed, or lack thereof, make a HUGE difference with steel.

 

When I demonstrate metal drilling at school, I emphasize the "slower is better" method.
Never fails that some high-schooler who knows everything will crank the drill up to high speed to prove that I am wrong.
Smoke, screeching, smeared holes, and bulged exit almost invariably result.
Then I'll sharpen the bit and slow the drill down to an appropriate speed and show them again how effective slow drilling is for steel.
The process is usually repeated several times per year.

I agree it is difficult to find a modern drill press that turns in the 200 rpm range.
At least an inexpensive one anyway.

 

With the high price of copper and steel these days, lots of inventive folks will try anything to reduce material costs. So you see things like the "variable speed" designs using electronics to slow down motor speeds. Electronics are dirt cheap due to technological advancement.

The problem is, drilling metal requires low-speed, high torque, and the ability to sustain this for a long period of time. The only way to get this requires mechanical speed reduction (steel pulleys and shafts) and a decent size motor with sufficient copper and steel in the windings and armature to not overheat. The electronic gadgets get low speed by reducing the frequency of the voltage waveform sent to the motor, but this does nothing to increase torque or dissipate heat. Instead, you get the same torque at a lower speed. The lower speed also means the motor gets less cooling. Basically the whole setup is worthless except for light drilling in wood. I've seen too many Ryobi products over-infused with "value engineering" to even consider buying their tools.

There's really no way around this. The minimum drill press worth buying is something like the Delta 17-965 (try amazon for a good price). It has a 16 speed belt drive system and a "real" 3/4 horsepower motor. It's Chinese made, and suffers to some degree from rough metal castings and operating vibrations endemic to most things Chinese. But it drills 1/2 inch diameter holes in steel reasonably satisfactorily.

If you can find a good old fashioned 1950's era USA built machine in decent condition it would be able to do the job, and has enough moxie in the construction to not burn up with hard use.

 

I noticed several of the HF presses are built similar to the previous generation Ryobi and have the belt setup similar to mine. I bet they are even made in the same plant in China.

The chinese syndrome has effected many previously good tools including Delta. Chinese windings are the bane of electric motors.

 

Just some info on cutting speeds. Slow is the way to go in steel (and please make sure it is clamped down!) but too slow for the size of the bit isn't good, either. Figure 100 RPM for a 1" diameter bit. Then a 1/2" bit would be 200, a 1/4" would be 400, a 1/8" =800, and a 1/16" would be 1600 RPM. If you try to drill w/ a 1/16" bit @ 100 RPM, you'll probably just break it. Those numbers are close enough drilling mild steel in a drill press or mill. A few drops of oil every few seconds will help a lot. It would take a LOT of torque to turn a 1" bit in steel- beyond most drill presses, unless you step up sizes gradually. I can't tell you in words how much pressure to put on the handle, but you want to keep a nice steady curl of chips going. Too little pressure will dull a drill quickly. Make sure you drill in 'pecks', pulling the drill out of the hole frequently to clear chips and apply the oil.

 

Don't drill in pecks with stainless or other work hardening steels. The first time you stop you are done...

 

Look for a solid base and smooth but stout adjustment controls. Deflection while drilling can cause lots of problems when the press has a cheap spindle shaft, inadequate tightening ability, etc. Its imprecise and dangerous.

 

I don't want to hijack this thread but can anyone tell us just what is cutting oil? How does it differ from lubricating oil and what kinds of oil should be used in different types of metal?

 

I have an old Rockwell drill press, it's only got four speeds. That ain't enough. It gets the job done, but I spend alot of time sharpening drill bits. If I were to buy a new one I would have to get one with a few more speed options. I'm already looking for some different pulleys for the one I have.

Invest in a good cross slide vise when you get the drill press. It'll save you a heap of time when you actually start drilling on stuff.

As for cutting oil, I was taught most everything I know from a old hillbilly. For me cutting oil and drilling oil has always come from oil changes. 30 weight works for just about everything. It's the same oil I use for tempering metal as well. I have an old paint can that I save old oil in, I keep back about a gallon and recycle the rest.
I bet real cutting oil works better, but I never have any and I always have old motor oil laying around.

As long as we're on the subject though, does anyone use the expesive cutting oils? How's it compare to used motor oil?

 

http://its.fvtc.edu/MachShop1/drillpress/cutspeeds.htm

This page explains how to calculate cutting speeeds and some theory.

As far as cutting oil goes, I may be wrong, but I think it has a high sulfur content. IMO, the only time its really worth using is for cutting threads.