Bench-top drill press

Any recommendations for a solid reliable brand/model. Don't even mention Craftsman! ;)

nb

Reply to
notbob
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All of the ones I've seen in the last several years have been a little on the flimsy side compared to the floor models, especially in the post.

You might look around for a used one. I'm lucky enough to have one I bought about 20 years ago and I swear all the manufacturer (Taiwan) did was saw off the post and put a smaller foot on it :-).

Reply to
Larry Blanchard

"Larry Blanchard" wrote

I agree. The problems with drill presses is that if they are too small, they are almost useless for many jobs. The only time I saw a small drill press fit in perfectly in a shop was for a model builder. The scale was small enough.

That said, you need to know some things. Primarily, how fast (or slow) must the drill speed be? And how deep (quill travel) do you have to drill. Also, how big a chuck do you need?

Another problem with all drill presses, bench or floor models, are inherently unstable. Particularly if drilling holes in long stock. You not only need to stabilize the drill press itself, but have adequate support fo the stock as well. And you will probable need some kind of fence. Although, for many folks, a piece of 2 X 2 and some clamps do just fine.

Buying a small drill press and putting it on a bench will not address those basic concerns. For my money, I would rather have a floor model. I know, they take up more room. But I have seen very few bench models that I would even have in my shop. I have owned small floor models that were underpowered. And it still did better than most bench models.

The only exception to this general observation is some old machinists benchtop models from almost a hundred years ago. Those things had more cast iron in them than current floor models. Replace the bearing in them and you will have a good set up.

Sorry about that, but I have used drill presses extensively in both woodworking and metal working. The biggest problems I have always had was power and drill speed. For my applications, I could never get the speed low enough. For me, slower was better.

Figure out what you need and go from there. Or just buy on price. Many people do. I have bought a bunch of Grizzly drill presses over the years for myself and others. The price is decent. The quaility is OK. And the more you spend, the better drill press you get.

Reply to
Lee Michaels

Very good points and one's I should have thought about before rashly posting my question. I was looking for a fast fix and didn't think it through. Having been a machinist at one time, I'm quite familiar with drill speeds and am probably jumping the gun. I will be drilling small holes for electronics work and making homebrew antennas. Perhaps a drill stand for drill motors is more appropriate. Even drill jigs that fit directly on the drill motor may suffice. I've used them successfully before where nothing else would do. Probably more important is getting a good hi-speed 1/4" drill motor for small drill bits.

Killed me to hafta sell my 3/4" tapered chuck floor press with 2 hp motor when I moved, but such is life!

Thanks for the reality check, Lee. ;)

nb

Reply to
notbob

I find the tabletop no-name drill press just fine for doing all manner of electronics and smaller jobs. I mounted mine using some cantilever shell brackets so it is rock solid:

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Reply to
Tim Daneliuk

I bought a Ryobi bench-top a few years back (IIRC $99 at HD) that has done a good job for light duty

Reply to
Morris Dovey

I have the same one. I had to tighten up that 8mm bolt in the side to correct some run-out, but after that, it runs true.

Reply to
-MIKE-

At the risk of repetition, I second Lee's recommendation of an olde floor standing model. I was fortunate to find one through the seller's newspaper add. It was a cast iron model made by Buffalo Forge, with a step pulley arrangement for speed change. The only thing it needed was a new quill assembly and Jacob's chuck. It has no bells or whistles but does its job more than adaquately. Joe G

Reply to
GROVER

What kinda drill speeds, top end? Small bits need speed and there's no limit when working aluminum.

nb

Reply to
notbob

WOW! I think I'm in love. Delta DP350. 500-3100rpm vari-speed! I can chuck up a pin chuck fer the itty-bitty bits. Isn't Delta suppose to be pretty good stuff? Anyone have reasons why this might be a bad choice? Thanks in advance.

nb

Reply to
notbob

For electronics work, specifically drilling small (#50 thru #80) holes in PCB's I've found that a Dremel in their drill press accessory works very well. I have solid carbide bits with 1/8" shanks which fit the dremel collet but dremel has a jacobs style chuck for the odd shanks too. Art

Reply to
Artemus

Reply to
Russ Stanton

Ah... good idea, but not gonna buy a dremel, also. That Delta DP has the speed and I have the chucks and drills. Plus, want steady vert repeatability for drilling multiple inline holes in tubing. Thank you for the idea, though. ;)

nb

Reply to
notbob

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Reply to
Lew Hodgett

The two things that bug me most about my benchtop press are (1) small spindle travel (about 2"); I've gotta reposition the work when a deep hole is needed.

(2) lack of quill lock; if I need to measure the drill position, it's convenient to chuck up a dowel pin and pull out the calipers. Not so convenient if I can't park the dowel where I want to measure.

The benchtop models I didn't like, had nonreplaceable motors and/or geared drives. It's awfully convenient to be able to loosen a belt when you WANT the drill to slip before it grabs.

Worklight and airnozzle addons are on my to-do list. Last time I had a bunch of holes (holesaw in wood) to do, I loaded boards with my left hand, operated the press with my right, and huffed and puffed with a sodastraw in my mouth to clear the waste. It gets ... dizzying ... after a while.

Reply to
whit3rd

"whit3rd" wrote

Worklight and airnozzle addons are on my to-do list. Last time I had a bunch of holes (holesaw in wood) to do, I loaded boards with my left hand, operated the press with my right, and huffed and puffed with a sodastraw in my mouth to clear the waste. It gets ... dizzying ... after a while.

=================

LOL I know exactly what you are talking about! I have done the same thing.

I remember one job where I had to drill a large number of holes in another shop. It wasn't my drill press and had to work with what theyhad. And they tried to do it with dull bits. I told them no. So after considerable argument, they got me some sharp bits. Then I had the same problem mentioned above and no air. I made a complaint and was told to wait a minute.

Soon a teenage boy showed up with a fireplace bellows! He squirted air on shavings and blew them away. It was funny. But it worked and I got done a lot quicker.

Reply to
Lee Michaels

I was shocked when I grabbed the DeWalt jigsaw, admittedly in a hurry, and later discovered someone still actually made a jigsaw with no built-in sawdust blower. Sure, there was an orbital sander in the box that I hadn't counted on, but when all was said and done, I'd have gladly done without the sander for even a wimpy sawdust blower. What are these people thinking? (yeah, I know.... I wasn't). :\

nb

Reply to
notbob

For your application, you might want to take a look at this:

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Proxxon line of small power tools is also quite good.

Reply to
LDosser

Might take a look at grizzly. This link will get you into their site. I personally prefer the floor model and this one has some commonality with bigger machines.

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Reply to
RonB

I have a Delta DP300L that I picked up at Lowes a couple years ago. It was on sale for somewhere around $100.

It's solid and seems well constructed. Changing speeds is a bit awkward, moving belts on pulleys. There not much play even when the motor is loosened.

Like any benchtop drill press, the table is small. Someday I'll make a wood table to fit over the metal table.

-- Michael Eager

Reply to
Michael Eager

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