Help - Buying a New Drill Press

[John Akerblom]

Hey everybody,

I need a little help figuring out which drill press to buy. I do hobby/semi pro work in my garage. I am looking to spend about $600-$800. I work with a lot of burl, exotic hardwood, and other dense unpleasant to mill woods.

I want a drill press with 1. 5" - 6" spindle travel, 2. power, 3. large table (preferably with mdf insert).

Right now, I am deciding between the following models.

Jet 17" DP (JDP-17) ($740) - 5" quill travel, 3/4 hp, large table with replaceable mdf insert
NEW - Rikon 17" DP (30-236) ($750) - 6" quill travel 1.5 hp, smaller table with what looks like no insert
Grizzly 20" DP - (G7948) ($670 w/ freight) - 4 3/4" quill travel, 1.5 HP, large table with no insert

If anyone else knows of any other good drill presses with long quill travel and large tables, I'm all ears.

I have a couple of questions besides feedback regarding pros/cons of each model:

1. If the table only has a certain size hole, do I have to make some sort of jig to drill large holes? (i.e. drilling a 2" or 3" hole with forstner bit?)

2. Will 3/4 HP be powerful enough to drill large holes through exotic hardwoods? I don't do much with metal, so that's a minimal concern.

3. Does anyone have any experience with the new Rikon? It seems pretty great with the 6" quill travel, but I don't like the smaller table and haven't been able to track down any reviews.

4. What fence (with dust port) works best with a larger drill press?


Again, any and all feedback is greatly appreciated. My garage is starting to come together nicely, and it's great to have a resource like this when it's tough to track down reviews.

John Akerblom

[John Akerblom]

Also, it seems as if only the Jet and Grizzly (of the models I've listed) include T-Slot Grooves that would allow the addition of a standard fence. This isn't necessarily a deal breaker as for most projects I would just be lining up the individual hole and clamping it down, but a fence could come in handy for some repetitive tasks.

[Sean Tracey]

Stroke is the most important feature of those you listed. You want 6 inches of stroke.

The table is unimportant as long as it is rigid. You can always make or buy a table to put on it and it will have the MDF insert.

Drills don't need a whole lot of power. But lots of speeds or a good variable speed mechanism are important.

[Scott Brandstetter]

I am a huge fan of Grizzly tools and have nothing but great things to say. I wanted to buy one of their drill presses but want more stroke and I wanted a better way to change speeds. I am hoping to get a new press myself and I'm very intrigued by the Rikon (I don't own any of their tools yet). I like the Powermatic but don't want to pay the upcharge for the name.

Let us know what you end up with and give a review.

[Mike Hollingsworth]

Stroke is the most important feature of those you listed.

Wait until a vintage Rockwell or Powermatic shows up on Craigslist. That budget is more than enough for an excellent specimen.

[Mark Stubblefield]

Also take note that the Rikon will be $650 at woodcraft in their upcoming sale... 8/29-9/25 Use the $100 you saved to buy a WP table: http://www.woodpeck.com/wpdrillpresstable.html

[Thomas Canfield]

I would make the following suggestions to consider, but no recommendation:
1. Look at speed ranges available. A slow speed down to about 250 is needed for the larger Forstner bits. Also check the available speeds and what is required to change belts to obtain the speeds ( some require complete removal of 2 belts to make minor speed change) and have big gaps in speed range.
2. Check spindle lock. Handy when setting up for drilling and also for sanding
3. Check drill depth gauge method
4. A smaller table is not a killer since as mentioned you can add a table with fence, hold-downs, removable insert, etc easily
5. Check the strength of the column and baseplate. The cast iron base on my 17" Delta has flex and can vibrate with heavy loads.
6. Get a good one. I think the drill press is the most underrated tool in the shop, and mine gets a lot of use.
7. I usually have a belt slippage issue rather than a power issue when drilling 3" Forstner holes.

[daryl moses]

The size of hole in the table is a non issue IMO. I NEVER drill deeper than the top of the table I ALWAYS use a sacrificial piece under the work piece. It prevents an inadvertent hole in the table and prevents tear out on the piece you are drilling.

[Cary Falk]

The low speed on the Rikon sucks.
The quill travel on the Jet sucks and the new model is ugly.
The quill travel Grizzly sucks.

I am glad I am not in the market for a drill press. I love my PM1200

[John Lankers]

I can't comment on the drill presses you're considering, but don't forget about the swing. I had a nice 14" General International but the quill travel was only 3 1/2" and the 14" swing gave me less than 7" of reach which was not enough for what I needed it to do, I would look for at least 20" better 22" or more swing.
A 3/4 hp motor should be enough for larger forstner bits at low speed though.

[Earl Rumans]

I have the Delta 18-900L and it meets all your requirements. I know there have been some quality control problems with Delta but I have had my DP for over 2 years and it has been a great piece for me and hasn't given me a single problem. When I was looking for a DP, I had many of your same requirements but I added low speed capability to the list, because it's needed for the larger drill bits. I narrowed it down to the Delta or the Powermatic and I didn't really like the way the belt system worked on the PM so I got the Delta. It is not an inexpensive DP but I really like mine.

[Kent Adams]

The low speed on the Rikon sucks.
The quill travel on the Jet sucks and the new model is ugly.
The quill travel Grizzly sucks.

I am glad I am not in the market for a drill press. I love my PM1200

Isn't the PM1200 an air filtration system?

[Cary Falk]

Isn't the PM1200 an air filtration system?

Didn't use to be. It was a 20" dp with 6" quill travel that weighed in at about 600 lbs.


Looks like the subtle difference in the naming is the Powermatic 1200 vs the Powermatic PM1200

[Ronald Blue]

The 6" of quill travel seems to be a plus but I would want to see it in person. I wonder how much lateral movement it has as the quill reaches full extension. The deal killer is the low RPM minimum. That is fast for anything with diameter. It certainly would not be very useful if you wanted or needed to drill steel. They had something going here and they could have incorporated a two speed pulley setup to allow greater range in each direction. Where are you located? Craigslist might offer some good older options. Even a 3 phase would be good with a 3 phase converter. Then you could have variable speed and a good old American workhorse. Good luck whatever you choose to do.

[Chip Byrd]

I just noticed that Woodcraft is offering $100 off the Rikon.