drill press advice

[joe degrande]

I'm looking for a benchtop drill press. The Delta 300 series looks good but so does the Craftsman.

Any suggestions? Thanks, joe ...

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Seems like most benchtop drill presses come from the same factory in China. Go for features, not brand, IMO. Get one where the table can be adjusted with a crank, not slide up and down by hand. I have a 12" Delta but I'd be just as happy with the Craftsman.

[wood_newbie]

Make sure the depth stop is the type with a rod and a nut, rather than the rotating collar that Delta popularized. Take it from someone who owns one with a rotating collar!

[Bill Leonhardt]

You didn't indicate a size or price range.

I bought my son this 14" Grizzly unit

about 6 months ago. I was impressed with it when I saw it in the show room and he hasn't reported any problems with it. I'm jealous because it's much better than the cheapy Rockwell 11" press I bought about 25 years ago. I see the price went up a bit since last Novenber.

Bill Leonhardt

[joe degrande]

To everyone ... thanks so much for the advice. I stopped at Woodcrafters and they had a Rikon. I was surprised to see that it had a pivoting head! That was going for $159. Needless to say, I'm trying to find as much information on this one too. joe ...

[bigredbarn]

Look for a good used drill press. Drill presses are one of the most common tools out there, and there are lots of good older ones looking for new homes. You can easily find a nice Delta, Atlas, or Craftsman that is much more tool than the ones being built in Taiwan today. Check eBay or your local classifeds to start. You'll probably spend less, and get a much better tool to boot.

[bf]

Joe, if you're willing to spend $159 for a benchtop, could you swing about $300 for a floor model one? It's a lot more versatile. Plus, if you get a benchtop one, you're going to have to build a stand or it will steal benchtop space (consider the $$ and time to build a stand). If you have the option to get a floor model one, you should.