School me on Drill Presses

[John Hollander]

I'm looking to buy a drill press. In the past I've used a small benchtop craftsman drill press that had a ton of slop. Id like some suggestions on some mid line (maybe in the $500 range) floor drill presses.

Also any suggestions on buying used? Are there any specific companies I should look for when buying used? What are some things to check when buying a used drill press. Ive bought used tools on craigslist in the past, are there any other good places to buy used tool?

[Keith Outten]

I prefer a Mill/Drill over a drill press. The advantages are huge and in some cases you can get a very hefty Mill/Drill cheaper then a woodworking drill press.
.

[pat warner]

Old but good names: Buffalo, Atlas, DoAll, Davis & Wells, Powermatics, Rockwells, General, Clausing, Delta, Pre'65 Sears, walker-turner, wilton
e.g.

[Harry Hagan]

When shopping for a drill press, keep in mind that the indicated size: 8”, 10”, 12”, etc. is the distance from the bit’s center to the support column. This dimension determines how far you can “reach” into a wider board or object.

I asked what that number indicated when shopping at local stores and nobody knew. The “salesmen” either made up something or finally admitted they didn’t have a clue.

[Mike Hollingsworth]

I haven't found a new drill press that's worth a crap.
I'm keeping my eye out for a Powermatic or Delta with a 6" quill travel.

[Thomas Hotchkin]

John
I have a used 1950 Powermatic 1200 Drill Press. Its great, best drill press I have ever used. Looks like this. Tom

[ian maybury]

Guess it depends on who you ask about mill drills Keith. I recently got run off the Practical machinist forum (had my thread locked - and in a less than polite or considerate manner) for daring to enquire about them - it seems they are not seen as 'respectable' or socially desirable there.

As the thread a short while ago i'm trying to work my way through that space too. You guys in the US do better with stuff like the high end Delta, Jet and Powermatic presses available - but all get mixed press so far as quality is concerned. i.e. get a good one and it's great, but... Searching more broadly for presses seems to bring up either cheap junk (which i've had enough time on), or a rapid step up in price into very heavily constructed presses designed for engineering use but lacking in woodworking features. e.g. they have short spindle travel, lowish max rpm, may not have stops, have a heavy table not suited to woodworking. Germany (subject to language issues) seems similar.

Over here there's some good quality old drills like Fobco, Meddings and the like around - but people are paying big money (around $1,000 and more) for pretty ancient and well used stuff. Which might be OK if you luck into one in good condition. That old Powermatic looks nice Tom.

Mill drills look like an alternative worth serious consideration as you say, but they seem to have limits too. Round column types don't permit head height adjustments without losing their X/Y datum, and some seem to be of poor quality (which is a worry as they cost enough for it to matter) - but the square column models with tilting heads get much more expensive (x3 or 4 ?) in woodworking relevant sizes. Against that the round column handles light and basic vertical milling tasks which would be a boon (even if limited to wood, aluminium and light cuts in steel) - but seem to reach limits very quickly in terms of accuracy, rigidity and retention of set up compared to a proper mill. Having X/Y positioning (the tables) must be a boon, but against that the price is reduced vertical capacity compared to a pedestal (can the head be swung to 90 deg and used there?) - and zero ability to tilt the head on a round column type so no angled holes without a packing block.

It'd be great to hear more regarding the woodworking experience with mill drills, or regarding other less high profile makers of woodworking oriented pedestal drills. Or indeed if there are other machine formats worth considering. Mike H seems to be a long term fan of round column mill drills too...

[Peter Kelly]

I managed to score a lightly used Canadian-made General 340 drill press yesterday for $425. Was a long time before one appeared on CL but it was well worth the wait.

Theres' plenty of deals to be had, you just need to be patient and ready to move on stuff quickly when it comes up.

[Mike Hollingsworth]

Now yer talkin!!

John
I have a used 1950 Powermatic 1200 Drill Press. Its great, best drill press I have ever used. Looks like this. Tom

[Kent A Bathurst]

John
I have a used 1950 Powermatic 1200 Drill Press. Its great, best drill press I have ever used. Looks like this. Tom

That is a big-boy machinist's DP !!! I have the next size down - the 1150. Mine is VS.

Agree with the comment on a 6" quill travel. Certainly don't need it every project, but is is very nice to have.

[Brad Patch]

I'm looking to buy a drill press. In the past I've used a small benchtop craftsman drill press that had a ton of slop. Id like some suggestions on some mid line (maybe in the $500 range) floor drill presses.

Also any suggestions on buying used? Are there any specific companies I should look for when buying used? What are some things to check when buying a used drill press. Ive bought used tools on craigslist in the past, are there any other good places to buy used tool?

Generally speaking the well known AMERICAN made drill presses are FAR superior to their off shore made counterparts.

Fit and finish - Superior
Crank up table - The older you are the more you will appreciate this feature,
Quill lock - You WILL use this feature, not available on some off shore brands.
Quill Travel - The more the better
Chuck - Off shore supplied chucks can be junk.
Speeds - For most users 4 speeds are plenty and 2 more than you will use regularly. Import 12 speed unnecessary and induce a lot of vibration.
Motor - Find a tool with the original, rather than powered by a washing machine motor.

I owned an off shore machine and I never could get it drill a deep hole without wandering off, machining was crude, sharp edges, build in light useless, supplied chuck crap, base no where wide enough for a floor model. To sum it up very cheaply made, was very happy when it found a new home.

My experience is with Delta stationary tools and parts are plentiful (but not necessarily through Delta) Google Vintage tools or OWWM there is a wealth of info there, and experts who can answer any question as well as a active forum used for buying, selling parts. Be warned they will not discuss off shore made tools nor will they do appraisals.

Good Luck

Brad

[Tom M King]

Big and old usually make a good drill press, even if it needs a bit of work on it, but if you can get one with a table lift, it's something worth having. I have an old 1150 with no lift, but I rigged up a trailer tongue lift, and the only one I'd trade if for is one just like it with a built-in lift.

Probably the only new one I'd buy now would be an Ellis. http://www.ellissaw.com/Drill-Presse...ill-press-9400

[Greg R Bradley]

Big and old usually make a good drill press, even if it needs a bit of work on it, but if you can get one with a table lift, it's something worth having. I have an old 1150 with no lift, but I rigged up a trailer tongue lift, and the only one I'd trade if for is one just like it with a built-in lift.

Probably the only new one I'd buy now would be an Ellis. http://www.ellissaw.com/Drill-Presse...ill-press-9400

Well, I agree completely but the OP asked about $500 drill presses and you just suggested one that is a great drill press for the price but is more than 6 times his budget.

[jack forsberg]

used press no contest. new your only going to get garbage .my two press total with new bearing and VFD came in at less than $500.

I had 5 drill press all in the midst of being fix up( one of my many problems) and so i was holding on to my newer Delta(900l) 16.5 12 speed from 1987 until i had the time to get a variable frequency drive(VFD) for the older Delta 17" with foot feed from the 1940s. this was a 3 phase machine i have been running off my rotor phase converter (10hp). problem is i had to have the RPC running to use the press and its only a 1 hp press( waste of power). the newer 16.5 press was 120 volts single phase and this has been handy over the years because its is an easy to move machine from place to place as the shop got rearranged for other machines and i have 120 volt outlets around the shop.

What the up grade gave over any thing new was phase conversion from 120 volts house hold power to 240 volts 3 phase power, variable speed control, braking, reverse, soft start,overload motor protection and more. all i can say is the VFD has changed the way i see 3 phase machines. I Find my self looking for them for any machine that need braking or speed control let along Phase conversion.

I used an old disconnect switch to put the VFD in and for my incloser and so its a clean set up. I have 6 VFDs in the shop now and this is the first time i have used the 120 volt input. boy do i love it. these 120 volt VFDs are limited to about 1HP 3 phase so will only work on machines like the press/lathes and machine with small motors.

One of the presses a Jones and Shipman from England got set on the end of the Wadkin lathe as i did not use that end often. the last problem will be what to do with the 2 buffalo's in the Q. I think i will have to sale them too.





this little Jones and Shipman $100 jig borer is real handy so you don't mess with X and Y






buy a good old 3 phase press and rebuild it(easy machine to fix there is ) and run it with a VFD. The VFD is so easy to wire a monkey could do it.

here is mine made to do more than what is out there today.

[Don Parker]

I recently bought a new Jet JDP-17DX to replace a very flawed Harbor Freight radial drill press I've had for about 10 years. I like the Jet very much for these reasons:

1. It has good power, more than enough for all woodworking operations and satisfactory for the occasional drilling through metal.
2. Speed changes are pretty easy, given that it involves manually changing pulley positions.
3. The chuck runs very true. My dial indicator tests show just a few thousandths of an inch of runout.
4. The table is designed for woodworking; it has T-slots, regular slots, and a square open spot under the chuck for a sacrificial insert. 1/4" hardboard fits it perfectly.
5. The table is reasonably square to the spindle, certainly close enough for all woodworking.
6. There is a well positioned socket for a lightbulb.
7. If you are into that sort of thing, there is a laser crosshair system (I don't use it). Maybe I will warm up to it later.
8. I got 10% off an already reasonable price, thanks to a Jet sale.

I have a different perspective from those who feel that all new drill presses are crap. For a woodworker, even those little 8" $100.00 imports can be useful, if you keep their limitations in mind. Everything up from there adds some nicer features, better accuracy, more power, more swing. You get what you pay for. As far as getting a better drill press by shopping for an older model, I went down that road for a few weeks. All I found were either used imports or severely beat up older USA machines that needed a LOT of work; and because they bore (like the pun?) names like Rockell, their current owners felt they should get top dollar. I don't have the time to restore such machines, nor do I want to. I want to buy a tool that is ready to help me build things. So, I bought a new one. The Jet is fine for me.

Good luck with your search.