I've decided to replace my circa 1974 AMT 10" bench drill press with something that has a few modern conveniences like a crank for elevating the table, a resettable depth gauge, etc. Enco in their recent flyer has a 13" job for under $260 that seems reasonable. Are there any negatives I can't see from the ad? Anything else I should consider instead?
TIA Norm
I'm not familiar with Enco, but $260 sounds like a lot for a 13" DP. I'd do some looking around at either slightly bigger benchtop models, and also floor models. For that much money, you should be able to get something bigger.
Or, if you want a benchtop drill press - I have a 12" Ryobi that I got at Home Depot for around $160 that I've been very happy with. Seems to have most of the "pro-level" features, just in a smaller package.
Mike
Practically speaking, I had quite a few items that needed drilling with a drill press, i cluding large-ish wood items, that I would not have been able to drill with a benchtop press due to clearance issues. For the kind of money that the OP mentioned, he could buy a very serious floor drill press.
i--I *am* familiar with Enco: everything they sell is crap.
That price is slightly less than I paid for my 17" Jet floor model. It seems to be all I need in a drill press although I don't need anything super precise. Steve
I haven't delt with Enco in years but they were the Hrbor Freight of the
80's. Don't know if they've gotten better. I wouldn't buy it without seeing it.
A year or two ago I bought a bench mounted drill press. I ended up gong with a 17" model from Grizzly. I bought it because it had a low speed that was under 200 RPM. Most benchtop drill presses I considered had a low speed in the 300RPM range. I wanted to be able to use larger drill bits and the sub-200 speed made that easier. I've noticed that the 17" benchtop model is no longer being offered, although the floor model is still available. There is a 14" model that has a low speed of 140RPM that may bear consideration.
Overall, I've been pleased with the DP I got from Grizzly. Changing belts is a PITA; it needs longer belts to make this easier. The drill stop is flimsy. It does have plenty of power, though. There's nothing else I wish I'd bought instead.
Peter
I seen in the Menards flyer they have the 16.5" Jet floor model drill press for $285.00. I think Menards is MN, WI area. Steve
--The negative is it's made by ENCO. Look around for another brand and you'll probably be happier.
ENCO is not a manufacturer. They buy stuff and resell it. They do however tend to buy crappy stuff.
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